Bosterson

*hits self with Summitpost* Duh. Thanks reddirt.

Script? I'm not trying to turn this into a spray/insult fest, and I'm definitely not insinuating that this is some sort of "adult" site, teenagers be damned. What I meant was that this Josh character was really playing his oblivious teenager part, especially when Tazz comes and pretty much calls him a walking liability (not to mention being dishonest about it) and Josh laughs at it and says "you got me!" and LOLLLZZZ about being banned from Summitpost. It seemed too ridiculous to be serious, like the work of someone trying to bait people into getting riled up. And Tazz - high five! Seriously dud[ette], no harm meant. I wasn't trying to take a crack at you - just noticing how timely it was for this random Josh person to come post gibberish and have someone immediately denounce him. (I missed the stuff he redacted from his posts - maybe that would've made your post more clear?) You'll notice I didn't call you "psychopathically retarded."

no...most gags or scams have much better spelling Hmm... See, I thought that was the fishy part: psychopathically retarded, illiterate 16 year old comes on and obliviously writes about duct taping feet, then, nearly instantly, slightly less illiterate antagonist figure appears to prophecy against 16 year old and warn the masses. I mean, I know people actually are this stupid in real life (especially 16 year olds), but they can't be serious...

Hey, I have a general Enchantments question: I've never been there before but I'm planning to head up there around the end of August or beginning of September when the larch are golden. I definitely want to go up to the "core Enchantment zone" and am interested in doing some scrambling on Little Annapurna, etc. (nothing technical - no ropes). In general, what are the conditions with respect to rockfall, overall rock sketchiness, etc.? Should I have a helmet? Are the little peaks up there fairly easy to summit, or are they more exposed scrambles? Any other relevant info appreciated. The area looks amazing!!

I'm sorry, do you guys not think this "Josh Lewis" bit is a gag or scam or something? Really???

SOLD

How long did it take Hermann Buhl to climb it? I remember reading in his book Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage about how he astonished everyone by climbing it in, say, an afternoon, after the previous fastest time was a couple of days! It seems like the spirit of Buhl lives on in Ueli Steck. That guy is incredible.

Hopefully they'll get Stallone to star and call it Cliffhanger 2. I can see it now... Jason (Stallone) and his friends Trent (Michael Rooker) and Steph (can't remember the original actress, but after the Transformers movies I bet Megan Fox is ready for a climbing film) are on a climbing trip to the Washington Alps when they accidentally stumble upon a group of drug-running Arab terrorist climbers who aren't practicing clean aid. While trying to poach the first ascent, the three friends are uncover a plot to blow up the Access Fund headquarters. (It's cause they hate our freedom (of access).) With the terrorists simulclimbing after them, Trent is injured and Jason and Steph must concoct an outlandish rescue with the help of helicopter pilot Don (Jeff Fahey, reprising his role from Lost), while at the same time defeating the terrorists, bagging the first ascent, and saving America. Thank you Hollywood, that will be $100,000. Edit: I forgot to mention it should be directed by the guy who did Vertical Limit, for that "documentary" feel...

Why would getting a letter from Obama mean anything to Tyrus? And why would Obama pay any attention to to something like this? (Isn't he dealing with G8 meetings, the economy, or something more important?) Duane Raleigh should go back to turning Rock & Ice into a J. Crew advertisement, or whatever it is he's been doing since he took the magazine over. As for the rest of us, we should be seriously considering (a la John Long) whether climbing is nothing but pointless folly...

Time to start the JASON SCHILLING EMERGENCY BEER FUND. Seriously, someone buy that guy a beer when he gets home.

Bummer! Can we kill the RIAA now? Pleeeeeze?

Question: so do you guys actually have a problem with Kevbone, or is it some sort of inside joke? (It does seem too retarded to be serious...)

Thank you for patronizing me, and I have actually read other things you've written here and find you to be very progressive-thinking, but what I disagree with is your assertion that some "higher level of trustworthiness" must apply to what politicians do in their personal relationships, since they are somehow ubermenschen who should be above such temptations. If you want to talk about influence peddling and revolving doors and all that stuff, I am behind you 100%. But no one here is asserting that politicians are corrupt and we should just deal with it - that is a separate topic. What people are saying is that marital infidelity is not our business, and is also not some sort of yardstick by which we should judge a politician's worthiness in other areas. Feel free to disagree, and certainly this begs a discussion of whether we should judge people's public words and works by what they do and say in private. (Think Jackson Pollack: "great" painter > abusive husband, or Leni Reifenstahl: great filmmaker > Nazi sympathizer, etc.) I also would conjecture that however much interpersonal distress to families is caused by marital infidelity among politicians is dwarfed by problems due to alcoholism. That doesn't make as good press as Argentine mistresses though...

You can define it how you want, but real life is not like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Without severely restricted, publicly funded elections, politicians are like mercenaries - they respond to whoever pays them the most. "Payment" can be take many forms, so think campaign contributions, votes (ie, keeping them in power), sex, etc. But VERY few politicians are out there standing up in public and saying things that most people don't want to hear, even if those things are just and honorable.

This sounds extremely subjective. Also: when did we start assuming that politicians had integrity?

Disregarding the whole "moral values vs. hypocrisy" conundrum, this is the biggest problem with Sanford. The guy ran off without telling people where he was going. This seems kind of like a big deal, considering that he's, y'know, running the state. I, too, am sick of hearing about politicians/celebrities/whoever and their personal infidelities. Maybe we should just smash monogamy? The NY Times had a funny article in the science section: Politicians Are Primates Too

This is the real issue: why are politicians making their public statements via Facebook and TWATTER???

The Momentum AL does look like a good call. It seems like a good all-arounder. I've checked out the new webbing-style harnesses by Arc'teryx and BD - they're interesting, and seem super light (if that matters?), but it seems like the edges of the leg loops and waistbelt would cut into you when you weight it. I just tried them on at REI though, so you can probably tell me how they are in practice. I loved my Arc'teryx Targa - it was like a $60 version of the Vapor back when no one else made harnesses that could touch theirs.

I have started thinking about getting a new harness. This seems like it'd be par for the course except that my "current" harness is an Arc'teryx Targa that's about 10 years old! (Don't worry - it's been in the closet for most of its life.) I'm heading to Squamish in about a month, and though it's for a bouldering trip I might want to throw a harness on and the Targa seems to be at retirement age. A lot has happened in harness technology in the past ten years. Can anyone explain what's new and/or give recommendations? (For instance, it appears that all harnesses are now auto-double backed, which is staggering.) I guess I'd be looking for a comfortable all-arounder - I think my one criterion is that it must have a rear haul loop (ie, not an ultralight sport harness); everything else is negotiable. Thoughts?

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that - I meant it metaphorically, as an example of how increased participant responsibility = greater liability risk. In other words, if toproping is the hardest thing to screw up, and they already don't let us place our own draws, then it seems exceedingly unlikely that they would let us place our own gear (being the most difficult/requiring the most skill). I used to work in a climbing gym, and like half the people in gyms already can't belay on toprope. (Which is not surprising considering they're left to their own devices with a GriGri after a mere five minutes of instruction.) I cannot even estimate the number of people I saw reflexively let go with their brake hand when they or their climber became frustrated! We do not need those people anywhere near placing their own gear...

I always thought "up rope" meant the climber thinks there's too much slack in the system and wants it taken up for safety reasons, vs "take" which meant they were about to hang on the rope. If you use "up rope" to mean "tension," how do you ask for slack to be taken up without the rope going tight and pulling you off the wall?

Why? Is it only ok to razz people when you're the one doing it? I would engage you about how you're reacting to John Bachar's death (which was the first thing I read here this morning, in the climbing forum, "dumbass"), but then you'd probably tell me to "venture out of spray" if I want to talk about climbing!

Seriously, about the haircut...

You didn't spell it wrong - I'm actually making fun of your extreme-right political views. Sorry for the confusion.

You're just jealous because your political views are only "exreme:" [img:left]http://omgwtfwyt.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/fail-owned-extreme-fail.jpg[/img]