tvashtarkatena

There's no paradise big corporate culture can't make better.

MOVE IT.

This is a victory for bored, aging nouveau riche outsiders everywhere. A round of Range Rovers for the legal team!

Very nice.

Better results if the pilot has headroom enough to get the foil inflated before takeoff.

Any larger political interpretation is likely in the eyes of the beholder - it's a simple and not very unusual structure, really.

Sounds like hawt Redmond on Seattle action, more accurately. The 'locals' in such areas don't usually reach for their attorney-on-speed-dial for such matters, to keep long term relationships friendly and discretion for building on their own property robust. I like the construction - minimal foundation footprint, small house design, simple materials, solar roof, quick construction (for a shorter duration project and minimal disruption to the community - usually). Kundig'ss other work is really cool. He's definitely a boon to the small house/minimalist movement. I wish more folks would follow his lead. Anyway, welcome to neo modernism. It's not going away, so hate it if you must - but that's going to be increasingly wasted energy as design and construction continues to move into the future. Sure, I'll miss the fake 2 story entry columns, the gable to the Nth Power rooflines, and mauve neighborhoods of the burbian 90s, but what's a brother to do? I suppose you'd have to sit in the thing and gaze out to really assess it's aesthetics. Judging from the pics, that's probably a really great experience.

I'm gonna sue the broken toenails off of the next Mazamaite I see sporting Keen's sandals and ring-striped Smartwool socks. I've HAD IT I tell ya!

Minimal footprint, too. Bored yippies with too much disposable income, I'd wager. And very happy lawyers. Welcome to Farmville, Microsoft. When I think of the good $300K could do for a cause that actually matters....

Love it. The whole thing just floats. That cantilevered porch is to die for. Nothin against T111 A frames or Lincoln Log McMansions, mind you. And who doesnt just love a western theme town?

Best looking cabin I've seen in the Methow.

Mongo's in Marblemount is aight. Burgers, teriyaki, and a couple of other things. Mongo like burger.

Hope you can share some of those awesome pics at the party this year. Congratulations on finishing in such fine style!

The time has come for Selfie Free Zones.

The best performing breathable midlayer insulation I've found are merino wool sweaters from Goodwill.

Sen-deeng da pozeeteeve vi-braysheeonz from da numbah one staysheeon.

Terrible. Just...cruel.

Very nice anchors, BTW. Leader have your camera ready for top of P5 (traverse) - the view of your follower with Glacier Peak in the background, although a challenging exposure shot - is really scenic. The wall's lichened, but the route itself is quite clean. As far as a rack goes, we actually placed the following: C4: #3 blue, 1 red, .75 green, .5 purple M TCU: #3 orange Alien: green, yellow C3: #1 burgundy DMM offset nut: #9 red BD offset micronut: #6 Runners: 1 quick draw 7 extendables 4 doubles (also used for anchors)

3 separate parties - with the slowest in front. Offering to let an obviously faster party pass might cost you 15 minutes. The cost to faster parties stuck behind a slower can cost them hours. Just something for less experienced parties on busy routes to think about. The route is very scenic, exposed, straightforward, and well protected.

Someone should blow up that stupid new rock/sign with the fake painted snow. Cheerist, it'd look better in front of a mall.

From the USGS page: "The South Cascade Glacier is one of three benchmark glaciers studied by the USGS for the effects of changes in climate. The mass-balance scientific record for South Cascade Glacier is the longest of its kind in North America and is used by climate scientists worldwide." Should they clean up the garbage dump (with choppers)? Yes. Should they stop this research? No.

+1. I've never understood what a PAS is for, either.

My friend wasn't clipped him. Basic and unfortunately common mistake. He'd only been climbing 3 years. He was also pulling the rope in the line of fire. Another basic mistake. I'm not sure if he'd cleared the route of loose rocks on the way down or not. Perhaps a third basic mistake. It often takes 3 errors in judgement and/or habits - and they can be subtle, to produce a fatal accident. Not always, of course. A lot of times these are fairly innocuous habits that can work fine for years until things line up and they bite you. Yes, anyone can get the chop, but much more often than not - such errors in habits and judgement play a key role. As Tod Skinners death illustrated, even the most experienced and talented climbers in the world can employ unsafe practices that eventually catch up to them. I continually look to improve my best practices - and these improvements most often come from people with far less time in a harness than I have who've researched new information I didn't think to look for. Along that line, both rope holsters and autoblocks are innovations that are well work looking at. I've used both - and am using autoblocks a lot more now. The one i use is to clip a prusik (you should have one available to escape a belay or ascend a rope anyway) to the leg loop, wrap it around the rap rope 3-4 times, and clip in back into the same biner. Very quick setup. I would appreciate seeing a pic of the rope holster Montypiton's referring to. There are a few ways to do this. I'm interested in knowing what has worked for him the best.

I don't agree that knots at the end of the rope are always a good idea. Get your rope stuck after the toss - you don't need high winds to do this either - and you'll see what I mean. Better to send the more experienced person down first to clear the rope of snarls, then have them put knots in the end for those who follow IMO. Another option is the send the 1st down on a single fixed line (with auto block if you want and a means to re-ascend if it all goes wrong) trailing the 2nd rope down with him, then switch to standard two rope rap when the 1st is off rap. This isn't a bad idea in high winds or crap terrain - or when you're really no sure where the next anchor is.

A very good friend died in the late 80s because he failed to stay clipped in until he was fully on rappel. Big, easy mountain ledge. Why bother? He was knocked off the mountain by falling rocks while pulling the rope.