korup

Just returned from touring at Alpy. Good coverage all the way up from the parking lot aside from a very occasional rock or stump. Other areas (Silver Fir, Hyak) are all kinds of brown.

I've got some 190ish Volkl SnowRangers, in great shape, mounted with alpine binders. $45? I work in Bellevue if you want me to bring 'em in.

I think it might be mentioned in the post....

The whole advantage of Dynafits is that they are light as hell. So, why add weight with no real benefit with the Comforts? Classics or nothing IMHO. All the newest bindings, and the burly 4-buckle alpine weight Dynafit boots are just idiotic, me thinks...

He's here, too- http://www.mtncommunity.org/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=864&mesg_id=864&page= PM I got a in Oct. One other had BS about paycheck issues, etc etc. seemed fishy/bad for a ski partner, so I ignored him. Re: ski at muir Arc sociopath Registered: 09/16/05 Posts: 507 Loc: Yelm, WA Good Mornin' Drew, I'd love to skin up this weekend, ........but, I have car issues all of the sudden, and if ya wanna get together, then I would just be a passenger. I live In Yelm, and can offer an MRE, good company, tons of climbing stories, am very well versed in alpine climbing, have an extensive climbing resume......and am broke 'til I get payed next week. Otherwise......I need a ride if you are cruising this way. Thanks.......Just wanted to be honest, since I just came accross my car issue. BTW..........If we get there before 7AM.......get in for free. Joe

Somebody should jump on this, it is a hell of a deal. If I didn't already have a bloated quiver....

schweeet! what boots?

I think BD pull-tests to failure something like 20% of all the pro they manufacture. I think the QC on other products is comparable- that adds up! The other option is something like the current Aliens debacle...

BTW, there were two pairs new in wrapper (undrilled) Janaks for sale at ttips.com in the same size for $300 last week...

BTW, I was skiing on the newer (baby blue) model; I've heard they are much softer than the older (yellow/blue) model in rat's post.

I've had a pair for 5 months or so. I first skied them with Fritschis for 3-4 mellow tours, and then just got them remounted for Dynafits. I'm about 190 lbs, and have the 178 cm size. They get thrown around a good deal on chop (as you'd expect), but I just skied the hell out of them at Timberline, and was very impressed. For a ski that climbs like a dream, they do amazingly well, even some biggish GS turns. Some of the super short 160 cm Atomics and Dynafit Rando race skis might have some durability issues (I haven't heard of any, but wouldn't be surprised) but the 8611 appears to be well optimized for actual tour skiing.

Hey Snaffle, where those experiences at the ProSki in Seattle, or North Bend? Martin Volken sold the Seattle store. I've only had great service at the North Bend shop, but no experience with the one in Seattle.

"Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me again, shame on me."

Ivan- I found an Altimax on ebay a few months ago for $60, essentially brand new. A bit of a PITA to deal wtih ebay, but soemtimes worth it. http://cgi.ebay.com/Suunto-Altimax-watch...1QQcmdZViewItem

Another vote for the Petzl Zoom/Arctic. If you need to routefind with a dink LED, you are in deep poop. Batteries last a long time (20 hrs?) w/nonhalogen bulb, 9 or so with.

awwww hell, come on now; what's 20 million cubic feet between friends?

Mea culpa, agreed. Could we get a moderator to move the last bits to the appropriate forum?

Holly- We all develop a personal philosophy of climbing; I abhor the Twight-y "Dr. Doom" school as much as anyone. However, if you want to be "dancing with the stone" etc, bouldering is a perfect place. Many, many "confident experts" die or have serious accidents rapping (eg, Lynn Hill not doubling back). My belief is that making myself realize the (deadly) seriousness of any error each and everytime, focuses my thoughts on the details, all the details. It is a mission critical operation, and as serious as a plague.

Look, I don't mean to be an a**hole here, but gravity really doesn't give a damn about your "vibe" or disposition. If you screw the pooch, you die, even if your aura is yellow-happy and you are grinning ear-to-ear. Moreover, I think it is a good, healthy thing to remind youself "I could very easily DIE doing this." everytime you rap. Morbid, yes, but completely true.

Man, we should set up a sting. Have a party of four, head up, then bushwhack back to the cars and just wait, maybe with some ice tools, or a #6 Tricam...

It wasn't that much, I just got insurance on it.

Yates gear. Got 'em back to me in 3-4 days, you chose the color, material, shipping cost more than the replacement. http://www.yatesgear.com/climbing/slings/index.htm#9

All quoted from http://storrick.cnchost.com/VerticalDevicesPage/Misc/RappelSafetyPost.html Al Padgett and Bruce Smith's discussion of the Prusik Safety in On Rope (National Speleological Society, 1987) explains "It was learned through several bad accidents that if a problem occurs, instead of letting go, the natural reaction is to grab. Grabbing a Prusik allows it to slide down the rope, travelling faster every instant. If a person is actually able to come to his senses long enough to let go of the knot, the sling material may disintegrate, allowing the climber to descend even more rapidly than before. In actual usage, the Prusik safety has proven to be troublesome and dangerous". They then mention the Spelean Shunt, Safety Rappel Cam, and Petzl Shunt as options, but correctly note that "No self-belay device should interfere with rappelling technique. If it does interfere, it is counterproductive in that it exists to help control a problem, but instead tends to create one. One last quote, from John Long, on page 155 of the second edition of How To Rock Climb: "A sliding knot backup (commonly referred to as a Prusik backup) is rarely if ever used as a normal procedure. If you don't know how to rappel, get a belay. If you are doubtful that you can make a certain rappel, don't make that rappel. Only if you are doubtful and must rappel, and no belay is possible, should you consider the Prusik backup as an option....All told, the Prusik backup is a highly contested technique. The only thing for certain is that it can be highly problematic."

The great thing is, we all make our own decisions in the mtns. I base my paradigm (tying knots unless these is a great reason not to) on simple statistics. Perusing the last 10-15 yrs of Accidents in NA Mtn makes it pretty clear where the problems usually arise. Yes, a stuck rope is a pain in the arse, and *might* lead to a bad situation. Rapping off the ends on the other hand.... But seriously, to each their own.

Hmmm, lemme see, slender chance of an annoying (possibly epic) retreat, or moderate chance of DYING? So hard to choose....