Aya

What size?

The inside of my BD half dome came loose and has been sliding around for about the past year. I've been reasonably happy with it but those things do seem to fall apart pretty frequently, judging from the reviews you read of them. I finally bought a new helmet a couple of days ago. Of course, I've gone right ahead and possibly compromised it before even using it by painting it with acrylic paints, but hey, sometimes style is more important!

With practice, you can get them to work reasonably well. Heck, you can cut your own teeth into your screws!! Tips on sharpening: http://neice.com/Content2006/1_November/IceScrewSharpening/FramePage.htm

I have a bunch of helmet liners I wear; my favorite one is a little powerstretch one that happens to be from BD. But it still doesn't solve the problem of my ears - I can't hear as well with it as without. I really like the way that helmet pads in skiing helmets have a rim that encircles your ear, but is relatively thin over the actual ear.

I feel like all of these naysayers haven't actually taken a look at the Grivel Gecko. Don't check out the BD Half Dome or Petzl Meteor for a dual purpose helmet. That's not what they're designed for. The Grivel Gecko is. This reminds me, by the way - why is it that no climbing helmets have those nifty removeable ear protectors the way that skiing helmets do? It would be so fantastic because I could keep my ears warm but still be able to hear my partner yelling at me... Gidg - no?

I am a huge fan of the merino wool (I use smartwool rather than icebreaker because it fits me better) - so long as it's not going to be your outermost layer. It is stretchier (so it fits closer and is more comfortable to move in, layer over), doesn't seem to stretch out over time the way my poly and silk do (ie it rebounds and retains its shape well), is comfortable over a wider range of temps, doesn't get stinky the way synthetics do and looks nicer, too! Definitely takes longer to dry out, but overall not bad. It is definitely pricey, so I'm a little more careful about abrading it and stuff, because if I tear a hole in my $25 underwear, no biggie, but doing the same to my $65 smartwool would probably hurt a little more.

Mountain Hardwear's hybrid is the Manticore - the MH synchro hoodie is a softshell, but with a Conduit membrane that makes it waterproof, but probably less breathable than a hybrid. I think I'm going to go with a Mammut Sentry hybrid as soon as I can find one on sale for less than $295. It had a really great collar and hood. Only quibbles are that the pockets are about half an inch too low (minor), the sleeves seem to be cut relatively short (minor - just get a size larger), and there is no real interior pocket for things like gloves.

Hey speaking of which... anyone know where I can get a Grivel Salamander in a color other than yellow? They should come in 9 colors or something...

...and I'm with crackers. Yahoo! Now, if they'd just come out with one which also worked for horseback riding and bike riding, I could get rid of the darn helmet rack in the closet!

I like the duct tape.

If you go to the north island of NZ, you're going to want to get the New Ignimbrite Climbs book by Michael Camilleri - It describes most of the climbing in the Wharepapa region (which is really beautiful; it's where they shot hobbiton in the Lord of the Rings). If you're planning this as a climbing trip, you're probably better off hitting the south island, but if it's a sight seeing trip that might include Aukland as well, then definitely stop by!

But does being on TR really make them trad chicks??

I also just saw a visa commercial featuring calico cliffs...

We've got some cracks... just come climbing with Joe a bit... you'll find them all...

It really still is pretty slabby. This one's got a pretty good horizon.

Awww... how sweet... I think this one is hotter... And this was just last weekend, shame about the poor lighting...

What?

Beware of ticks on your dog, too. My dog got lyme disease (despite being on frontline) and it cost me about $1000 all told after all the blood tests and ABs and whatnot. Symptoms can include being lame and hairloss.

The lid of the worksack turns into not only a waistpack but also a little backpack. It's awesome! All this stuff should be on your website, crackers!!!

I'm a girl, and I've used the pack. It's great. Mine came with a girly hipbelt! The pack is super duper light, super configurable, and should be super burly - can't honestly speak to that as I only used it about 3 times out this ice climbing season - I'll use it some more this summer on rock (like maybe this weekend...!). The whole d-clippy system is easy to use, and I don't know if it has a learning curve, per se, but I think that it will probably take some fiddling with and some use before you get it dialed in to exactly how you like to configure it for your activities, because everyone probably likes to carry their loads differently. That's the beauty of the system, you can totally personalize it!

Aren't those thistles all invasive and non native and generally bad out there? Pull those suckers!

My girlie likes to model belay jackets!

Bah.

Hammer it. Seriously. Forget wiggling - make sure the bail is oriented correctly with the hole (the hole is oval shaped, and the bail is flattened along one axis) and take a hammer to it. You won't hurt your crampons. Also it is easier if you do it one side at a time, ie, just line up the bail/hole on the side you are hammering in, and let the otehr side of the bail go wherever - NOT in the hole on the other side. I guarantee you can do it, it is just a humongous pain. And I hope that once you get the bail moved, it is indeed where you want it!!!

Had same problem with my G14s. As stated above, make sure tabs are lined up, and then use a screwdriver as a lever (assuming you don't mind scratching them up a bit!!) - or actually, I had more luck using the claw side of a hammer as a lever. I definitely was not able to get them out using a draw or cord or anytihng like that and just pulling.