nkane

Thanks for the TR, Dave! I do wonder what other climbers think of that summit ridge. The combination of the fragile rime structures, the scary runout and the fatigue was a little much for me without a rope. Then again, it will probably be entirely different in a few days.

i just got the Exposure 50 yesterday... It fit me like a glove in the store. Hopefully I'll get to play with it soon.

HELL yeah.

Isn't that the truth.

Ed'sPans tried out the Aura's at Meadows last week and LOVED them. She wound up ordering some Fischer Rangi's based on her experience. There was a really good deal on them at spadout last week, <$200, but they may be all gone now.

Good list, AvlNC. I disagree about Cinnamon Slab though. I found the second pitch actually a fun 5.5, and not runout at all. I did the whole route as my first two trad leads, and it's a great feeling to step up on top and see all the Cascade volcanoes laid out in front of you.

2003 Outback, 6 cylinder, 19 mpg in the city, 23-25 mpg highway. great in snow.

I have a pair of Tacoras set up with Fritschi Freerides. ( i got them from swaterfall on this site.) I like them ok. They float ok on powder, but i wish they were fatter, they aren't very responsive edge-to-edge on hardpack, and they're also not as light as I was expecting. However, they definitely do the job and I'm pleased with them overall. Next season i might keep the bindings but mount them on something lighter, fatter and shorter. Hope that helps.

Well, I'm impressed.

We toproped on static ropes at NOLS and NOLS is at least as safety-conscious as the Mounties, I would think. As a belayer, you do have to be aware that taking a fall with slack out is going to be uncomfortable for the climber, but I think the risk of a decent anchor blowing due to using a static rope is pretty low.

I think my favorite pitch was the second pitch of Spiderman at Smith. I finally felt like I was getting somewhere with this trad business.

This is very sad. We've lost a lot of mountaineering legends recently - Bob Bates, Brad Washburn. Let's hope our younger generation can carry on the same spirit of adventure and respect for the mountains that these pioneers had.

I'd prefer to go back to the days of tuning my edges once per season, daytime temps that never dip below the low teens, big-mountain terrain covered by staggering amounts of natural snow but... Here's the existential quesion of the day: Who is the least happy? The Eastern Skier in deep powder, or the Western skier on ice? As Maine-iac said, the East Coast skier is becoming a better person through suffering. Now don't me wrong - I would never trade a day like Sunday in the Private Reserve for a day of ripping frosty groomers in the East. But I would not have had as much fun in the trees and I would not be the skier I am today if I hadn't grown up fighting with the ice back home.

I did a day hike there in early november - cold with 6 inches of weeks-old crusty snow on the ground. It was a good hike though, nice and sunny.

5 days And JayB, I have seen many a west coast hot shot humbled on East Coast ice, but it's incredibly rewarding to learn to carve it.

"Wine is a more complex substance than one might think, and, above two thousand metres, and at close to zero degrees centigrade, it displays interesting behavioral anomalies. It changes flavor, loses the bite of alcohol, and regains the mildness of the grape from which it comes. One can take it in heavy doses without any undesired effects. In fact, it eliminates fatigue, loosens and warms the limbs, and leads to a fanciful mood. It is no longer a luxury or a vice but a metabolic necessity, like water on the plains. It is a well-known fact that vines grow better on a slope: could there be a connection?" -- Primo Levi

Hood A multi day AT trip The Casual Route on the Diamond climb a v5 in the gym (no making fun)

Craigslist. But it was hard to find one!

Sweet. Thanks so much for the responses!

Are crampons generally sharp enough out of the box, or should I give them a sharpening before I go out? What kind of file do you all use to sharpen them? Also, is there any reason one can't check an ice axe and 'pons on an airplane?

go on steep and cheap right now

There are a few members of Red Sox Nation in town - the owner of the Morrison Hotel at 7th and Morrison decked the halls with Ortiz jerseys during the Series. If you move to the Hawthorne area, you'll be a short bike ride away.

bad religion social d Drokpick Murphys

Brief report: I headed up this morning, leaving the Timberline parking lot at 10. Visibility decreased immediately, and I decided to bail at the top of the Magic Mile cause I didn't want to get more disoriented than I already was. I enjoyed skinning though, and I'll definitely be back for another try.

fuck shaeffer. schaeffer light is so much better. also genessee and natty bo.