Dr_Crash

My right big toe is still numb months after a really cold day on Rainier... Not frostbite; doctors have no idea except maybe some nerve damage. Hmmm... drC

So, for the curious... Would you post the jpg of the Valdez pack redlined with your changes? (And a link to the original's Web site)? TIA! drC

60-75 pics a day is good; add a dozen or 15 more w/ the 32 Mb card that came with the camera. I am there to climb, not shoot And I could drop to 3 MP, I am not even sure why I have settled on 5 MP (oh wait, it's because it's less wasteful than the 7.1 MP ) drC

Yes dear, those are the ones I mention in my original post (down to -13 F). 1. Look at the debit that Nx (as in 40x or 80x) gives you, or read the card's spec (find that info on Sandisk or Lexar sites). 2. Get a good review of your camera to see what debit you need (see dpreview.com and others); some cameras, for example the Canon A95, do not benefit from an accelerated card. 3. Once you know what you need, shop for price. eCost.com which generally has good price, or one of the many price comparisons networks will get you there. I solved my 1 Gb problem for now by getting a Kingston 128 Mb card (doesn't list acceleration) for $3 (if the rebate check ever comes in). It will be fine for doing some 5 MP shooting on short day trips, and I'll get a bomber 1 Gb later, or a 2 Gb, seeing as prices drop all the time... drC

Dru, you should ask these questions in the Newbies forum. They'll help ya. drC

If you're looking for France, I'd say Serre-Chevalier is a good place. It's huge, and you're very close to La Grave for that day of adventurous skiing. Other resorts are close by. Head over to the TGR forums and ask there. Buster will likely say Serre-Chevalier too (and stay in Briançon) but there are people from all over Europe there. Have fun. drC

I also think battery life will be a greater issue. The Canon comes with a Lithium Ion battery, so hopefully the battery life will be okay even in cold. The S70 cannot take AAs unfortunately. I seriously considered the A95 which can, but in the end, the wide angle of the S70 got me. Speaking of batteries, any idea if the cheap replacement batteries are also Li-Ion or can they be anything at all as long as the form factor, voltage and rate are the same? How to know which is which? drC

Hey, I just ordered a Canon S70 to replace the crappy and old DSC-P1 which is dying at home (can't charge batteries anymore). I am going to get a 1 Gb Compact Flash card. Lexar makes a fast one for $75, and Sandisk makes a similarly fast one for $100, but whose operating temperatures go as low a -13 F (-25 C) versus the regular 32 F (0 C) of other cards. Does anybody have trouble using regular flash in low temperatures? I mean, the camera's rated to 32 F too, and I know it will work below that. I'd expect the same for the compact flash, no? Is the 32 F rating simply because the card or the camera are not moisture-proof (and moisture could then freeze inside at these temperatures)? YA

True. But the waist belt is not load bearing so it doesn't really matter if it's not exactly the right torso length. drC

Crap. And I was in MEC last week and they didn't have standard size Genies (not that size matters that much given there's no hip belt, but you gotta save that 3rd of ounce). drC

I need to correct that. The player has a boatload of features, including FM radio with presets, equalizer, options galore etc. They're just hidden between magic 2-seconds press of the few buttons on the player. RTFM. It still eats accents (and the letter following) though Boo, especially in 2004. Player is ridiculously small and lightweight, runs 15 hours on a basic alkaline AAA. drC

I got a 1 Gb Sandisk MP3 player for $129. Does its job well though not many features, no FM, and eats French accents (all accents for that matter). iPod is a bit big and will skip while running. drC

Either Rainier or Alpental if there's snow there. I'm going by myself, but if anybody wants to join... drC

That post above yours mentionning they need to wait for BD's double axle patent to expire might be the reason. I understand the argument that the cam covers more range than any other cam. They claim one can replace 2. Sure, but who wants to halve his opportunities to add protection and double the fall distance? And if you don't, say hi to more weight and more $$$ out of pocket... drC

It would be very nice if we could get something like what the Colorado Avalanche Center publishes: http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche/Default.aspx?tabid=106 Very easy to read (doesn't exempt you from reading the full forecast though!). I have seen that thing *entirely* black: a good day to bike or stay inbounds The friends of the NW Avalanche Center site also has a blog. (Or had? The site isn't working tonight.) http://www.avalanchenw.org/blog/ . People post their observations and you can read them. If you head into the BC it's nice to post here when you return so that people can get live data. drC

Click on this link and the discount should be applied automatically. The discount is good on everything including items already on sale... Enjoy. Discount expires 12/10/04. Oh, please post good deals to be had on that store? No time to browse the whole thing... drC

12 pt crampons where $20 then too, apparently. drC

$200 to $250 for a used pair. Or $300 retail (less street) for a pair of these brand new: (Marketing page at http://www.omegapac.com/op_alpine_alpha.html.) So are those bad, or are Grivel/Charlet/BD overpriced? drC

Re-re-re-re-re-re-recycled and getting old. drC

Woot! Thanks NoLSE. I've been waiting for that 2.6 oz windshirt to go on sale drC

I was thinking of asking michael_layton to make a T-shirt. drC

Nope. I mean, I called and the two pairs are sold now, but the thread you quoted is about my friend and I asking whether the boots are okay, not trying to sell them (pretty difficult as we don't have a pair to sell!). The yard sale would be a better forum for that anyway We'll see if the second pair surfaces there... drC

You say walk on your lawn but then you illustrate that with an icon of your . I think the latter is where those crampons would be headed to! drC

If you'd size them as rock shoes, the toes argument definitely makes sense. Those boots actually come with dual points (and one can get rid of the heelp spur too; given how stiff I am I won't be heel-hooking anything anytime soon ), so they would work for regular WI I'd wager. I just got a pair of Freney XT for alpine and ice, actually, so I am just curious about these. They're outrageous and overkill, but really cheap (most likely because they're outrageous and overkill); a cheap pair of boots to kill is better than an expensive pair of boots to kill, even over a few seasons. Now a cheap pair of boots that won't work is still too expensive which is why I am asking for opinions. (Really, SnowByrd took on her to ask, but I'm interested .) drC

Mixed: yes. WI: no. Interesting. Why would say no for WI? Given that the boots were specifically designed for ice comps, it sounds like it should be an application. drC