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Try contacting: http://snowcountrysports.com/contact.cfm They are on the other coast kinda - but as of last season they had a bunch of the stubby X-15's 40/45ish. Can't remember whether they were axes or hammers. Carl

Odd Guy - he does put up some incredible climbs though. Twight's got a new book coming out this spring "Confession's of a Serial Climber" - Chesslerbooks has it listed in thier catalog, though I don't believe it's out yet. Be interesting to see what he says in there. Carl

Part of the reason behind the hardshell helmet, is that it will still be somewhat functional after multiple impacts - the plastic shell and the webbing are designed to withstand multiple impacts wherease the closed cell foam is useless after one impact. Hard Shells are also have superior resistance to sharp/highly angled projectiles(sharp falling rocks) - as comparison bike helmets are useless against curbs. Carl

They're not Seattle area, but Opticus (www.opticusinc.com) makes great Glacier glasses and knows what there doing. Plus you cna chose from Julbo, Cebe, etc to get the frames you like. Carl