robert_Nielsen

Been a long time since I've seen that story. Didn't even know you had it, Blake! Sorry to say I've only seen the falls in shape twice since that time. Once I was just getting back from a week long ski trip around the angnes, and the other, just last winter, I had no partners in town. One thing that story didn't make clear was that I had an interalp wood shaft ice ax. The thing was basically an alpinstock. Great for leaning on while contemplating a mountain panorama. The other tool was a chounaird (sp?) crag hammer that we had filed some teeth into. A third tool was just a carpenter hammer for the second to clean out pipe pitons. I'd love to do it again with better gear ( I do have some!). I don't think it's really a gnarly climb, or anything. This winter, it was looking pretty recreational, though the ice was thin. Other than Rainbow falls, there are only small seeps or cascades in some of the creeks that freeze up. I have seen some great looking blue tongues of ice on the north side of Tupshin and McGregor in the winter, but it's a project enough on skis just to see those places.. That guy, Too Tall, jizz bucket Dave.....he da man!

Pictures.........

Post deleted by robert_Nielsen

Mouth of the stehekin river at the head of Lake Chelan, to Stehekin power house, by bike, seven days a week. three miles. about 16-17 minutes headd up hill, about 12-13 miles coming down. Longer in snow. Nice views of Tupshin and Mcgregor, about seven park rigs pass me every day. they oughta get a bike. Sometimes I like to canoe accross the river, bush over to the river trail, and run up the trail to the plant. That takes a half hour, then about 23 minutes if I run the road back home. Almost time to put the studded tires on the bike. When the road is snow covered consistently, skate skiing is about the same as running, except faster coming down the hill. I decided long ago to choose a commute I could relate to, and the work followed. cheers, bob

I love my stephensens bag. If you can afford it, you'll not regret it. The combinations possible with it cover just about anything you'd want to use it for. Filling up the DAM with the stuff sack is the only down side. You need to devote about 10 minutes or more to the job, but what a bed! Way better than sitting under a poncho with a heat tab burning between your legs! semper fi, but Rangers lead the way cheers bob

snowshoes are great for packing a trail to the outhouse. skiing is for life.

" I even bought a carabiner, cause it looked cool".... What a hoot! Some serious stereotyping going on there, eh? Glad you posted that Blake. I was venting the age old debate on another place just now.....That video got me looking at the hills, wondering when I can get up there, kick some bushes,and set a trough through unconsolidated snow.... cheers bob

P.S. Maybe you could buy my size US 13 Lazers? Must be a big footer at 205. cheers, bob

I just saw the Dark Side, by AT annonymous. A funnier-than-hell look at one guys conversion. It'll support your idea of locking 'em down...and make you laugh too. If I knew how to insert that here, I'd do it. After that, volumns could be written about what gear works. All seem to have some pros and cons of course. Untill we can have it all, ya just make your choice. Seems pretty hard to beat the TLTs. Proven for more than a decade, they are used by many of the best skiers around. Andrew Mcclean, the Skoogs, Lou Dawson, etc etc. Hard to argue with the weight. you get used to the operation. Dawson is continuely coming up with tips and tweaks to get more out of them. If you really want to go least effort, they are great. Switch modes is less slick than the other big boy bindings, like the diamir, but the tlt works. The crampon is a little noisey, clanking under your foot as you climb. I used a skalp crampon with my tlts, and liked that better. By contrast, i was really unimpressed with my buddies diamir crampons: no bite when using the friggin heel lift, which you need most in the steeps. If you are coming from free heeling you are going to be disappointed by the loss of the diagonal stride. Yeah, you can cruise along on the flat and pretend it's OK....but it's different, and all the AT stuff will feel that way too. The other negative on not having a telemark feature, you can't skate along a steep hill side and step up; throw your heel just a bit for some elevation. so on big traverseing tours, you either skin up, when the free heeler is cruising/ skating, or you skate with heels locked down, or you goof around with a floppy ski in tour mode where the ski heel drops so easily. Of course the main reason you are going AT is to get that great climb in deep stuff ability- that, and the carviblity of the locked heel, but you do loose the whole diagonal stride thing. So, while light is right, the TLT's are the way to go. If you must. I just got a pair of 7TM tour bindings by Karhu, so i'm back to my free heeling ways. Have to have that free climb ability, for making elevation. Nice heel lifter and the best crampon I've seen yet are great. Never thought too much about releasibilty, but I like the idea of shedding skis in a slough, or worse. Now, I will miss some of that locked heel control in less than totally optimal snow, and I'll pay in face plants certain days. But while I', mostly a paralell skier on my free heel stuff, it is going to be nice to have that telemark feeling in the steep and tight trees, with a big pack, where fancy manuevering is so much nicer with more freedom of movement. I sure as hell won't miss teh goofing around in rolling terrain I had to do with the TLTS. Just what you want to be doing after a dawn to dusk day with lots of elevation, messing around weith your TLTS going through few miles of touring terrain. That's when i'll be happy to stretch out with the good old fashion diagonal stride, throw a herring bone in to get up small skin-unworthy hills, and just generally pretend I'm nanson on a greenland exploration. But it's all skiing, and I'll wait for you on your randanee gear.

I'll drink to that, wish I had a deshutes stout...... location, location,location?...

....but I was wondering where that 10,950' work site was myself.... Nothing that tall in my back yard...

Oh Man, you gotta love it. In the old days, it sounds like sane people planned for construction projects to be closed donw for the winter weather. but now it seems thing don't conspire to let a guy get the winter off, and it's full tilt boogey on all kinds of projects and damn the topedoes. Pouring rain all month? Heck, lets pull off the roof! Concrete to pour? We'll boil the water for the mud in a horse trough, and light fires right next to the wall forms. A nice finished slab needed? How about a snow finish? Its the latest thing! Cool!.... Yup, gotta love it. Hang it there, hope for snow. Maybe when you're shovelling snow for more than half the work day, it'll be time to stop fighting it and go skiing. cheers bob

Could I buy the arc angles only for $60? Check your PM's please

So, are your adventures turning towards the salt water? sea or ski, its an age old dilemma, though you could combine the activites, like shackleton... Luck to you on your sales, and adventures. Looke well to every step, one hand for the ship cheers, bob

If you were old enough, you could sample the Double Black. I think that was the beer of my choice after trampin. Cat three huts, for sure. More awesome wilderness, no people, only locals. I think the rugby team are the All blacks, and the beer Double black...Love the beer, impressed by the dudes who do that rugby- makes NFL look like pre school- but could never get into rugby, or cricket, for that matter. Definetly bring all the geat you can. Extra stuff will make good gifts for your new friends, and everything is very expensive. You'll think you're back at the upper end of lake Chelan at Wanaka, and at Cascade Pass, enjoying the views of Aspiring, I could have sworn I was at our Cascade pass, up the valley here. Offical BS factor is very low; people there expect to take responsiblity for their actions. When hitching, don't find a place where a car could pull off safely, that's viewed as a slacker's approach. Just keep on hiking up the road, no matter how narrow and winding. they like to see sweat equity. Expect to go home with most of the poeple who give you a lift. Cadburys! they taste different there! Mo'better, somehow. cheers, bob

Say "Tramping" instead of hiking, "Choice" instead of cool, "you reckon?" instead of you think? Be prepared to enjoy huts everywhere. Be prepared to hike hard (tramp), really hard, if the sign says '6 hours to wanga mora hut'. Be prepared to meet the nicest people in the world, see some of the most awesome mountains in the world, some of the worst maintained trails........Go check out Mt. Aspiring. Climb it for me. Go check out Mt. Cook, hope it's not in a cloud. Never wear long pants, especially not in rain, mud, or sand flea country. Try to fall in love with a beautiful Kiwi climbing women, casue you are not going to want to leave. I know you already heard my rap on all this Blake, while thrashing around on Tupshin, and you know I'm jealous as hell. Good on ya.

Yup, those are keepers, if you like fine pieces of woodwork. the bindings look like ABC's. I started skiing in '72 on a pair of Asgne Tur skis, and I can almost smell the pine tar. You can still buy pine tar from Jamestown Distributers, where they keep it in stock for wooden boaties. But I'll tell ya, if you don't want to ski on those things ( and really, getting the pine tar and wax done right is a chore! Not to mention the "wooden" performance) you can always use 'em for great furniture. I've been using wood skis for chair backs for awhile, as a wood worker. While at Evergreen I used one of the above mentioned articles to build my own skis. Spruce inners with hickory tops and bottoms. those of yours are classic beauties, to be sure. don't think I'd go out in my backyard ( big backyard ) with them anymore though, andy more than I'd go back to using my Trucker Mountain Lights. cheers bob

And what a fine day that was, on the back side of McGregor. meanwhile... 1.17 inches of rain here in Stehekin last night, but snow within 1000' of the valley floor. Looking good!

Just waiting on the snow......... I have a pair of 12/13 scarpa Lazors, $200, or trade for late model T-1's they were used moderately only one and one half seasons, so they are in excellent shape. they fit a US size 13 big- footed guy, and were just a bit loose in the width for my narrow size 13 foot. The tongue of the boot says 12. If any of you big footers are thinking of going randanee, and you have a black pair of T-1's, not too beat up, lets trade! Otherwise, these boots are in great shape and I'm asking $200. cheers, bob If I could get a picture in here I will, but not having much luck so far cheers bob