emperorMA

Take a look at the Mammut Heron Light 65. Similar to the Arc'teryx, but lighter and less expensive. I love mine.

It seems folks want to know who did the work. It was Ali Naini at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland.

If you must go under the knife, let Ali Naini do the cutting. Local guy (from Tacoma) who went to the best schools (Harvard and Johns Hopkins) and is widely considered by nurses, therapists and peers to the best neurosurgeon practicing in this area...or any other, for that matter. He did my neck and I had an awesome result.

A bit of irony here....looks like I'll be needing some repair work on my left thumb. My doc recommended/referred me to Tom Trumble, who appears to be out on extended medical leave. It will take some time to get in to see anyone else at UW Hand Clinic (Jerry Huang comes highly recommended), so I went looking elsewhere. Since Trumble is out and Huang has a bit of a wait, I'll be seeing Elizabeth Joneschild over at Seattle Hand Surgery Group. She has impressive credentials and a very good reputation. Wish me luck!

Thanks, all. Any thoughts about a fairly easy climb that feels like an "expedition," one that will take four days, maybe five? BTW, I'm leaning very heavily toward doing my skills course on Mt. Shuksan. I like the thought of getting snow, glacier and alpine rock training all in one place.

It looks like this site could have some great suggestions but the only link that seems to work is the one provided. The links to the actual snow, glacier and rock routes do not work. 8D

What are perhaps the top dozen or so Cascades routes that should be on a novice alpine climber's objective list? I'm just getting started up here and want to keep things fairly easy with glacier/snow climbs with perhaps a few shorter sections of easy rock scrambling. So far, I know I want to do Mt. Shuksan, El Dorado Peak, Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak for sure, and will be doing a skills course on one of those mountains. I'm also thinking about Sahale Mountain and Mt. Rainier. I think my first attempt to do something on my own may end up being Ruth Mountain. What am I missing? What others should be on my objective list after I have a chance to complete most of the above? What are some really good climbs that beginners should aim for? I think suggestions from folks who climb a lot can really help newbies like me...thanks!

The Randonee looks promising.

OK. Sold on the Reverso. Are the Sabretooths (Sabreteeth?) still a good walking crampon? That is mostly what they will be used for unless I run into trouble. The guys at BD said the Serac and the Sabertooth are esseentially the same thing except the Serac has shorter secondary points to enable easier walking.

Thanks! Suggestions, anyone?

I'm just getting into mountaineering and am assembling a kit (see this thread for background). The gear will be for general mountaineering with a skills class and climbs of easier alpine peaks. I'm pretty well-stocked for clothing except for soft shell pants and hard shell pants...any ideas? Here's what I've decided on...let me know what you think, if I can improve on my selections and what else I might need. Thanks! Note: If bolded in red type, the items are already purchased. Boots: (still deciding based on fit and crampon compatibility) La Sportiva Nepal EVO Mammut Mamook Lowa Mountain Expert Kayland Apex XT Ice Axe: BD Raven Pro ... really light but still works like an axe made of steel should. Crampons: BD Sabretooth Clip ... made for glacier and snow walking but with nearly the ability of the Sabretooth for climbing ice, which may come in handy some day. (EDIT) Going with the Sabretooth per all your recommendations. Harness: BD Couloir Helmut: Mammut Skywalker 2 Pack: Mammut Heron Light 65 Sleeping Bags: Mont-Bell UL SS Down Hugger #2 (25 degrees), Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF (0 degrees) Sleeping pads: Combo of Neoair and Ridge Rest Belay device: Petzl Reverso (changed from BD ATC Guide) Ascender: none (edit) Locking Carabiners: BD RockLock and Quicksilver II EDIT: Adding in insulation and base layers. Insulation: Mont-Bell UL Tec Down Jacket (for down to 20 degrees or a bit less), Patagonia Fitz Roy Hooded Down Jacket (for lower temps). Base layers: Patagonia Merino 1 T-shirt, I/O Bio Merino Contact Tight, I/O Bio Merino Contact Crib Shirt, I/O Bio Merino Contact 1/4 Zip Shirt, Arc'teryx Rho LTW Zip Top. Gaiters: BD Front Point

Tom Trumble. Best in the business. He took care of a nasty little spiral/comminuted fracture on my left ring finger. No after effects at all!

It is a very real risk. My shoulder was ridiculously "loose" before the reconstruction...it only took about 7-8 lbs of force to dislocate it frontally. The doc removed the entire capsule and all ligaments in the front, stretched them out and reattached with anchor bolts (eight in all). He told me beforehand that I would lose some range due to the tightening but that I would never need that range unless I was going to be a ball player again. At 45 (at the time), that really wasn't an issue for me. Today, throwing a ball with any authority is about the only thing I cannot do. Everything else is fine, and I can actually lift quite a bit more weight than I use to.

+1 Mike Sailor completely rebuilt the front of my shoulder, lopped off about 1/8 of my collar bone and relocated my biceps muscle all in one procedure about 2 1/2 years ago. My shoulder today is stronger than it ever has been, and feels great. Sailor is a former shoulder fellow at the Steadman clinic in Vail...one of the best ortho places around. Warning: Shoulder surgery is the worst kind of surgery. It is extremely painful and it takes a long time to recover from. Make sure it's the last resort....you will be very unhappy for quite some time if you go through with it. Then, be very patient once the work is done and let the rehab folks work their magic.

I had an ACD (Anterior Cervical Discectomy)in August of 2006 at the C5-C6 joint. My symptoms were so bad I had completely lost the use of my right arm, and I hadn't felt my hand or lower arm for a few months before going under the knife. Mine was severly compressing the the nerve root exiting the right neural foramen, so much so it was grossly misshapen in the MRI. The surgeon removed the ruptured disc material then used a high-speed drill to widen the exit hole (foramen) of the nerve root to give it more room. He also knocked off quite a few bone spurs that were compressing from the opposite direction. I woke up with about 98% of the feeling restored in my arm and hand. To this day, all I lost was just a bit of feeling in my right forefinger and thumb....this is permanent damage. I needed zero rehab and was back to work in four weeks. I also had one of the best neurosurgeons in the country take care of the issue. If you need more info, feel free to ask.