Bigtree

So, aside from concerns being voiced from some folks in the climbing community who don't want the ambience of the Waddington backcountry spoiled, what harm is there in allowing a commercial heli operation to access the area, or god forbid, one that might occasionally sling in a sled for those beer swilling decadent/affluent types? Is a rare bird being killed? A sleeping bear being disturbed? Will the Jet B fuel being burnt really make a difference to global warming? Is this proposal any different than the gazillions of folks who fly into Denali each year or those who access the Mt. Robson by helicopter because they're too lazy to haul their gear in for 25 + kilometers? I enjoy the peace and solitude of the backcountry like most of you folks, but I'm finding it harder and harder these days to justify why my views/desires should trump others; particularly commercial interests or those who lack the skills/willingness to experience this spectacular area a little bit differently. Surely the solution is to compromise by allowing some sort of limited/licenced commercial access.

I've carried a 3-foot picket for years under the strapping loops on the side of my pack. However, I've concluded its unnecessarily long for the Cascades (e.g., tends to catch/snag on brush and crap on bushwacks and trail approaches). As such, I've recently bought a few 2 footers and will pack them in the same way instead.

Yum. I like these. Does anyone have any other creative culinary wonders up their sleeve they would care to recommend (cans of Chef Boyardee aside)? My creativity in this area is so lame.

Al Gore for prez in '08!

Wow, first he invented the internet and now this - he's a bona fide American superhero. Well, kinda. Well, not really. I actually think he's a media slut who can't stay out of the spotlight for 5 mins without going into withdrawal fits.

Rough distance from Cold Springs trailhead (~ 5 500') to the Lunch Counter (~ 9 000') is 4 mi and another 2 to the summit (` 12 277').

Hammer1, I didn't spend much time playing with the photo but you should get the idea of where it is. Have fun - its a beautiful place.

You guys must be watching too much TV or something - take the dog for a walk, suck in some fresh air and lighten up.

An army of rescuers spend a night or two with the fellow but could extract him due to poor weather; helicopter swooped in when the weather broke and flew him to safety; broken leg, maybe internal injuries, whacked his head too as I recall; the fellow's immensely grateful for all the help, yada, yada, yada...

I found the following Google videos through the www.mazamas.org website and am shamelessly reposting here for others. The first video describes the gear (or lack thereof) Steve House and Vince Anderson used on their Nanga Parbat (26 658') ascent via the Rupal Face (13 500') in September '05. [gvideo]6682751795170095622&q=steve+house[/gvideo] The second video describes Steve's clothing system. Seems like a Patagonia advert to some extent but I still found it of interest. [gvideo]-8502835632933425716&q=steve+house[/gvideo] There's a great trip report/pics in Alpinist 16.

Here's some pics, The basic non-technical route (did it as a day trip in August last year): And the classic profile pic when I did two months prior in July: Feel free to e-mail me at shawn96438@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to forward you a gps track and some more info.

That seems like a lot of unnecessary work for one of these: As per PM, send me your e-mail address where I can send an attachment and I'll be happy to forward the track in whatever format you need.

Now, now. No need to get upset. I'm just having a bit of fun - at your expense. Jefferson really was an interesting duck by the way: "It spite of Christian right attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity. Although Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote of the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, there exists nothing in the Declaration about Christianity. Although Jefferson believed in a Creator, his concept of it resembled that of the god of deism (the term "Nature's God" used by deists of the time). With his scientific bent, Jefferson sought to organize his thoughts on religion. He rejected the superstitions and mysticism of Christianity and even went so far as to edit the gospels, removing the miracles and mysticism of Jesus (see The Jefferson Bible) leaving only what he deemed the correct moral philosophy of Jesus."

"Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day." - Thomas Jefferson

Here's my god

Well if Shrub doesn't pardon him then perhaps his wife can run? The religious right would lap it up.

I absolutely agree it is an impressive accomplishment; however, when you stuff in seven peaks of that size into 6 months I really wonder how much "fun" it was. I would have been happy with any one of them in a given year and I certainly would have made sure I savored every bit of it - perhaps I'm trapped in my own paradigm and can't quite grasp trying to stuff so much into such a short period of time.

I'm hoping Shrub will pardon this guy so he can make a run for the White House. Now that would be fun to watch.

Clipped from Wildsnow.com: "The TLT (Tour Lite Tech) is a basic version that's been available for more than a decade. The Comfort model combines an improved heel with a slightly improved toe and adjusts for a wider range of boot length. Vertical FT and ST are the latest models, and are basically minor redesigns of the Comfort." Accommodating a wider range of boot lengths is helpful if you were to change boots (i.e., eliminates the need to re-mount the heel piece). The slightly different heel design of the Comfort also adds about 60 grams of weight. Edited by adding the following: "In alpine downhill ski mode, the Dynafit TLT binding places the heel of your boot 20 millimeters above the ski, and the toe about 12 millimeters above the ski (measurement is not precise because of difference in randonnee boot soles). The Comfort yields even more rise, with 30 millimeters at the heel and about 20 mm at the toe. Thus, not only do the Dynafit bindings provide fairly substantial "rise," but the lower toe provides more "positive ramp angle" for your boot sole, thus compensating somewhat for the neutral stance of randonnee backcountry ski boots. The theory of riser plates is that they provide more leverage to the ski edges by increasing the length of your lower leg "lever." I've meet few randonnee skiers who believe they need more rise than the Dynafit binding provides by default. Interestingly, in the 1970s some of the world's best ski racers felt that having their feet closer to their skis was better. They would grind down their boot soles and hollow out their boot interior foot-beds to accomplish this. In my opinion, both extremes, (rise or drop), are a waste of energy for a rando skier to worry about. I've skied on the Comfort, with its 30mm rise, and while I noticed being higher on the ski felt different in a turn, I didn't feel it made my skiing any better, or easier."

The speed/record is completely irrelevant as its basically just a function of commitment, conditioning and a lot of spare $. I'm curious whether he took the time to savour each of his summits or whether he just banged them off like a bunch of projects/shopping list.

Looks like the same basic design as my Bibler i-Tent, albeit slightly narrower by 2 inches. Lengthwise its the same and at 6' 2" I find that 82" is just a little cramped for my height. Then again, since the MK1 is designed as a 1 person tent you've got ~ 94" of length diagonally. Assuming similar quality of construction as the Bibler, it should withstand pretty much whatever is thrown at it.

I can't help you with guide recommendations but suggest you/your buddy get your hands on the Alpinist 16 as a start. Its got some good historical and current info. Here's some pics from their website (such a gorgeous mountain - I'd love to climb it): Thea east and north faces of the Matterhorn at dawn. Valais Alps, Switzerland. [Photo] Mario Colonel Climbers on the Hornli Ridge, the line Whymper and his party took on their first ascent of the mountian in 1865. Today this normal route from the Swiss side may see more than 200 climbers a day, and the passage of innumerable parties has left distinct traces on the rock, in addition to a multitude of fixed ropes. [Photo] Beat Perren The Solvay Refuge, constructed in 1915 at 4003 meters on the Hornli Ridge. Climbing the Matterhorn is a highly social affair; guidebooks recommend an early start for the mountain's normal routes to get a good place in line to the summit. Even the more challenging lines can still be relatively crowded. [Photo] Beat Perren

Super what! Looks like she couldn't pack her lunch let alone enough for an overnight foray. She clearly needs to eat some more food with a skinny ass like that. And what's with all that licking...

Clipped this quote referencing the use of Tiblocs from http://www.alpine-guides.com/alpine%20efficiency%20article.htm "The ultimate moving together skill, simul-climbing involves moving with most of the rope out on technical ground that would normally be pitched. Prussic devices such as Tiblocs are placed on runners above crux sections to hold the second should they fall - and prevent the leader being yanked off! Other runners are placed as sparingly as you dare to conserve the rack and increase the distance you can travel before regrouping. This technique requires lots of practice to perfect, and careful thought in using the Tiblocs to prevent rope damage. Limitations are: the size of your rack, rope drag and you ability to climb confidently without a belay! This is a great thing to practice on ice couloirs with the occasional bulge, as there are no rope drag issues. Simul-climbing has resulted in some awesome speed climbing achievements well documented in the press and is a great tool to have in your alpine skills box."

I was out last weekend on a new pair of BD GlideLite STS skins that have the same centre strip. I didn't experience any performance issues associated with leaving the strip on although I was slightly disappointed that my buddy could skin slightly steeper gradients with his narrower/much older skins before breaking traction. Could have been the extra 35-40 lbs I'm packing on my frame, then again I prefer to blame it on the skins.