Kraken

I've seen a prototype of the quantum...looks pretty sweet. I'll still take my Predator over any other BD pack though...that thing is unbelievably sick.

wicked sweet! Hate to support the evil empire, but at least i know they aren't making much money with them being half off. I stopped by REI today to check out the new Rambo Comp 4s (didn't have 'em) and saw this deal. Think I'll pick up the Z 4,5,6 after reading these reviews. I've already got the BD C3s, but these sounds pretty bomber for the horizontal cracks and all that jazz. Plus I was looking for some aliens, but we don't sell 'em anymore and this is a screaming deal.

i question the knot idea for one reason: if you have a fall and full tension, then a line of 10 or so knots, do you really expect to be able to untie them when operating the pulley system? (considering the one in the hole can't extract himself?) This is probably only an issue if it involves a two man team though.

i've got a pair of semi used shells, goretex lined. tehy're made by burton, but are as good as any mountaineering mitt i've ever seen. I'd part with them for next to nothing. let me know if oyu're interested and i'll get more details for you

Damn! If it was a climber(s) who stole that gear, they had better check their karma. That's one think I can't imagine effing with...stealing other climber's gear. Karma can be a harsh judge. This person will get theirs someday. Good luck, if nothing else, on getting insurance to pay out. I had my car broken into once and they ripped out my CD player and a full book of CDs. I had a $500 deductable, but I still got a great payout. The insurance company gave me $17 for each CD as well as more than what the player was worth, plus CarToys gave me a 10% discount with proof of a police report. So, if you have insurance, definitely file a police report and do whatever you can to collect from the insurance company. Even with a deductable, you should get a very generous payback. I'm sure those who stole your stuff will get payback too.

Laser picks, lockdown leashes

Blue Petzl Elios Helmet Size 2: $40 New condition, selling because my friend thought he lost it, then found it, now I have two...only need one. Mountain Hardwear Primaloft Insulation Jacket - Size Medium. New condition, blue. This jacket is very warm, I'm selling because I have a Montbell jacket that I wear more than this and don't need it anymore. It's in new condition. Bought for 200, sell for 100. Arcteryx Alpha LT size Medium. New with tags. Doesn't fit me right at all...Great jacket, just fits me weird. Make me an offer. BD Cobra ice tools. ( I prefer my vipers, find that I use them way more.) Make me a reasonable offer. Giro bomber snowboard helmet...bought for $90 several years ago, willing to part wth for almost nothing. make me any offer. Great snowboard helmet, I just don't use it anymore. ---------- EDIT: shoes are sold

pardon my newbism regarding NE climbing, but will there still be lots of good ice in mid-late March? Rock will still be too cold? Either way, I'm game for anything I guess. We're going to the East coast for a concert/partying with friends, but any climbing will be a bonus.

I'm a really big fan of the Dropkick Murphys. For those of you who don't know who they are, basically they're an Irish punk band with a reputation for throwing some of the biggest shows on St Patty's Day in Boston. I've been saying for several years that I should go see them, especially in Boston, so this year I finally owned up and followed through. My buddies and I are all flying from AK to Bwaaastuhn for St. Patty's Day and have a few days on either end to kill. We're in Boston, might as well hit up the Gunks! I've never been there before, would love to spend at least 2 days there. I'll bring all the trad gear, so I was wondering if anyone could suggest some of the best routes out there. Anywhere up to midrange 5.10 sounds good for starters. I've heard of Ant's Corner and the Dangler...beyond that, I'm a newbzor. Sport or trad, no difference, but would prefer to do more placing than clipping. Help me out. Help me accomplish more than drinking myself retarded for 8 consecutive days in Boston. Thanks.

I've been thinking about these guys a lot lately. I wanted them to walk off that mountain so bad. I dreamed about them even. This whole thing has bummed me out so much. I was wanting a happy outcome more than anything. We lost three climbing brothers. It may seem an odd gesture, but I'm raising my glass to these guys and wishing everyone around them the very best. Don't let their deaths be for nothing.

This was a climbing incident (or accident, however you wish to look at it). They happen every year. 11 people died on Everest this year, what's going to change next year? Probably nothing. Three men just died on Hood. I doubt anything will change in the long run. There was no audacious breach of climber responsibility here from what we've gathered. They got caught in a sticky situation and it snowballed. They took a gamble by going alpine-style and paid the ultimate price for it, pure and simple. Had they had full body down suits on with infrared goggles, the same thing could have easily happened, we'll never know. Will the man slam his fist down with newer, tougher regulations and rules? I doubt it. Why would they? These men were quite accomplished climbers, and the route and style they attempted seems to have been within their joined abilities, but still they lost the gamble. What can the government/park system/community do? -Park entrance fees will not skyrocket because of this. -John and Jane Doe will not look at their 2007 tax summary and see additional money taken out of their pockets because of this rescue. What about CC.com? First of all, I think it was truely beneficial for not only those of us on this board (as climbers), but also those around the country, and world for that matter (as nonclimbers), to come here and be able to better understand what was going on up there on the mountain. Look at the 55+ page Hood topic in the Oregon section, disregard the dumbflucks who sprayed and came to the board with a negative agenda, and you've got something really beautiful. You've got people from Germany, the east coast, west coast...everywhere, coming here to say their peace, learn, mourn, and pay tribute to these guys who lost their life on Mt. Hood. I think that's pretty amazing. People came together and helped others understand and cope. Hell, news stations and reporters were getting their information here, that's something I'd never imagine. On the negative side for CC.com...I think it's really too bad that there's so much spray that goes on here. I won't bother to link it here, but if you look back several months when one of those climbers came to this board asking for advice and tips from us, he was shunned by some, and given the general brash of insults and pessemistic slander that plagues these forums. Ultimately, he got the advice he was seeking, but had to go through the usual BS of dealing with a few 'bad apples' to get it. Some people said some really terrible things in that thread, and look at them...they came to pass. That's something I wouldn't want to have on my shoulders. That's not what CC.com is, or should be, about. Why? What's the point? I think the potential of this message board was shown in the Mt. Hood Rescue thread. I wish we could be like that more often (minus the few odd yahoos who joined just to spread their spiteful comments). Hopefully in the future, people can remember what this board is made for, and that's advice and not misadvice or spite. Everyone is guilty of it at somepoints, myself included, but hopefully we can try and use the 'if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all' tactic more often. Asides from that, if the country and the climbing community takes nothing else away from this, I hope it's that stuff like this happens, and it can happen to seasoned veterans or first time hill walkers. Hopefully it will stay fresh in people's minds and not act as a deterant from the mountains, but as a warning to heed. The mountains are beautiful, but can be deadly. I hope that the general public learned a little bit about mountaineering and climbing (and climbers) as well. Hopefully through media outlets such as this board, TV, and the newspaper, they will come away with a little more knowledge as to why we climb. Through better understanding comes acceptance. In a world with ever increasing rules and regulations, acceptance and understanding is what we need. That's my peace.

regarding the footprints in the snow leading to the summit: It leads me to wonder how recent they are. I know Hood has received much snow over the past few days, so I can only hope that they are from within the last three days. I do know though that footprints can sometimes remain visible for months upon months. I know a guy who climbed either Logan or St Elias in March, when the last ascent had been in June, and he saw ski tracks and prints from then. It has something to do with the prints hardening with the snow, then other fresh snow falling over it is blown away by high winds. Those tracks could be a day old, or they could be 10 days old. Seeing as how none of us know yet when the first climber perished, we can't be sure when the tracks were left. One can only hope for the best for the other unknown two, but hope is all we have to go by right now. Hopefully tomorrow brings either great news or closure. My best to all of the families.

I might also recommend a peak in the Olympics. You get to experience a unique environment, the views are astounding, and there are far more peaks that are accessable without extensive glacier travel and technicality. I would suggest the Brothers, or if you're looking for a bigger adventure, try something like Mount Carrie. It would involve more of a backpacking trip to get to the mountain itself,but you get the chance to summit a peak that is just under 7000 feet, and has incredible views of Olympus. i would also reccommend picking up the Olympics Guide, as it has lots of hikes and mountaineering descriptions of varying difficulty.

Way to be overly condescending.

So I know these guys were traveling with minimal gear, but did they opt to leave wands behind as well? Not trying to be a negative nancy here, but for god's sake, that is probably the most useful tool to finding one's way back home, or to be found. Likewise, I'm not sure what route they were on, whether it was a slog or an alpine ascent, but if no wands were used, it's going to make things that much harder for both rescuers and climbers alike.

Ed Viesturs was on the Daily Show. Click - Viesturs on Daily Show - Video

I took a big fall on a screamer last season. It was attatched to a 10CM BD Express with the last two centimeters punching through the other end of the curtain. I was about 8 feet above it when my pick ripped out. The fall became very dynamic, as my belayer was pulled forward some 25 feet, but the screamer still fully extended. When we retrieved the screw, the ice around it was so fractured my partner was able to essentially pull it out without even making a full backward rotation. Those Zippers, while bulkier than the regular screamers, are the best in my opinion, as they lower the impact force by a potential two or three KN on the protection.

gah-damn...add the Gunsights to my 'must-see in '07' list. Awesome job guys!

bring back the random image display in the gallery when you access or change any page. The one fixed image is boring and predictable. No likey!

The question I often ponder is if Denali will see a decrease in visitors/climbers trending with Rainier in current years. Without looking at the exact numbers, I thought it was something like a spike in the mid 1990s of up to 13000 people attempting the summit to somewhere around 8500 in the last few years. I wonder if we will ever see the number drop on Denali instead of continuing to rise until it has to be capped?

i've owned the Predator since May and have put over 100 days on it. I LOVE THIS PACK! I have used it for mountain slogs, overnight trips, ice, alpine rock, etc. It is the best pack I've ever owned. It strips down to almost nothing, has a haul bag capability, as well as a crampon bag built in on the outside, helmet stowaway on the top, and a zipper on the back which allows you to get to things without taking everything out. The Predator is made with a thicker material than the Shadow, and is more durable. I've carried loads upwards of 60 pounds in it and it still carried comfortably. It has everything it needs and nothing it doesn't. No extra BS, just the essencials. It's my choice for alpine packs. BD is making it in a 55 liter this season too, I think.

Fusions and Lasers are more or less the same pick. The major difference is the serrated head on the top of the head for stein pulls and the like. The Fusion is a B-rated pick, verses the laser's T-rating. The fusion is slightly thicker, but honestly will work fine on ice in a pinch. EDIT: fixed misposting of fusion pick width

the Eldorado has 3.3 SF more than the I-Tent. For the few ounces, that extra room is highly worth it.

for the cash you might as well get an Eldorado?I-Tent

not that it really matters, but what are the chances that park fees will increase. It seems reasonable.