Winter

FW - Your rhetoric is a bunch of crap. All you're doing is spewing a bunch of ideological nonesense without addressing anything substantive. End commercial harvest on public lands, and I think you would see many progressives "placated." Ooohh .. an "end to capitalism" ... you make them out to sound like the axis of evil. Mountainguy - The timber companies DO NOT bid on timber AND land. That would amount to a sale of public land. The timber companies bid on the timber not the land, and then the freddies give them a discount for road building, or essentially subsidize road building by building incentives into the timber sale contracts. You are right that the env. groups do need both the timber sale AND the land, but that's because the Forest Service can just plan another timber sale in the same place a couple of years later. I'm in favor of market-based solutions, but in the long run I can't see this being a real successful approach to conservation, because the money will only buy a delay and not any permanent protections. And I agree with you ... we DO need another Julia Butterfly.

winter is my namemy avatar is the samelater. gone to smith.

quote: Originally posted by vegetablebelay: Sounds great, but the best combo is with chocolate instead of jerky, jerky Hey vegetablehead ... what are you some kid of cabbage eatin' vegetarian dissin' jerky?

Everest whiskey? That stuff is harsh. Jim Beam in the backocuntry if you're poor ... Wild Turkey if not (Hunter knows what he's talkin about). All chasing some super salty beef jerkey ... best combo ever.

quote: Originally posted by erik: winter, now you are the same as fairwether with your comments. so repub vs demo is allworhtless anyways......just like most media....i wonder what ted turner thinks???....hmmmm lets turn on the the tv and find out......the media is as crooked as the most crooked politician.....what can i get for myself??? i think all people have had a valid opinion with this subject, but this is also a subject that has many different correct opinions. you just have to wade through the bullshit and pick up the facts that you believe are important and either hold true to your original opinion or maybe even form a new one. Ok. Granted those comments weren't all that useful ... fun though. Try this: even though the press may be owned by corporate America (or in FW's eyes the evil liberals), freedom of the press and free speech is WAY more important than controlling the information in an effort to make sure the American public gets "accurate" info.

Aw man - Fairwhiner spouts off republican rhetoric again. Yeah, let's limit free speech based on the content, that's real good for America. Isn't there like a Rush Humbug board you can post this stuff on? What happened to the less offensive topic of blaming environmentalists for the world's evils?

quote: Originally posted by Fairweather:[QB]The Crystal Mountain expansion proposal will dramatically improve the sewage disposal aspect of that operation. Anyone who claims that the proposal is bad for the environment is full of sour grapes.[QB] HAH! Stinkin' republicans. Off-spring of George W. [ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Winter ]

quote: Originally posted by Fairweather: ...."Olympics and Cascades"..."increasing pressures from recreational activities such as skiing".... When was the last new ski resort built in the Cascades or Olympics? What other forms of recreation are ravaging our local mountains? Are they talking objective standards of physical environmental degredation, or the subjective "solitude" standard often cited by grumpy hiking guide authors whose names I won't mention? Sounds like this whole story is light on scientific study and heavy on anecdote. I call bullshit on this story. As an example, Ht. Hood Meadows and Govt. Camp folks are talking of building gondolas from Govy to Timberline and then across the E side of the mountain to Mt. Hood Meadows. Meadows wants to expand into the White River watershed but luckliy got shut down by the FS and eviros. Meadows also wants to build a huge destination resort at Cooper Spur, including an 18 hole golf course and 450 living units at about 4000 feet. The objective physical degaradation has been well documented and will continue at this rate. The FS has also been liquidating thousands of acres of old-growth in the Oak Grove watershed that serves as a drinking water source for several of the communities on the east side of the mountain. Just a couple of examples. Also, check out the expansion plans of Crystal Mountain, the planned ski resort at Pelican Butte next to the Klamath Basin that just got shut down and another planned ski resort in northern california. Mt. Ashland is also planning on expading into a roadless area that provides key habitat. The Forest Service also wanted to put in a backcountry discovery route for ORV's stretching thousands of miles along the Cascade Crest from Cal. to Wa. ... blah blah blah.

I've been on Garmont GSM's for the past couple of years. They're definitely comfortable to climb in (3.5 lbs for the pair) and are great for turns. I think I got them for a couple 100 bucks on-line somewhere ... maybe a European web site or a defunct e-tailer. I also have the infernos (super nice feel), and the GSM's aren't as comfortable, but I doubt you're going to be very psyched trying to rip it up in the plastics.

I've got this excellent Arva digital transceiver that I'll get rid of for only $225.00.

I got an Arva digital transceiver last year. I was out a couple of weeks ago working on skills, and I had the thing in search mode. I was down near the ground and got it in the snow. A few hours later it had fogged up inside and stopped working. It took it two days to dry out before it would work again. I'm not too psyched to depend on this thing if I'm buried in the white stuff. Has anyone had any similar experiences with other brands or is the Arva just a total piece of shi-ite?

quote: Originally posted by Marcus Engley:I suppose it's all about acceptable risk. I don't spend enough time in serious avalanche terrain to warrant (in my mind) a vest, but I spend enough to warrant the beacons. Don't really know why I draw the line there, but I do. m[/QB] An avalung ain't going to do you no good unless your wearing a beacon so your buddy can find you and dig you out. Gotta' wear a beacon if you're going to be out there.

Crime and Punishment kept me glued to the pages while waiting hours on end for mystery busses to show up in East Africa, and Bones of the Master recounts one monk's pilgrimage to his master's burial site in the mountains of Inner Mongolia. Both books make time pass fast.

Knuckledraggers drool.

Bolts are one thing ... access is another. Madrone was closed last summer and still is. Folks are working on getting that gem reopened, and poaching it isn't going to help. But sport climbing isn't a crime.

WILDERNESS FIRE LEAVES 400 ACRES BLACKENED Tuesday, September 18, 2001 By ERIK ROBINSON, Columbian staff writer Vancouver, WA More than 100 firefighters from across the region battled steep, rugged terrain Monday as they tried to control a forest fire in the Mount Adams Wilderness. Fanned by variable winds and low humidity, the lightning-caused Salt Creek fire quickly chewed up hundreds of acres of wilderness around Mount Adams this weekend. The fire was the biggest of several sparked by lightning Saturday night. Linda Turner, spokeswoman for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, said a crew working on the fire Sunday afternoon watched as variable winds and dry conditions caused the blaze to blow up from about 5 to 300 acres in three hours. "The thing blew up, and they pulled back," Turner said. "Someone said there's not a stick out there worth anybody's life." An air tanker was called in to drop retardant to protect fire crews. Forest officials said about 125 firefighters were on the scene by late Monday afternoon, including two elite 20-member "hot shot" crews from Entiat in Central Washington and Baker River near Bellingham. The ranks of firefighters were expected to swell to as many as 200 by Monday night. Faced with steep terrain, along with no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, firefighters have a difficult task ahead. "Things are extremely dry," Turner said. Although there are no towns nearby, forest officials are worried about the fire spreading east to the nearby Yakama reservation or southeast to the insect-ravaged forests in the Gotchen area. If fire gets into the dead and dying trees affected by a spruce budworm infestation, thousands of acres could go up in flames. Officials expected to have a smaller 3-acre fire called Aiken Lava controlled by Monday night. As for the Salt Creek fire, which had grown to about 400 acres by late Monday afternoon, officials don't know when it will be contained with fire lines or brought it under control. Steep terrain, drought conditions and the fact that the fire is in a wilderness area, where the use of heavy equipment is restricted, may hamper firefighting efforts. "Logistically, it's just going to take a while," Turner said. Turner said the crews did get permission to use chainsaws, normally prohibited within federal wilderness areas. Air tankers and helicopters also are being used in battling the fire. Tom Knappenberger, public affairs officer for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, said it's the biggest fire there in about 15 years. Officials have closed several hiking trails in the area around Mount Adams, including a portion of Round-the-Mountain Trail No. 9 between the Stagman Ridge Trail and South Climb Trail. The Salt Creek Trail and Shorthorn Trail also are closed to public access.

On a bivi at the foot of the Adams glacier I ran into a couple of guys that had a tough time on the north face of the northwest ridge. They claimed to have misjudged the length of the route, taking a pretty big fall in which this guy wripped a huge hole in his pants and lost his axe, then they dug a snow cave, summitted (yeah right) and then for some reason descended the same way instead of coming down the north ridge. We got to talking and they claimed to be from Florida. That's when they pointed down to our gear and said "what's that?" "Uhh ... its a picket."

Hmm. A week late is better than never. I don't want to be the one to defend the Mt. Hood climbing lock out, and that's not my point. The "movement" that you all think has been corrupted has also reigned in the Forest Service's raping of the federal lands and forests (mostly through an aggressive litigation strategy), put the wolf back in Idaho (and hopefully the grizzly in the N. Cascades), and brought the bald eagle back from the brink of extinction. Don't get so pissed of at the whole "movement" just because of fixed anchors and access issues, because your next approach to the North side of Mt. Adams may just be through a barren stretch of wasted clear cut, and the drinking water flowing from your tap at home may be causing cancer in your kids. If y'all really want to be reasonable than step back from the access issues (recreational value) and consider all the other values (ecological and human health) folks are working to protect, and try to bridge the gap between climbers and enviros. You don't have to agree with access restrictions, but without the "freaks, movement and wack'os," the Pacific Northwest and its mountains would be in a much worse condition. You condem them but you reap the benefits every time you step foot in the backcountry. Try to find some common ground instead of ranting or else the divide will just get worse, and climbers aren't going to win the access war under the current laws (but they may find a friend in the Bush administration).

As a grouchy old environmentalist (29) and a lawyer, I have to partially disagree. Yes, enviros and attorneys have limited access, and maybe the Mt. Hood situation isn't a great policy decision. But the bottom line is that these folks are out there working to protect the places that every climber loves to experience. You should be supporting the movement not railing on it because of the few exceptions.

Hey folks - Wyden introduced a bill to chop the fee demonstration program, and if you think the program sucks (which it does), give Wyden a call and offer some support. Also, check out www.freeourforests.org. On a related topic, Mt. Hood Meadows is trying to put in another lift (Lift 21). Friends of Mt. Hood has been watchdogging and protecting this area for years along with the Mazamas. Call Kim Titus, District Ranger, Hood River Ranger District at 541-352-6002 for some information. Comments to the EA are due August 20. I've got comments if you want to submit some.

Most of the time you won't get stuck paying duty, but watch out. I placed an order from Cham3S (www.cham3s.com) and got a collection notice 4 months later, because I never paid duty. Most of the time you never get stuck with it, but sometimes they'll get you.

Thanks for the link. How cool does that Diamond Couloir thing look?! Not bad for the equator.

I've bought a fair amount of gear from Telemark-Pyrenees, although they don't have the best selection of climbing gear. They do, however, have great prices on AT gear and excellent customer service. (I think the French are friendlier via e-mail when you're paying them money.) But here's an interesting antecdote to keep in mind. Most of the time you don't have to worry about duty. Once, though, I got a notice from a collection agency about 6 months after a purchase. They claimed I owed DHL ten bucks for duty, that they had sent me three notices and that they were going to report me to the credit bueraus. I had never paid duty before, never gotten any notices and didn't even know this was an issue. I called T-P and they told me that this happens from time to time and that it is totally luck of the draw as to whether customs gets you.

This is a total shot in the dark, but does anyone out there have any beta or good stories on the Mulanje in Malawi, Point John on Mt. Kenya, Spitzkoppe in Namibia or crags on the West Cape in South Africa? I'm headed to Africa from Portland on the 24th of Feb and am looking for info on moderate routes in those areas. Thanks! Btw, cool forum without the bs.