DPS

I was in the Ruth Gorge the first two weeks of May and we had about 3 hours of darkness. I know this because we ended up sitting out for 3 hours waiting for daylight after getting benighted on a climb.

I spent a sunny afternoon bouldering at Rattlesnake on Sunday. It was nice.

Timberline Mountain Guides guide on Hood.

It is exactly what I was looking for, however, I am not sure how to change the straps. The rings appear to be connected to the crampon posts permanantly, not sure how one would remove the old ones and replace them with the new ones.

Thanks!

I have an older pair of Charlet Moser S12 crampons with Scottish style straps. The front straps on both 'pons have nearly worn through. Does anyone know where I could get these replaced? Thanks, Dan

It might be useful for folks to know where you live.

New shoes. Run on trails. Ramp up for distance training more slowly.

Good suggestion!

Little Si is appropriate for a young hiker. Other objectives: Tiger Mt, Cougar Mt, and Squak Mt.

Hey snowball, I sent you a PM.

Its funny because its true.

Many years a ridge of high pressure builds over the region giving us good weather right around the President's Day weekend. I am not sure what a weather inverstion is, perhaps you mean a temperature inversion? I am sure someone else can better explain it, but it occurs when a layer of warm air sits on top of colder air close to the ground. IMHO, the time frame you are considering is probably the best time for a winter ascent for various reasons. Good luck!

Does this apply to the NWAC Web site? If not, why would putting the same information in the hands of more people via news casts or other outlets offend your sensibilities?

Of the half dozen different routes I have done on Stuart, SGC stands out as my favorite.

Every ranger station I have seen has a caricature of Smokey the Bear with a sign that indicates what the fire danger is in the summer months. In essence, it distills various data in a meaningful and understandable way to the general public. Why not do the same thing for avalanche danger? Smokey could hold a sign in the winter that states the avalanche danger. The news meteorologists could also broadcast general avalanche conditions along with the weather forecasts.

Gary Clark has done it and has some info here: http://lamountaineers.org/NAC/browserf/climbs/fairwthr/beta.htm He was extremely helpful when I was planning a trip to Alaska. He can be reached here: naclassics@usa.net

Amen to that.

My goal for Summer 2008: Stay the fuck out of the hospital.

The health club where I used to climb removed their (quite nice) wall in favor of a yoga studio, so I have no convenient place to climb. I would build a wall in my garage, but that is where I store my climbing and skiing gear and my carpentry tools. I am envisioning a co-op type of arrangement where climbers pay a monthly fee to support a small gym built in a warehouse or industrial building. The co-op members would design and build the structure. Does anyone have experience with community supported climbing gyms? What are the issues involved (liability, etc)? Has this worked in the past anywhere? Thanks, Dan

Ten years ago I had Dan build a pack to my specifications that is relatively light. It is built on the SARC pattern but has no zippers in the body, no Cordura, only light pack cloth, and a relatively narrow, simple hip belt with a single buckle. The pack weighs about 4.5 pounds and carries weight as well as any Dana Designs, ArcTeryx, or Gregory that I have used and climbs better than the Cold Cold World Chaos or Wild Things Andinista. It is also incredibly durable and has shown almost no wear in 10 years.

A replacement for my 10 year old marmot windshirt that Minx and Archenemy told me was dead.

How much are you looking to pay?

Hi Nate, I usually use a 24" sewn 9/16" spectra sling in the winter. Since I am usually wearing lots of clothes it is plenty comfortable. I have a bunch that I have retired from climbing but still make for dandy gear slings. You can have one for free. I'd even mail it to you. Email me with your mailing address if interested. bighurtbob@hotmail.com Dan

Yeah, I recall having to do some sketchy bouldering moves on crappy rock to gain the toe of the ridge.