montypiton

I will be headed for Germany in June to marry off a nephew - then the wife and I will be "touring" until August. I'm looking for one or more partners who wouldn't mind getting on some of the "big" alpine classics with a broadly experienced "old fart" who's never been over there. Shoot me a pm if interested? -Haireball

Hey Dave- c'mon ... you know ice is never really "in" here -- we just jump on anything that faintly resembles ice & scratch around for slurpy placements! Thank Dog for turf! -Haireball on a further note: hiked up Snow Creek this morning, found Millenium wall less than half-formed, so didn't bother hiking to view flows farther up trail. other than a plenitude of smears on slabs that might be exercise for developing the extra-delicate touch, still pretty grim

if ya don't trust the belay loop, thread a runner through your harness tie-in points and clip to that.

a bunch of us climbed the Funnel, and the two-pitch line far left at Hubba-Hubba Hill on 11/23. There is more ice there this morning (12/2) than there was then. scoped ice in the Teanaway, a two-pitch line on the south aspect of Teanaway Peak on 11/30; might head down this weekend to get on it.

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heavy if youre out three days or less- saves its weight in fuel on longer trips. cook whole grains, beans, split peas, lentils -- in 1982 I made split pea soup from scratch at 14k on Denali for a potluck with the medical project folks (first year of project -- think Peter Hackett, Brian Okonek) I carry it on longer trips, and at altitude, so that I can eat "real" food as opposed to freeze-dried "faux-food". try cooking noodles at 19000' on Aconcagua, where you can stir boiling water with your bare finger... if all you do is boil water, the weight isn't worth it - except maybe at altitude when boiling water may not be hot enough to make even the freeze dried stuff palatable... of course this won't apply anywhere in the continental US... close to home its strictly for long trips and/or "luxury" trips.

surprise, surprise - will wonders never cease!?!? In "Big Lots" the other day to buy a mattress for my college age son, and lo and behold in cookware, a 3-quart pressure cooker for $20! a bit heavier than I would have preferred, but for now I'll take it!

when the call came for the woman on Stuart, Chelan County was told there were already three SAR missions in progress at that time, so yes, a busy day for helicopters.

geologic time includes now

agreed - "best practices" continue to evolve, and a wise person maintains a "beginner's mind"

pcg - I like the acronym - think its worth spreading Tvash - you've been around enough to know that you can do everything right and still get chopped. your friend may be an example regarding wind and ropes not being where you want them - I like rope holsters - keep the rope with me and route it while I rap. I even keep the ends tied to me if the rappel ends in unknown or questionable terrain. For following rappelers, I prefer to tie the rope into the next anchor - slack J-line. Followers are thus anchored at both top and bottom, and clip to new anchor before disconnecting from rappel. Yeah, maybe its overkill, but 44 years of climbing suggests I can't be doing too much wrong... and repeat: you can do everything right and still get the chop "geologic time includes NOW"

I presume that means Excalibur came through for you. DMM is a great outfit for customer service. That was the main reason I hooked up with them in the first place. Well, that and I absolutely love their gear... -Haireball

please remain tethered to the anchor until you've fully loaded the rappel and rechecked your rig fully loaded - only after fully loading the rappel (slack personal anchor) unclip your personal anchor and go.

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so Amazon is now sending me notices when somebody tags my review as helpful when they buy the book. I guess that indicates some are buying. yeay!

one "trick" I use to reduce the "manufacturers weight" is to lose all the plastic-framesheet-aluminum-stay crap and just slide a folded half-length ridge-rest foamie into the body of the pack for a "frame". between the plastic and aluminum and extra pad that I don't have to carry, I've saved in the neighborhood of two pounds. Unless youre carrying 40lb loads, you really don't need all the overbuilt frame stuff.

thanks for the beta -- I've looked at this line from the air, always been put off by rumors of dogturdite. your report and photos are far more encouraging than what I've heard in the past. thanks again - guess I'm out of excuses now...

okay Mike - finished a quick read-through and posted a 5-tar review on Amazon for you. hope it helps. -Haireball

variant and hornet look good to me on paper, but I have no experience with either... the mutant is heavier than I'd care for, although the features look attractive. I'm most attracted to the hornet (on paper) - the variant looks better for larger loads (over 30lb?)

Thanks for the suggestions! No sooner had I posted for help than I found the "east west usa" store - selling pressure cookers from India as small as two liters for under $50. I am officially excited! -Haireball

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received my copy of the AAC journal, and Accidents in North American Mountaineering yesterday. the "Know the Ropes" feature on snow climbing was good as far as it went, but ultimately disappointing: not a breath about on-the-fly ice-axe belays? seriously?!? I know guides know these technigues because back in the eighties, I was presenting clinics for the AMGA. I've used and taught these procedures for forty years, - far more effective than the frequently taught "team arrest" (I've never witnessed a successful team arrest... although I have personally executed numerous successful on-the-fly ice-axe belays) seems to me like a serious omission. comments??

back in the 70s and 80s, when I was making long (more than two weeks) trips and climbing "big", my pressure cooker was my best friend. even high on Denali and Aconcagua I ate real food. during the interim, while my kids grew up, the pressure cooker died. now that they're out of the house and I have the time/freedom/fantasy to go "long" and "big" again, I'm looking for another, & not finding. anybody know where I can find a "small" (like four quarts or less!?) light/compact (compared to other pressure cookers) pressure cooker these days? -Haireball

re binoculars -- several years ago I compared glasses in your stated price range, and chose a Leupold over the Nikon Monarch - can't remember the model name of the Leupold, but I carry them most of the time, find them easier to adjust/focus than Nikon's Monarch, and I prefer the Leupold image. (the image may not, for all I know, be any better, but I liked it better). I've had good experience in general with Leupold optics - but I don't buy "brand" -- always go with what looks/feels best to me.