Coldfinger

People here do climb, probably out, I'm "resting". A cold one in hand!

Very good point, I'd add an 85cm axe and ultralight gear (titanium ___) don't really go together. While a long axe might plunge into ideal bottomless uniform snow, as we know more likely than not it will hit resistance if not rock or solid ice, then half out it is probably a better lever (like a digging bar) than anchor. Holding a crevasse fall while plunging both myself and an axe shaft to the surface is easier with a short axe.

This is the kind of thread, math wise, that makes me wonder if posters divided by actual people might =>1. Btw the expedition specialist banner I'm seeing just to the left has a ski pole.

This--"While estimates vary, over 170,000 people were killed by tsunami in Aceh and about 500,000 were left homeless..."--IS NOT F'NG FUNNY.

Plunging cane, er I meant crane? Haven't seen that kung fu.

I always thought self belaying meant plunging the shaft to the head. Kinda hard to do when walking.

to kiss the pig? Good one G.

He could be married four or five times before he comes back--that's a LOT of bacon waiting in the bomb shelter.

Hey, don't you slam Yakavegas!!!! It IS the Palm Springs of Warshington.

So you have replaced a paper bag with a Hijab, could be an upgrade, depending on what's below the neck.

Well one thought.... Maybe if one is on really steep and sloppy snow where a slip is likely and a fall will not be self-arrested, one might like an axe shorter than a telephone pole so it is easy to plunge to the head every three steps or so. Saved me before.

Don't forget all the exploding Iranian nuke scientists. The Iranian response was to send bombers to Thailand to blow their own legs off and get caught....

Actually he was suggesting a longer axe than 1", I'm thinking that would be great if bailing, as in heading downhill.....

You're a bit out of date, especially at altitude, most folks who have the skill use ski or trekking poles, and switch to an axe on steeper ground, where a short axe fits the bill.

Well they are toothless at least.

Any reason you capitalize Persians (or call them that instead of Iranians) and not israelis? Dictatorship tend to wobble before they fall. Would be a good thing.

Nice to know if you guys speak Spanish. Makes a big diff with a really cheapo trip.

Have a thermarest prolite 3/4 and full length z lite. Both is great the prolite is a trick pad on its own. Spend your money elsewhere unless you have a ton of it or just can't help yourself.

You camped in the pay sites or the USFS land (us)? We left camp untended ourselves.

Your "right" to choose often turns into your insurance company or your probate attorney suing somebody, or your $200,000 in insured or unpaid medical expenses being passed on to the rest of us. So please don't tell me that choice burdens no one else. Not belting says something about intelligence. As for belaying, ATC's ARE rock solid, but there are other "choices" now. BTW the pic was for a Darwin Award for a guy who advocated against seat belts, you can guess what happened.

Howdy Jon, The grip is at a pretty good angle off of the ice so not much chance of bashing anything; in fact it is a great grip with a great ergonomic angle, the shaft is what gets deductions as it is spring steel. Pics are bomber.

Actually this one is more of a gnome--not big enough to be troll. Could be from Bozeman tho.......

Oh yeah you're right, using seatbelts makes driving MORE dangerous, that's because once when I saw some stoopid driver with a seatbelt, so from now on I'll blame the seatbelt, won't buckle up again, soo sorry....... And to set the record straight, the things HOR & partner DID do right saved his life.

Yeah ok, drivers, I mean Pilots, err sorry, the belayers are the ONLY safety device not the ........ So why don't you want to use a LOCKING device????