beecher

the older scarpas sure do not have wide toeboxes. in fact they're pretty narrow. don't know if they've changed this with any of the newer models (i'm running lasers & 8yr old T1's). give a call to proski service here in seattle, they'll have some good suggestions for what you might want to try on. i'm betting getting your megarides punched might be the way to go.

Anyone know someone who's come up to Washington from California to go skiing this year? Friend of mine writes for a press service and is looking for an interview.. PM me

I disagree with the go superlight or go superheavy mentality. If you want to limit the overall weight of your setup and enjoy great downhill performance, relatively heavy skis paired with dynafit bindings and reasonable boots really makes sense. For a lot of people, and FFCS sounds like one of them, there is some middle ground which provides a reasonable balance between uphill and downhill performance. PS ptavv: great pics from kirkwood & baker on your site

across the street from alpental, below the waterfall & phantom slide path

That sounds like a great setup for touring. I ski Shuksans/Dynafits and love them like my yet unconceived firstborn child. Great ski, plenty wide for me and they work great in corn, hardpack, at speed. BUT WAIT! Here's something to really think about: if you already have alpine boots, you could ski your alpine boots at the resort if you get Fritschi binders. It's easy to adjust to switch between boots.

Timy, 3rd class climbing is not usually very technically difficult, although it can expose you to potentially fatal falls. The difficulty is determining exactly where the 3rd class climbing "route" is (since most other options will be more difficult). It is easy to climb off-route into more difficult terrain and end up faced with scary and dangerous downclimbing to get yourself back on route. The Mtrs. route on Whitney, while appearing relatively straightforward, requires some degree of routefinding skill. It is possible to make a mistake and wander off into 5th class territory. Also, if there is hard snow or ice on the exposed section, a fall not immediately arrested has proven to be fatal more than once. The previous ascents you mention require little in the way of routefinding skills if done in good weather, and (if you did standard routes) no routefinding skills on rock. I would recommend finding a partner, it will be more fun.

I saw him at SeaTac, on the terminal train. It turned out he was on my flight to Burbank, in the seat directly in front of me. In coach. I felt sorry for him, everyone was eyeing him nervously and sending text messages before we got in the air. No one asked for an autograph. The next week I was getting an STD screening at a local clinic and was being examined by two female doctors. For some reason I said, "I bet you guys could appreciate this.." and told them about my celebrity sighting. They just looked at me nervously. Later I caught them laughing uproariously in the hallway. Sorry, but that was a while ago, he could be anywhere by now.

Timy, The route is not technical, but there is an exposed traverse after you pass through the notch at the top of the gulley above the Iceberg Lake basin. The traverse and the slope to the summit above it can be hazardous in firm snow or icy conditions. I believe this is where you hear about the occasional fatality occuring. The gulley itself (easily viewed from 395 in good weather) is not all that steep and would only be difficult in icy or postholing conditions. I don't think it's unreasonable to plan an early fall trip, just check on conditions as your trip approaches. If it's totally melted out, go walk up it. If there's good snow conditions, a mountaineering ice axe & ability to self-arrest will suffice. Permits should not be a problem midweek. And like MH suggests, there are lots of other options if it doesn't look great at the time.

I made the mistake of inhaling a bunch of snow once, not in an avalanche, but while I was being towed on some chicken wire around a frozen pond in order to knock the bumps off the ice. We didn't have a zamboni. pondhockey buyah! Anyway.. my brother scooped a bunch of the ice shavings up and threw them in my face just as I was inhaling. I had to wait until the ice melted before I could breathe again. I'd like to think that if I were carried by a slide, I'd ride calmly along with my hands in front of my face, but I imagine it would be difficult to fight the instinct to move the limbs around to try to maintain a feeling of balance.

At least they let you keep your milk money!

It can be cold and snowy in Bishop in Feb, it can be 60F. Most likely it will be somewhere in between. bit of a crapshoot.

There is a cheaper alternative to buying another vehicle. If your car doesn't already have a few dents, I recommended getting some primer, and painting splotches in a few areas on your car. This way you look like a shithead who's too lazy or broke to have repairs done professionally. Better yet, have your girlfriend back your car into a tree, and then apply the primer. This technique has worked successfully for me for several years. The inverse of this technique is to put stickers advertising your willing ability to travel the country and its many states at your leisure, purchasing brand-name consumer goods at every stop while displaying your ability to donate generously to important causes such as Patagonia, Smith Sunglasses, and Rock Shox.

Would taking a large dump in the parking space and then parking the car do anything to deter theft? Anyone have experience with this?

Oh! so plab is skiing in jeans with a wool sweater all covered in snow dingleberries hanging out of your jacket, smoking camel lites on the lift in between throwing some wicked spread-eagles & double daffies. At least that's how I remember my long-ago and now yearned for days of plabness .

Oh manimal...

Actually, this thread is roughly analogous to someone logging onto shavedsmooth.com and finding instructions for knitting a hello kitty tea cozy.

it must be lame because exposure & commitment are minimal enough that I would contemplate doing it. here are some pictures I looked at on the internet a while ago, maybe they're still there: http://www.alpinedave.com/squamish/ultimate_everything/ultimate_everything.htm

I hope my neighbor got one of these for Christmas

Your advice to someone who is asking what kind of skis to buy, and who doesn't want to ski at a resort, is to... ski at a resort? I'm guessing Manimal tuned out long ago, and has found a more helpful resource which offers less unsolicited advice.

plab is what happens to the edge of a stick of butter after you warm it up then leave it sitting around for a while

Over the holidays my brother's wife clogged the toilet, he forgot, and took a shit on top of her pile. I got to watch him fish the turds out one by one (they were nice and firm) so we could snake the pipe. Poop-in-hand is a most comical sight. Later we went out for Mexican; unfortunately we were unable to document the bathroom habits of the kitchen staff.

plab is the very soft skin on the back of one's knee

You could have quietly and politely asked this person to wash his hands. Instead, here we are on an internet tirade about bathroom hygene. Gimme a break guys, I don't think a stoning's in order here, except for Waterguy, who's such a pussy he's complaining about this the next day on the internet instead of talking to this person.

There is good easy touring in the area of Castle Peak right near Donner Summit. Park at the exit for Boreal ski area, walk under the freeway to the trailhead. You can access slopes of a variety of difficulties and aspects in this area. If you ski over the ridge and down into the next valley you will find the Peter Grubb hut, easily reachable in and out in a short day. You will have company on a weekend. and... if you decide to take a longer drive: There is easy touring just south of Homewood Resort, on the east edge of the lake (low altitude). You can park in the neighborhood just south of the resort and ski up through big beautiful trees very well spaced. There's not tons of vert available, but it's a great sheltered area for newbies & very easy touring. You can press your luck at dropping into Homewood and poaching a few free laps on the Ellis Chair. It's worth driving a few miles south to Tahoma and getting sandwiches on fresh bread at the little market there, on the east side of the street. There is also excellent touring near Mt. Rose, which is NE of L.Tahoe and where you can park at a high elevation - a great area if it's on the warm side. All kinds of options here, including free vert with car shuttles, look at some maps and have a creative adventure. A nice long day tour if conditions are right (springlike) is to ski from Sugar Bowl to Squaw, predominantly on a ridge. Not great if you just want to make turns, but it's a fun traverse and you get a great run dropping down near Squaw. You can buy single-ride lift tickets at Sugar Bowl to ease access. I think this is often split into a two-day affair, there is a hut roughly midway. Between Truckee & Lake Tahoe, there is good skiing at Silver Peak. To get there drive south from Truckee towards Alpine Meadows & Squaw, I don't recall exactly where to park - inquire locally. You'll be skiing up the Pole Creek drainage. You have to ski up a graded road for a ways, so this will be a longer day than Castle if you want to get some turns in. There's a great shop in Tahoe City to ask questions - called "the backcountry" or something like that.

yow! good times, man. looks like a gratifying day.