Maine-iac

Has anybody been on the North Side recently? Any pictures showing the north face???

I just bought a pair of Marker Dukes! I then mounted them on a pair of K2 Hellbents! Now I have the option of "touring" and skiing hard!

If you ski "hard" imo don't get the explorers. I've broken mine twice and its a shitty thing to have happen. Why are people not liking the marker touring bindings?? Just because they are heavy? It is all about the style of skiing one does... For purely a tour, i've got my nordic set up; if I am making turns I don't want shit breaking on me. I'd take a little extra weight any day and know that my bindings will hold up to things than skimp and take a chance on something failing.

Sorry to say mate but there is very little ice in this state. Water ice comes and goes as fast as the weather changes here. Some alpine ice can be found, but for the most part you should just substitute "alpine ice" for "water ice" in my second sentence. But if you've got the time I'd have a look up at Hood on your days off and if its clear go for a quick jaunt and see what's in.

Wow you guys are all skiing short sticks!! Can't handle a big pair Im 5'10, 140lbs and ski 172cm (134-100-124) skis. It all depends on how strong/aggressive of a skier you are. If you get after it (and you all know what that means.... not pussy-footing around) then ski big skis. If I were to buy a pair of rockered skis I would be looking at a pair of 179s or 181 (depending on dimensions) which is larger than half of you ski and I weigh significantly less than all y'all. For you h/w it sounds like you were on right sized skis, just get something a little fatter!!

Yes. Check the angle; prime for sliding!! Come springtime i've seen lots of sluff slides from that area and west crater rim area. Most people dig their pits on the hogsback which is bad because it is a completely different aspect (unless you are only checking for layer failures because of snow, not slope/aspect) Looks like it would have been a brilliant blower day coming down from the summit(!!!) but wise not to risk it.

Nice Job guys!!! It was a great day on that side of the mountain!

Does the TJ trail have snow all the way from the parking lot up? Could one haul a sled up it?

Just saw my doctor again today (6 weeks out now)and he told me that I still cannot climb, or any strength related activities above shoulder level, for another 6 weeks. I asked about skiing and I got that look... I shouldn't ski because a fall on my shoulder could re-break my semi-broken bone and bend/break my plate holding it all together. At 12 weeks from surgery you are good to go for everything because that is how long the bone takes to heal fully. It heals correctly because of the surgery, but slower than a non-fixated break because the stresses are not put directly on the bone.

Glad to hear things are going well for you!!! I was told to stay in the sling for two weeks post surgery, but I guess different doctors have different recommendations. This weekend marks 6 weeks from my accident and I see the doctor on monday to have xrays taken. Hopefully I can start weight barring activities again. I would caution you about getting your hopes up too quickly... Things were explained more clearly at my two week post-op, about how quickly I could return to activities. But we are all different and have different doctors. I wish you the best Josh. Keep us up to date with how things progress. I kept a journal of when I got certain abilities back, so that I could look back upon it.

Rest in peace man. You are now skiing with Doug and Shane. Thanks for all you have done!

I think that NOAA was calling for an inversion for thursday. They called for exactly what I experienced. I am a big fan of the Atmos guys out of UW they seem to be right on in terms of precip. Here is a link. I also use "snow forecast" which is on T-lines website.

LCK Thai food got the best of you as well??

Super nice up there today!! Strolled up in 5 hours, sat around up top for a bit, and then came down. Super fast conditions up through the ski resort it would be reasonable to go 1.5 hours from the parking lot to the top of Palmer. It was good cruising through the old chute, and a fair amount of people seemed to be taking the left variation of the pearly gates.

i've used the G3 bone saw and it is NICE!

This is long, sorry, but it helped me and will be helpful for similar issues. I will be four weeks out of surgery tomorrow for a broken clavicle. I had surgery 4 days after breaking mine. My break sounds a little worse than yours does; mine was in 3 pieces, shortened by 3cm, displaced by 200% and I had a piece trying to poke out of my chest. I had a good fall if you are wondering My doctor flat out told me he fully recommended surgery for me as the chance of mine healing correctly (in any shape or form) was roughly 70%. I told him that was 100% what I wanted because I am on a tight schedule for my summer plans and I could not afford to have it not heal correctly. There are many side effects and issues that were told to me upfront but not emphasized fully. I will try to explain what those were/are as helpful information for you and for me. On saturday the 16th, I fell off a cliff and landed directly on the back of my shoulder so my clavicle was blown straight out. In some of my xrays you can not tell it is broken, but it looked like a Z in the 45 degree view (granted my pectoral area had double in size and I had a point coming out...) All of the doctors in the ER told me I would have surgery and in fact I waited in the ER to see if I needed surgery that night. Luckily the orthopedic center was open on MLK day and I went in to see a doctor. Our meeting was less than 5 minutes long because I told him I wanted surgery; so the next morning I met with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. And the following day (wednesday) I had an Open Reduction Internal Fixation preformed. My doctors were great! I received a interscaline nerve block which was heaven. It was the first time in 4 days that I could literally take a deep breath, lie down, and think clearly. If you are wondering why I couldn't take a deep breath it's because my expanding lungs would push on the broken bones and I will tell you first hand that feeling bones grating and popping is not pleasant. I was told that my nerve block (which made everything from my shoulder to hand completely numb) would last until around 14-16 hours from when they did it and to pre-load for when it wore off with massive dosages of pain killers.... The surgery went very well, probably the best sleep I have ever gotten. I was told that I received 11 screws and a plate holding everything together (later confirmed when i saw the xrays). After a few more hours of recovery in the hospital I went home. I was in no real pain because the nerve block was still in effect. I got heavy dosages of pain meds just before leaving the hospital so i only took a small dosage around dinner time; and I wanted to let some things clear out before hitting them hard around midnight when I thought the nerve block would end. I was wrong. By 8pm it was totally gone. It felt as if somebody had my shoulder in a vice and was literally crushing it. I told the ER doctors I was a 6 in pain but when that block wore off I was easily an 8 or a 9 (on a log scale). I had already maxed out my meds so I sat there for 4 hours in the most intense pain I have ever been in and waited until I could take more medicine. It was not until around 1am when the oxicodons finally kicked in. I pushed the max dosage of oxi every 4 hours for 48 hours straight then managed to slowly cut back and 6 days after surgery I was totally off the meds. Two weeks in a sling with NO movement besides extension of the elbow and I went back to the doctors where I was given the green light to start my ROM activities. Within 3 days of starting I had almost 100% full range of motion back. I was told that during my crash or during surgery my AC joint might have torn and I was not to lift anything over 5lbs (in any direction) and to not lift anything over my head for another 4 weeks. This includes wearing a backpack. So if you are keeping count I am not allowed to use my arm for anything but waving until I am 6 weeks out of surgery. If my 6 week xrays show positive bone growth I might be allowed to start wearing a light pack and start lifting (or climbing or skiing!!!!) It took me (21 year old male with a drive to get outside because I took 8 weeks off from climbing to let a finger heal right before this happened) 5 minutes to figure out how to tie my shoes one handed, longer to figure out how do to up a zipper one handed, 6 days to get off the pain medications, just under 2 weeks before I could sleep laying down (I sat upright for 2 weeks from when I broke it), 4 weeks before I slept through the night. Right up until a few days ago I had constant pain in my shoulder from a suspected torn AC joint. It still hurts enough that people notice and ask me about it. I am still very bruised and completely numb in a 1 inch wide area underneath the incision (this could be permanent because the nerves were cut). Besides all of the random pains and issues (and being slapped on that shoulder) is the mental issues of not doing anything for weeks and weeks. You have all of the time in the world to think about things and that blows because now I do not know what I will think about on my next unplanned bivy. One of the largest issues I still have to face is whether or not my bionic shoulder will be a problem when backpacking. There is a chance that I will have to have the plate removed. My fingers are crossed that that is not the case. I was told that if I had not had surgery my bones would have healed faster because stresses would be placed on them, but I could have a deformed shoulder... Easy choice to make. Was the crash (or football game) worth it? Hell no. Not much is worth 6+ weeks of doing nothing and potential future problems with it. I am glad I experienced the pain I went though because it will put things into a better perspective. I am very glad I have health insurance because this would have been a large burden. Once something like this has happened to somebody you know or yourself you will quickly realize that health care is quite important. Jlawrence I wish you the best and if you have any questions feel free to PM me

Grade IV 5.9 AI3+ for Arachnophobia.

LIDAR data for Hood?? Holy shit that would be awesome!! The current data is lacking quite a bit. When that new stuff comes out maybe i'll remake my Avy Danger map of hood.

I would be very careful starting up climbing again!!! 3 weeks ago today I had surgery for a destroyed clavicle which was in 3 pieces; two of those pieces were overlapping by over an inch, the third piece was sticking straight up out of my shoulder (didn't break the skin, but you could have slept under the tent it made). I cannot do ANY lifting of any sort for 3 more weeks because a) I could bend the plate they put in and b) I might have torn my AC joint. The lifting (or holding anything remotely heavy) could really aggravate a possible rip in the joint. I would talk with a doctor and just make sure that climbing is ok. Most doctors don't anticipate climbing as an activity that their patients will do so they won't think to say "oh ya DO NOT hang on your arm." Speedy recovery!

I've torn my calf before. RICE and Vitamin I worked well (I also ran with a calf sleeve to help keep it warm and help with shin splits). Depending on the type of strain you have (types:1-3) will determine how long you are out for. I probably lost 4 weeks or so for my calf. I would say roughly only one week of no activity though. I could not run, but I could bike and swim/aquajog so that is what I did to stay in shape. Are you bruised or anything? The folks at the Bellingham ER are quite friendly for what its worth

Rattie, are you trying to say "I'm" or "I am"?

I enjoy the views. I enjoy the bonds I form with friends. I also enjoy the hardships both physical and mental; it puts things into perspective. It makes you value things in a different way because you have to work hard for it. I recently had a bad skiing accident where I easily could have broken my neck; I managed to ski away with only a shattered clavicle. I am now two weeks out from surgery and have had plenty of time to think about the 'why' question. Certainly if I didn't ski, or push the limits (although my accident was more bad luck than me pushing my limits) I would not be sitting here typing one handed and crossing my fingers on the bad arm that I will be able to carry a backpack once I heal; or that my shoulder won't be permanently shorter. But these hardships make you stronger. I am counting down the weeks until spring skiing on Hood...

I've never really heard good things about the UV lights. Nothing truly first hand all second hand... I've got a Katadyn and like it.

Skiing blower powder is effortless; beginners to experts can do it. Climbing is not effortless. Personally I would take a day of untracked blower any single day over a day of "white, pocketed limestone coming up out of the mediterannean and sunny skies with nekkid women roaming about." Given a week and that would be a tough call

What is the equivalent of blower powder in climbing? I have never had a similar experience while climbing.