BirdDog

I was there Sat. & Sun., left about 3PM sunday; never heard anything about it. Hope he's OK.

I have a Kelty Kid Carrier backpack and a baby jogger for sale. Link to craiglist: http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/spo/1154726434.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/spo/1154721248.html Check 'em out. $10 cc.com discount.

For me weight wasn't the issue, as they got older they wanted to walk. But if they got real tired I'd toss 'em in the backpack. BTW - I'm selling my kiddie stuff: kelty kid carrier, bike trailer, and baby jogger; link to craigslist: http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bab/1154726434.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bab/1154721248.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bik/1154739604.html

Muir is a pretty easy ski, unless you run into breakable crust, deep mush, pillows, etc...; which can happen regularly. If you haven't skiied in a while, be careful. But yes, you can ski it on alpine equip.

Link to Mt. Rainier Fitness http://www.whittakermountaineering.com/pg/training_conditioning/ccref#nutrition good luck

monty; yup, pretty much the situation I described above - a backclip becoming a declip. Thanks.

He's at Walmart getting some clothline on sale for his 5.15d on-site.

It sounds like this climber initially backclipped. The rope doesn't suddenly go from being properly clipped to back-clipped just because of a change in direction. Forget what everyone's saying - you must use lockers for everything or you will die! The climber initially clipped a 1st piece and moved up and to the right. He then placed another piece (the one that unclipped) and moved up and to the right, and then left. Initially the 2nd clip biner gate was down and out. When he moved left the biner flipped with the gate in and down. When he fell, on the left of the pro, the rope passed on the inside (rock side)of the biner and unclipped.

responding to montypiton: I witnessed a similar thing happen up Icicle a number of years ago. A climber correctly (at the time) clipped in, moving up and to the right of his pro. He then moved to the left and fell, the rope passing across the gate and unclipping from his last piece, resulting in a nasty fall with injuries. His moving left effectively rendered his last clip a "backclip". This guy should have placed another piece before moving left over his last piece and twisting the clip into a backclip situation. My question is how did your buddy unclip from four pieces? In your testing were things clipped correctly or backclipped? Thanks for your input, I'm going pick up wire gates.

Which is better - freestanding or not. Well...depends on the tent. Theoretically an identical tent in either version should perform the same, the freestanding model would be easier to set up; and you can always stake down a freestanding tent after it's been set up. If you're on rock a non-freestanding tent becomes a bit problematic. The biggest factor in deciding on a tent for climbing is a 3 season or 4 season model. A 4 season will withstand far greater wind and snow loads, but will be heavier. For any of the volcanos around here I would prefer a 4 season. I've seen some 3 season models flattened by wind, poles bent, or worse ripped to shreds. What tent did you buy?

Thanks for the input. I always carry a few extra lockers or ovals to double up on the rope clip in sketchy situations, sure can give you peace of mind when your 15' above your last piece.

I'm going to be adding to my rack. For 5.7 - 5.10b alpine/trad/sport routes what type of biners on the rope end of quick draws - bent gate or wire gate? What about the top biner for clipping wired nuts/cams etc.. straight gate or wire. I know wire gates are supposedly less likely to vibrate open, but bent gates seem easier to clip. I plan on using 18cm. dogbones, should cover both trad and sport? For alpine I'll mostly use 60cm. runners, doubled/extendable. Opinions?

micah; Congrats on having the balls to stand up and come clean.

A few years back my partner and I cleaned some old tat off a few routes while rapping down. This was old faded shit slung on horns and tied off to trees. We tested it for break strength along with some of our old but not sun faded webbing. The sun faded stuff broke near but not at the knot at about 800lbs. Old non-faded webbing broke about 4000lbs. at the knot. So, how long do you leave your QD's hanging in the sun? And yes, sport test pieces usually don't entail big whippers, but do you really want fall on UV degraded threads? Just for the record, I would not remove QD's off a route; on the other hand I wouldn't leave my gear on a route either.

Generally conditions in late May are good - good being well consolidated snow, and not much ice. However all that is weather dependent. So far this year Spring has been a bit on the cool side, but that could change. Late May can be a bit dicey if we have continued cool weather and then a big warm up - i.e.: wet slides especially on south facing slopes. Be prepared for cold winter like weather though; winter can come any day in the Cascades above 5000'. Can be hot too, so bring sun protection. Crevasses are often still hidden/covered in May, so be prepared with crevasses rescue techniques. All in all late May is usually a good time climb and should be close to guidebook descriptions. You won't need skis. Good luck!

IMHO "electrolyte gel" is an oxymoron. To get electrolytes into the right places you need water to get them there. Electrolyte gels will only help if you are hydrated. I have used GU2O (mixed with water) the past year or so as an electrolyte supplement - seems to work well for me on long bike rides or hikes/climbs. If I'm going hard and it's hot, I'll add some salt to the GU2O. Salt helps your cells retain water. Best thing you can do for multi day intense activity is totally hydrate for two days before you go, and then stay hydrated. Drink enough so that when you hit the trailhead you're pissing gin clear every 20 minutes. After that you can stay well hydrated with 1-2 quarts a day for three days; as long as you're not crossing the Mojave in July.

Bubbled headed bleach bonde comes on at five. Tells you about the plane crash with a gleem in her eye. Put the winner on the set we need dirty laundry. Don Henley

Try Second Acsent in Ballard.

Can't afford the rope yet, just bought my 4 season tent today for $7. I'll use my next unemployment check for the rope and then I'll be ready for Thermogenisis.

Bakes; Have you sumitted the big R? If not you may want try it in a two day first to see how you handle altitude.

Oly beer can is OK. Anyone remember when it was a Heidleberg can? http://www.nwac.us/photos/current/1-7-09,%20Hyak%20ski%20area%20slide%20at%20Snoq%20Pass,%20lift%20towers%20destroyed,%20cabins%20damaged,%20WSDOT%20Don%20Whitehouse.jpg

I cut the sleeve on mine, and then taped it back up. Mouth piece still freezes however. Try using a hottie hand warmer. Wrap hottie in a old wool sock and don't put it in the hydration sleeve (you don't want to melt the bladder), put it the pack. I used this in single digit temps last year in Montana, works well if you take a drink every 15 minutes or so.

I agree with the others, problem is the boots; there's no ankle support. Here is what I did to solve the problem. Buy 4 power straps. Get some fairly stiff high density foam, like the stuff they use for casts and knee braces. Cut the foam about a 14" tall and wrap around your ankle and boot. Tighten the power straps; one on your shin, one around the boot cuff. This really give some support to the ankles, and allows you to ski; sort of.

Thank you to Scott for this well written but sad article.

My advise is to get a camera that has large buttons and can be operated with gloves on. A lot of frostbitten fingers have occurred while snapping that summit shot. I've a small Nikon L5, nice shutter botton size, but you need a finger nail to hit the ON button. My 2 cents.