Matt Kidd

I know that you already have the gear that I was giving away.

Check your personal messages.

Surpised how few jumped on free gear!

gone

Have some gear from the back of my closet. I thought that I might sell it for a few bucks but the good karma is probably more useful to me. I would prefer to give it to someone starting out, or a starving student (if you are at UBC or in North Van I could even meet you). There are a few draws, a few carabiners, a few stoppers, and a couple older sewn slings. Fire me a PM. thanks

http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Mail_Order_Axes_33.html#aGRI_20DSLS

PM sent

PM sent

PM sent

There are two branches after the 1.5 turn off that I got to. The first was clearly not the 8 km mentioned and branches to the left, I ignored it. The second was also not quite the 8km, and the branch to the right proceeded more directly up the valley while the left climbed higher. I didn't explore this right hand fork as it was snowed in anyway. From its trajectory I suppose that it could have connected to the Cat lake road as mentioned, and the left hand fork that I took was a dead end in a relatively recent cut. I think that this might have been the "wrong" left according to A.S. as there was no gate and the branch was not at 8km, but it works (I met up with your tracks). Some visibility would have helped, but as it was I got snowed on for much of the day.

Question regarding the Brohm Ridge approach. In Alpine Select it recommends turning left at the first fork of the Cheekeye Forestry Road, which is how I got up to the ridge today. The map shows that the road past Cat Lake goes all the way to the midpoint of the ridge. Is this the case? I was talking to some gentlemen that were parked on the Cat Lake road (shotgun target practice from the tailgate) who said that it goes all the way up. Drove it for several kms and, while rough, it went, but I got bored and could see from the other road that it is snowed in currently anyway. Passable when dry?

"I'd recommend Silvretta 500's as bindings so you can use just about any boot with a welt. Then check out the local thrift shops for a pair of easy-turning skis about 165cm or so. You won't be able to ski steep slopes with perfect style, but once you get a friend to show you how to make a bullitproof stem cristie, you can ascend and descend just about any mountain you need to quickly and effectively. I use a pair of K2 8255's that I bought off this list for $75." Do you happen to know if the Silvretta "Pure Performance" bindings are mountain boot compatible?

I checked out some Dynafit Seven Summit skis. Super light, seemed good. Anyone skiing them and/or have an opinion of them? Thanks...

I am looking to get a touring setup mostly for climbing approaches. I want a light setup most of all, and something that will turn easily. I am not knowledgable enough to balance the factors and would appreciate some input. Wider shorter ski? Somewhat longer? More/less shaped? Being a larger guy (200lbs), what can I get away with before I will be wallowing in misery? Any advise would be great - thanks.

Hit up a commercial site - you'd get what you want for a coffee and donuts I bet...

I require a wide toe box and the Nepals and Trangos both work well for me. The older Scarpas did not but the Omega plastics did. Maybe they are making them wider now. I would just try everything.

+1 broken BD pick, 3rd tooth in. Struck rock under snow/ice.

North Van too?

I've never had any problems using my non-adjustable for ice/alpine etc.

Wondering if anyone has tried one of these out yet. Thoughts/comments? http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?R-320

88 bucks at MEC http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442625527&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699687&bmUID=1207250986363 They look and feel pretty good, almost bought one the other day.

I only know a bit about the different payment options, but I am aware that doctor billing systems up here are rather problematic. I plan to read more about these sorts of things when I have more time... take care

JayB: "Are you sure they're all out to undermine public healthcare?" No, I'm not sure of that. Generally, though, it seems to be true. "If there's a problem or a shortcoming with the system, I'm not sure how treating that information like a state secret will enhance the system's capacity to look after the Canadian public's well being." This I totally agree with, and I wouldn't have written anything regarding the article if I thought that the criticism was not ideologically founded. "If the public is satisfied with the status quo and think that there's no need for any improvement, then any critical article - no matter whether the author's intention - will fail to resonate with the public and you've got nothing to worry about. " This I agree with as well. We are not talking about one article, however. We are talking about a systematic propaganda campaign against public health care. Also, there will never be a system that will not need improvement. There are many parties in Canada who would benefit financially through the expansion of privatization, and they are doggedly pursuing it. The article above is talking about the lack of GPs. It suggests that expanded consumer choice would solve this. How? Who are the people with no GP? There are many in the north, I'm sure. Private healthcare won't put doctors there. There are many in more populas areas as well, surely, but with a user-pays system would only ensure timely access to the adequately insured or wealthy. When people up here are asked about that framed in that way most think that access should not be class-based. To criticize the system and then offer an alternative with rose-colo(u)red (the "u" because that's how we spell it up here ) does undermine the system and does so unfairly. "If there are people who are dissatisfied, I don't think that an infinity of articles that uncritically praise it will do much to change how they feel." I also agree with this. It's too bad that negativity is so much more compelling. I was listening to talk radio about a month ago and there was an "unbiased" discussion about public healthcare going on. Very critical. When they broke for commercial the first ad was for "False Creek Urgent Care", a private clinic "where the doctors wait for you". How exactly is there going to be a fair discussion when the actual station is being paid by one side? There are problems, but it's getting hard to sift through the propaganda to the facts. Just my opinion...

I would argue that the problem of getting physicians into small towns does not have to do with our system being public.

Misleading article. We are getting more and more of this sort of writing up here. All intended to undermine public healthcare. I am one of the 5 million - when I want to see a doctor I go to a walk in clinic. It works very well for me. With my current broken finger I walked in to a clinic, went for an ex-ray immediately, went back to the doctor immediately, and got into a specialist at the hand clinic at Vancouver General the following Monday (thursday when I first went to the doc). All of this was covered by BC MSP.