p_tapley

More beta to answer a couple of recurring questions... The price does not include shipping and is non-negotiable. Payment must be made by money order or cashier's check (personal checks will be considered, but you'll have to wait for your check to clear before I ship). It's still new because I bought it for a trip that never happened, so it's just been sitting in storage, waiting. I've been using my old andinista and grinding it into the dirt instead. Recently, I got swagged out with another pack and just don't forsee any need for this one. I did make two mods: you know the daisy at the back center on these? Well, I've always preferred to open the tacks on the top loop to make a large grab loop, similar to those found on the ice sacks (all the original integrity is retained, the only difference is you have one big loop instead of two small ones); the other mod was to remove the top, side-compression straps and replace them with ones that use side-release buckles to make things easier. Soooo...technically, I guess it's not truely brand new, but single-owner, zero-miles. fwiw, Dave's seen it and agrees that it is a new pack.

oh, and jclark...I overlooked your reply, sorry...it's tough to say how any pack would fit based on your height alone; it's your back length that matters. I've seen plenty of tall guys with short backs and vice versa. you can do two things, head to your local friendly shop and ask if they will measure your back length for you, or get a friend to hold a tape to your back. for plan B, have them find the top of your hipbone with their index finger and hold it there, then reach to your spine with their thumb. (the trick is to make a straight and level line between the two.) next tilt your head forward, then have your friend measure from their thumb (on your spine, at the height of you hipbone) to your c7 vertabrae (the one that sticks out on the back of your neck when you tilt your head forward - that is your back length. wild things should have a sizing chart on their site somewhere, but since you asked, my back is 18" and I fit a medium just fine. -cheers

pm replied to...and cheers dave (one thing though...if you find offwidthing akin to sex, you either need a new sex partner or a new climbing partner...tough saying just which one, but maybe both?)

Brand spanky new...medium back length, high-vis. yellow and black vx-21 3-ply laminate cloth, super-dope rig - $200. Check the link for details: http://www.wildthingsgear.com/andinista.html

http://montanaice.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=818

Hey guys - thanks a million for the Hyalite support! Shoot me a line next time you're heading out. -Cheers

yo lambone - just send me the aermets...it's the right thing to do.

well, good on ya for being open to the long-view man. like I said earlier - everything you're describing about this experience mirrors mine, so it's struck a chord with me. I remember all too well how much suffering is involved with this (ironic too, because suffering in the mountains used to be so much fun - part of my addiction was to live for that discomfort, operating in the red, etc. ask lambone on here sometime about the tapley alpine diet program ). anyway - stay strong (willed that is) and stay patient. this is a great time to focus on school or whatever else is separate from your training addiction that you never had time for. perhaps one of my most profound revalations was the discovery of life outside of climbing. try to look at this as an oportunity to broaden your horizons, or if you can't get past it, an opportunity to reset your system, and re-train your body but this time with a whole world of skill and experience already in place. so, keep us posted and know that you got people. it's a long road I know, so don't forget, if it's a year from now and your body's still not where your head wants to be you can always hit us up for support. -cheers

just be careful with it man and remember that it's not the end of the world to take a break. for me that was the hardest part; I was so invested in climbing and training I had no idea what to do with myself outside of it, so I kept slipping back into the routine... obviously these are all very relative situations with each case having its own best medicine. don't let me psyche you out with my horror stories, but be sure not to relapse - it is shockingly easy and happened to me several times while under the advice of several different physicians. I agree, overuse of the couch isn't any good either, but your mention of the muscle wasting you encountered is a huge red flag. I don't mean to be doubting your doctors, just want to share my experience and try to help. keep it in check for quite a while and you'll be ok. let me re-iterate...my doctor (the one who finally helped) expressed this clearly: he had multiple relapses and found it easier to slip each time. we need to consider ourselves just like any other junkie. read: once you're an alcoholic, you stay one, perhaps a recovering alcoholic, but the issue persists. make sense? I feel for you man. know that things will be ok...long trails will still be there, bad ass routes will still be there, and your technique will stay with you - probably even shine through better once you're not relying on brute strenght to get you through. just stay chill and let it come. try to avoid setting expectations or time-based goals. eat a burger, read a book and get ready to be harder than ever before you know it. -cheers

bum deal man. I went through something very, very similar around six years ago. the muscle wasting you've experienced is the goocher. you need to face it - you're not well and have to take time off. trying to rush recovery will only slow the process. perhaps the "active recovery" approach will work for you, but again, seeing your mention of such significant weight loss and having had the same experience, I'm sorry to say that I'm doubtful. now, I'm not a doctor, let alone a specialist in the field, but I really believe that the most important factor in recovery is going to be the psychology. you need to get to a point where you're ok with some time off. it sucks, I know. but you need to take time off for real or you'll only experiene a series of false-starts and relapses. it took me a good 2 1/2 years to figure this out (yes, fucked up sick the whole while) before I finally found the right doc (after a number of mis-diagnosises) who's a competitive endurance athlete and has experienced this himself (along with the relapses). once I came to terms with not being well, I realized that my recovery would have been much shorter had I simply recognized the issue sooner. you're only costing yourself time and suffering by procrastinating. trust me man - I know what you're going through and I know it aint pretty. I'll say it again...you need to take a real chunk of time off. I needed to virtually quite climbing for a couple of years before I could even think about making gains and training during that time was simply out of the question. on the bright side (yes, there is one), the last few years have been up and an up. for me, it was long slow distance and a fresh base that brought me back. climbing lightly the last two years or so and then taking off like wildfire this fall lead to a banner ice season. now I'm as strong as ever and easily twice as smart. this is fast becoming a ramble, so I'll leave it at that for now. just remember, the upshot is you need to put the brakes on and you can get better. feel free to pm me if you'd like to discuss this further.

cobras are sold.

oops, guess we were speaking without raising our hands or something... thanks lambone. though you might be surprised at how clean this set of cobras is (these are my 2nd pair - not the same ol' ones I had back when you were around). -cheers

attribute the criticism to jealousy and lack of vision Dean. don't let anyone deter you. climbing is art, no? and new-routing the blank canvas on which the artists express themselves; while some is crap, others are classics and that determination is founded in one's vision and ability to apply it. your line is beautiful and no doubt of high quality. given time, I'm sure it will only grow in esteem and classic status. keep doin' your thang.

$275 shipped for either set. the cobras are like new and include two B picks in great shape, one fresh T pick, a wrench and are set up with viper fangs and a bump. the ergos are a little higher milage and include two sets of picks. two B in fair shape and two T (quad picks) in great shape. here are pics of the cobras, shots of the ergos to follow when I get a fresh camera battery. if you need a reference, I'm sure that either lambone or rock gumby will vouch. reply here or pm. -cheers

...sorry, I'm new here...is this where I ask my bare back v. broke back questions?

so when you coming out? gimme a call fkr.

fwiw, that tree (complete with it's fixed slings) was laying on the ground at the base of the pitch late yesterday afternoon.