DavidHiers

That's pretty high on the current list, for sure... Not wanting to send all the torque to the one tire that's on the icy patch, I'm looking for some traction control. In the old days, you'd put lockers all around, but now I guess they've got active systems. I'm pretty sure the tacoma has that stuff.

I'm looking to upgrade my wheels to something that can better handle the drive up to the trailhead in winter. My corolla can follow the snow plows anywhere, but that's all I can ask of Sweet Bessie. While I don't expect to crawl over a downed tree or some monstrous V16 cast down by Tepeyollotl, I would like to get enough clearance and flotation to handle most of the approach roads in winter. What rigs are you all driving out there? Thanks in advance...

Thanks, everyone The trip was a bust. Start late, twist an ankle in milk creek, return to car, cry into protein juice, etc.... Next time!

First trip, so I'm planning on the South Ridge. I want to camp as high above Shale Lake as possible, hoping to find water/ice around Goat Rock. Biggest unknown is the amount of snow/ice left under the west side of the pinnacle. I should be able to scope it out from the car so I can pack the right pro.

I've got my eye on Mt. Jefferson this weekend; has anyone been up there recently?

State law varies. In general, deadly force is authorized only if you are: Trying to protect yourself or another person from death or serious bodily harm; Trying to prevent a forcible felony, such as rape, robbery, burglary or kidnapping. Pay a few bucks and take the concealed carry class to get real deal.

I got yer gear. Claude, et al, cleaned it before I got there, I showed up with your tale and wound up with the stuff. I'll call you and set up the drop.

I'm headed out there early 7/7; I'll keep my eyes open for ya....

Hi, What kind of vehicle do you want to have to get to a typical winter trailhead here in the Cascades? I'm not sure how much snow and other obstacles you typically have to deal with around here to get to the start of the approach for a typical climb. Thanks in advance, David

What strikes me as interesting is the singular sense of "cordlette". It seems to me that to ascend, you need: 1. 2 friction knots (upper and lower) 2. 1 attachment point to harness 3. 1 foot loop Interesting problem to solve with a single loop. I think that the problem get easier if you consider autoblocks instead of prusiks, and its got to be solvable if you permit the cordalette to be used as a single strand instead of a loop. Either way, it seems weirdish. It may have been a joke. Did the Canadians say "eh" or "beauty" when they told you about it?

Here's a nice short forecast tool. http://adds.aviationweather.gov/flight_path/ Once you figure out the wind barb thing and that FL 100 is 10,000', its pretty handy.

In general, magnetic anomalies exist. I recall that the FAA Sectional charts (for Tennessee) that I used a few lifetimes ago carried a warning along these lines, "Ground level magnetic anomalies of up to X degrees exist...", with X being something less than 10 degrees (I think). It did not specify natural or artificial causes, so for all I know they were talking about the U-Pull out on Highway 41. I wouldn't be surprised of the volcanic cascades had their share of anomalies. Climbers, with all our ironmongery, probably cause our very own anomalies

Rocky Butte is a good place to start. http://ors.alpineclub.org/AAC/rocky1.html

Sure, it'll work. Since F=ma, and a has units of distance/time^2, stretching out the time for the system to stop the fall always reduces the impact load. Mobile belayer and running out a bit of rope will add time, just like a screamer. Imagine the limiting case of stopping the fall in infinite time. You'd kill the leader, but you'd never pull the top piece! I suppose the perfect device would be some kind of smart brake that would (1) instantly activate and (2) gently slow the fall over the maximum distance permitted by the situation, slowing decelerating the leader to a graceful stop at exactly ground level. There may be practical considerations that make it a Very Bad Idea, but the theory is sound.

A friend of mine was told to bike more to help knee alignment. Her doc said that running/walking tends to train the muscles of the outer knee, while cycling tends to train the muscles of the inner knee. I use a recumbent stationary bike.

Just between us wussie newbies (wussbies?), I don't think that there is a good general answer to your question. You might get lucky and find a BFR or horn right where you need it, or you might have to kiss a couple of cams goodbye.

I use my SP only for catching falls. For all other tasks I rig around it. The SP is indeed a pain in the harness, but it (1) works and (2) can't cut the rope.

I can't wait to a route called (with apologies to REM) "That's me in the corner".

Has anyone found any nutritional supplements useful for climbing, and the mix of strength, power, and endurance required?

The products from the good people at www.nwac.us usually begin with this disclaimer: "This forecast applies to back country avalanche terrain below 7000 feet" What do you think about extrapolating their forecasts for the good stuff above 7000 feet?

I've noticed that the capacity to be threatened by others doesn't respect gender or other boundries. I've encountered men and women in various areas of life (ranging from professional to romantic) that need so desperately to always be right (or in control) that they'll do anything to maintain a percieved status or position of power. What do I do when I encounter such a person? Run. They may have some useful knowledge (or whatever), but its never worth the price.

Roc rocks. Its easy to adjust from bare head through the largest of my dorkwad collection of skull warmers. I don't like the bikeish foamers.

I'm saddened by this loss, especially for the children. I'd like to learn from this tragedy. Does anyone know of a technical review of this incident, or will I need to wait for next year's ANAM?

Tragic accident, I'm saddened for the families. Is there any technical review of this incident availible? I'd rather not wait for the next printing of Accidents to learn from the analysis of this event.

In my limited experience, It seems that you mostly climb with your eyes and thighs (you've got to read a route, and let your legs most of the work). If you want to make lemonade from your current lemon, try climbing hands free on easy routes. You won't do any real routes, nor will you ever go very far, but you can really build your balance and footwork while you heal your busted wing. I've yet to try this idea while climbing, but I know it works in other pursuits (swimming, flying, and the army all have put me through "partial loss of capability" exercises) that mimic your current dilemma. Just downshift into first gear and wallow up the hardest thing that you can do. Repeat. Cheerfully misuse all the machines in the gym to keep your strength; tape a couple of hooks to your cast for lifting! David