Woodcutter

I dunno if I agree about the ticks, we were pulling them off all day friday, up 'til bedtime when my missus jerked off a big one!

Thanks fellas, +1 vote for the OR trailbreaker pants, they are my usual pants in winter but they are too thick for summer. I reckon the sewing machine may have to come out & I'll sew a big stretch goretex ass patch on some cotton pants. Knees I may do without as I get so hot that it's nice to be able to roll them up. Sweating up the volcanoes for the spring cornfest, or slushfest, I can't cope with shell materials as I run hot like a furnace. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

Anyone know a good summer/ spring pant. Really could do with having a waterproof ass & knees, yet be lightweight. Sitting on the snow taking in the view is one of the great pleasures of snowboarding, as is dicking with your terrible set up while kneeling. Thanks for contributing your brain cycles. Jake

...what about the army of ticks & the indigenous 6' crag rat with attitude, dem too!

That's a great idea for the cardio challenged. It's a classic mountqainbike ride in the summer. I suspect that the Coral Pass road further up 410 would be similar but different, equally safe with heavy tree cover & 4500' of grunt.

I think you've got it there 'don't walk outboard of the terra firma clues'. Respect for the trip and the great photo essay. It's the damned cornices every time. I've been here for 6 years & it's the damned cornices, nearly every time.

The media are owned by the corporations and promote the corporate agenda. Which means privatization (profits for elite business folk), war (profits for elite business folk), reduced government (so you can have more privatization (yeah, I will spare you), attacking all forms of collectivism (reduced profits (if you borrow your neighbors lawnmower) (unions etc)). Oh, and stupidity (advertising and unchallenging op-ed), so you can’t work any of this out for yourself. Unless you mean the ‘free’ media. Who don’t get to relentlessly pump their message via the TV into what’s left of the American brain.

Well I reckon that worked out pretty well: BB got 4 or 5 offers to be mentored. I go to tell my Cornish Pasty story. Poor BenB got flamed for having an opinion and is the only real casualty here. Chin up old boy. I blame the internet, email & text are so often really poor at conveying the real meaning a guy is trying to communicate. Now let's all go & climb some even more stupid shit. m o v i n g o n

Honestly, I think what you actually need is a partner at the same level as you. Personally I learnt to climb trad from a book when I was 16. You can't teach someone how to actually do the climbing, belaying & gear etc yes, but I reckon you really just need a good book & a willing conspirator. You'll feel less like a muppet too. The Freedom of the Hills tome would be a good place to start, beg borrow & steal gear, and take it easy. You'll just work it out.

Truth

Looking at your work, some of which is downright incredible, between the pair of you I reckon the photography's gonna be supreme.

Something funky is happening at the Kiddie Cliff, it was running really wet yesterday, wheras last friday it was not. Wierd.

I'm using Scarpa Jorasse Pro's, which I absolutely love. They have a mightly curve which I remedied by flipping the crampon bar. The front points now point forwards. I'll just fiddle around and see what works. What I was looking to understand was how long front points affect the climbing. I would think they probably encourage over-kicking and it seems obvious that a guy would need stronger lower leg muscles if the points didn't get fully buried. I like the asymmetrical FP suggestion, interesting indeed. Thanks fellas.

The front point has 2 possible positions. I've had the front point set in the short position last season, great for mixed and climbed steep ice without a hitch. I'm thinking the long setting might be worth a go for pure ice Steepish (WI3/4/5) ice, crag style. Any thoughts lapped up like a beer deprived hobo. Jake

Cotter Bebie line. Looks better photographed than in reality The Wasson Wilson smear start Lump of rock without much ice

Ha, next time I'll hit you with something softer. Excellent trip. Damn I was stoked all weekend long. Jake

Maybe rent it out. It's the kind of tent that's really useful for a specific trip, but noone want to own it bacause those trips to those sorts of places only happen once, or maybe more but you never would think so. Also it's a bit heavy, they make a lighter one which is more useful. Maybe rent it for 100 a time, and it's still yours?

PM'd you

The only camera I've ruined so far was due to an MSR water bag, I unknowingly opened the little spout that should not exist. Leaked into my pack making a pool which my camera was sitting after I'd stowed it for the raps. Generally 3' of 3mm tether will stop it from falling & common sense will keep it put away when it's too wet/ snowy. Get a good bag & use common sense & expect it to wear out one day, like all good things. In my opinion insurance is a racket.

Wow, I'm going. Your photography is excellent, 3d.

How is it that everyone else manages to have cool coloured ropes!

Dude, take them to 2nd ascent. They give pretty good prices on ski boots.

"town',,,you know the place with the store! What nice crackheads they were, they only bust the rear windows to save us all some dough!&^%*(&^%#^%#*)(*()(()()()((*(

Last thursday (26th) most of the cars in the lower lot got broken into somewhere about 11AM. Maybe 7 or 8 cars all with rear windows smashed. I reckon whoever it was smashed all the windows as the train went through. However, I think they were disturbed before they could rob all the cars. They hadn't gone into my car, and many others also. There was a fella who'd lost his passport & wallet, and he was rightly steamed. I think I'm gonna park in town & walk next time.