Nick

Books and coffee may not be enough by themselves. Several specialty bookshops already cater to particular segments of the outdoor book market, such as Flora and Fauna or The Armchair Sailor. The Mountaineers bookstore has most in-print mountaineering titles. I think the idea of using lectures, slide talks, demos and so forth to draw customers and to create a sense of community is an excellent one. You could host workshops, presentations by local guide services, etc. but keep the atmosphere more intimate, like a British pub. Most of the gear shops do this kind of thing now and then, but you would want to have a fairly full schedule in order to become the go-to spot. In fact you should have live music, authors readings, art shows, whatever. It doesn't all have to be about climbing to appeal to climbers. What people want is a pub.

They don't bother my shins, the mega-rides strip all the flesh off my heels instead, on outings with many miles of skinning. Otherwise they are great . . .

goldenchild, sounds like a normal list of stuff to carry in the winter, but maybe the specific items you use are bulkier than what some of us carry. I am average sized, I carry size large garments in winter, but I pick stuff that stuffs small, don't carry duplicates (other than socks and gloves). If I carry a tent it's a very small one. I can get everything in a Granite Gear Virga, a pack that weighs less than 2 pounds but is roomy enough. Sometimes I choose a sturdier pack, or a larger one, but never one that weighs more than 3 or 4 pounds. I don't like skiing with a pack that has a frame.

Sometimes the toe-piece ices up enough to stop me from clicking the toe of the boot into the binding. A little quick chipping with a knife, screwdriver or the tip of my ski pole is all it takes to clear the binding and get going again.

The Emmons route is fun. Rope up on the interglacier, people fall in crevasses there most every year. If you do camp on the interglacier bring along an avalanche probe (or a 7 foot long pointy stick) to check for possible crevasses under your camp site. Taking an extra day to camp and drink lots of water up by Camp Shurman is a good idea; the rest and hydration makes summit day more fun.

Good grief, doesn't anyone else think this whole fuss is absurd and bizarre. Coal companies are grinding up entire mountain ranges. Glaciers are rapidly melting away. Forests are being felled around the world. Meanwhile you're all freaked out about how someone touched a particular rock in a certain way. The planet is being overwhelmed by insane and superstitious ape-locusts. Good grief.

When are you going to be in Seattle? I'll hike up to Muir with you if I have time when you're here. I've been to Muir and back in whiteout conditions more than once. It's just a matter of using map + compass and/or gps to stay on the Muir snowfield route. I was up there last weekend in a whiteout so intense we had trouble keeping our ballance. Very disorienting. You will want snowshoes, complete winter clothing, snow shovel, etc. There is one slope with avalanche potential on the route and there are crevassed glaciers on either side of the route, so you want to be careful, but the Muir snowfield route itself is a straightforward snow hike. As for altitude, it is worth getting in good cardiovascular shape to climb Rainier, but most of us locals live at sea level, so we are no more acclimatized than you are in Florida. The effects of altitude will not be as uncomfortable if you take three days (instead of one or two) to climb Rainier. Camp at 9000 or so the first night, then at 11,000 feet or so the second night, then head for the summit at midnight or so. Climb in good weather. Will you be climbing with a guided group in June? Or some other group with some glacier mountaineering experience?

Both Mammut and Trango seem to make this same biner. It gets my vote; inexpensive, good design, good size, easy to handle.

The weather is not looking promising for your scheduled climb of Mt. Hood. Even if the weather seems to be OK, be prepared to navigate in a TOTAL whiteout. Stay on a compass course, don't count on wands alone (unless you carry enough to place them every few feet), an altimeter is a must, GPS is a great idea.

North Face Cat's meow: synthetic, but only 2 Lbs. 10 oz., and seems warmer than the 20 degree rating. I use it for fall, winter and spring in the PNW. Big advantage over down is you can dry your wet clothes inside the synthetic sleeping bag. This bag has a roomy, comfortable shape too.

Fun show Mike. How are you getting those cool zoom and pan effects?

I use a Garmin GPS60. This is the cheapest of the new line that has both long battery life and an improved antenna. It is easy to use and I like it a lot. There are more expensive versions which can display maps as well. The only down side is the 8 ounce weight. It is a general purpose tool that you can customize easily so that the screens show exactly the data you want to see depending on whether you are navigating on land, at sea, or whatever. Garmin also makes the tiny Gecko, very light. Down sides are shorter battery life and it's hard to use with gloves on and it could easily blow away in a strong wind, it's so small. It isn't designed to be used with a lanyard, but it should be.

Amen to the Scarpa Alphas. I have the original, slightly heavier, liners and these are warm light boots that climb well. Warm enough for the Cascades anyhow. You can walk a long way in them as well. Drinking a lot of water is also important to avoid getting frostbite, particularly on multi-day trips.

If a helmet breaks after being stepped on I wouldn't call that "wearing out". What if your helmet "wears out" when you are half way up Rockfall Peak? I found the Ecrin to uncomfortably heavy also. The Edelrid Ultralight seems to me the most comfortable of the old style bucket helmets and it's not too heavy at 14 ounces. The Petzl Elios is lighter still, fits closer to the head, seems tough enough to withstand repeated blows, and best of all it seems to protect better against side impacts than the older buckets. This is because (on my head at any rate) it seems to fit much more snugly; the straps seem to support better against side forces, and the foam probably adds an extra degree of force absorption. The half dome seems similar to the elios but doesn't fit my head anywhere near as snugly, and the shell seems to be less robust.

Is there any decent water ice on the chair north face route, or is it still pretty much snow? How about other routes around Chair?

Historically, "American technique" is to do the French thing with one foot and frontpoint with the other foot. You can spot the American climbers easily; they are the ones with a bunny slipper on one foot and a big plastic boot on the other foot.

AT boots give good support for front pointing, but limit ankle mobility for french technique.

Strap on crampons work ok with bunny slippers, but you should tie the ears back so they won't catch a point.

Where's the lid on this box? SOMEBODY CLOSE PANDORA'S BOX!!

Petzl Elios fits my head better and seems sturdier. With all the dough you can save on great hardware with your job at bd you should be able to afford whatever helmet actually fits your head.

Petzl Charlet makes some particularly nice and light steel crampons. Get whatever binding works best with the boots you like. Strap-ons and new-matics are fine and fit more boots. Horizontal front points will work anywhere. The 10 point petzl steel crampons (with frontpoints) are almost as light as aluminum, and are much more secure on harder ice. I can't understand Plark42's (see above) use of aluminum crampons to limit his climbing. I find that when aluminum crampons start to feel insecure all I need to do to feel secure again is to put on steel crampons. Aluminum crampons are fine on snow and firm neve, but the light steel crampons are much better on hard late-season glaciers and on water ice. The steel is also a lot better on rock. The 12 point crampons are only a bit heavier and will work well just about anywhere.

Set the thingy on the rigid setting when you use the crampons with rigid boots; it might help the crampon stay on the boot. Set the crampon to hinge when worn on a flexible boot; the crampon may stay on better, and the flexing of the boot will put less stress on the crampon itself if it can hinge. The rigidity of the system is determined by the boot. The two settings help the crampon fit the two types of boot better. If your boot is semi rigid then take your pick and set the gizmo whichever way seems more secure.

I had another brand of beacon with this problem some years ago and fixed it with a piece of cardboard cut to fit inside the battery door.

But in the meantime this beacon is designed to encourage searchers to rescue their own customers first!

Good point, I'm just pointing out that someone using a beacon for the first time ought to know what the knobs are for before they head out into the snow. The best place to practice is away from electronic interference. Best of all is out in the snow with as much realism as is practical.