Winter

I recently picked up a 70m Petzl Nomad 9.8. Its gotten a pretty good work out and has held up really well. Pre-coiled from the factory, soft and supple feel, middle marking (which has faded a bit), durable. There were rumors that Petzl ropes were having sheath problems, but they seem to have fixed that and they've been on sale b/c I think they're having problems moving them. I got a good deal.

For a year or two I used a Pentax Optio W60 and had pretty good results. Unfortunately, the screen cracked, although I had it in a soft Lowe Pro protective case and can't remember ever dropping it, so I can't actually recommend it as a "tough cam." Since then, I've been shooting with the Lumix TS-1. The HD video is definitely cool, but I'm a bit disappointed with the picture quality - seems like I get more noise then I did with either the Pentax or prior Canons I've used. It took me a awhile, but I've managed to work out most of the bugs by fine tuning the manual settings on sensitivity, f-stop and exposure, but it took awhile and still I think picture quality lags behind what you'll get from other point and shoots. Definitely not the way to go if you like to set it on auto and go. In the end, I kind of question the tough cam concept for climbers in general. I got them not for the water proofing but more for the dust issue, as Canon point and shoot lenses have a history of jamming up with minimal dust and dirt intrusion. If and when the Lumix goes, I'm probably going to go back to a Canon point and shoot. I'm willing to possibly pay more to replace my camera occasionally for image quality and RAW capability, but that won't be everyone's priority. If you're happy with what you've got, I definitely would NOT spend money to upgrade to a "tough cam." One final aside, I also checked out the Canon D10, but the interior zoom makes the thing so damn wide and bulky that it really detracts from the value of having a point and shoot in the first place, especially for climbing.

I just sent the key rock next to my backdoor - V2. V4 with the sit start.

I got stranded in Amsterdam in 1998 by a train strike. Hopped a bus to Edam, ate cheese and hung out with a bunch of cool windsurfers. Check it out.

Did Lord Winchester have a Bosch with him in 1951?

no way! too funny. the d-dog saga continues. another pittsburgh boy gone bad. he was a class ahead of me in middle school.

Trip: El Potrero Chico - Date: 3/29/2010 Trip Report: I managed to get away for about 10 days of climbing down in Mexico in March and had a great time. This site has some beta but really no TRs for Potrero, so here's a link to one. Go check this place out if you get a chance. Gear Notes: 70 m rope, 25 draws Approach Notes: Continental Flight 2185

The got Kalymnos right.

rad.

shit nate. sorry man.

Man ... sad news.

amazing shots and inspiring trip!

The wind was blowing 20-30 from the parking lot to 8500'. Then calm to the summit. Then blowing again 20-30 from 8500' to the parking lot.

We put in the bootpack yesterday morning. Topped out around 8 am. The turns back down through the chute were firm but grippy. Stable snowpack. Great day on the mountain.

tieton and vantage

nice shots.

"The shallowest ice covering the mountains is hundreds of metres thick. The deepest ice detected is about 4,800m thick. The mountains themselves are standing about 2,500m above sea level." Dig 300 meters to get to the summit. Gives new meaning to "First Descent."

nice work doug.

Someone posted up a listing of E. Or. ice climbs. I'm pretty sure if you run a search for Strawberry and ice, you'll find it.

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx5taH0Kd0A&feature=related

JTree Stoke:

she did last night. ba dum ching.

Last time I drank something Steve labeled as "strong" I don't think I got out of bed for two days.

Hope Chad heals up quickly and props to Rodney for a mad escape.