dbconlin

there once was a man from nantucket whose dick was so long he could suck it he said with a grin, and cum on his chin if my ear was a cunt i would fuck it

I have heard the orignal "balls low" version before too. It makes much more sense, throwing THOSE over your shoulder (I mean if they really do hang that low) than your ears, which are already over your shoulders, Had not heard the chorus though.

Woah! Hold on. Let me just say that the new Harry Potter SUCKED ASS!!!!!!! I can not reiterate this enough. What are y'all thinking. I too am waiting for the next LOTR, 2 towers. Big fan. How are they going to deal with the 2 separate plotlines/books, though? Will they switch between simultaneous events with Frodo/Sam and "the rest." I imagine so, going through "the rest's" adventure, then switching to Frodo/Sam like the book does couldn't possible work for a movie, could it? It will be interesting to see how well they work this out. I have heard Donnie Darko is excellent, but haven't seen it yet. Top of my list until LOTR. Also, Pleasure & Pain, for Ben Harper fans (only the greatest musician still alive).

I think DFA was on a good point about the psychology of getting pumped. The problem is, once you start to realize you are tired, or often even if you aren't thinking about, but simply as a result of physical tired-ness, you start to climb sloppy, which gets you more pumped. If you are getting to this point, you have to actively concentrate on technique more, rather than just letting it naturally flow. Also, while this has all been said, I'd like to summarize what I think are the most important ways to get better (not that I've really broken the barrier yet). 1. overcoming fear of falling. In order to push grades, you must accept the chance of this happening. Luckily, harder grades are often less dangerous to fall on due to steepness. 2. placing gear efficiently. Place where you have a good rest, and run out the difficult climbing. Also, choosing/finding the right piece quickly, rather than fiddling with a few different pieces. 3. climbing regularly. 'nuff said. 4. bouldering. not just at the gym, which is a far cry from reality. try bouldering hard, awkward cracks on real rock, or face moves where you really try new/awkward positions and techniques. 5. learning to trust and utilize marginal holds that will only take a small fraction of your weight before slippage. this is well accomplished by toproping or bouldering. 6. toproping at the high end or above your ability. I think I'll go try my advice!!!

Why is it I can think of more dissappointments that accomplishments? I guess I am a half-empty kind a guy. Anyway here goes: Successes/accomplishments: 1. S. Face of Petit Grepon (Rocky Mt. N.P.)--fairly easy (5.8), but incredible exposure and somewhat runout; beautiful alpine setting. 2. Gaining confidence to trust trad gear and push limits. 3. Consistently leading 5.9 trad at Eldorado Canyon (Boulder) and Wall Street (Moab), both places with fairly stiff ratings, without falling. 4. Pushing ice limits (soloing III, leading IV-, following V+), even though I only own hinged glacier crampons (yes, ice season is IN in colorado, baby) 5. getting much stronger by bouldering regularly And the abysmal: 1. Utterly failing to lead anything significant at Indian Creek--its too damn hard!! 2. Trying over and over to get a 5.10b sport crux at Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs) and failing, even though I should be able to climb at this level. 3. Not climbing more during the summer (stupid job!)

Actually, I think the North Face Edition Chevy Avalanche is exactly what the Hard-Core climber needs. I mean its North Face, right? What more could you need?

The main great thing about REI is the dividend. Oh, and also the return policy. But now I've figured out how to get pretty good discounts at my local climbing shops, so the dividend isn't as much of a draw. Problem with REI (Jules take note) is that it has a little of everything, but not much of anything. It is hard to compare brands/models/etc to see which is "just right" for you, when all REI offers is one or maybe two items, that are the most general use among similar products, likely to serve the occasional users needs, but not very specialized and/or technical in application. Also, REI brand products tend to be cheap imitations that just don't quite work right. Has anyone been to Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, CO. Awesome selection!

what's your favorite climbing movie? how about Clint Eastwood's The Eiger Sanction.

Oh, by the way, has anyone/everyone seen the new Cooper Minis. Way cool.

I have a '91 Toyota p/u, regular cab, topper. I intend to keep it FOREVER. It sure is a pain to drive around (underpowered, poor cornering, only holds 2 people). So, when I can afford it, I will buy a little, older BMW or VW or Saab (MUST be european, I just like 'em). This accomplishes several things: 1. both vehicles will be "recycled." I am a firm believer in buying a quality vehicle that will last forever with some maintenance rather than upgrading to progressively newer vehicles every few years. It is much cheaper to completely rebuild an old vehicle than to buy a brand new one for $20-30k. 2. I will have a vehicle that goes anywhere and I can sleep in it. 3. I will have a "daily commuter" / fun-to-drive vehicle. 4. If between these two vehicles, I don't have the 'right' one for the job, I am sure my climbing partner(s) will. So, why don't you keep the old 'yota and buy a hybrid commuter or compact/economy car? Then you have the best of all worlds. by the way, i agree with previous posts that 4wd is overrated. It CAN be useful, but many people get the false impression that they are indestructible with it. Thus, you always see SUVs spun off by the side of the road. Much more useful is fancy-schmancy "traction control" available on expensive euro cars as well as anti-lock brakes, neither of which I have ever owned, so what do I know? My 2 cents.

what does this mean? i see the term popping up everywhere i look in climbing literature and catalogs, but i don't really know what it is. can anyone help me out here? probably some euro thang...

I think the ecrin roc is the most versatile. Wide adjustment for summer or winter, tough shell you can throw around in the back of the truck or will stand up to flying ice and small rocks without damage. So good for all types of climbing. However, if all you will do is sport climbing, I might check out some of the lighter, bicycle style helmets, that are undoubtedly less durable, but lighter and more comfortable.

cheers to being alive still i broke my talus before--it really sucks. make sure to do physical therapy as soon as you are able. i think that would have saved me much trouble and permanent/lasting/chronic problems to this day. i know lots of people (usually non-climbers) who think rapelling is fun. most climbers i know (at least the smart ones) hate it. it definitely is a huge risk. again, glad you survived.

If you are going to very high altitude, there is an explicable reason for inaccuracies with the Vector or any other altimeter (even the non-digital, classic, old school ones). I forget what the reason is, but there was an explanation of it in my instruction manual when I got mine. Might be worth reading before going to the Himalaya (or any other higher-than-continental-USA montanas).

Oh, that's some bad shit, man. So the biner failed, setting off a chain of events [maybe?]. Did you say it was Camp? Don't buy those, eh?

Does anyone have firsthand experience with the BD lamp that has a LED bulb and a halogen. I think it won the Backpacker magazine editors choice award. My friend owns it and hates it. Any opinions?

Oh, by the way, I have blown the gasket around the seal where the pump screw into the bottle. Not too major--burst into flames, no explosion. This accounted for one of the pumps I've gone through.

I've got the latest incarnation of the XGK-II (MSR). It's about 8 years old now. I can take it all the way apart, troubleshoot any problem (which aren't that common, by the way) and put it back together in under 5 minutes. About a year ago, I totally overhauled it for the first time, replacing most major parts and all minor ones. Total cost = about 10 bucks (I got the pump for free from REI, because they seem to break every couple of years [mind you, not in a way that prevents operation, merely that inconveniences] and REI has a great satisfaction policy. I have been through 3 pumps since I've owned this stove). When I was at the repair counter, another dude was ther doing pretty much the same maintenance as me, but his stove was like a 1970 model. So, bottom line is they last a lifetime with minimal upkeep, they are light and efficient, if you can stand the noise (!!!!)

Sorry, Lambone. I got a new avatar

I like medium to big Camalots and small to medium Metolius FOUR CAM UNITS (aka Power Cams). TCUs seem to get f***'d up after a few years and don't retract very smoothly. For small pieces (i.e. where a TCU is appropriate), Aliens are definitley a better piece than the comparable Metolius. Also, the offset Aliens look pretty sweet but I don't own any, nor have I ever placed one. I agree that you should definitly learn the art of chockcraft before getting too many cams. When I first started leading trad, I had a set of BD nuts and a set of hexes. That's it. I climbed up to 5.8 with that before I ever bought a cam. Also, a really good way to learn about placing nuts is to lead an easy aid pitch--you will really learn to trust a solid placement with one of those little suckers, a great psychological boost. If you are interested in alpine, or just long trad routes, I find the smaller TriCams really handy, really solid, lighter, cheaper. On the downside, they can be tricky to place with one hand, but with practice it comes. Of course, along this line, an entire set of hexes weighs less than one BD camalot. And you can leave them if you have to bail, without too much financial strain.

OK, how about how many of the 50 classic climbs in North America (not to be confused with the newer 50 favorite climbs) have you done? I haven't seen the list, actually, but I know I've done at least one: the Petit Grepon in Rocky Mt. Nat. park. It was pretty spectacular and not very hard. How about y'all? Any recommendations?

Has anyone seen any of the (numerous) comparisons of prominent mountains, where they show a picture of glacial extent and snow/ice coverage 50 years ago and then today. It's scary and extremely relevant to those of us climbers who so happen to enjoy a little snow and ice. I don't want to get too much into a fight here, and the personal attacks are getting a little carried away, but there's one thing I want to point out, and, no, I don't really have any data to back it up. Here goes: No one is denying that we are in a warming cycle; neither is anyone denying that warming cycles have happened repeatedly during the earth's history and completely naturally/non-anthropogenically (because what is "natural" anyway). But since the industrial revolution and more recently with the invention of the automobile and our increasing dependence on fossil fuels, the warming trend has (apparently) sharply increased. For the speed of glacial retreat, polar ice cap dissolution, and melting of alpine snow- and ice-fields to happen naturally, I find, to be highly unlikely. While I don't claim to have "proved" anything, how can this not be compelling enough evidence?

quote: Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing: Hear, hear! for no TV! That shit is ruinous to the grey matter. Books (or periodicals, lately) and music, all the way! I too was raised sans TV; now all I do is surf the 'net

I ate so much pot cookies saturday night that all i could do on sunday was boulder!!!! At least Saturday was a little more productive...

This one's a little old, but yes THE POISONWOOD BIBLE gets better the further you go. Has no one out there read any SALMAN RUSHDIE? And I must add, THE SNOW LEOPARD, by Peter Matthieson.