cj001f

see sobo - you are better than me

Then shouldn't it be renaming itself Chopsticks?

Humble? I challenge anyone to be a shittier climber!

That could be true. In my experience however, most of my friends are a little left of center and damn near all of them are either engineers, IT, or have an MBA. Seems common in Seattle. I realize this doesn't address the issue of what the breakdown in the organizations are; but I wouldn't think an educated contingency would let people without proven analytical skills run things for them. Just a guess... Ever looked at the right of center whackjob institutues? MFAs, MDs and DDs (that be divinity - even more applicable than Fine arts......)

anti buddhist too - damn atheistic liberals

oh pshaw Jim. The Rapture is coming before the bill is due!

they are all pretty much the same. laptop life has more to do with other factors. I know quite a few IT monkeys who swear by (not at) Dell

Definitely not - cost of manufacture (and development) is small compared to the other costs. The short reason why I never bothered to pursue making climbing gear further - no money for alot of work. Personally, I wouldn't mind to see marketing budgets shrink - but I sense that other climbers (including Jens) feel different.

he's only interested in ice cream, not oysters

I was unaware I'm not an engineer. Fuck, better stop using the Bridgeport and lathe to make actual product for actual companies as I have since the millenium I had the fucking work quoted - by a real machine shop, not an Intel employee and grad student - who are grossly overpaying. (to be fair the initial conversation was his son being shocked at how much ice tools cost - it progressed from their) Most of cost for outdoor gear is marketing and distribution.

Why should all buyers of BD crampons pay for that shit? I don't give a fuck about that - or 90% of the other causes BD donates money too. I'd be happier with cheaper gear.

Total costs mentioned above, for a circa 2000 tool design, were in neighborhood of $50 - tool + pick at my friendly machine shop. (this was a mostly unoriginal design) Offshoring is of course cheaper. Liability, Marketing, Distribution etc. pushed it substantially higher. If I get a chance I'll try to access my old HD - it has a copy of a business school study of Black Diamond - their costs were slightly higher ($60-70) but the majority is still 'other'. No, it's not bullshit, it's just the retardation of evaluating something on the cost of manufacture, not on the 'total' cost. That shits dirt fucking cheap. If you'd like I could take you a tour of the machine shop whose owner quoted me those rates - it's way more impressive than BD

WELCOME TO WORLD OF FUCKING CLIMBING GEAR! YOUR ICE TOOLS ARE ABOUT $20 TO MAKE!

Based on my recent experience Diamox is completely incompatible with me. I've heard similar stories of body incompatibility. #1 - it railed my water consumption - from 2-4 liters a day to 8-10 liters. No other adverse affects (i.e. sun sensitivity, nausea, dizziness, etc) #2 - it didn't reduce the altitude symptoms. Still had nasty headaches, etc. (I was in Peru, went from 0m to 4750m in 4 days, spent 9 days >4000m with full pack)

Seattle

I was hoping for another cragging bivy in the back of the pickup - you romantic with the Red Dog, me redolent with 5.4 sweat and scarily chalk encrusted in incompetence.

Alpine bivies only bitch!

Ewww! Climber Cooties! Ewww!

curmudgeon, curmudgeon, curmudgeon

"overhanging slab pitch being of profound excitement" - arthurs pass guide

Wasn't that the reason behind the founding of Verve, the Anti-Chouinard?

Courtesy of Patagonia, a series of videos on what he used to climb the Rupal Face http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=10109 the gear videos worth a watch - homemade heat exchanger, etc.

I'm taller than betas. now be a good little dear and take your soma, and go 'recreate'

It's not like people would ever believe the Republican party has a conscience!

But the trendlines are positive!