skeletor

So in between the rain drops and the lightning, did you happen to notice what conditions on McLoughlin looked like?

What's Mt. Baker like in August? Is it a reasonable climb or do things melt out so much that it's no fun? What route would be best in mid to late August?

It's interesting that in discussions of altitude sickness & acclimatization they always make the point that if you flew up to the top of Everest and got out of the copter, you'd be dead within a minute. I assume this pilot had the oxygen bottle on full flow. I guess you could ferry folks up there, strap on bottle of oxygen and let them have a picnic until their O's run out.

Thanks for the advice. I made the rounds of outdoor stores in town and came across only one model, the Bibler Basic Bivy. It has a single zipper across the chest, so it didn't seem like a very convenient way to get inside it. I'm thinking a side zip might make life a lot easier on a planned bivy. Leaning towards the Integral Designs Salathe now...

Looking for advice on a bivy sack. What's worked for you? What features should I look for? Better to go with a pole set up or one without? Thanks!

Interesting. I've been debating between the Chernobyl and the Ceres. Anybody care to weigh the pros and cons of one vs. the other?

We are expecting snow above 4,000 feet this weekend. Bachelor got another inch yesterday and is getting a trace right now. I've got another four lift ticket vouchers to use up, so pray for snow, people...

I went through this time and time again when I lived on the East Coast and had to fly regularly to get to any mountains worth climbing. The short answer is it depends on the person checking your bag. Some airline employees are real sticklers about it and others don't seem to care. Regardless of what the airlines tell you officially, the employees seem to determine their own policy. You cannot take fuel on board a plane at all. You can take a brand new stove. I have been able to take a used liquid gas stove with gas tank attached by making sure it was very clean and no fumes. I've also had it pulled from my luggage at the Denver Airport. I mailed it home at the airport's post office via USPS Ground. I then started carrying a canister stove, but that's really inconvenient since canisters are much harder to find than white gas. And you have to dispose of the canister somehow afterward. On one trip, I went to the REI in Tuscon to get a canister only to find they were sold out. Luckily they had a nearly full one in the back they used for testing stoves and they gave it to me for free. So I've taken to bringing my unused canisters or partially used canisters to REIs if I am flying home. The solution may be to have a stove that connects to a fuel bottle, e.g the Whisperlite. Then there is no gas canister attached to the stove, and you only have to buy a fuel bottle and gas when you travel.

I've got one. Check your PMs.

Let's see, the 80s... Hmm, my math may be a little rusty but that seems to be about 20 years from 2005... BTW, Hudson Bay didn't fold, They changed their name to Hudson Trail Outfitters because they didn't like to be called HBO... I've been to Redpoint several times looking for specific climbing gear they did not have. Hence my claim that nothing is perfect...

Seems like you're contradicting yourself. You're criticizing REI for undercutting the competition then saying they don't offer lower prices? I just moved from the Washington, D.C. market. REI has been there for more than 20 years, and HTO has been expanding over that time, not contracting. But there was plenty of gear I just couldn't find in D.C. Now I'm in Bend, and I welcome REI coming. It may not be the perfect climbing store, but then, nothing else in town is either. At least I have the option of ordering online and having them send it to the store for no extra cost. I think the other stores will be able to survive by serving the niches that REI doesn't.

This is silly. You can't tell anything from two random snapshots even if they were taken at the same time of the year. Who's to say that in 2003, there wasn't twice as much snow on Hood as in 1986 in June. Conditions can change drastically from year to year. In another 20 years somebody will pull up a pic from 2005 with our low snowfall totals and submit it as proof of a coming ice age. There is solid evidence that glaciers are receding all over the world, but these two snapshots prove nothing.

At least I didn't go with He-man...

Any body been out to Diamond Peak in the past couple of weeks? how the access? Can I drive to Summit Lake Campground? Any snow up there? Is it a better ski, snowshoe or hiking ascent?

Got a great deal on a new AT set-up, set of k2 8611s. My question is do I need to wax them first time out? Is there any difference in how you would wax an AT set up vs. a downhill ski?

So anybody been down the Pole Creek road since spring arrived last week?

Found a picket on Mt. Hood yesterday. Must have been dropped sat. or sun. Describe to claim

Found a picket on Mt. Hood yesterday morning. Must have been dropped sat. or sun. Describe to claim