wfinley

True - but the first rule of simul-climbing is don't fall. Thus if you follow the rules then you don't have to worry about falliing. In all seriousness this is one of those risk equations... i.e. - is it more risk to simul climb terrain where you're pretty sure you won't fall as opposed to either (a) soloing that terrain or (b) belaying everything and risking weather, nightfall, the wrath of your wife etc. etc..

Wow - nice post Buckaroo. Well said!

I really can't speak for others - many of my friends up here learned to ski BC and ski as well as anyone who learned to ski at the resort. From my standpoint I learned to ski so I could climb - and thus developed a wide stance so I could ski with a big pack. Unfortunately I never learned the mini-skirt trick and still ski with a big wide stance. The drawback to this is my ski turns aren't sexy; the plus is that come spring when I'm roped up with a giant pack I don't have to adjust my style. The other potential drawback for learning at a resort and then going BC is that the skier will be tempted to ski stuff he or she shouldn't be on without proper avalanche and route finding techniques. Whereas those who learn to ski in the BC learn to analyze snow and conditions from the start. Check out Couloir Mag's ski reviews here: http://www.couloirmag.com/gear/category_index2.php?categorytype=78 If you hunt around you can usually find an older mid-fat ski in the $150-200 range. Also watch this board for deals: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9

My fly is a 3x3 net.

Interesting... I never knew there was an Everett in Iraq. Learn something new everyday. I've been quite amused by the "cheering crowds" broadcast all over the news. Interesting that they're all in the US (like Everett) and only a few key areas of Iraq. The trail and judgement of Saddam, had it been carried out correctly, could have unified a country. Instead by doing things like rushing the execution despite a holiday, allowing camera phones in the chamber that broadcast taunts Saddam's execution has been turned into a revenge killing and thus propelled him into martyrdom. Cheer all you want - but realize the screw up will cause hundreds if not thousands of deaths. Today a local boy became number 3,000. He was 22. God bless America.

Dig... I think that would be super fun!!!! Here's some stoke for you. Mt. Wrangell is the big one in the top left!

I believe you are correct - adjust to size first (using the lever) then set the DIN on the heel and footplate. You want to make sure the DIN is the same on the foot as well as heel. I prefer to get them as tight as possible so I have to practically crank them on. Likewise I like a tighter DIN because if the DIN is set to medium or low the footplate moves when you're trying to click in the heel piece. In all honesty I have never felt like my boots are tight in these bindings. They're great for my climbing boots but I feel like my feet wiggle around ever so slightly when i try and use my Lasers with them.

No sympathy but the trail and execution were more classic Iraq blunders and SNAFU. A leaked video of his executors taunting him before his hanging? A rushed appeal process? WTF - is the goal to plunge Iraq into more chaos then we see now? PS - for a purely Iraqi view of the whole incident read this blog: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com.

FWIW I learned to ski in the backcountry and have hauled many a friend and family up the slopes for their first ski trip ever. It's possible, albeit quite a bit harder - and as said you will be frustrated - however in my opinion, the effort is worth it.

You can find good used AT setups for around $300. Good used boots will be around $200. Watch eBay, Teletips and Craigslist and you'll find something. As for what to get; get a good mid-fat ski - i.e. - something around 112 in the shovel. For bindings get whatever you can find: Used Fritschis can always be found, Dynafits are super sexy but expensive and you'll need newer boots, Naxos will be found cheap but that's cause they're heavy and always breaking. Silvrettas can be had for $100 but the older models are less than perfect when it comes to releasing. If you take your time searching a total package can be had for less than $500. (Last year I set my brother up with an intro AT package for $300; $100 for Silvrettas, $50 for some old beater boots, $100 for skis and $50 for skins.) As for learning... you don't need to go to a resort. If you ask me learning to ski at a resort is like learning to climb at a gym. Get outside and start skiing. Your learning curve will be a lot lower than if you went to a resort - but you'll be stronger, have way more fun, can ski with your mutt and don't have to deal with obnoxious kids laughing at your neon green ski bibs.

Also note that the XGK works with just about any type of fuel out there -- a plus when all you can find is watered down kerosine. My climbing tends to be of the glacial slog variety thus weight is not that much of an issue; On extended trips where we have 4 people we'll carry two stoves and cook separately; if one stove dies we can always suck it up and share one stove / 4 people. For 2 person trips it depends on the type of trip. Having had numerous stoves break on me in the past I always err on the safe side. Sometimes we'll carry 2 pumps / 1 stove, sometimes 2 stoves and then cache one at the base of the route / basecamp. As for fuel - on winter / spring AK trips I haul 33 oz / 2 people / 5 days for mellow ski or climbing trips (i.e. - hanging out in the lower mountains where it will be around 15-25 degrees). When we're in areas especially prone to storms or if I know it's going to be super cold or high altitude I'll actually double the amount of fuel to 66 oz / 2 people / 5 days. This is a tad on the heavy side but it means I can sit in the tent when the storms role in and not have to fret about running out of fuel.

Summer of '95. We loaded up the Oldsmobile and drove 36 hours straight to the Tetons. We then proceeded to climb the Durrance Route on Symmetry only to summit and discover we were on Storm Point (one peak to the east)! After that we took note of things like route finding and then ticked off classics like Guide's Wall, Irene's Arete, the Durrance Route and the Owen Spalding. On the marathon drive back we bivied at the gates to Devil's Tower and at dawn ran up the Durrance Route and were back on the road by noon for another marathon drive back to the east coast. I was 20 and the mountains blew my mind. After I returned to the east coast I decided it wasn't for me and began planning to move.

Check out neice.com -- these pages in particular: http://neice.com/Articles/MT_Katadin/index.htm http://neice.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=1&Board=me

What can I say - I'm an astute movie critic. Ask me about the red car in Ben Hur.

Mine was the east face of Mt. Nestor in the Canadian Rockies. We were young and totally naive regarding snow and ave conditions. Stopped by the Alpine Club and asked about routes and when they told us none of the alpine route were in shape we laughed at them and said "How could they be out of shape? It's sunny." We thumbed through the book and chose a route that Dougherty described as "an enjoyable afternoon climb". We left around 10:30 am and at 2pm were slowly digging our way up a ridge of wet mash potato snow. 36 hours later after enduring many firsts like first bivy, first time intentionally triggering slab aves with big rocks, first time belaying off ice tools that wouldn't hold shit, we stumbled back to the van and got the hell out of Canada.

Where do you find these links?

You ever notice in the desert scene that when the shots are from below (and you can't see the guys face) the climber is actually leading; but when it's a close up of Eastwood he's somehow leading on toprope? That always cracked me up.

Yeah - but only if you haul beer in your backpack.

Do you get the AAC news? In the last issue there was a story about climbing in Pakistan and the AAC's involvement with misc. projects over there. I've tossed mine so I can't recall exactly who to contact. Find an old copy or ask the AAC for contacts.

BTW -- Clint I have rock & ice guidebooks for the NE if you want to borrow them.

You aren't going to be doing any clipping at the Gunks! St. Paddy's Day at New Paltz will be cold as balls. Anything where you'll need fingers will hurt to no end, If you're dead set on Feb. rock routes stick to the easy routes with big holds and big roofs like Shockleys, Horseman and High Exposure. Grab Todd Swain's guidebook and just climb routes with two or more stars. PS - I would suggest skipping the Gunks and driving to North Conway for ice. North Conway is 3 hours away from Boston; New Paltz is about 3 1/2 hrs from Boston.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all. May the powder the deep, the ice fat and the rock warm for all of next years adventures!

Make sure they watch eBay - lots of stolen stuff is sold on there.

And this is the Oregon S&R 2005 Annual Report: http://www.oregon.gov/OOHS/OEM/docs/sar/sar_annual_report_2005.pdf PS - With all the traffic CC is getting I think this should be a sticky.

I doubt that the recent events on Hood will lead to restrictions - however I do think it's possible we will see a fee structure proposed and possibly even put in place. The war in Iraq has stripped publicly funded parks to the point where NPS staff are being forced to find additional ways to charge or figure out who to cut. Rising fees on Denali are a great example -- I wouldn't be surprised to see a registration and fee structure proposed for Rainier, the Grand other prominent mountains (perhaps even El. Cap). (Hood might be a little harder because it lies in a national forest and thus the infrastructure doesn't exist.) It sucks to think about climbing and how it relates to things like the economy and public opinion, but I think that the Iraq war has put us in a really deep hole and in the next few years the state and federal governments are going to do everything they can to increase revenue sources for public ventures. Public opinion regarding climbers and rescue may just be the impetus for legislation that regulates and turns climbing into a commodity. Personally I have mixed opinions on this. I think it's bogus that climbers burden more than their share of the costs - however if climbers, hikers, boaters etc. shouldered more of the costs for our national parks then we would have more a voice when it comes to conservation and issues like rescue and required gear. Think about the voice that hunters and fishermen / women have in the West. This is because hunting and fishing license are huge sources of revenue for states and thus there is a direct correlation between the people, their activities and the land. Climbers / hikers etc. sink money into park passes and campgrounds but there is no additional revenue that is directly related to their activities (hunters and fishermen pay these same fees). Until fat, lazy American sees how we (climbers) contribute to the economy and thus help support our parks, fat lazy American will continually whine about how we're sucking them, as taxpayers, dry. They could care less about the obvious (Iraq, pork projects like Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere") and as long as the media and legislators stands up and makes comment about the burden we put on taxpayers we'll always be fighting against public opinion.