tvashtarkatena

Interesting development for finding stranded parties, depending on the weather, of course. What is the predicted range of these long range receivers?

and skateboarding is not a crime.

Whatya say? Who's with me? Wanna go conquer some evils? The War on Terror now includes mountains? I'll attack them with my skis right away.

Back to the original question.... Every day in the mountains is like opening a surprise gift. Occasionally, however, you don't exactly get what you asked for.

Why Frog, turning to the insurance companies and state licensing agencies to prevent accidents, reduce the number of rescues and, indeed, make all of nature safe for everyone, especially our children, are both excellent ideas. Katrina provided an stunning example of how these two entities, working in concert, prevented the kind of large scale disaster that might otherwise have resulted in the wake of such a powerful natural event. Rather than rebut your well thought out approach for solving what is obviously a pressing problem, I would extend it to include insurance and licensing for morons, who are undoubtedly responsible for more than their fair share of injuries and death, both accidental and provoked, as well as a seemingly endless wellspring of stupid fucking ideas. With your prolific mind and concern for the welfare of all of us, I can think of no more perfect poster child for such a system than yourself.

I'm not sure whether this is one of those kooky, flaccid cyber-threats or yet another lecture from our new mascot, Broom Boy. Perhaps his wooden accessory has breached the blood/brain barrier...

I was as PC/safety-conscious as possible: selecting a straight, tight grain, sanding in stepped increments to 320 until uniform in smoothness, raised the grain with first application of love oil, sanded again, finished with liberal coatings of innocuous love oil speech, and penetrating gently, but firmly. Taking credit where credit is not due; another DeChristo signature. It's apparent to everyone on this board but you that Mr. Jone's case of ash intibated ass is so well developed that it must be congenital.

Hey, I love dolphins. And unicorns.

Yes, a lot of climbers do, particularly climbers who enjoy ski descents. It's important to realize the following, however. If buried in an avalanche, your survival rate is less than 50%, with or without a beacon. Trauma kills many avalanche victims outright (think of putting yourself in a giant rock tumbler the size of a football field). The most important thing, therefore, is that ability to recognize and avoid avalanche prone terrain, through knowledge of recent weather/snowfall, geometry and aspect of slope (including those above you), time of day, etc., as well as knowing how to test the stability of local terrain safely. Having said this, you must always assume that victims buried in an avalanche cannot breath. Without a beacon, it is almost impossible to find a fully buried victim in time to prevent asphyxiation if this is the case. Even with a beacon, regular practice is needed (as well as intimate knowledge of the workings of your particular type of beacon) to bring your search time down to, ideally, well under 5 minutes. Recently avalanched terrain, which is jumbled and difficult to travel across, can make this a challenge even in good weather conditions. Once you've located a buried victim, digging through avalanched snow, which is generally sets up like cement, increases the time pressure. If the buried victim is still alive, a beacon is by far the best way to locate them in time to save them. One final note: avalanche beacons have a very limited range, and are of little value in locating the wearer unless the searchers are already in the immediate vicinity.

DeChristo, you're just being your usual, intolerant self. How do you expect Mr. Jones to be anything but pissy with the better part of a broom handle lodged firmly up his anus?

Dolphins? What a fucking stupid idea. Dolphins are salt water creatures, you morons. Use salmon.

...because it's cheaper than getting drunk.

Thank god we had plenty of Session lager on hand for hydration.

See B.S.

We had a whiskey tasting/Xmas pahhhty Sat night. Our non scientific conclusion: Smoothest, lightest nose, sweetest: Pendleton Canadian blended Also smooth but not sweet, interesting 'grassy' flavor, great value: Old Overholt rye Less smooth, but smooth for an Irish whiskey: Tillamore Dew Least smooth, strongest nose, hottest going down: Maker's Mark 100 pr bourbon That is all.

flock snooze

One liquor store in W Seattle sells Rittenhouse. Several sell Old Overholt. Sazerac is not available. Too bad, that was their top pick for taste and value.

the NYT just did a piece on rye whiskeys (Jim Beam is one). Their inexpensive favorites: Sazerac, Rittenhouse, and Old Overholt. I'm going to try either Sazerac or Old Overholt this weekend, whichever one I can get my hands on locally.

Tillamore Dew is a very smooth, inexpensive Irish Whiskey.

Whatever floats your boat...

Putin, OK, sure, but when you try to throw your weight around, as in spray, other countries tend to get defensive. BTW, Merry Christmas, FW. WTF...it's the season.

You're just using the wrong bicycle...

Why do Asian guys hate you so much?

Bushido!