tvashtarkatena

At an average of $5000 per season, a high altitude Sherpa makes 7 times the national average salary in Nepal. In the US, that would be the equivalent of making over $300,000 per year. In this sense, they are far more highly compensated in their country than foreign guides are in there's. Unsurprisingly, the Sherpas demands are not focused on a bigger paycheck. According to Alan Arnette, those demands focus on compensation for victims and improved working conditions. They include: • Increment of immediate relief announced for avalanche victims • Provide Rs 10 million (US$103,590) each to families of deceased • Set up a memorial park in the name of the deceased in Kathmandu • Cover all expenses for treatment of the injured • Provide Rs 10 million (US$103,590) to critically hurt who cannot rejoin mountaineering activities • Set up mountaineering relief fund with 30 per cent of royalty collected from issuing permits to different mountains (est $1M for 2014) • Double the insurance amount to the mountaineering workers • Provide additional chopper rescue to mountaineering support staff if insurance fails to cover the cost • Provide perks and salaries, except summit bonus, through concerned agencies to Sherpas if they want to call off climbing this season • Manage chopper to bring logistics and equipment from different camps if mountaineers decide to abandon climbing this season • Don’t take action against SPCC icefall doctors if they refuse to fix ropes and ladders on the route this season • Let the expedition members to call off this season’s climbing if they wish so

No dissatisfaction with current partners - quite the opposite - just looking for training tools to better prep for trips with those partners.

ax,.shovel sold

Help a brother consolidate. $15: Volle 'big' scoop for camp making and customized Witco 'small' scoop for avi. Holes for pack mounting on both. $20: Camp XLA 210 AL ax 60 cm 9.7 oz Toy Ax by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr $15 Petzl Hirundos harness - lotsa life left - auto double back, 3 gear loops, ice clipper slots, a smear of house paint here and there for added decor. Hirundos by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr $6 Vintage Chouinard nylon daisies - lotsa life here, too! Mounties, you know who you are...GO RETRO Daisies by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

Once far enough off above nearest thing to hit, the shorter your tie off loops the less the device matters, I reckon.

7 rope burns, Day 14

I know, I know, Gorilla tape across the pie hole is the cheaper way to do this, and I've been tempted, but that goes both ways. You know who you are. You hemorrhaged money for that thing and no longer use it. Anyone out there willing to part with theirs?

It's the little, common habits that will keep you alive or kill you. I continually ask myself - what are the best practices for any given situation? Make exceptions when necessary, but at least know the risk you're incurring. In fact, several sites recommend NOT doing that. Here's a link on how to use 6mm pull cords more safely than was done on this climb from the canyoneering crowd - who first started using lighter rap lines. You'll not not one setup puts the 6mm pull cord through the anchor. Rapping with a 6mm pull cord Be safe. Stay alive. Have fun.

Except the 8kN isn't the breaking strength, particularly for a static rap line. Knot factor reduces rope strength by 50%. Esprit 6mm breaking strength is rated at 2300 lbs. Knotting it reduces that to 1150 lbs. Degradation - crampons, UV, previous shock loading, grit, abrasion, and bending, can further reduce breaking strength by as much as 50%, and this damage isn't always all that visible or detectable. Breaking strength is now down to 575 lbs. But hey, I don't weigh that much, right? One such a tiny static line, even a minor shock can double your effective weight - I can weigh 230 fully loaded, particularly with ski gear, some of me pals add 40+ lbs to that. 575/270 is less than 2x. Even a very shot static fall in the form of a minor loss of balance or the rope slipping off an edge can shock load such a line enough to snap it. Feelin' lucky? If you climb a lot, such practices can eventually bite you in the end when all of these factors line up. After all, that's exactly how accidents happen - several unlikely conditions line up. It's one thing to hang your body weight on small stuff - you've got a rope and pro to back you up. You've got no back up on rappel. Feelin' lucky? 7mm is the smallest line I would ever rap on. That adds 21% to your margin of safety - Yes, I'll rap on a 6mm V thread - they get used once, so degradation isn't a factor. To quote Tyrion Lannaster "I like living"

The Hoh is cool. Go on an adventure and hike the Bogachiel, if you like big trees you'll get amble opportunity to hug - and hump - hundreds of them. Guaranteed you'll be the only ones there. No shelters, though. It pops you up to the High Divide and then down the Solduc - very nice finish after so much wood gymnastics. Research divorce lawyers beforehand or better yet - convince your wife it was her idea. Don't get me wrong, I love the forest. It's just that Little/Big offers so damn much of it. If you're not looking for mountain scenery, though...

One thing we can probably all agree on is the Little/Big Beaver would be the least interesting trip, unless you absolutely love forest and lots of it.

You won't need a bear canister, but hanging your food is always a good idea. Grizzlies do venture into the north end of Ross Lake - rarely. Very few sightings. You might see a bear if you're lucky. Ross Lake is not very crowded. This isn't California. Mostly canoes and such - few power boats, and those are usually small outboards. Call the Ross Lake Resort for water taxi information. The Enchantments permit system is very restrictive. There are other beautiful granite areas in the Cascades, however, that require no permits. The Cathedral Peak Loop in the Pasayten Wilderness is one. Scramble/walk up peaks include Cathedral, Amphitheater, Remmel, Windy... No glaciers, but a really scenic area and you can stay in the old Tungsten Mine cabin if you don't mind a few four legged roommates. Bring fishing gear if you're of a mind. You won't be disappointed. 5 days is cush for this trip, but the Wilderness is huge so you can branch out however you like - the area has an extensive trail system. This is the only area mentioned where you might see a moose. You'll certainly see plenty of sign they've been there. In general, the bugs die way down after our first coldish storm in August. That's a matter of luck, really. You'll need a Northwest Forest Pass for parking in all of these places except the Ross Lake Resort National Parks.

Sun comes out, rope gets wet, and you're off to the races.

In Cody this Jan the rope was freezing to the surface of the ice - not even passing through any obstructions or anything. You get certain conditions - wet ropes from a drippy route in cold, windy conditions and your rope will stick to anything and everything. Personally, the smallest thing I'll rap off of is 7 mm. Anything thinner doesn't afford enough safety margin for me when knot factor, edges, and a bit of accidental bounce are added to the mix. V threads are often thinner, but you only use them once and edges aren't an issue.

I feel ya, though.

Cutting the lock doesn't raise my pulse rate, personally, but - just to keep things within the Earth's gravitational influence, I'm not sure the intent was protest. Seems like these guys were willing to pay The Man to get some early is all. If viewed as an act of civil disobedience, this likely accomplished nothing other than perhaps upping the NPS budget for a better lock. On the flip side, I doubt the NPS is now ready to wage Jihad on climbers. Not with the kind of cash we bring in, anyway. Now, if Edward Snowden had cut that lock, OK, now we're talkin. But Snowden doesn't ski, although he may be doing some track skiing now, given his new digs. If you're gunning for government perps, the NPS seems pretty far down on the list of agencies to target for their abuses. A lot of Americans ARE pushing back against one of the most power hungry governments in human history - just in a more strategic, coordinated, and effective manner. It's amazing how well advocates can push back using official channels if action is strategic, coordinated, long term, and adequately funded.

TC just isn't cricket without M. Nature mixing a great big martini with you as the olive.

Yeah, but you don't have a Samsquanch for a partner. All kinds of physical laws get broken. The fixie first method is a great way to send a brother down to scout the next anchor in a reversible fashion. Reckon the V thread thing is pretty conditions dependent. If it hasn't frozen in by rapper #3…

If the rope freezes into the V thread, you won't get much rope back. The other problem with this setup is knot slip due to the difference in friction through your rap device. This is a great way to rap off the end of your rope. We ran the tag line through a rap station recently (7.8mm + 10mm) and the knot slipped 15 feet. 35 m rap with two ropes, so it wasn't a problem in that instance. The advantage of running the thinner line through the anchor is that it's easier to pull.

In this pic with the v thread, is the tag line running through the v thread holes? Have not seen that setup before, although also haven't climbed with a tag line either, so wondering if that is a typical setup. Obviously leaves nothing behind when you pull the ropes, but I'd be concerned (not having tried it before) with friction when trying to pull them. This isn't recommended due to the significant risk of having a thin rope under load freeze into the V thread. Then the party gets to have The Discussion.

Thanks all, I've been in the range a few times in summer. It's a trout infested pink granite paradise. Not sure if we're going there yet - it's one idea out of a few, but if so - you know I'll blab on about it in the usual fashion. We might wind up on the Big Island throwing propane canisters into hot lava instead. Still discussing.

Someone stole my bolt cutters. There's a certain poetry there.

Stanley Ranger Station had good info. One useful bit: The Redfish Lake boat shuttle (to the Elephant's Perch) doesn't run until Mem Day.

I wouldn't want that half sling dangling around my ATC while rapping, personally. 'No loose stuff zone' n all that. Plus, the knot reduces the sling strength considerably - but I reckon you'd need to have a dead cow strapped to your harness for that to be a real concern. I use two redundant extension slings (only fully extended in the following pig-rider scenario) when rapping off vertical stuff on doubles smaller than mid 9mm, singles smaller than 10mm, or when I'm riding a pig while rapping (Who says guys can't multitask?)