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DPS

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Posts posted by DPS

  1. Matt Anderson,

    I was giving rack recommendations for Thin Red Line, not Lib Crack. But thanks for telling us all what a rock star you are. And thanks for the ethics lecture.

    Dan

    [This message has been edited by danielpatricksmith (edited 07-25-2001).]

  2. Bugaboos, small angles, lost arrows (a few each)lots of small Aliens, good assortment of hooks, (include one big one), double set of cams to #3, Hugh Banner offset nuts in the small sizes.

    We brought but did not use Lowe balls or copperheads.

  3. I did Fisher Chimneys two weeks ago. It is in fine shape. I have done this route as late as October, it stays in shape all year. Winnie's Slide gets icier though. I second the recommendation. This route has a little of everything, just make sure you find the correct entrance to the chimneys.

  4. Rodchester,

    The new Polargard Delta comes closer than any other synthetic to matching the compressiblity and loft of down. No, it certainly does not match 800 fill power (more like 550) but the trade off can be worth it.

    You keep mentioning the choice comes down to weight which is of course very important but the moisture factor is also critical especially if you are doing multiday 'alpine' routes where there is no chance to dry out a bag.

    The final straw for me was failing on a huge, 4000+ foot winter alpine route. The weather was stellar, cold and clear, no precip. My Dryloft down bag was inside of a bivi sack but was soaked in the morning from the moisture of my body and clothes being pushed into the down and trapped there by the dryloft and goretex. We knew we would have to bivi again before getting up and over the route, but our wet bags (in addition to a poorly functioning stove) persuaded us to retreat. I have used synthetics in similar situations with much better results.

    Bart Paul told me one of the reasons for his fast ascent of Cassin Ridge last year (56 hours) was that his partner's down bag had become soaked and useless and he refused to bivi again so they simply kept climbing.

    Dan

    [This message has been edited by danielpatricksmith (edited 07-11-2001).]

  5. So far the only argument for down that holds water (pun indended) is the durability issue. Down does last much longer than synthetic and in the long run is more cost effective. The weight and compressibilty arguments are moot, however, as new synthetics have drastically closed the gap. On hard, multiday apline routes it is very difficult to keep the down from absorbing moisture from your sweaty body. Pulling your soggy bag out of the stuff sack after a hard day of climbing really tests your resolve. Down does work best for most situations where one can stop and dry it out, but I have been burned on alpine routes by my high quality, Western Mountaineering Dryloft bag.

  6. Colin, you know my opinion on the subject. My suggestion is to read what other climbers in the know have to say about synthetic, like Bart Paul and Mark Twight.

    [This message has been edited by danielpatricksmith (edited 07-09-2001).]

    [This message has been edited by danielpatricksmith (edited 07-09-2001).]

  7. The UW is conducting gravity research using the mass of the cliff as the gravity source. They test the relative speed of beryllium and magnesium in free fall. And that is the real story.

    [This message has been edited by danielpatricksmith (edited 07-05-2001).]

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