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Since I understood zero of the physiology described all I can provide is some anecdotal information. I met a doctor a few years ago who damaged one of the ligaments in his knee. All his doctor buddies told him to get knee surgery to get it over with. He decided that the damage from surgery would be worse than what he had done and went on a rigorous physio routine in order to strengthen everything around the knee. He has since done an iron man. From that I would say that if the damage is not severe enough to completely destroy the stability of your knee you should invest some time in some physio to strengthen the system supporting the knee. Sometimes knowledge breeds paranoia.

I'm 5'8", 150# and ride Volkl Gotama 168's with dynafits and megarides. I'm loving the short fat ski (105mm waist). They provide lots of float in deep snow, great skinning grip and the short length makes for super easy kick turns. I've used them in various conditions now and love them. My skinny ski friends love following the wide skin track I leave behind. The compromise is that they're a little on the heavy side. I decided that a little higher performance on the downhill is worth the weight penalty. I personally would go for something a little wider than the Bakers or Shuksans. Something like the BD Verdict. The length sounds about right though. It really depends on what you want to use them for.

My sister is violently allergic to vodka and can only really drink gin and tequila. I have a friend that bounces any kind of single malt whiskey. So no, you're not alone.

Although tourism and exports are suffering as well as the movie industry the strength of the dollar shows that the rest of the Canadian economy is doing well in spite of all that. We have a centralized banking system that allows for greater control over the value of the dollar. The Bank of Canada can make a slight change in interest rates and the amount of currency in print which can easily drop the value of the dollar. They have shown no intentions of doing that soon even though it has been requested by all of the export industries. I wouldn't say that the US is fine and will continue to be fine. There are some incredibly difficult times ahead with Iraq that will have lasting effects on the world. I think the only way the US will get out of it is if they're bailed out by the UN. I'm still hopeful though since we are inextricably tied to the States.

I'm allergic to vodka! That's just cruel! Reminds me of when my floor mates in University decided to play a prank on a friend. They knocked on his door and covered his head in peanut butter only to discover he has a peanut allergy. An epipen shot and a rush to the hospital later he was fine. Oh what fun we had.

I think a lot of the greenback's future rests on the next election and the perceived stability of the government.

Some here might load them with bleach or something.

Pound bacon fat into Hubba-Bubba. I call it gummican.

I've been wondering lately about the possible effect of plastic surgery and orthodentistry on human evolution. Are we hiding genetic weaknesses so that we will become ever more dependent on surgeons for survival? With all the jokes about the British smile at least they're honest about an ugly trait. I'm going to come clean now and admit that the beautiful smile I currently posses was once a hideous snarl. There may be an increase of mutations due to the world shrinking but is this happening in a productive manner? What good is a gene that makes you resistant to a viral strain in Africa to a Canadian? Is there a possible dilution of useful mutations that could lead to genetic weakness in the end?

My understanding is that you can build muscle mass using near climbing specific exercises then recruit the new muscle for climbing through climbing exercises. For example, Hoerst posits that a one time finger strength gain can be made buy doing heavy finger rolls. This motion isn't very climbing specific but it shocks the body into building muscle that can then be recruited. I think this is why people make gains in their climbing due to improvements in over all fitness and how lifting weights can in the end improve one's climbing. Those who know better please correct me if I'm wrong. Overall fitness has its place as do isolation exercises. It all depends on what weaknesses you want to work on. My goal for the winter is to improve my endurance. I can pull relatively hard moves but get shut down whenever I have to hang for more than a few minutes. I blame gym climbing. I can blast up routes especially once they're wired but I really need to start slowing down and climbing for longer. I think I will give an interval routine a try. I'd like to try some bouldering intervals as well to try and make some finger strength gains as well.

I keep reading moron training.

My parents started me on XC at 3, downhill at 4 and I started snowboarding at 15. I think that was a good progression although snowboarding wasn't viable until I was 15 as it was. It's nice to learn the balance and reading the snow on XC and the free heel makes you pay attention. I think it's easier for parents to teach downhill/tele than snowboarding because you can hold on to the kid in a snowplow. That's what my mother did but I was skiing on my own after a couple of days. There's the tether method too. Snowboarding is pretty easy to learn if you aren't afraid of a little speed and commitment. There's a minimum speed after which turning becomes simple. I've returned to the world of skiing after 16 years of snowboarding and am loving it. I bought some AT gear to get away from the lift traffic and with the hopes of getting into more mountaineering type pursuits. I'm grateful for my previous skiing experience. I think there's a pretty even split amongst kids skiing and snowboarding at the resorts. Tele seems to be more appealing for people who don't like to jump although there are some tele'ers that can rip it up in the air. A friend has been teaching his kids and one wanted to go straight to snowboarding after starting out on skis. It's possible that the kids will decide for you. Whatever you decide make sure it's fun.

Some ice/mixed stoke for some of you. 3sEm_j5fqqw Story at http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/winterdance07

ourstolenfuture.org on polycarbonates MalDaly at supertopo pointed out this website so I did a quick search on Nalgene and found the page linked above. It advises to avoid polycarbonates if possible but if you do use them avoid washing them with harsh chemicals (eg. dishwasher, bleach). I don't think it's a real issue for healthy adults but not good for pregnant/wanting-to-be-pregnant women and infants.

No, just prostate cancer.

Somebody's been spending too much time on icanhascheezburger.

Maybe this should go in the Freeshiezone. FVd7rJjyMPQ

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A friend of mine did his ACL in like that one season. He's charging as hard as ever now. You'll be back.

I wasn't much of a Dolls fan, and never followed Johnny's solo stuff. Anything in particular you recommend? I recently saw the documentary "New York Doll" which primarily focused on the bass player, Arthur Killer Kane, who was working in a Mormon genealogy library in the LA area, and follows up through a Dolls reunion show in Britain. Really great film, interesting folks and history. I hadn't realized that the Dolls started in 1972, way way ahead of their time. People talk about The Ramones and Sex Pistols being wellsprings of the genre, but it's clear that the Dolls both pre-dated and influenced them. Don't forget the Forgotten Rebels hailing from Hamilton, Ontario. They formed in around 1977 and toured a lot with the Ramones AFAIK. In their wiki entry they're described as "one of punk's most gleefully racist bands". Bomb the Boats

I have a hell of a time saying Josune Bereziartu.

zOMG!!!eleventyone!!1111!

Maybe the person who scrubbed it should fill it back in with all the moss, mud and lichen they pulled out of it and let you have at it then. There should be a little respect for the work put into it above just wanting to have they're name in a guidebook.

I found the articles on this site informative: http://climbingwalls.net/training.html The links on the left lead to even more information. Last winter I tried following a 4-3-2-1 cycle from Hoerst's Training for Climbing with moderate success. I'm a little wary of his pushing of the HIT program especially given my current climbing level. Seems like a good way to get hurt since I don't really know what I'm doing.

I don't think this is really something that the community can decide on. There's a long history of snaking lines so there's no real precedent. The person who found the line might be happy to let someone else get on it as long as they could name it or something. They may rather chop the bolts than let someone else free it. I'd just talk to him. It sounds like you know him on some level.