counterfeitfake

They cost the same amount. And your rope can TOTALLY get wet cragging... 9.8 dry is a slam dunk, the difference in durability between 10.2 and 9.8 is probably not much. That's a good starter package!

I know that my reaction to largely-unsubstantiated-and-speculative hoopla is to throw my gear away and buy new shit.

I think now you are saying something reasonable. I'd be pissed too if I was at a crag and it got swarmed. The group I'm in gets up really early so we can get there first, and we schedule our rock outings for late winter/early spring to try not to be in the way. Even so, if my group was at a crag and you showed up, we'd probably be able to work something out.

I don't know, but I participated in the rescue of a climber with a broken ankle off the seracs at Mount Baker without SAR or Mountain Rescue assistance. What are you really getting at? Self-rescue is extremely difficult in any circumstance, even if you have been exposed to the concepts. Even if you are an expert. I think it's virtually impossible for a small group to rescue anyone over miles of terrain, you always need a lot of people for that. It's the things you can do immediately when an accident occurs in the backcountry, before emergency responders have a chance to show up, that are more likely to make the difference between life and death. I am convinced that a graduate of one of the intermediate courses has a leg up on most self-taught climbers, merely by having spent at least one weekend working on self-rescue techniques. How many of you who have never taken a class have practiced any self-rescue? Maybe I am mistaken but I feel like this is something that is usually overlooked. Basic class graduates... yeah, I don't think they have much knowledge by which to execute a rescue. But this is no worse than a group of friends who picked up FOTH and started figuring it out for themselves. I think this is really just a recurring argument that happens whenever someone mentions a climbing club: anyone who is self-taught or whose buddy was a climber and brought him into the sport wants to chime in and diss the big group. The way you learned might have advantages but it isn't an option for a lot of people. Purely by the numbers it doesn't work out. In a class like this, an 8-student team can learn a lot from 3-4 instructors and come out of the class fairly knowledgable, fairly safe, and ready to continue their climbing education in whatever way they see fit (or quit, which a lot of them do). It works pretty well. There are different ways of doing things than what you have done. I was impressed when I saw Pope in the newbies forum volunteering to help out a beginner. That is constructive; most of this thread is not.

jeebus...maybe i need to start soaking my hands in formaldhyde? tc's the only place i've ever taped and thought it mandatory- layton and i only had enough to do half our hands, and i recall bleeding like a stuck pig only 10 feet off the ground. i am, of course, a cheap hack though and make no claims to master tech-nique! tc's is certainly much grittier and coarse than the basalt of the portland area or the smith gorge. it seemed like god had just gone over all of the basalt blocks wiht a great big sandy paint brush. What he didn't say is that he's never been there.

That is not my point. My point is that they already take fingerprints, the purpose of which is to identify you and assist in prosecuting you if you go on to commit further crimes. But fingerprints are an imperfect means of reaching this goal. DNA is a more powerful tool that helps them reach the same goal. I am wondering what your point is, your dots are all pretty far out of line with each other and I am having trouble connecting them. Are you arguing that fingerprinting was bad in the first place? Have you been concerned that the government might start fingerprinting everybody? That hasn't happened yet. Are you warning us that stuff that isn't currently illegal might become illegal? Do you just want to alert us that we need to keep an eye on our government?

Don't you currently get fingerprinted any time you're arrested?

probably how tall it is.

THIS THREAD BOOOOOOORING

Why are the pinnacles deserted??

YOU'RE UNNECESSARY

Ah, I had the numbers mixed up.

They look pretty sexy; I've been wondering about the non-adjustable leg loops. I've only owned a harness that had adjustable leg loops. Do you ever wish they were adjustable? Would you be able to wear it over thicker clothing, like for alpine climbing, or is that a good reason to get the alpine version?

I think it's deserted because the climbing there isn't very good.

PHOTOSHOP

That is how I feel at the end of a Smith day myself! Nice work on those kids.

Just cuz Im in canada doesnt mean i can just walk into the fucking doctors office whenever I want to.. I live in a small town and the local doctors wont see any patients for some reason and the office in chilliwack couldnt get me in for some reason... I just had a question and you dont have to be such a stupid motherfucker and bitch at me like that you fucking asshole... sorry bout my fucking language All right I know I was being inflammatory but this is a pretty serious point to get across: when you're talking about being dizzy and feverish and falling down stairs this is not a fooling-around situation. Get to a doctor. It seems pretty obvious to me that you are being stupid about your health.

No. It doesn't. He was on a dynamic rope.

GO TO THE FUCKING DOCTOR YOU DUMB ASS

Maybe I'm getting old but to me there's a difference between "nice" and "big". Those things look like military hardware.

Bust out the soldering iron and go at it.

keep on hatin', haters.

Was that link supposed to be something Twight wrote? He's not credited on that page.

Lest I give the wrong impression, I believe in being flexible about this sort of thing. I don't like bureaucracy and blind following of any rule. Furthermore I looked at my club's basic class gear list and it only says "UIAA Certified Mountaineering helmet" so I would have a hard time turning this student away, myself. But it is indeed up to each instructor. I've never seen this Mountain Hardwear ice axe attachment in person. In the photo it looks weird, and seems like it might not work with all axes. But if it works, why argue about it?

A lot of people are quick to offer opinions on how classes should be taught, when they've never taught a class themselves. It's a really different scenario than going out with a buddy of yours who's never climbed before. You can say whatever you want about your expectations of volunteers, but they're just that, volunteers. If you want to improve the talent level of the volunteer pool, there's a simple way to do it.