dfrost

Climbed the N Face on Friday in high winds and blowing snow. One set of tracks up and over in front of my partner and I. Route is FAT taking screws easily on the bottom ice "pitch". Pretty quick in and out without skis--definitely spring conditions.

Two thumbs up, Water. Great point, and most of us got it: "there must be a line somewhere to speak/discuss what they're doing with what you are selling/renting" Too bad this implies a certain level of knowledge on the part of the salesperson, in an industry where specialty shops can't make enough money to pay employees much more than minimum wage, and only very occasionally, health insurance. Why this is the case is another conversation entirely. It sounds like Mark's interaction at FF is a situation where everyone would have benefited from taking a breath. Mark was not able to communicate exactly what he was going to nail up (& still is, from reading subsequent posts), and the salesperson didn't listen well enough to realize Mark's good intentions. Of course, if I heard "Index" and "pins" in the same sentence, my brain might turn off too. For this story, I've heard at least one other about every other shop (REI included) in town. As a consumer/shopper, if you can't get the information you want from a salesperson, or get directed to someone who CAN answer your question, then maybe you're asking the wrong questions... or maybe you're expecting them to read your mind.

NM: Enchanted Tower, Diablo Canyon, El Rito, Las Conchas, White Rock, Tres Piedras (climbing); Valle Grande wilderness, Valle Vidal wilderness, Manzano mountains, Wheeler Peak, Cumbres Pass (for getting lost)