tvashtarkatena

Have the mods issue you a safety vest yet?

Got an old Pieps II or something sitting in the basement?

A 'historian' would know....

You forgot to mention the dog...

'Primary': CNN's reality TV debut. someone has finally topped Jersey Shore.

Ordered Dynafit TLT5 Mountains and Manaslus. Got fresh skins for em. Now for bindings... Anybody want to get rid of a pair of dynafits? BOOTS ARE HERE. FUCK YEAH. Dynafit Manaslus and Speed Radical bindings are on order.

LOL

Well, it's not Tacoma...

New Zealand. You can learn alpine climbing by alpine climbing there.

I502's getting a hearing tomorrow in Olympia. RIGHT NOW, as in, RIGHT FUCKING NOW, would be a great time to drop your states reps a friendly email in support: Write the bastids! My anecdotal information indicates that WA voters may well pass it this November(the legislature won't). The first thing I do with audiences is present the basics of I502 without comment, break them up into groups, give them 10 minutes to discuss, then 1 minute to present their group's 'yay or nay' position. So far, every audience (now totaling several hundred folks) has overwhelmingly voted in favor. These groups have been all over WA, too, including some pretty conservative areas. It's only after this exercise that I present my arguments in favor.

Passed the House. Gubner sig next week. Takes effect this summer. Destroying marriage, one state at a time.

It's probably a 'U' curve with experience level on the x axis and death rate on the Y: beginners bite it in greater numbers due to inexperience, experts bite it greater numbers due to greater risks taken more often.

Anyone who actually thinks Vancouver is sketchy should probably limit their vacation travels to Wild Waves and maybe the occasional corn maze.

It should also be noted that, once you take to the air, you're in a whole new category of risk. NTTAWWT.

If you have to look at statistics to figure out that climbing is dangerous... My approach is to manage risk/reward as best I can on a continuous basis, anticipate as much as possible, and let the chips fall where they will...no pun intended. The vast majority of accidents are avoidable - most result from 3 or more bad decisions beforehand (and no, I don't mean by just staying home). Having said that, attending a friend's funeral is a terrible thing. One of the best decisions a climber can make to avoid becoming a sprig of broccoli on life support is to sport a helmet on technical stuff. I see a whole lot of folks who don't, particularly craggers. I know, they're not very hip...but neither is being spoon fed cream of wheat for the rest of your life.

Any of you guys ever stared down a thermonuclear colon meltdown in a public setting with no shitter available? You'd pay the 3.2 million.

Perhaps I should consider flying instead. Apparently there's a generation of climbers who've never pulled anything but plastic. Proof positive that people are, in fact, getting smarter. I'd rather die...later. When the time comes, I'll probably say the same.

You guys haven't been passengers in my vehicle, apparently.

I've got a Marmot Alpinista and the quality of construction/materials absolutely blows. BD Speed series. Light simple, comfy, affordable.

"Ask Me About The $20,000 Shitter I'm Posting From Right Now"

Translation: "Trust us. We're the government. We know what we're doing." Or, for some of us, a polite, detailed response.

I wasn't aware until now that violence was a basic right. I know self defense is, but its best weapon is the grey goo between your ears.

Proof positive that a fancy shitter does indeed attract assholes.

Our constitution lacks some basic protections befitting a modern, civilized nation - privacy and healthcare being a couple that stand out. We could also use a stronger affirmation of habeas corpus, given its recent erosion. Women are probably at the greatest risk of losing the most, given our 40 year long cold war regarding choice. There should be constitutional protection there. Campaign finance reform should also be addressed.

Polite societies.