David_Parker

Yup, I fell in one once at Crystal. It was hard to quell that panicky feeling. I quit using bindings with 3 pins after that. Even getting the bail undone, my boot wouldn't come out easily. You don't have much room to move around: i felt trapped without a lot of options. I don't ski too close to big trees anymore.

It seems many of the manufactures of light weight shells have gone away from pit zips and are claiming the napolean pockets serve dual function; pockets and ventilation. But I'm not convinced this ventilation is better and the cons are you have an open pocket for spindrift to blow in or water to drip in. Also, opening the pocket makes the jacket more suceptable to snagging shit on. Pack straps and gear slings also seem to interfere. Also, if I have a fleece like the NF Denali with pit zips and I layer the shell with Napolean pockets for ventilation, I have a conflict of interest. What's your take? What do you prefer?

If you can afford it, take the flight to visit the Huichols way back in the Sierra Madre? mountains. They are direct descendants of either the incas or anasazi or considered the link between the two. Check out Vallarta Adventures or don't worry, they'll find you on the beach! You will truly take a step back in time. We were some of the first white folk to ever visit them and my son was definitely the first white child their children had ever seen. It was so cool to see their eyes when they spotted him. While the Huichols relish their isolation and visiting them seems like a total violation of their traditions, it is actually they who have invited the tourists. They are renowned for their exquisit bead art and rely on the sales for income. unfortunately it has become too difficult to get the stuff to town for sale and they do better to sell it directly to the tourists up there. We were flown by a Mexican National Geographic pilot who was very infomative. My at the time 5 year old son got to be co-pilot! We even got to circle a volcano on the way back. About 90 miles south is Chamela with really nice beach and cheap Tiki huts to stay in. We were there exactly this time and we had the place to ourselves. On December 15, it will be slammed as that is start of tourist season. We actually rented a small jeep and toured way back in the mountains for a week. There is small ex-mining (now coffee) town (San Sebastian?) worth visiting. It was a very cool experience as everything is all about cowboys in the true sense of the word. Everywhere we went they were amazed to see us and "no tourists" ever visited them back there! They were so friendly and nice. It's worth it to take the watertaxi from the south end out to the places accesible only by boat. We stopped at the one with the waterfall you hike too. The last stop is pretty touristy I heard. You can go bungy jumping, hike the canyon where they shot the movie Predator (gov of ca starring) and party all night long. Still, I'd rent the small jeep and explore the remote mountains. I had fun driving back there! There is actually a huge canyon (as big or bigger than the Grand Canyon back there too.) We went in from PV and came out via a town called Talpa. PM me if you want more detailed beta.

I've seen that shit on cliffs along the coast. I would be more inclined to use ice tools, but even that would be sketchy. Pebbles and rocks held with mud....echhh!

Lambone, what are you going to use for skis. I have silverettas on some 195's and was thinking of putting them on some really short, fat skis instead for same purpose. Maybe like 160s or even 150's. Some dumpster ski that is cheeeeeep!

Hey Minx, how much more snow do we need before Alpenthal opens? My kid wants to go skiing!!

The Smith turbo goggle is for people who wear glasses and has been around since the mid 80's. The problem isn't the goggles so much as their glasses. The googles are extra big to fit over glasses and the fan helps keep the glasses clear. I laugh at people who wear their goggles on top their heads when not on their face. tsk, tsk, tsk! I treat my goggles with extra care. I use a bag for storage, never use paper napkins to wipe them and don't put them on the table at lunch time.

Darn, you got it out. I was going to suggest you take the whole shebang back to REI and get all new stuff. Who do they think they are selling canisters that don't fit properly in the cup?

I don't like Bush. That being said, I gained a lot of respect for him by showing up in Bahgdad for thanksgiving and serving the tropps dinner. No President has ever stepped foot in Iraq and he went during a war! What a huge moral booster! He didn't even tell the secret service where they were going until the plane was in the air. He also said if any word got out as to where they were going, they would turn the plane around. The desire to be there must have been big to pull this off. That showed leadership. Like him or not, you have to respect that.

It might be helpful to post an asking price!

I believe he is selling the Chouinard X tools (blue fiberglass shaft) which were my first ice tools purchased in 1984. Yes, the picks are different and do not work with the newer BD attachment system as pictured above. "Alaska" pick was not used until the new BD system came out. The only picks that came with the Chouinard X tools were a classic and a recurve/droop. I use my older X-tool with classic pick for my alpine climbs when I mostly need only one tool. My second tool is the little grivel thingy. For Alpine climbs with some water ice, use the straight shaft BD BRS tool with Alaska pick. Alaska picks ! Replacement picks for the Chouinard X-tools are no longer available retail. If someone wants these tools and wants the recurve/droop picks, I have some I might sell. BTW, that price is absurd unless there is historical value to these now! Yes, I am an expert when it comes to this line of tools because I have them all still.

so why was the skagit gorge selected? hydro-power politics? what were the arguments against cascade pass? Cascade Pass was actually a better way through the mountains. Unfortunately it was the shores of Lake Chelan that killed it.

Hey Fejas you big Lummox, why don't you come to our "kill bambi" party, You can teach Fern and me and Minx how to butcher the deer and then take your share. The animal won't be wasted. And who knows, maybe Fern would eat the meat if she actually was involved in the killing and butchering. I'll let her speak for herself.

I'm an "opportunivore". I eat meat when I have the opportunity, but don't readily seek it out!

Ok Fern and Minx....hmmm those names just struck me as ironic, Fern (plant) is mostly vegetarian, Minx is an animal, she eats meat.....anyway, I too am interested in learning to skin Bambi from a curiosity/intellectual point of view. Maybe I should have a "kill bambi party". I guess it stems from my opinion that it's not inconceivable we might really need those survival skills in our lifetime! Too many people hate the US and I'll disappear into the woods if they use some smart bomb on us.

One of the best meals I had was Roadkill Fondue at a party in Utah. Apparantly the hosts had hit a deer the day before, killing it. The threw it in the back of their truck and it was really tastey on little forks dipped in boiling oil with lots of different sauces around. Another time I was sea kayaking in Maine and I forgot to bring a water bottle. I came up to a lobster boat where I noticed they were doing some diving too. I asked if they had anything to drink. They gave me a pepsi and offered me some raw (sushi) scallop. That was really good, so they offered me some raw sea urchin. That was sweet. Then they offered me some lobster. I said I don't know about raw lobster dudes....I know all about lobster and I've never heard of eating it raw! Then they told me the lobster was boiling on the stove in the galley so I had some of that too! I have never killed something and eaten it, but I really would like to pop off one of the hundreds of deer that visit my property with a bow and arrow. That would be cool. I could practice a 10 yard shot and then stand in the doorway of my barn just about any day of the year and eventually one would walk by. They come in for apples from my numerous apple trees. I heard you have to expect to track it awhile though and they can go quite a way after being shot. That wouldn't be so good in a residential neighborhood. Oh, there goes Bambi with an arrow in him, and there goes Dave chasing it. I guess night would be best, follow the blood trail with a flashlite. I don't know how to skin the sucker though.

To learn parallel parking, I set up lawn chairs in my driveway. I practiced and practiced until I had it down. On my driving test on a quiet urban street, the instructor found a nice spot between two parked cars and told me to parallel park between them. But they were on the wrong side of the road! But not really because I had practiced parking with the chairs on MY side of the car, not the passenger side! DUH! I panicked and cut too hard and my rt front bumper struck the left rear of the front car ever so lightly. There was no damage to either car. The instructor stopped the test right then and there, filled out a form to leave on the struck car saying it been struck during a drivers test and then we went directly back to the exam building. I passed the second try.

My liners in my plastic boots packed out so I ordered some. Hope they fit, but for that price it was worth the risk. I also used to fit ski boots and was wondering a if anyone had a source for ski boot fitting products like ankle wraps, pads, wedges, donuts, etc. I'll probably have to do some custom fitting to make them work right. BTW, check out some of the gloves. There's a burton glove with thinsulite and pittards leather for $25. Good ice climbing gloves! Snowboard gloves are often just as good as "iceclimbing" gloves, features are similar and way cheaper.

I'm at work and the # is in my guide book, but they have info on avy conditions for climbs such as PC and Borgeau L&R. They actually "control" those climbs, but you still need to use your own common sense. There is so fucking much to do, you can find something on any day. Be flexible and smart.

Was it just the store's inventory or are you sure Garmont itself doesn't make a small enough boot. I can find out if you tell me your size. I'm in with the reps. PM me if you need help. Good boots I think.

Without specifics, I have heard using your own oven is very risky. I'm sure the store where you bought the boots will re-heat them for you. I just got new hockey skates and even they are thermofit!

You obvoiusly don't know HOW to drink in Utah! We have 7% beer, they have 7% powder. I'll take the powder anyday!

Best common sense compromise I've heard. This is what I've been promoting all along. Duh!!! National Parks are public land set aside for permanant protection from other activities such as mining, logging and other natural resource extraction. I don't mind paying for use of that "protected" land. I'll be damned if I'll subsidize the National Forest and soon to come I'm sure, BLM land. I can stand that...

"Was it over when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor?" "German's?" "Forget it, he's on a roll!"

Since I just moved into the plastic boot world, I went through my own binding woes. Since I never experienced tip dive or "rocker launch" with leather boots, cables never bothered me. Billy goat makes a good point about freeing the heel more in light powder. My only counter to that stems from personal experience. I fell in a tree well once and it was scary. What I discovered was that I couldn't get to my toes to undo the bail and even if I could have undone the bail with a pole, the pins still hold my boots. To it wasn't exactly easy to get one of my skis off to extract myself. I imaging being swept up in an avalanche and being partially buried could pose the same problem. I determined escaping my skis would be easier with just cables and no pins, so I don't like pins anymore. The G-3 has been a great binding for me so far. I use the middle weight cables. Shall we discuss the pros and cons of risers now???