tvashtarkatena

Congress is just another version of Spray. Hence...the result.

Holy sheeite. NICE.

It actually looks like a really good biner design to me. 24 kN instead of 22. Nice geometry. Light. I think it just got overloaded with Higgs bosons.

"we" refers to my people. The royal "we", if you will. I just parachuted into an Dem LD monthly meeting to give my rousing call to arms regarding weed. Those folks could bicker about simultaneous double orgasm. Sheesh. I had to interrupt their heated argument regarding parliamentary procedure so I could deliver my 'let's change history together' address. It was like slow mo chest bumpin' mosh pit for geriatric roosters. I'd love to attend a GOP meeting so I could induce a similar global opinion based on a single data point. Somehow...I don't think they'd care to here my message, though.

Hood's a great place for solo skiing. Lots of non crevassed terrain at all angles, in the trees and above. grab yourself a map and chat with the folks who know the mountain best: mthoodskipatrol.org Plenty of non-avi prone backcountry terrain on Hood, if you don't mind cutting back on the slope angle a bit. Once you're there you can chat up folks you meet in the B/C. Avi conditions at the time might just allow some steeper runs, who knows? Check it: http://www.nwac.us/ We had some much publicized deaths on Hood a few years back involving folks who just happened to be from the east, hence the typical innernut bluster displayed here. Enjoy.

I'm going with the shit biner/Higgs kink combo. I'd be happy to take all similar biners off the OPs hands for the safety of all involved.

with or without oxygen?

I read Steger's book about his dog crossing. What struck me was their 'go/no go' minimum temperature limit each day: 80 below. That kinda says it all for me regarding Antarctica. Damn.

Except that no one ever argued that just taxing the rich was the solution. Total straw man. We've argued that, to be just (at all), it NEEDS TO BE part of the solution.

You're still pondering that? Personally, I would love to see Paul get the nomination. The quality of the debate would certainly go way up, and the GOP could certainly use some of his principles, even if shoved down their throats. Romney's just another wealth concentrator...nothing to see there. Refer to history for what his presidency would bring. He's a type. From a cynical viewpoint, Gingrich is the clear choice for CERTAIN LOSER, of course, but I don't think the nation needs even more Train Wreck than it already enjoys. If there's a subfloor to our culture, Gingrich will undoubtedly find it. Just hearing his name makes me want to take a shower, and not with Callista.

I wonder if the Masterz of Irrelevance will run out of ideas and actually be faced with debating a real issue? Hard to imagine.

Human error? IMPOSSIBLE! Kink in the Higgs field, fo shiz.

How about 'Mormon Prince'? That shouldn't offend anyone but a South Carolinan....

No use arguing who has the bigger dick here. I do. Looking at the original photo again...and comparing to the BD site pics...it does look like a hook failure, given the break in the upper location and lots of deformation of the hook end. Each of the four main biner failure modes leave a pretty distinctive signature. Thanks again for the link. Hope I never have to refer to it practice....

Be sure to use steel biners.

Take a 50 tonne boat and slow it down from walking speed (1 m/s) to a stop in one second and you've got 50,000 kN and a broken clip. Doesn't take much of a nudge with something that massive.

Interesting. Thanks for the post. Apparently the force that caused the open gate failure in the 2nd photo straightened the biner's spine. Damn.

A newton is about the weight of an apple. It probably took more than 50,000 of em to break that fishing biner. You'd see that if you were trying to pull up an orca. Attention on deck, bitches.

Drop the % UTS below the endurance limit and your steel part will give you infinite fatigue life. S-N diagram from Strength of Materials 101 and all the rot. Practical factors like surface damage, etc notwithstanding.

Talk gently to it. Give it another try.

Didn't think anyone hit the Sisters much, but my info's about 25 years old. I just climb around big groups on that kind of terrain. Only had one trip leader ever 'object'. Just happened to be Mounties, but it could have been anybody. We just ignored him and were out of sight within a few minutes. Same guy wound up abandoning his newbie partner on the 4th class descent. NIICE. No worries, we escorted her down...and advised her to cross this fool off her list of partners.

Ha! I road up to the top of Timberline in that suckah one Birthday climb. We had a turkey, 2 gallons of oil, and a deep fryer we hauled to the summit. Unfortunately...the birthday boy got AMS, then a guy from another party got knocked out by a rock, then we had to call in a chopper, then the weather came in. Still, the rest of the party managed and wound up serving fresh, hot turkey to summiters that day.

17 cm is fine usually, but why not spend the extra few seconds to make 22 cm V threads, which greatly increases the strength, and have the appropriate tool to do the same? And, for God's sake, stop rapping off of single 5 mm cords, people! Spring for some 5.5 dyneema (3x breaking strength) and live to tell about it.

Paul wouldn't be a lame duck, he'd be a quad, but the GOP's frustrated attempts to buy the guy off post inauguration might just be worth the price of that Shit Show's admission. Callista resembles a large, silver helmeted predatory bird. I can imagine the White House remodel budget becoming a major budget line item under her rule. Chick's only in her mid 40s, but she looks 'timeless'. Now, Newt himself? Yeah, we've all known That Guy.

Smartest guy in the round, padded room.