Dr_Crash

Of course, one can invest in some good rechargeable AAAs and a fast charger. And still buy batteries in a town near the climb if needed. Now, who's going to build me my combo altimeter / GPS / HRM watch? Pleaaaase? drC

Thanks for the answers, and Don's info re: vibrating. The weight difference between the Aztar (590 g) and the Quark (645 g) is 55 g per tool, i.e. ~4 oz for the pair; you can drop it to 33 g by using a Freelock leash instead of the Clipper for alpine (~2 oz more then for the pair). This is according to the weights in Petzl's tool brochures. I can't find that 15 g difference Don mentions (I guess 33 isn't that bad, but that's buying another 2 leashes). The Aztarex is 500 g, and once you add a Freelock leash, you're looking at 540 g. So all these tools in Petzl's line are basically around 50 g from each next fancy tool. I borrowed an Aztar M (a single tool following a miscommunication with the loaner of said tool) for the week-end, and will play with it on Baker on alpine stuff. drC

Fodder Which Is Worthless (FYI, really, what tomtom say). Freedom and Accidents are must read. Climbing anchors and the sequel are great. And they're definitely perfect for bathroom because it's all chunked in one to two pages individual things. The Mountaineers publish a book called "From Gym to Crag" targeted at people like you who started inside and are coming out in the lght. I have no idea whether it's good; check your local library before commiting to a buy. drC

Just stumbled on that one: drC

So: Aztar will be nice in alpine but suck on ice, but Quark will rock on everything ('xcept for weight and $ factors)? Is that what you're saying, Dru? (I found a few posts on a French alpinism site asking Quark vs Aztar and Quark was the recommendation too, and one where someone with Quarks said they were a bitch to use in AD couloirs, or 70 degrees alpine; may be referring to the inability to push the shaft in hard snow?) drC

I'd love to! I can't quit my job or even take a lower paying / more flexible job on my own volition (gotta love WA divorce laws). Now, maybe I could get fired drC

Argh! Sunny during the week, always rainy on week-ends, what kind of weather is that? I wanted to go camp w/ family in the Olympic NP this week-end: loom at this forecast. where all days but the week-end (and following Mon) are sunny days/ I am getting frustrated . drC

Don't worry about cost. For the difference, I'd rather make the right choice. I've been bitten a few times by not spending the extra $50 on something that I ended up keeping for years. It's cheaper to pay $35 more than ditch/sell the thing and spring for the other one altogether. Dru, why is Stemalot bitching about the Aztars on ice climbs? (Leashes are easy to swap out, I think one can put the Freelock on the Quarks just like you can put the detachable leash on the Aztar?) drC

Damn, GPS for <$100. Time to relegate my $400 sextant (and that's extremely cheap for a metal sextant) to a wall ornament drC

No experience, but I wish someone made a watch with GPS, barometer, and HR monitor. And not charge $899 as Suunto would do. If they can market a GPS watch for $149, you'd expect to see sub-$300 watches with all the above features... And they would sell like pancakes (once one solves the 15 hr battery issue with smart power management :-P) The main issue with a GPS in a watch form factor is the size of the antenna, and thus the acquisition time and quality of reception. (I want an external antenna connector for my gadget watch and a flexible 30 ft wire antenna that weighs next to nothing.) drC

So people should climb for free in Patagonia but pay a a fee on Rainier to go above 10,0000 ft? drC

Sounds like the first three rules of the WA State Divorce Code: (1) the wife wins, (2) you lose, and (3) see rules one and two. drC

So all the people who rave about using the Quark for alpine are just using overkill/inadapted tools? (Something pretty common: buy the most expensive---and heavy in this case---one and then say it's great for everything; happens in all fields.) drC

Well, for the usage I describe, a mountaineering boot would definitely be better. But does that mean the Aztar would make the alpine climber happier than the Quark. I am only buying one kind of tool to start, it's got to cover everything for a couple years. drC

Before I plunge for a pair of Aztar (one hammer, one adze)... Is the Quark a much better tool, worth the extra weight on an alpine climb? Main use will be alpine and tooling around on local ice (crossing fingers). I looked at Grivel's line too and it looks like all their tools are heavier, so I am back to Petzl (no BD for me). drC

Yes, no auto "favorite topic" unless one explicitely asks for it. In the same vein, it would be nice to have a "My Active Threads" view that returns all the threads that one has posted to (within a time limit) that got some other responses. What software are you migrating to? drC

I wouldn't aim for his leg either. But I thought the wrist of the hand holding the grenade isn't a bad choice (yes, if you miss and get the grenade instead, oops; if you miss and he detonates, oops). Anyway... It's time for somebody to invent a projectile that can neutralize someone immediately w/o killing him/her. drC

So the only way they could have him drop his grenade was to shoot him dead? All these elite shooters can't aim for other body parts and incapacitate him? drC PS: And happy birthday to the birthday girl.

I like those. Still, 9.5 ounces, that's more than my bivy sac... drC

Groups are not necessarily better as far as risk taking goes. This is an intro article to human factors in avalanche accidents. There is more and more data pointing to human being the main risk in avalanche fatalities (in most accidents, at least 2 or 3 objective warning signs were present and not taken as the clues they were to the danger). Once the accident happens, groups are definitely at an advantage as far as self-rescue goes... drC

Are they talking about a fireman belay, which would work for everybody but the first rappeler? That may make sense if they're kids and someone is worried about operator error and liability issues. (Now why they don't teach them to be use an autoblock...) drC

Just learn French. The site's apparent lack of a proper English version is part of a ploy to get back to the empire of the past... drC PS: cj001f, do you race around here? I don't as much as I used to in the Bay Area (I got picky wind conditions-wise, not to mention the very nice rides ) but still like it.

Just learn French. The site's apparent lack of a proper English version is part of a ploy to get back to the empire of the past... drC

39.8 knots on the Hydroptère. I'd love to be aboard drC

I like the Yates expedition because they're easy to stack together for storage on a pack when not needed (in the V). They also have pointed ends to poke your partners or slow parties on the way up, and a reinforced end for pounding them in. (Yates also makes a cable picket with an attached cable.) drC