JBC

If it gets three votes it goes on the list. Start your campaign. Make it two votes! Jim

My list: Yvon Chouinard Greg Lowe Guy Lacelle Vitaly Abalakov Muggs Stump I am an old guy, which has surly surely influenced my list. Jim

I remember the Lowe as being a real pig! Carried about as well as a sack of potatoes. Never owned one (thnak god) but borrowed one froma buddy for a season. You did the Eiger NW with one - NOW I am impressed! Jim

Had one of those as well, in fact my first 'real climbing' pack was a blue Sacs Millet much like the one in the photo. Jim

Great packs those Jensens, got a lot of use out of mine as well. Did you know you can that they are being made again. Yep, you can get a brand new Jensen - made right here in Washington state (Monroe): http://rivendellmountainworks.com/

Wilson Headwall on Rainier.

License tabs and mandatory rescue insurance for climbers.

Not sure I would use 'the rest of us' for an example of obeying laws based on the auto driver behavior I observe daily.

He paid his share, as do ALL OF US when we pay our property, sales, and income taxes, which is where the vast majority of road infrastructure funding really comes from. Gas taxes and auto tabs don't even raise enough revenue to pay maintenance of the wear and tear that automobiles cause to transportation infrastructure.

I think Edgeworks in Tacoma still has some left.

Not at all! The front of the unit is the same size as the front of the older MiNewt. The thing is small and light 150g for the 150 and 190g for the 250 model. Here is a photo from the side showing the HB clamp, gives a bit better idea of size:

Check out the MiNewt cordless lights - no separate battery pack - easy to switch from bike to bike. Available in 150 or 250 lumen versions:

YES!

Fuhrer Finger is an excellent route, a bit more technical than DC/Ingraham but not extreme. A bit more remote with nice high camps.

All of the boots on your list are fine, go with the pair that fits the best, buy crampons that fit that pair of boots. If your boots don't fit well it won't matter how good they and crampons are - you will suffer!

Well I am now down to ZERO! It's pretty much REI, or a drive to Seattle or Olympia for us Tacoma folks now. Sad. Jim

Sad news. Tough being an independent these days. Leaves Tacoma w/o much. Jim

Another thing to consider is that often times a light single wall tent is not really any heavier than the two bivy sacs you will probably be carrying in a party of two! Jim

If you want a pair of wheels that really hold up, forget all the trick/bs wheelsets. Go to a competant local wheelbuilder and have them build you a 36 spoke wheelset. My reccomendation would be to do Phil Wood hubs, and Velocity Dyad rims. they will not be cheap or particularly light, but they will be near bombproof! Jim

Yep, one of the reasons my group canceled for this weekend. Conditions just are not real good on Rainier right now.

Really? We found great conditions this weekend We knew we were running a risk of going up there with conditions, weather etc, but we talked to rangers guides and did our own analysis. Things turned out great, we nailed the weather window. If you are dead set in your plans to climb rainier and have an opportunity in weather/conditions, I'd say its worth checking out as long as you are comfortable in your skills/ability to get up and down and get out as needed. Fine conditions for a standard route, but not what I want to deal with on a headwall thank you very much!

Man! I had no idea that my short 'throwaway' comment would elicit such a slugfest!

We have had climbs planned for the last 3 months. Not sure where you got the 2 week timetable. Have had no luck with weather and avalanche conditions this spring at all. Even with that, conditions on Rainier are not good on pretty much any route, let alone a steep S facing one!

Canceled a trip to do Kautz headwall next weekend. In addition to poor conditions on Rainier, poor conditions in the cascades have not allowed out party to do their conditioning/training climbs. Looks like a weekend of rock, or maybe a good weekend to work on the house.

http://www.roopairspecialties.com/ Great guys, have worked on our families soobs for years. Right next door to Backpackers Supply!