ericb

nice job....blind party line voting....you'll fit right in here. Don't despair - if voting democrat doesn't bring this country up to your standards, Canada will probably take you

Oh ya!!!....if you get down after the restaurants close, a chimi + chicken-bacon-swiss + jo-jos washed down with a little chocolate milk for under $5 is just a little bit of heaven. During daylight hours, I will have to agree though. I've made the comment to most of my buddies and wife that the Mazama store is quite possibly the coolest small store I've ever been to. Hard to believe they can get so much cool stuff into such a small space.

Hmmm...so I understand that there is a 130 page report...(see thread) http://www.xsorbit6.com/users/stevefirebaugh/Printpage.cgi?board=GeneralDiscuss&num=1141157871 the contents of which have not been made public, and a summary of which has been given verbally within the Moutaineering Org. Here's my gripe.... I've not been climbing long, but in my brief climbing career, I've been chastised by a Mountie for rapping of a single tree/sling on SEWS (unsolicitated). I've also had a Mountie make snide comments about my poorly coiled rope, and offer to "clean it up" for me while demonstrating for some beginner students in Icicle Canyon. Bottom line, I've been offered unsolicited advice in the field in a condescending tone by "experts", and it as left me generally negative towards the organization. But now, following an incident that could offer some learnings to the greater climbing community, it's smoke, mirrors, and secrecy....it just seems a bit hypocritical based on my personal experience

Gary....I don't need to waste your time. Just let me know how I can get my hand on the findings.

Is the debrief/learnings available to the general public?

Gary....have you heard the findings of the committee that investigated the sharkfin accident?

Question to any/all, I don't know that I've seen a debrief on the sharkfin tower accident, but I recall some comments in the early articles that gave me the impression that the climber who was injured by rockfall, was hot hurt that seriously... I can't find the article but I seem to remember that it was a combination of the injury and the deteriorating weather that caused the retreat.....that led me to wonder why they needed to do a rescue rappel in the first place. Can anybody clear up the details?

Not sure if you guys saw this, but sounds like it was a worn belay loop ------------------------- http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/26/CLIMBER.TMP "It's really affecting the climbing community because harness failure is pretty unusual -- it is not supposed to happen," said Ken Yager, president and founder of Yosemite Climbing Association. "It's gotten people thinking about their old harnesses now. I know I'm going to go out and buy a new one." The part that broke, called the belay loop, is designed to be the strongest part of the climbing harness, but Hewett, 34, said Skinner's harness was old. "It was actually very worn," Hewett said. "I'd noted it a few days before, and he was aware it was something to be concerned about." Friends of Skinner said he had ordered several new harnesses but they hadn't yet arrived in the mail. On Monday's climb, Hewitt said the belay loop snapped while Skinner was hanging in midair underneath an overhanging ledge. "I knew exactly what had happened right when it happened," he said. "It was just disbelief. It was too surreal." Stunned and in shock after watching his friend fall, he checked his equipment. "I wanted to make sure that what had caused the accident wasn't going to happen to me," he said. "I then went down as quick as I could." -------------------------------------- As far as a backup, I'm guessing a friction knot backup would serve to back up both the belay loop, and protect against losing control.....

Update....looks like it has been confirmed that it was his old worn belay loop that failed. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/26/CLIMBER.TMP "It's really affecting the climbing community because harness failure is pretty unusual -- it is not supposed to happen," said Ken Yager, president and founder of Yosemite Climbing Association. "It's gotten people thinking about their old harnesses now. I know I'm going to go out and buy a new one." The part that broke, called the belay loop, is designed to be the strongest part of the climbing harness, but Hewett, 34, said Skinner's harness was old. "It was actually very worn," Hewett said. "I'd noted it a few days before, and he was aware it was something to be concerned about." Friends of Skinner said he had ordered several new harnesses but they hadn't yet arrived in the mail. On Monday's climb, Hewitt said the belay loop snapped while Skinner was hanging in midair underneath an overhanging ledge. "I knew exactly what had happened right when it happened," he said. "It was just disbelief. It was too surreal." Stunned and in shock after watching his friend fall, he checked his equipment. "I wanted to make sure that what had caused the accident wasn't going to happen to me," he said. "I then went down as quick as I could."

were you boiling, filtering, iodine?

Sick stuff, but $300K bond??? Is this for his own protection?

Great points in the discussion.....In Twight's book, Extreme Alpinism, he points out that softshells are the way to go on bottom because the harness and boots make taking layers on and off difficult, thereby warranting clothing with a higher working comfort range. It's less important on top when you can more easily take layers on and off....shed to climb, bundle up to belay, etc. Also, for a pure shell, I think softshells are heavier than newer lightweight waterproof fabrics (paclite,xcr, etc.) I have both a Paclite goretex shell, and a ~highend, thin/lightweight softshell, and use them both for different applications. As long as the weather report is good, or as was mentioned earlier, cold enough to snow only, I really like my light softshell due to breathability. Another advantage to the softshell that I've found....due to the stretchiness, I can get a much more aggressive fit without losing mobility - nice to not have a bunch of extra fabric getting in the way of pack straps, harness, slings, etc. Obviously, this doesn't leave much room for layers below, but the softshell and a medium weight merino wool long-sleeve zip tee under is plenty warm for me as long as i'm moving, and I have a light synthetic belay jacket to pull on for rest-stops.

Not sure what good a camming device is going to do you when there's wackos with guns up there.

I think maybe the predator is the new version. As far as the list...looks relatively reasonable. Not sure why you need pots....I use one...a titanium 1.3L that is big enough to melt snow and only bring freeze dried for dinners. Also, Mark Twight might question bringing both a sub-zero bag, and down parka - wear your parka in the bag and bring a lighter/less bulky bag. I've not seen a lot of winter weather around here that cold anyways. I have less burly bag and augment it with a liner (6oz) and ultralight bivy (7oz) as well as wearing my puffy coat inside it as conditions warrant. I guess I go back to my earlier comment about to packs. You are buying one pack that will accomodate your absolute worst case scenario.....solo touring in sub-zero weather...how often do you do this? If I can't find a partner, and night-time temps are going to be below zero Crystal Mountain is sounding pretty good.

There was a comment that the 3#, 3oz weight differential isn't much. In your pack, maybe not, but on your feet, it's noticeable.

other thoughts....the osprey you are looking at is $375. The BD that Arc is suggesting is $175. You could get the BD and then pick up a bigger one used and have two packs for the price of one. That way you can use the lighter pack when you are not solo, or weather looks solid enough for a bivy sack. Obviously how much crap you bring is a personal choice, but I've got a Arcteryx Khamsin 52, and a 5,000 CI Gregory, and the Gregory hasn't gotten used in 2 years since I figured out I could get everything in the Khamsin. Another factor that I would think about is the weight difference between the BD and the Osprey...over three pounds. I really like the new BD suspensions..great support and very light. With the three pounds you save just in the pack suspension, you could go with 1) ski better 2)go with a warmer bag, higher R-value pad, more gas/food.

Steve House?

CBS....as long as were commenting on grammar, how bout Cappellini's use of the word irregardless....ouch Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less Pronunciation: "ir-i-'gärd-l&s Function: adverb Etymology: probably blend of irrespective and regardless nonstandard : REGARDLESS usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead. Other source: Regardless of what you have heard, “irregardless” is a redundancy. The suffix “-less” on the end of the word already makes the word negative. It doesn’t need the negative prefix “ir-” added to make it even more negative.

I would like to be a yuppie, but alas I live in the suburbs

Second Blake on the "Brothers K", and strongly recommend "A Soldier of the Great War" by Mark Helprin

Yep - a true statesman Ahmadinejad sparked widespread international condemnation in October when he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." Last week, he also expressed doubt about the killing by the Nazis of six million Jews during World War II, but Wednesday was the first occasion when he said in public that the Holocaust was a myth. "They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan, according to a report on Wednesday from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. "The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets,"

Isn't directly targeting innocent civilians, using them as human shields, and destroying/targeting places of worship against the Geneva convention?

...and the rest of the world, seeing our self-imposed lack of liberty, will like us. Looks like the Euros are way ahead of us on this one. "Opera Canceled Over a Depiction of Muhammad BERLIN, Sept. 26 — A leading German opera house has canceled performances of a Mozart opera because of security fears stirred by a scene that depicts the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad, prompting a storm of protest here about what many see as the surrender of artistic freedom." http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/world/...&ei=5087%0A Maybe next, virtually every newspaper in the western world will refuse to publish some editorial cartoons which are mildly critical of Islam. Yes...appeasement would be a tough road - even for the left http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/14/MNGHO5165I1.DTL "The most vocal response to Newsom's same-sex marriage move came from a group of San Francisco Muslims. About 70 Muslims from the Al-Sabeel Masjid Noor Al Islam mosque on Golden Gate Avenue assembled on the City Hall steps Friday to protest same-sex marriage. The group approached the steps quietly, some holding signs quoting from the Koran or labeling omosexuality "inhuman." "We have records that God destroyed one city because of this," said Gabriele Strasser, referring to the biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah. "We don't want that to happen to San Francisco." "It's unnatural," said Mohammed Al-Lababidi, an official with the mosque."

sorry...I'm confused...last I checked, we were looking for a Cello player

Only if accompanied by a Cello player....know any?