Coldfinger

Well, just managed to pick up a new Matrix Light for $99, so it looks like I'll get another if I like the thing, return it if I don't and try the Monster next...... Suppose it was bound to happen, CJB meets the CF....

I'm sure they have internet in Thailand and VERY hard climbing, so we're still.....

I'm glad you quit your job, damn, it seems to have given you a bad rash! Anywho, hope we aren't getting too far off track, did like the pics tho. Just mulling my options for going leashless without spending all the money I'm going to need to get to places like Cody or even Colorado. Love the Monster pick, NOT buying either the Quantum Tech or Matrix Tech after watching the yellow pommel bust on a partner doin' it alpine style. Not buying a set of Quarks due to $$ (I'd want an adze but no way I'm paying $45!). Seemed like it might be more of a hooking tool on ice (like those old elephant picks on the Lowe tools) and an absolute beast for mixed.

You own crap-in-a-sack, er I mean Jack in the box?

That can only mean one thing.........

The best way to avoid foul ups is being diligent BEFORE striking the deal and also following these things. Use PayPal and delivery confirmation if it's mailed. UPS is more $$ but has better tracking and $100 insurance. Make sure you have pics and describe accurately, don't ask for too much $$$, especially for used stuff, make sure you ship promptly. Make sure you clean what you sell. Don'y use your primary email address until you are ready to sell. Check out what you can find out about the buyer/seller. When you have transactions or yard sale ads pending, check the board and/or email frequently. People like good and prompt service. Be careful, if something seems fishy it is!

Howdy, Am thinking about going leashless and wondering what folks have to say about these tools for ICE, nothing too extreme but vertical, swing, penetration, balance, etc..... Thanks!

Have you called BD? You'd be surprised how helpful they can be!

Should've seen the little piece John Stewart did on this last night! Best part was the camera man saying like how he tracked the the 'rocket' for like 15 minutes and Stewart pointing out that rockets do like 1,500 miles an hour and how it would have been like over fu%$*!ng Hawaii by then.

So is stealing......

Howdy, Well read this one for yourselves, seems more than a bit odd, as in a non-climber selling a bunch of gear he has no clue about and probably no business owning, but what do I know: http://www.rockclimbing.com/classifieds/Detailed/Climbing_Hardware/Selling_entire_rack_of_climbing_gear_3168.html

And one wouldn't want any unwanted chafing or even hemorrhoids! I prefer dark colored boxers.

I meant in winter temperatures as far as synthetic bags and sleeping warmth go. Three season wise I've had good luck with synthetic bags, but the insulation really doesn't hold up too well past a few seasons of hard use. Still, I'm not going bag to a synthetic bag! Love the belay jacket for dumping all my day's moisture at the end of the day, instead of dropping it into my down bag. Kinda like a giant orange puffy beach towel!

Dane, 18L, are you sure you live where winter is really winter? One could hit me over the head with any number of grams or fill ratings but I've frozen my ass EVERY time I've used a synthetic bag--they just don't live up to their ratings and they don't hold up well over time and yes they do lose insulating value as they get wet.

Leave it to you all to get it right...... He was offered a GUILTY plea to a FELONY charge, but also offered a DEFERRAL. That means if he's a good boy for two years the felony will be dismissed but two misdemeanors will remain. The deferral program is a good one, there are lots of folks who take advantage of this, especially college students. Besides you can bet the Doctor who was hit will get his day in civil court. This is what happens when one RICH guy gets run over by ANOTHER.

Don't even hesitate to get a good down bag! I've never found a synthetic bag that was even close to being as warm nevermind close to being as compact and light.

Sweet, PM me when you're ready to send me a new pair of Quark tools. Your hero should have some connection to Wyoming, but not Jackson, make him a pipe fitter or roughneck who left when his heart was crushed. PS I'd settle for a bottle of Bourbon. PPS Let me know if you need help with the, ahem, dialogue.

Oh and fer Christ's sake make sure the female love interest is wavering between our hero (who is pulling her out of her slumber) and a much more financially secure and somewhat cute but somewhat boring dude (hey it seemed to work in those stupid Twilight books and movies).

Well there is one HUGE advantage for synthetic jackets in really cold but dry climates (well as dry as winter gets anyway) like here in Wyoming..... I put the thing on OVER all my layers and it allows all the body related and other moisture to escape. Gets so cold here that Goretex (and eVent) ceases to function, one gets a layer of ice on/under the shell layer and backed up sweat under that. So it's no just a function of environmental moisture (rain etc.). Also, as condensation and frost builds up in even the best down bags (especially if there is a long storm and no sun to dry a bag out), it's nice to have a solid synthetic belay jacket to keep somewhat comfortable in the tent or even just alive. As moisture in winter is so prevalent and lethal, I can't see not bringing a synthetic jacket, especially when bringing a down bag.

Why don't you have a crevasse rescue, but the victim is trapped WAY down in a very tight spot (hurt too), saw a spot on TV about a fellow who was trapped down in NZ and eventually expired before they got him out, very riveting made my stomach turn. You'd have the tension of the crevasse maybe claiming your hero too. As far as the budding romance make sure they are interrupted by partners a few times (build anticipation and uncertainty), certainly that is VERY realistic!

Just thought I'd pass this along: Up till recently I loved the thing (small, light, takes skinny ropes, cool looking, etc.) EXCEPT for lowering, which was a real pain in the ass. This weekend I tried the old clip a carabiner to my leg loop and clip the brake strand in to that before lowering and it made a HUGE difference. Now I really do love the thing, no need for the new GriGri and it's $$$$$$ price when it comes out.

I hate people that can't read and jump to conclusions!

GP is right to a point, I just don't associate ass with shaft when holding my buddy's cord, but I do confess I've done a few bury-your-butt-in-the-snow belays, but not for leaders. Let's just remember that some very bad ass climbs were accomplished many years gone by without the modern toys, just a firm knowledge of snow and rope. The trick with the boot axe is that is a VERY dynamic belay (i.e. stopping distances of 10 to 20 feet minimum), and I have used it to belay leaders and stop some rather long falls. PS Boot axe is also very good for a little fun, when switching off on glissade, premature stops can be quite amusing! PPS The real trick with snow is knowing when you absolutely positively cannot fall, Cordillera Blanca comes to mind.

I would also add this: The boot axe belay is not only time tested, but it provides a sure means (combined with self arrest) to climb snow safely without having to bring any gear other than an axe, crampons and a rope (learn to tie bowlines around the waist). No need for pickets, deadmen, rock gear, ice gear, harnesses, biners, etc. etc. I have found it very amusing how some folks are so supposedly hyperlight, but have no clue as to how to take advantage of the true lightweight advantage that old school style offers on snow and low to medium angle ice. Rope: Rando=39 ounces, Axe: Raven Pro=16 ounces; Total: 55 ounces.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for a straight shafted ice axe, 65cm Raven Pro. I hit sloppy snow conditions in early summer in the Tetons, was descending on a very steep slope with a 400 foot cliff beneath it, was on snow that constantly balled, where steps failed (yes I had crampons and yes they had good antibots), and would have made self arrest nearly impossible. Twice my steps blew and I would've been a goner but my 65 cm axe was plunged to the head and held me. Had I been less careful in using the axe (plunging it in all the way every few steps) even before it became apparent how bad the snow was, or not had a proper ice axe, I hate to think of how things would have ended up. There was a serious accident on Teewinot that week due to the conditions, and a fatality on South Teton later that summer that also seems to have been a slip on snow. The other use for a long shafted ice axe is in setting a solid boot axe belay. That length is what gives the belay strength (combined with a dynamic belay), see Pete Schoening. Unless you want to spend (waste?) cumulative hours making solid anchors out of deadmen or using pickets as deadmen, bring a longer straight axe and save yourself a big headache!