Alpine_Tom

This is why they make mountain bikes, eh?

This new bbs software has been running for quite a while now. So, howcome when I go to www.cascadeclimbers.com (like from a different computer) it still goes to the "old" look? I'm too soft in the brain to remember to add the "threadz" and the rest of it.

Is it just me, or does he bear a resemblance to Keith Richards in this photo? They're close to the same age, I think...

Seems like the search for "the best all-around rope" is a lot like the search for "the best all-around pack." Certainly you could use a 60m 11mm rope for glacier travel, just as you could use a 70L pack as a daypack. IMHO, if I had to chose just one rope, it'd probably be my 9.9mm 50m Edelweiss. Though for glacier travel, a 30m 9.0 rope is about half the bulk and weight. And, as far as good deals, Gearexpress.com usually has ropes at really good prices, if you're willing to pick from what they have.

Yeah, and 50% of it is about as useful as Siberia. Didn't they recently rename the Northwest Territories "None of it?"

Yeah, well, you expect something like Johannesburg to take a few tries. But fer cryin' out loud, this was my FIFTH attempt on this lousy peak -- four times via the glacier and once via Lone Tree! So I've decided that it's actually a "project." So on Saturday I was just "workin' my project," rather than failing to summit. I attached one of Lee's digital photos (I hope) so you can decide for yourselves if we turned back too soon.

I tried a pair, didn't like them at all. Maybe I got the cheap ones (maybe they're all cheap?) but they tended to fall apart, and even when they stayed together, the earbud portion wouldn't stay in my ear.

If you get hit by large SUV while in a car you have a chance of not dying, unlike some other modes of transportation listed here... But I guess headphones are still better than cell phones (can you say "Darwin Award"?) Huh? I didn't say a bicycle was as safe as a car, all I said was that headphones (at least those that I've used) haven't blocked traffic sounds, that I can hear traffic better than I can from a car. I have never tried using a cell phone on my bike, although I did shave w/ an electric shaver a few times while riding in, back when I used to shave. Didn't get hit then either, sorry...

See, you Canadians just don't understand. Around here, you get a tax rebate if your rig is big and heavy enough! "Hybrids qualify for a tax credit of a few thousand dollars. In contrast, deductions of up to $25,000 are available to those who purchase SUVs weighing more than 6,000 pounds. The Hummer is one of 38 SUVs that qualify for this ludicrous loophole..." http://www.detroitproject.com/readmore/faq.htm Personally, the stupidist vehicle I've seen is a Hummer with those low-profile tires like you sometimes see on tricked-out Civics. That thing looks like it would bottom out on a speed bump, but it wastes lots of gas, and gets lots of attention (it got mine, anyhow) and I guess that's what's important.

so are burlap sacks and bananas around one's neck Is Hennessy aid?

Damn, you serious? Jim climbs!? Yeah, for a newbie, talking to somebody who knows their shit is going to save them much time and hassle. I heard he was a writer...

I've been using a Walkman during my bicycle commute for several years now, listening to books on tape. That myth that headphones keep you from hearing traffic is bullshit -- I can hear the traffic a lot better on my bicycle with my Walkman blaring at full volume than I can from inside my car with the windows up and the radio off. I use Aiwa earbuds, because I can't find a suitable pair of headphones that fit under a helmet. The ones that wrap behind the head don't fit me comfortably. The Aiwa earbuds are rubbery rather than foam, so they will actually stay in without having to get screwed up into your middle ear. But for going without a helmet, the lightweight sony walkman headphones are pretty comfortable for me. Not the ones that cover your ear (they get too hot & sweaty), but the ones that stick into the ear canal. Probably you'll have to try a bunch of them to find one that fits your skull comfortably.

We're currently working through the Calvin and Hobbes books for bedtime reading (though I'm not convinced it's the sort of thing a five-year-old needs to be exposed to) just started "Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat" And reading "Legs" by William Kennedy, after the kid goes to bed.

As I understand it, the majority of that money is used for maintenance of the toilet facilities at Muir. I'm sure well over half the use of that is by day hikers, who on a good weekend outnumber climbers dozens to one. So the climbers are subsidizing the day hikers, who don't pay the fee. Add to that the folks who do routes that don't include Muir or Sherman, and so get no benefit for it. I'd rather they just doubled the per-car entry fee. That'd be much fairer.

If you haven't, you should have a look at William O. Douglas's book "Of Men and Mountains" It's just amazing the stuff they packed -- five-pound sacks of flower, dried beans, sugar, hunks of bacon, all wrapped up in wool blankets... and a big iron skillet for cooking and glissading with!

Yes, America has always stood foursquare in defence of freedom and opposing tyrany. That's why, for a year and a half AFTER Germany invaded and conquered France, we kept diplomatic relations up with Hilter. Seems like I remember something from gradeschool about some guy named Lafayette? Ah, never mind. It probably wasn't important.

For some stuff metric seems simpler. But when someone says "she was a tall girl, she must have been 1.78 meters" do you have any idea what that means? You can pull out your scientific calculator and punch it in, but kind of slows down the conversation.

Don't forget 7000 grains to the pound. You need that for reloading.

If I can get a sitter jk and I will be there You didn't want to bring the kids? Years from now, they'll hate you for it.

I've thought would be handy to have the reviews at least a bit more structured, like separate forums (fora?) packs, pro, sleeping bags, clothing, tents, etc, but that would add a bunch of extra forums, and more stuff to navigate through.

Please tell me this is the name of a drink and not actually a milkshake made with tequila, cause that sounds really sick! yup ice cream, orange juice, milk, blueberries, tequila, blend for 2 minutes on high speed, drink immediately with straw. I think Dru wins. That's sick.

I tend to side with the "it's all good beta" school. Certainly it's true that being able to scour the web for a dozen successful trip reports on, say, Liberty Ridge might temp an unqualified party to give it a shot. But the biggest benefit is in checking conditions – if a road is washed out, or the route is melted out, or you need to get there extra early for camping permits, it’s certainly nice to be able to find out about it before begging a day off from one’s lovely spouse and talking a partner into going, and heading up to get skunked. I read in some climbing book printed years ago that British climbers arrange climbs in pubs, American climbers arrange them on the telephone. You could probably amend that to “northwest climbers arrange climbs on e-mail.”

Yeah, the most impressive part of the show was how matter-of-fact and "no big deal" his whole discussion was. I guess for Fred, talking about first ascents in the Cascades is about like me talking about mowing my back yard, just something you do. One bit of added trivia -- he talked about the railroad engineer Stevens who found Stevens pass. He later went on to be the chief engineer of the Panama Canal for several years.

I echo RWB. Thanks for putting in all the hard work and risks, SAR, and my condolences to the family and loved ones. It's a sobering thought, this guy probably headed out for an fun day of noodling around with his snowshoes, meet the wife in time for drinks and dinner...

Anyone know why he's not publishing this book through the Mountaineers?