Alex

This is a "W Special" Alaska bag. Goretex shell, overstuffed with the goods from Feathered Friends. He sold it to me a few years ago, when I still thought I would make it back up there. With the arrival of "Alex Junior", I've decided that isn't in the cards. Yours for 200$. SOLD Petzl Ascenders, light use. Retail for 120$ a set, yours for 70$. Fish aiders. A 4-step and a 5-step. Yours for 20$.

I've had trouble with the Hilti 36v batteries, where they just wont hold their charge past 12 hours. That means that I have to time charging the batts so that the charge is finishing up as I leave the door for a drilling proj. Replacement batteries are *very* expensive, YMMV.

Alpine: Improbable Traverse Cragging: Scott on Toxic Shock, Index Scenic: The walls of Mordor, ...in Kananaskis Country, Alberta Skiing: Day One, Spearhead Traverse Ice: Dr J and James Nakagami on Shades of Beauty Humor: Alpine Ninja meets her match!

There is nothing further right, except Backbone ridge and the Fin itself.

Ooooo I can't wait Another lackluster season ahead of us that will hopefully finally see Lincoln, Bavaisi, and Grover fired

Screamin' Deal! Where were you last Spring??? :cry:

Toxic Shock

You live in the USA. It's not a democracy, and its run by lawyers. Didn't you get the memo?

Where are the other 1,514 warriors?

"Quit fuckin' around!"

having the women nominate who the "hot climber chics" are seems wrong to me,... but with this group of hyenas you'd really have to hate your privacy to post pics of yourself that might suggest something remotely attractive some things are best left to the imagination

Nice Mizuki, a group of us went out to Vantage that weekend and were wondering where you were! Now we know.

feelgoodvibessending,iam

Parkway: The deepest snowpack I've ever seen on the Parkway during my time in the Rockies. A really significant avalanche cycle happened in the last week. I mean everywhere, lots of road closures. New snow up at Louise/Rampart last couple nights. Stay off anything remotely av threatened. Check av hazard; bring snowshoes. Weeping Wall is looking fine; Weeping Pillar climbed Tues. Bow Falls in and wintery. Murchison in. Ice Nine is in and climbed Wed. Pather Falls did not form this year. Otherwise, if it has hazard, you're better off next year. David Thompson Highway: No snow down low, but lots of snow up high. Kittyhawk is in, but we ran away. Two Oclock is fat. Elliot Left Hand is in. Nothing But the Breast I think is done for the year. Hafner: Best ice of the trip! Discover how weak you really are in relative safety. Gibraltar & Bull River: Lead Gib Wall (left side) Sat March 10, but actively coming apart. Bull River Canyon is done for the year. Ghost: Sounds like Dale has the goods on the Ghost this year. The most snow I've ever seen in the Ghost, we had a good time doing some real 4wheeling in Scott's pimpin' 4Runner. Fred Beckey knows every climbing female in Canada, it seems.

Matt, I owned one of those for a while, I had the cargo model. While the *idea* was awesome (true 4x4 with camper-like amenities and convenience) the engineering and engine in those particular vehicles was not. Lots of electrical problems, clutch went out and cost large coin to replace, and the engine is under the driver's seat making working on it yourself a nightmare.

I can't top cfire's story but I (as many people I suspect) have a similar one. Name changed to protect the guilty. I had met Joe on my very first ever climbing trip to the North Cascades, with Jim's Select guide in my hand, in spring of 1994. I had just climbed the SW Couloir on South Early Winters Spire with my friend Kent after the highway opened, while Joe had climbed the route with his Canadian Navy buddy. I was excited about these newfound North Cascades; I had just moved to Oregon in Fall 1993 and the North Cascades were, well, different than Mt Hood! Joe and I got along very well, he regaled me with tales of his recent trip to the Bugaboos, and we talked about our mutual interest in posting information about climbing in the Northwest on the (very young!) World Wide Web. We got along so well, and seemed to be of similar ambition, that in short order we made some tentative plans to do more climbing. Joe lived in Victoria, so coming over to Anacortes to do some climbing was pretty easy. We climbed Mt Baker together that September, and that was a great trip! The following summer we made plans for a week-long onslaught of all those alpine rock classics in the Stuart range. This was a big deal for me; I was pretty much a bum at the time and taking time off work meant just that much less cash to live off for the winter. But the prospects of climbing Prussik, Dragontail, and Stuart in one trip were just too alluring, so here we were hiking into Colchuck Lake with a week's worth of equipment and food (back before I owned anything that was actually lightweight!) on a very rainy July day. While we didnt get absolutely soaked, all around us the rock was wet. We got to the far end of the lake and found another tent, a fancy-looking Garuda single-wall tent, there and set up camp nearby, hoping for some company. We lounged in camp, wondering where the other party was...the rock was so wet, they couldn't possibly be climbing. I was wearing my new/used Kelty gore-tex pants, hanging out, when out of the fog emerge two climbers, heading back from a long day in the hills. Climber Number One looks at me a little strangely, and with no introduction says, "You are wearing my pants". "Huh?" "You are wearing my pants. You bought them at the Bellingham used gear swap." And so I met Darin Berdinka, and his bud Owen. We told them we weren't sure what we would do if the rock didnt dry out the next day. Darin proposed we go climb the West Ridge of Prussik, as Prussik gets less moisture than even Dragontail and it would likely be dry. Sounded good! So next day Joe and I went and climbed the West Ridge. At the base of the route, I asked if we wanted first lead (a fourth class pitch) "Sure!" Off he lead, but after some time he placed a peice and lowered to the ground. I finished the pitch. He tried to lead the next (fourth class) pitch, but again backed off. I lead that pitch, and every other one. The climb was of course spectacular, but I was a bit bummed because Joe was turning out to not have his head on quite straight. We headed back to camp; Darin and Owen had already departed, but the day was fine, the weather had turned beautiful, and I was excited for our next objective, the Serpentine Arete on Dragontail, which towered above us. Joe brought up how weird he had felt about the climbing that day, apologizing. "It's OK, you'll find your mojo". Joe then sheepishly explained that he actually had come to a decision that he thought alpine climbing just wasn't in the cards for him tomorrow,...errr.... Being the good supportive climbing partner that I am I said "Oooookkaaayyyy", and suggested that I guess we could spend the rest of the 5 days doing long trad routes in the Icicle. Joe agreed that was a good plan and was confident that with just a few days of some trad climbing he'd be back in form and we'd go knock off North Ridge of Stuart as a consolation prize. Next day we hiked back down to Mountaineers Creek trailhead, got back to the Icicle, and I decided that doing something basic, like the R&D Route on Icicle Buttress, would get us back to basics. We racked up. I lead the first pitch; I think at the time Cocaine Connection had not been bolted yet (or I just didnt know about it), as I did the trad variation to the left, but either way it was nice and mellow. Up came Joe. Next pitch was his, and he got to the base of the chimney, before placing a piece and lowering back to the belay. He wasn't feeling it. So I lead up. From the next ledge at the top of the chimney, I again offerered him the lead, but he declined and we topped out shortly later, and walked back down to the car. Where we had another conversation. "I was really scared up there", said Joe. "Don't worry man, it will come back for you!", I said. "I think what I need are some bolted climbs. Lets go and climb at Peshastin tomorrow. That will help me come around." At this point I saw the writing on the wall, and I had had enough. "Dude, I can go clip bolts at Peshastin any fucking weekend, any time. I don't want to blow my vacation days clipping bolts at Peshastin." So I drove Joe back to the Tsawassen Ferry that day, and that vacation was over. After a short time, Joe wrote me an email and told me he had gotten out of climbing. I would return to actually climb some of those routes I had hoped to climb that trip, but not with Joe and not for many years. Good climbing partners are hard to find!

I'll bet!!

I would like to join you to reach the seldom-trod summit this Cascade Jewel. We could meet at a Portland kafeehaus to see if our climbing objectives and style are similar? I will start getting T-shirts printed, we could sell them online! Maybe we could call our team TEAM HARSH REALM??

It makes me think about the whole idea girls have that they have to change for a man. This happens sometimes a girl acts differently around a man until she entraps him, then she "reverts" back to how she "is" and gets all huffy when the man is wondering wtf just happened. Read - "I just met this guy...he's so dreamy...and he's a climber! I'll try climbing now, it will be a fun thing we can do together!" N years later she's not climbing, chunked out because she's secure that he can no longer run off so lay on the wine and chocolats baby, and hell the sweaters just cover up everything anyway, and, well hell just not doing much of ANYTHING anymore.

The hostel in Banff suxxor. You pay 28+$ for the common room, per person (Louise is even more expensive), when you could pay around 55$ a night for a motel in Canmore...

Sooooo 80's.

Which course?

No, the others are just in denial. I've discovered through looking at my spending over several years that I spend more on recreation (climbing/sailing) than I do on either groceries or gas in any given year.

PMs

An Evil Looking Face, to be sure!