Bigtree

Panos, if your objective with the AT gear is for backcountry access rather than cranking turns, pretty much any new/used skis equiped with the Silvretta bindings coupled with mountaineering boots will do fine. You can pick up cheap used ones (skis that is) all over the place and needn't spend more than $50 - 100. I have a buddy who skis with Scarpa Vega boots, the Silvretta bindings and some crappy old boards/skins. He has no problem keeping up with us with the set-up; however, when he tries skiing downhill - that's when the boots simply don't provide sufficient support and all hell tends to break loose. As for ski length, since you're likely not going to be carving up the powder with a Koflack/Silvretta combo anyhow, I humbly suggest that a 150 cm ski is too short and you should consider something in the 170 - 180 cm range. Lastly and in regards to your height-to-weight ratio, you need to start eating food soon otherwise you're likely break/expire from the elements the first time you stray more than 50 m from the car.

Thanks Feck. Will look for snow/turns north of the border I guess and save Rainier for the spring.

I'm planning a wee road/early season ski trip the second week of December and am wondering if anyone can advise if the Stevens Canyon Road up to Paradise at Mt. Rainier is typically plowed/open at that time of year? I'd like to skin up to Camp Muir and get some turns in there if the weather permits. Thx.

Good advice. Didn't know the Eddy existed. I'll have to pick one up.

I have both, but never use the Cinch. I find the lever too short making it difficult to modulate rope speed when lowering my partner. Stick with the Gri Gri. Its somewhat heavier, but is well engineered and works well for its intended purpose.

Do a search for "Digital Media Converter" here: http://www.torrentspy.com/ There is a very good chance that you'll find a 2.7 ver with password that works fine not that I would really have any reason to know this.

As pictured below, I've got one. I find it too small to be useful, flimsy, poorly designed and rarely remains fastened to the bottom of the poles throughout the night when windy (I keep thinking that I'm not fastening it correctly, but nothing really seems to improve the bad habit). All-in-all, a dissappointment considering what the tent cost me.

Interesting. Thx folks.

Am thinking about climbing Denali next year via west buttress to celebrate my 45th year on earth. Will likely rely on the guiding services of AAI based out of Bellingham given my past positive experience with them years ago; however, I'm slightly mystified that their "season" is May 4 - July 5th which seems awfully short (ref. http://www.mtnguide.com/ProgramDetail.asp?program=9 ). Does anyone know if this is the norm with guiding services up there or is there something else in play? Surely the route is quite doable throughout July and August, no?

The Pisco sours when very well with fresh seafood cervichi (sp?) at several places along the coast whereas the cuy (pronounced coo-eee) was accompanied by a beer. Seems to me I came down with a horrendous gastrointestinal something bug a few days later after eating some market food and swore off pretty much everything except roasted chicken and fries from that point onwards.

Ha, ha - very good billcoe. Your response reminded me of a time I ate guinea pig in Peru a few years back. The presentation was great, but the meat tough and frankly not worth the effort. I guess its protein though.

Thought provoking stats for sure, but what's your point? Don't you think folks in those countries would spend the same on their pets on a per capita basis as north Americans if they could?

I was noodling around on the Pieps website (http://www.pieps.com) and noticed that they released a firmware upgrade (5.0) for the DSP this past August '07. Given where I live, the only option I have to get the upgrade is to ship my device off to a Pieps service centre which is a hassle and will cost me some loot. Does anyone know if the upgrade can be obtained via other means (e.g., website or disk)?

"According to your medical checkup, you are dead." — A doctor to René Desmaison after he was rescued off the north face of Grandes Jorasses, having spent 342 hours without food or water. Sounds like another tough guy whose book I'll have to read (342 hours in Large Jorasses).

So, your saying that Terrace is the loss leader in this deal? Seriously though, despite the fact that its in just outside of Terrace, this strikes me as a good deal having skied there 5 -6 times over the years (buildings, equipment, well developed/variety of runs etc...).

Nice TR Devine. Thanks for posting.

Hope they were packing PLBs.

Don't do it Porter - these are great posts! I've learned so much. Toast, that's looking like Bugaboo Spire from the Kain Hut loo - no?

Dirtbagathelete, thank goodness we both live in countries where we have the freedom to express our respective opinions, however divergent they may be. Perhaps you think we should all take an oath of poverty and get around like these fellows? Then again, maybe you think that this is a more appropriate mode of transportation for a fellow like yourself?:

Nice TR.

jmace, I think I get it. When I try to post the picture at a "normal size" (as in when I'm viewing the pictures individually in a Picasa web album) it doesn't seem to work. However, if I use the picture properties when viewed with other photos in the album it seems to work, but appears too small as per below: Thanks for the help.

I used to use Flickr to post pictures and integrate into trip reports; however, I recently switched to Google's Picasaweb and when I cut and paste the address from the properties line into the post it fails to work. Has anyone else experienced this problem with Picasa, and if so, can you suggest a fix? Note that I'm aware of the following post: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/602558/page/1#Post602558, but the answer doesn't seem to be there.

Irish Guy, it really depends. I've gotten some great deals on climbing gear from eBay over the years. Today as a matter of fact I bought 7 wired Black Diamond Hexentrics off eBay for a whopping $11.01. That said, you really have to be discerning as others have flagged here in this string and my personal rule is to steer clear of cams, rope and webbing no matter how trustworthy the description/seller sounds.

XXX, I couldn't agree more. I would however have appreciated more accurate/meaningful reporting so as to emphasize how stupid it is to do this sort of thing - it could have your head or mine the rock connected with.

Picking up a 20 lb rock and lobbing it over the edge of a cliff isn't "trundling". Its many other things, but it isn't trundling which conotes a rather innocent series of events, as in "my boot inadvertently loosened a rock which rolled down the cliff and whacked someone on the head". I think a more apt description in this case is "involuntary manslaughter". Just my two cents.