nhluhr

Do you still live in Kansas, as your email address implies?

And here I thought NWAC was doing a terrific job.

Debatability of actual acclimation effects aside, as denalidevo mentions, a 'new' mountaineer can get a LOT of use out of climbing Adams prior to Rainier. You get a chance to walk on crampons, use an ice axe, get your gear/pack/clothing system dialed in, and hopefully pick up some knowledge from a partner. PLUS it'll be terrific exercise and help make Rainier seem less impossible. Just don't cram it up too close to your Rainier trip or you won't have the recovery time you may need. Leave yourself a couple days at least. If you're going with IMG, their first 'day' is actually just in Ashford to go over some basic information, techniques, safety topics, sort out your gear issues, etc.

I've carried on my chalkbag for when I go on business trips to cities where I might find a gym. I fully expected TSA to call it anthrax but they didn't even mention it.

Justin, I admire your enthusiasm but you may have difficulty finding enough partners to go on Rainier with a couple of guys with "no climbing experience". There are real dangers in many forms that require some level of experience to deal with safely. If you're asking relative strangers to put their safety at risk, what are you going to do to reduce and mitigate those risks?

Oops! indeed! Pray for big snow next winter! If you have extra time in your shcedule when you arrive, you could do Mount Adams which requires little to no technical skill on the south spur route but will give you plenty of altitude to start acclimatizing for Rainier. Just make sure you leave plenty of recovery time between the two. I realize this is probably not feasible for somebody traveling in from the midwest, but it's a thought. If you fly into PDX, Adams isn't far from there. You could go directly from the airport to Adams. PDX is also easier (but not as short) access to/from paradise so if you use RMI or IMG, you never have to deal with the mess of Sea-Tac and seattle traffic. It's also almost always cheaper to fly into PDX than SEA. If you're interested in doing an Adams trip prior to Rainier, I can provide some specific advice on logistics for the out-of-towner. Before I moved to WA this winter, I lived in VA. I did this exact combo - PDX to Adams to Rainier. If you're short on gear or partners, I am certain you could find a person willing to go up it with you if you post in the Climbing Partners section.

Precisely. Outside of a few nutjobs who haven't yet tripped the alarms, very few of the licensed carriers are going to pose a problem. The real danger will always be the unlicensed folks carrying for the wrong reasons.

The snowpack is gonna be thin this summer so I wouldn't push it into August if I were you. Mid to late July is probably the safest bet. Obvious advice: Train HARD and work up to a heavy pack on your back while training to make your exertion on Rainier seem less extreme.

I like the stretch of softshell over nylon. That and softshells won't have that cold feel on the inside of the fabric when the wind blows.

Have you tried changing where the little moveable tongue-pad sits? It's just attached with velcro and you can definitely alter the fit over the foot with it... Although if it's truly too short of a boot, there won't be much you can. FWIW, I bought Nepals as well and found them to be true-to-average-size.

Thanks for the amazing TR and photos!

I'm interested in a Glacier trip and can arrange my schedule as needed.

Truckers hitch = best thing ever for tent guylines, bear bags, etc. One tip though... instead of forming a loop with an overhand bight, just do a little slipknot loop... that way, when you undo it later, the whole thing comes out without any extra work.

By my calculations, 3mm of silica aerogel is equivalent to no more than 20mm of down insulation when one considers only the conductive/convective properties. I wonder if the much improved radiant properties of aerogel (plus the foil barrier) will give it that extra bit to meet the claim of 40mm down equivalence...

What you said... is not different from what I said; except that I provided an additional engineering equivalency that is widely accepted.

Thing is, these craigslist posts people are putting up do not match the list of gear mentioned by Redpoint as being stolen.

Aluminum has no endurance limit. Well, to be less brief... The "Endurance Limit" is really the maximum stress at which the material does not exhibit fatigue (at infinite cycles). Although aluminum does not have such a limit, engineering circles generally consider the stress to which it can survive 500million cycles to be adequate. Obviously the exact composition and temper will have a significant effect.

Size XL, red fabric is Hyvent Alpha, which is waterproof and stretchy. Jacket is in excellent condition. It's been in my closet for a couple years and needs a good home. Make an offer! more info here: http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/caber-hybrid-jacket/

In a word... no. Dyneema is a dutch brand of Spectra and is relatively UV resistant, compared to traditional Nylon. It wouldn't be wise to use a material that is highly UV susceptible for boat sails. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailcloth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyneema

Thanks for pointing that out... it was what I was about to post. I just don't see the benefit of this. I call gimmick.

The nice thing about traditional wire-gates is that the gate itself is the spring... nothing to fail except the main structure of the carabiner itself. With this, I'm pretty sure they need a coil or leaf spring to make it work so I don't see the benefit over a normal gated biner. What did their marketing materials claim with respect to this piece?

I did my B.S. in Materials Science and for the most part, so long as the product isn't engineered to the limits of strength/mass (like a Tour de France bicycle frame), carbon fiber products can take a LOT of damage to the matrix (the clear part) and not be affected. Once the damage appears to be reaching into the reinforcement (the fibers), then you should begin worrying.

I definitely like my Canon SX200IS but it is definitely bulkier/heavier than the old SD850IS that I had. The larger optics do allow it to take slightly better photos though while still fitting in my pants or jacket pocket. I once carried my Canon G9 and it was just annoyingly large/heavy.

No... GPS is a tool that must be used properly. Thousands of people using the same tool did not make this mistake. The problem is with the user and all accountability/blame is on him.

The Radiators and Lowas are still available! Make a reasonable offer and we'll talk!