woodchips

I don't know if they changed them, however they do have a lifetime warranty. Just mail the leaky ones in, and they'll send you brand new ones.

Anyone know what the conditions are on the twin lakes road? Thinking of heading up there tomorrow and wondering how far it's open.

Hey, anyone been up to the Flashpoint gym in abbotsford? I'm looking at a place in Everson, and Abbotsford is a lot closer than coquitlam.

We're thinking of heading out to city of rocks in mid october, and have room for one or two more people who want to share gas $$. We'd be driving a subaru, so two more people packing light would fit. We might have to put all the stinky climbing shoes on the roof rack to make room, but it would be great to have a carload of people. Staying 5 days or so, plus two travel days. We'd be leaving from bellingham but could stop in seattle to pick you up. We're not particularly looking for climbing partners, mostly riders. Dates are somewhat flexible.

How do you think the usable range of the supercam compares to the BDs?

I always liked those snowy hikes when I was a kid. Come to think of it, Table Mountain is probably out of the question, but Bagley lakes could be good, and might be worth checking out the twin lakes road. Do the kids have gaiters? They might really like a snow hike.

Pretty sure snow water is up near glacier, on the MT Baker Hwy. If that's the case, There's lots of stuff up at the end of the highway (Lake Ann, ptarmigan ridge, table mt, chain lakes, etc) that would be good for kids. Most of that stuff is fairly popular, so you might dig a bit deeper if you're planning on going on a weekend.

I've looked at them (feathered friends up in seattle has them), and played with them in the store, but haven't actually used one, or talked to anyone who has. I'm sure that the supercams and camalots are both good cams, so maybe I just need to get the lighter ones. Judging from the specs, the BD seem to be a bit lighter, but it's hard to tell if I'm comparing apples to oranges.

I'm in the market for a couple of cams... I've got up to #8 metolius, and thinking about the medium and large supercams to round out the rack. (I know the Large isn't out yet.) Anyone actually using the small/ medium supercams? http://www.backcountry.com/store/MET0180/Metolius-Supercam.html It seems like it these or the BDs for large extended range cams. I'm mostly using them for alpine stuff, so weight is an issue. Any thoughts?

Yeah, I'll probably have to take up tree climbing.

I think the climbing on Waldron's a no-go, unfortunatley. They locals are pretty protective (They've been known to shoot flares at passing tourist boats, among other things), and most of Point Disney (the obvious sandstone cliffs on the SE corner) is owned by the Nature Conservancy and not open to the public. Getting to lopez isn't a big deal (I've got lots of friends w/ boats, which may be better than having my own) and I'll likely get a kayak this summer. Any details on the crag on Lopez?

Waldron

Anyone know of any crags in the san juan islands? I realized this isn't climber's heaven, but I'm going to be moving back out there, and would like a place to get outside. (I lived out there a few years ago, but didn't climb then.) I'm not interested in pissing off any locals, just getting in some climbing.

I'm going to be living in the San Juans this summer, and looking for hiking/climbing partners, and would like to chat w/ folks who know the area. I'm planning on coming to the mainland regularly, and may be able to do some midweek stuff. I'm somewhat of a newbie, but studying hard. I've just started leading trad, and mostly like alpine climbs and scrambles. Also, I'll likely be looking for climbing parters for checking out Mt Erie. Drop me a line.

9-10 feet, if you're talking about a real building. Who knows in stairmaster world?

Nextel has a genuine GPS chip in some (maybe all) of their phones. I've played with it a few times, and it seems to work OK with no tree cover, but pretty slow. I wonder if any of the newer/ higher end phones have better GPS units? I'm curious about this too, I'm in line for a new phone, and will be in mostly in the N cascades and Olympics. Any suggestions?

That's the harness I've got... I really like it for alot of stuff, but I'm looking to shave some weight for rainier and trips w/ long approaches. Also, mine seems to get pretty soaked, maybe I need to DWR it. It doesn't seem like theres alot of harnesses in the range between 95g and 300g.

That's actually where I looked at the harness a couple of months back. Jim's been really helpful w/ gear, and puts up with all my newbie questions. I even got a tour "behind the curtain" (upstairs .) I'll check it out again when I'm up there this week.

That occurred to me. Might weigh just as much as the harness!

Thanks, Gary. I'm baker and rainier soon, and this harness might be just the thing.

I like WC stuff, and that looks like a great harness, but I's got more padding than my pack! I'm really looking for something w/o padding, and pretty light.

So, does it not have any gear loops? I'm thinking of somewhere to store a few pieces for glacier travel.

I'm in the market for a new lightweight harness for alpine and glacier travel. The harness I have now is fine for rock stuff, but absorbs a lot of water and is fairly heavy to begin with (+/- 13 oz, I think.) On the extreme end, I've looked at the CAMP xlh95 (about 3 oz), which might be OK for easy glacier stuff? The description says it has two gear loops, but the pictures only show 2 tiny vertical loops; maybe you add your own? I realize this is a pretty specialized piece of gear, and I'd really only plan on using it for easy glacier stuff. I've looked at the Alpine Bod, but it's not really all that light. Any other suggestions?

I emailed them, and they said they don't repair gear anymore , for free or otherwise. They said to call rainy pass. BUT, I know they'll take them back and give you a new pair if you're "unsatisfied." Some people think that's justified, some don't, so that's your call. I have taken stuff in there, and told them the hole was the result of a fight with an ice axe, and they repaired it no problem. OR is also really good about repairs, whether your fault or not, they'll fix anything for free, and no shipping. I like that gear companies that charge top dollar for their stuff will repair it, keeping it out of the landfills for awhile longer.

The road is open; it opened a couple weeks back. But, due to construction, there's really limited parking at Paradise, so get there early. I think there's also a shuttle.