luwayo

okay, okay. i smell ridicule. anyhow, the Unimog would likely sit (where else in Whalleyland) on my front lawn dismounted from its wheels, until i could find myself some strong oxen to haul it around in lieu of paying for petrol at $2/litre.

Tis true, I know. I would become fat & lazy on an ATV. Lookit, I'm already getting out of bed at 10:30 on a weekend Eventually, the closest I'll come to climbing will be offering rides & carries to the self propelled (but only semi-sellouts)

Feeling completely sacked from ski-crashing on Saturday I dragged myself out of bed yesterday at 10:30 and could only muster the energy to take the quad for a spin around Blue Mtn. I've been wondering for a while, which approaches one could benefit from riding up on a quad. Which long routes have you trudged in a mind and foot numbing trance where an ATV could have served you better? BTW: Telus had this awesome (moot) deal extended to family & friends for $30Cdn incl. lunch on Sat.; but it is still discounted to $38 until end of Apr., so get friendly with a Telus employee (of which I am not one). Whistler was culture shock for this b/c skier...tried new things, like the T-bar on the Horstman Glacier: observed that it is not exactly ideal to share with persons of 6'5" stature on the T-bar - unless you are close to 6'5" aswell .

I like this idea! But you'll need one, maybe 2 keys to get past the 2 gates. Healthy bear population in this area too. And bring a water filter unless you plan to melt snow...two people I shared a trip with last summer enjoyed the Campylobacteria rapid weight loss program - 15lbs in a week (ofcourse those little buggers aren't at optimal breeding temps now). The summer route is avy prone, but there is a winter route which I have not tried. If you are going with this plan PM me and I'll send you more pointers. I climbed with P in Chilliwack in 2003 - are you associated with that character?

I'm actually asking on behalf of my boss, who has skied hard most of his life, and has paid for it with knee replacement surgery! It was the 80s and the Silver Streak was throwing some of the best parties in Whistler, I hear tell. He would dress from head to toe in Silver, including a silver mask. He would sit at the bar, and if you were to share an interesting annecdote or joke, he'd tip you a worthy sum Does anyone remember the Silver Streak....knew who he was/is...and what became of him?

yep me too me three! who has the secret admirers now? ... and both XX and XY , how very metro Erherm! rather a public admirer of this precocious chap with the quips. and since you weren't on a recent island trip young lady, you didn't get to meet he who worships you from afar. now that's a shy & secret admirer

very impressed with the Marmot Helium this winter. it's been my summer bag, but i risked it during a *mild* spell this march. also, my hilleberg akto collects a lot of condensation; but happily the Helium kept me toasty despite copious drippage from the wind battered tent walls.

yep me too me three!

is that a little double entendre if so, then you're one tough nut

As stated already it isn't easy to tell which way is up when clipping. In fact all my climbing partners complained about them. They irritated me enough that I replaced them with the more asymetrical DMM, nicely annodized for colour coding (which in reality doesn't help much). This season I'd like to add some Superflys to the Mammut Bandschlingen dental floss system. There's also the DMM shield at 32g; and Camp Nano Wire at 1oz....gate looks really small (April's Rock and Ice), but its speciality is clpping pro.

What other buildings have you climbed? Hopefully no banks!

So has anybody climbed it? What's it rated?

what constituent material(s) and/or construction design did you find so inferior? please pm me if you wish. as you've guessed, this has been my set up. tx.

Saturday to Squish. just a short day to shake out the cob webs....hoped i would be tough enough to climb at 8am. we pulled up at smoke bluffs, but the frost in the car park scared us off to Tim Hortons....with a little self-berating & 20 minutes later, we were back. Saturday night crashed at my buddy's house in B'ham in order to rise at 04:30 & be at the trail head for the South Twin by 06:00. the logging company found it necessary to change the lock on us. quick change of plans had us climbing Bear Paw & riding the snow cat back to the Suby by 5ish. i can't complain about weekends like this one....i sure hope my whining season is over.

women looking for men looking for women are to be found in any hiking club near you....wholesome & crack free enough for you? this of course means wasting your valuable weekends hiking & not climbing....what the hell good is this weather for anyway (other than rock or high in the ranges skiing). and you might also find yourself a potential climbing partner!

aka Slog of the Titans. yeah, that 2hr stretch involves much profanity, and some loss of blood. we refused to take it on the way back also. uggggh. my only bushbashing scar comes from that approach.

dberdinka thank you for your sagacity. i've spent some time pondering scenarios of me solo aiding. it doesn't sit too well with me, nevertheless i feel compelled to expand the repertoire. parenthetically, i was reading about Kris in Utah & his painstakingly safe solo aid practice, (p.73 of ANAM 2004) and with respect to his accident re: spring freeze/thaw cycle relating to cracks. thought i'd mention it as we are having a warm february.

at Krack Rock on sunday, 3 out of 4 were bare handed & feeling the cold. i was the only one who taped the back of my hands & it went a looong way in reducing my heat loss to the rock. had me wishing for those pricey hand jammies. (starting up the base was a slimefest though - could not enjoy the sensation as it ran past my elbows). as for wool on a cold wet route - don't the scots use it as aid for its sticking ability?

Cerise will be busy on the 26/27th! SAR is on MR1 training.

daycare provider!

great hero pose i don't know if i can be prepared enough for such a clusterfest. hope knitting skills help.

lineman, logger

i suppose the How To series & FOTH are good places to start. any comments on how i should begin to apply this? i'm a bit wary of self-teaching myself on this topic actually. i've been thinking on it, but not doing much ever since my friend took a tumble on High Mtn. Woody & hit a big flake on the way down. in hindsight i could have aided my way up (or could i have?), or walked out on the train tracks ofcourse, but i chose to grovel/simper/squirm & slide back up that muddy descent gully. anyhow, i feel i need another bag of tricks for the next time i find myself in a pickle. and i'd rather draw on some scrap of experience than have to sort out the permutations of theory under pressure. i am also unskilled in placing/removing pins, identifying good cracks, and ofcourse am a little bewildered by the weaponry. some exposure to this would be good too. don't be alarmed - i'm not intending to pound on the crags or any tourist routes! the alpine is where my heart is, but my lack of talent is really starting to show as inadequate for my desires. 2005 will be more of a cragging year in the *hopes* of not needing to aid a 5.9!....and on it goes.

...I was just hoping somebody could throw down some good suggestions as to brands or particular boots that I might want to check out, or warn me of some that just suck. Invernos/Vegas - for wide volume foot. i find they are ok for snow slogs; but they suck for articulation on rock, and transitional low/moderate angle over ice. think frankenstein! i got them b/c of the wide toe box. if you're a wt. freak, go with custom thermal liners - warmer to boot! would have liked alphas (lighter & gives more articulation), but they're built on a curved last that's too aggressive for my straight feet. noticed when i was in the bugs, that folks out thata way have way more selection than the Vancouver stores give us. hope your search isn't the ordeal that mine was.

RideT61, i can appreciate this undertaking of yours & your choice of fabric. i've held off for a long time on making my own pack. but with respect to fabric, i can share with you what i detest most about my Kelty Flight, which i've almost abandoned. the section that rests on your back is made of ripstop & it slides around like a bugger - especially if worn over a nylon windshirt or even gortex. for non-tech overnight it's *tolerable*, but after adding hardware & rope it can become a bit of a nuisance, for example: the pack slips around as i'm walking down wet or icy talus, or climbing/crawling over big windfall. so you better have a super snug fitting hipbelt & sternum strap to go with. for this reason alone, i returned to the Khamsin. good luck!