wfinley

2 questions.... (1) who sells the Scarpa mantas - I've only seen them on UK websites. (2) Tried on the Nepals tonight. They are really nice - light and comfy... but SPENDY! $450 is an insane amount to spend on boots - especially leather boots. How well do these hold up? Will these take a beating?

Holy cow! That video was absolutely amazing... I use Photoshop everyday and have for 10 years now - it would take me a week to do that!!!

Thanks all... I'll check out the Nepals. In regards to the Freny... i agree about the fabric. The latest craze for super light boots is nice as long as you don't mind buying 2 pairs of boots per season. I seem to be able to destroy lightweight hikers in half a summer.

Dang those sunny rock photos look good... We froze our butts off.

My wife just got the 55L Quantum and is quite pleased with it. It expands to the point where she can load and carry vast amounts of gear inside it - but contracts to the point where she can climb steep rock / ice comfortably in it. There is no shovel pocket but there are holders for crampons / tools / skis. I highly suggest checking it out. http://www.bdel.com/gear/quantum.php

Once again it's time for new leather mountaineering boots and once again I am overwhelmed by all the new choices. I haven't bought boots in a few years so I don't know what's hot or not. These boots will be for spring / summer alpine routes in places like the Chugach mountains around Anchorage and occasionally the Alaska Range in places like Little Switzerland. Here are my requirements: - I'll need them for spring and summer alpine routes; temps will vary from 20 to 60 so I want them to be fairly warm - I want them fully crampon compatible (toe and heel) because I'm too cheap to buy new crampons - They need to be comfy enough for long hikes (30+ miles) - They need to decent (but not great) on ice and supple enough for easy rock In the past I've had the Saloman Guides (they came out around 1999 and were lighter then the Mountain Guide); these were great boots that lasted 3 seasons of heavy use plus 1 season after a resole. They are now trashed. I also had the La Sportiva Cumbres - but these fell apart after 2 seasons and gave me severe blisters. I also have the lightweight Sportiva Trangos; but these aren't warm enough for spring conditions and I don't feel comfy on steep snow or ice. Likewise I use plastic boots all winter so I won't need them to be ultra warm or stiff. So in order of ranking: 1. Waterproof 2. Comfort for hiking 3. Warmth 4. Flexible enough for easy rock 5. Stiffness for ice and snow Any suggestions?

The hedgehog's dilemma... just like the old joke: How do hedgehog's mate?

Interesting... I'm not familiar with the area -- is there a reason for climbers to walk under that icefall rather than just go downhill? Sometime back I read an article about the military testing a drug that would reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on soldiers. Here's an article: http://www1.wfubmc.edu/News/NewsARticle.htm?ArticleID=1655

$15 - 30? You'd do better posting this in the India forum.

When I was a kid my father worked for the World Bank and UNDP; he told a similar story about his first job which was in Nigeria. He was hired to go into rural villages to stop cholera outbreaks; the rural villages had no wastewater treatment plan and basically everyone crapped next to the water supply. So they built outhouses with containment / septic tanks and redug wells in areas that weren't contaminated. A year later his team returned to the villages to find the outhouses dismantled and everything back the way it was. Turns out that the villagers refused to share a common outhouse and water source due to social structures. However; the project was not abandoned instead more fund were put into education and one everything was rebuilt the villages slowly came to accept it. I imagine the same is in Nepal; in wealthy areas (like the Khunbu) chimneys are becoming the norm; however in other areas it will be a while before people can afford a chimney and new roof.

Perhaps it is not what you look for - but I believe many people do. I don't think many manufacturers or companies would go out of their way to promote what they do for the community if they did not belive that there was some sort of financial return to be made from the investment. Just about every major gear manufacturer has a page about their philanthropic goals. For example: Black Diamond: http://www.bdel.com/about/partners.php Patagonia: http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=2927 North Face: http://thenorthface.com/na/partners_philanthropy.html REI: http://www.rei.com/reigives That said - ken4ord is right in that most contributions tend to stay locally - look at the Conservation Alliance (http://www.conservationalliance.com) - $560,000 in 2006 to North American causes; whether this is right or wrong is hard to say. Personally I am more apt to give to a local nonprofit that is fighting to protect an area I visit and treasure (like ANWR for instance) than I am to give to some nonprofit where the return is not so easily seen. As for being swayed by ads that say Company A promotes stewardship - yes, I am swayed by those ads. I buy the Patagonia propaganda hook line and sinker and am more apt to blow $300 on a new jacket from them because their commitment to philanthropic causes is very apparent in all they do.

Wow... Yes they were, as you put it, able to take a shit before. But they took it with a lower life expectancy and a higher infant mortality rate. Complain all you want about the perils of advancing Western culture - the fact is - western culture brings better health. Arguing that people were better off when they wore yak fur coats, danced for the Sahib and died from old age at 40 is pretty weak. Since when is providing the basic necessities of life (food, clothing and shelter) a Western notion?

It is never industry's responsibility to promote philanthropy - however good companies practice it. It promotes a strong community and in turn a strong community helps a company thrive. BP, ConocoPhillips and Starbucks all give significant amounts to the areas they do business in - as do most successful businesses. Before scoffing at the idea that industry should promote philanthropy educate yourself on the grants provided by companies in the US (here and here). It is in the best interest of industry to give back to the communities where they operate; jobs are not enough - especially when the average CEO makes 430 times what the average production worker makes. The idea that these communities would be better off without the advantages of technology such as power, running water and medicine is a western concept that borders on racism. These communities want to continue the way they were? They want to burn yak dung for fuel? They want to walk 2 days to the nearest hospital? They want a higher infant mortality rate? They want a shorter life expectancy? Get real. I must admit - i tend to get angry when i see things like te Alpine Club giving a wad of cash to some kid to "teach bouldering" to kids in the Khumbu. What a wate opf funds for all involved. Likewise I continually cringe at the multiple "climb for cause" climbs that scream for attention every season; nothing stands out in Talkeetna like the climb for cause teams that have somehow gotten sponsored to go on vacation. That said I would argue that teaching women and men basic mountaineering skills addresses the root cause which is lack of jobs. New toilets won't do anything if the community cannot provide jobs; mountaineering skills can and do provide a viable livelihood to many locals. However - the flip side to this comes from looking at the accomplishments of the Hillary Foundation. They have focused on the basic necessities: education, hydro-power, medicine. And when comparing the accomplishments of, say the hospital and school in Khumjung with the classic 'roll through town and teach how to climb' workshop I would say there is no comparison as to which accomplishes more in the long term. As for the fact that the Outdoor Industry gives so little; it doesn't shock me. The Outdoor industry has basically become like any other industry out there - promoting Hummers at their trade shows, lecturing about carbon credits while heli-skiing and warning about the perils of consumerism while pushing 42 different shades of the same jacket. In short it has become 'Industry' and the only thing that matters to industry is profit.

Garbage deposit for Everest is $4000; $3000 for all other 8000m peaks. Garbage deposit for trekking peaks is $250. And they do check it; although not as closely as one would hope. It's all who your trekking agent is and who takes who out to dinner in Katmandu. However.. to put it in perspective - the garbage issue is minimal when compared to the issue of over development.

I have the Pentax W10 - I've used it in temps of up to -25 for 6 days straight and the battery never went below 2 bars (out of 3). This past fall we carried it for a month in Nepal and only went through 2 batteries. The panoramic shots are all in the software; blow your cash on Photoshop and they blend together perfectly.

I can't speak from experience but I doubt that K2 basecamp is much cleaner than Everest. At least there has been a dedicated effort from the Nepali government in recent years to clean up the Khumbu valley. When a region depends on tourism to survive it is only a matter of time before the locals figure out that trash hurts their economy. People bring trash and the only reason we don't deal with trash issues on the local level (on the scale of what you see in the third world) is because we have money and can afford to enforce violations.

I haven't been on the Big E but last year we climbed a couple smaller trekking peaks. Topping out on a peak that's 19,000' and turning around to see another peak looming 10,000' higher is pretty intense.

Man... a coffee stand like that would BANK in Anchorage. Unfortunately it's winter 9 months out of the year... The perkiness would garner huge tips - but frostbite would be inevitable.

G-Spotter... you are truly attune with pop culture.

WHITE OUT WITH 50% CHANCE OF TAUNTAUNS!!! DECK OFFICER: Your Tauntaun'll freeze before you reach the first marker. HAN: Then I'll see you in hell!

Here's the Snopes page on Aussie gun statistics: http://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/ausguns.asp Assault rates have risen in the past 10 years; however homicide rates continue to decline. that said - it's easy to tweak the Australia argument because of differences in data collection. For example - the US only records rape - Australia records sexual assault. Thus it looks like on paper that Australia is a far more dangerous place for women. Likewise the US records Aggravated Assault - Australia records Assault. However they both record murder and robbery so that can be compared: US Rates: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/offenses/standard_links/national_estimates.html Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate 5.6 Robbery: 140.7 Australia rates: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/facts/2006/ Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate 1.5 Robbery: 83

My condolences to Lara's family, Jed and the Seattle and Fairbanks climbing communities. It sounds like Lara was a strong dynamic person who brought joy to many; cheers to a life well lived.

CrystalTech.com - because someone in the US answers the phone 24/7.

In college my roommate had a dirt bike that he hid in the shed and only pulled out late at night when drunk at which time he would tear around the woods surrounding campus. One night his girlfriend was over and she asked if she could ride the bike; he spent about 15 minutes showing her show to work it and she patiently nodded and acted totally ignorant. Finally he said hop on... she jumped on, kicked the throttle, threw the bike up into a perfect wheelie and disappeared into the woods. Turns out she'd been riding bikes since she was a kids and she ripped around in the woods until the cops came. My roommate was very humbled after that and swore utter devotion to this girl until she dumped him.

Nice! The Silvretta Mtns are in Austria right? Are these huts part of the Haute route or are the in a different location. Forgive me - i don't know the geography of Europe at all.