rbw1966

Time for us to get our groove on and keep those maintenance levels up so I hereby call for a portland pub club. Sadly we didn't get it together for this week since TG is in town today. What about next Thursday? Same bat place, same bat time.

Adventuregal: Best way to insure safety when climbing with partners you don't know well and you dont have a lot of experience is pretty basic: ask questions. If they can't answer any questions you ask then I'd start to get a little worried. For example, why do you use a figure 8 to tie in with rather than a doubled bowline? Can you show me how to equalize an anchor? Even if you know the answers ask anyway. I always learn something new from various partners and I've been climbing a long time. Follow your instincts too. Stay away from Trask. Come to a Portland Pub Club so ChrisT doesn't get overwhelmed by testosterone.

No tools were necessary but from down below in the fog the upper portion of the couloir looked pretty steep and potentially icy. We had the tools with us anyway. The upper portion, above my head, was pretty steep and had some fragile ryme-covered rock. I was real glad I had two tools there. But you are correct, in the couloir itself tools were unnecessary.

Do you guys play with action figures too?

I believe Ryland is just following the pussy metaphor. Are you that defensive in real life?

Thats a TR? Fascinating stuff. I'll be back after I watch the paint on my walls age.

I think that Turkey is the model we should look to for the new government of Iraq. It is an islamic country with a strong secular tradition. It took a very strong leader like Mustafa Kemal Attaturk to make Turkey what it is today. I don't know if such a leader exists for Iraq. It may have HAD a strong secular tradition but over the last 20 years islamic fundamentalism in Turkey has been rising and openly islamic parties are now allowed to participate in government. Lets also not forget that everytime the political feuding has created social chaos the government steps in and wipes the slate clean. Clearly, Turkey has problems but its also a very young democracy. First multiparty elections weren't until 1946. They too have problems with ethnic rivalries a la the Kurds. Perhaps their model would be a good starting point. Sadly though they don't have a charismatic leader like Attaturk.

The importance you attribute to this is not lost on many.

HOW MUCH?? I CURRENTLY BILL $76 AM HOUR. WITH A 3 HR MINIMUM. Is that the going rate for a "houseboy" in Seattle these days? Still got that French Maid outfit you were gonna take for some "consulting" work in Squamish? I admire your entrepenurial spirit.

Who's ripping on the guy anyway? All we're doing is pointing out how overpriced this stuff is.

No shit.

First true ice climb I fell about 15 feet onto an ice screw, stopping me about a foot of the ground with one of my tools where I had last placed it. No injuries.

He has. And listening to him talk immediately brings to mind thoughts of what all that hypoxia might have done to him.

Fall or slide? I rocketed down Eliot towards the top of snow dome after catching a crampon point on the leg of my bibs whilst descending. Fell at least 75 feet, pulling the middle guy off his feet before he was able to self arrest. Came to a stop dangling over the lip of a crevasse. Saved by one ice screw my partner, in the lead, had placed just a few moments before. The rest of the walk-off was slow, deliberate and painful with a couple of cracked ribs.

Ordered a free copy of the book of mormon for my boss once. "Would you like one of our representatives to hand-deliver it and provide you with an explanation of its contents?" "Why yes, yes I would. Problem of course is I have a very bizarre schedule. The only real free time I have available is around 8 a.m. on Saturday mornings. " "No problem-we can accomodate that."

Trask wants scottp to sit on his lap and pretend he is riding down a bumpy road.

SUFFICES TWO NEEDS BEER AND FOOD! Make sure you pic up one of these to keep that PBR nice and cool whilst cragging: From the catalog: "Size does matter. I think this items use is pretty much taken care of..... Available in a nice dark 'Gator fabric or the always popular Rattler. Twin handles keep you from getting pumped and a safety strap wraps across the bottom to keep the bomb from being launched." Stylin'

It was? Apparently my computer desn't show any quotation marks or cited references.

Judging from his description, I'm guessing he couldn't even see the spider. Nice job Iain. Next weather break we get I want to knock this out.

Do you drink tea too? We thought about trying to connect with you and now it sounds like you definitely could have met up with the three of us.

What to do with all those snaffles once the hunt is over? Recipe Bon appetit!

Special ed has the word on the chips and beer.

I've been here since October of 2000. I don't think the culture of cc.com has changed that dramatically.

No. Still waiting to get mine and then I will know more.

Myself, B-Rock and Shredder headed up early Saturday morning to this lovely gem. Left Portland at 515 then were on the approach by 915 if memory serves. Arrived just within the tree line below the crater bowl, set up camp and performed a safety break. Weather was overcast with a bit of spindrift/snow blowing around but nothing major. The summit was not visible at all. After the break we skinned up to the bowl where we eyed what looked like a sweet, and steep, couloir. Due to the fact none of us had a guidebook with us, and given the location of the couloir we figured it was the 11 o'clock couloir. B-Rock and myself booted up in about shin-deep snow, plunging through a breakable crust. Shredd carried his skis to the top of the couloir. It was only about 500 feet (if that) or so high, with the angle nearing 50 degrees at the top. I traversed over and up the crater rim a bit (app. 100 feet) trying to reach the true summit but the conditions were rapidly deteriorating and the summit could not be visualized. The ridge itself was fragile, unstable and very thin ryme-covered snow, in other words typical oregon volcanic choss. B-rock and I scurried back down to our skis and watched as Shredd made short work of the chute. We crashed out after a meal of tasty bites and awoke to more snow. 5 inches of freshies everywhere with more coming down every second. Viz was about 50 feet in nasty wind gusts so we packed it up and headed down. Not many turns were had but what we did get was sweet. Chowing on breakfast at the Alpenglow by 11. Rushed home to begin tear out of a stairwell I am having replaced to find out the contractors are not ready. So no tear out. Damn. Now I am wishing we had skinned up Tumalo.