David_Parker

Do you like wire gates on both ends of a draw or do like a bent gate at one end? Fuck rock empire. Tech friends do not have the range of a camalot per piece, but you get more in a set and they cost less and weigh less. So what's wrong with them? I have a couple of the trango wire gates and I like them! "Value" is taking ALL these things into consideration.

you have ice axe and crampons and a 8.5 mil rope

I climb mostly alpine and ice climb. I figure any new gear I buy should be light and easy to use in winter (gloved hands) conditions. Wire gates are light and supposedly good in winter. But what are the drawbacks? Are nutrinos really too small? I've also heard tech friends are lighter and just as good as camalots. TCU's for the smaller size? Considering price, weight and function, what are the best draws and cams to buy these days? (I ask this cause all my shit got ripped off and I need to replace it!)

The NEW pole is much better, albeit heavier. Seems stronger (duh) but it is infinitely adjustable without messing with those little buttons in the hole bullshit. I can't believe the first guy balked at replacing it when he heard the "old" style broke. Obviously (like much BD gear) it took a second generation to get it right. Still, I'll buy more BD stuff and I feel I was treated right in the end and that influences me in what products I choose.

I'll use a ski pole on lesser angle stuff unless there are crevasses, then I'll carry my ice axe. Proper french tecnique will get you through pretty steep stuff. When I feel I need to be able to self arrest I use a 57.5 cm straight shaft/classic pick tool. Perfect length for me and I'm 5'-11". I hate swinging anything longer and I don't have to raise my arms quite as high for shaft plunging.

Just so I have this straight, do we have a particular site (or more) reserved at Chatter Creek? What name is the reservation in?

Cmon Colin, spill the beans. I know you just did it! Was that a recon for a winter solo?? What way are you thinking of doing it?

I hope you've already have been with her long enough to figure this out 'cause marriage aint gonna help! Expect a hiatus from climbing for about 5 years if you have kids. Hopefully that's ONE of the reasons you decided to get hitched.

They must carry some sort of lock puller because that's how they broke into Ray's car on Sunday night in the MIDDLE OF A PAYED AND HEAVILY LIGHTED PARKING LOT in Pioneer square. They had to be fast. Stole his stereo (target) and snatched my pack with my rock climbing gear, not to mention my excellent rasta bivy kit. Fucking WANKER CRACK-HEADS!!!

Woah Tim, that sucks about those emails. Can you post the content annonymously? Do you know who sent them or have an "idea?" Anyway, perhaps I am long overdue in expressing my compliments to you and John. You guys do a great job and I'm sure it is thankless sometimes. So what happens to the web site if you step down. Is John going to keep it going? Will someone step up to help him. Or are we looking at the eventual death of cc.com? What if we took up some sort of collection to keep it going. I think often we don't know how much we miss something until it's gone. Hope we don't go there! Cheers to you Tim and may you always have "freshies" under your skiis!

I remember a story where a guy was impailed on Mt. Washington in N.H. What saved his life was the fact he hiked down with the ice axe still in him. Had he removed it, he could have bled to death. Just something to remember.

I have to concur that having Fred along made for much entertainment. Even after the big tent was destroyed in the wind storm and Ray, Fred and I were crammed in a NF Oval 25, it wasn't too bad. Fred didn't even spill the pee bottle, although thank god for the vestibule. It was too bad that Fred's rib hurt so bad. The one time he did decide to go for a walk, he went over to the slopes below Page Mountain and sat down in a debris pile of rocks that tumbled down the mountai; we kinda got a kick out of that. He was dressed in black and just sorta looked like a rock himself just sitting there. Here's a photo! Here is a link to my photos. I wouldn't suggest trying to look at them from a modem connection. This is the long version and I intend to shorten it up. http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b328b15fe447&notag=1 It was a great trip in a very remote area and I hope to return soon.

About 34 B to 36 C I don't own any gear. I either climb with partners who do or free solo.

I noticed under "amenities nearby" there is "Rock Hanging". We're not gonna lynch the kids are we?

September 6 and 7 is sat and sun. I will plan on showing up Friday night probably. I hope you can make it! If I understand right, Chatter Creek is reserved for us. Bug and Hillweasle and I seem to be the 3 behind this. We really hope this attracts anyone who has kids to show up. It could be a good event for those who have spouses that "dabble" in climbing too. My wife plans on coming and she's a dabbler. I might bring bikes and swimming stuff too!

I imagine setting up a few top ropes in the 5.2 to 5.7 range. Anyone know a really good place that has multiple top ropes close together? I don't know the good kid friendly places up the icicle. It would be good to post where we think we'll be climbing for Sat and Sun for those who might want to show up for just the day. Also, I'm not opposed to doing a regular pitch or 2 pitch climb with my kid but obviously it would need to be with another parent kid because I aint gonna let my 8 year old belay me on lead!

I bought MH down bag rated to 30 deg at REI for $189. (on sale) It weighs 1lb-5oz and packs really small. I figure I'll try it down to 15 deg with my down jacket I always carry with me. Probably even warmer in a bivy sack. There's other shit I can ditch to save weight!

Fuck email, use phone. Spoke to Mike: D: I have a broken section of megamid pole. Broke in wind strorm. We were impressed how well Megamid was doing until pole broke. M: How old is the pole D: 3-4 years I think M: is it silver or gold? D:Silver M: that's an older one, new one's stronger D: I'm happy if you send just the section that broke M:I don't think we have any more older ones. WTF, I'll just send you a new one. What's address? End of story, it's on the way! BD still Rocks!

This is about Alpine racking, not crag or sport racking. Alpine climbing demands efficiency. MattP is right on about making some anchors too perfect on easy ground. The partners should discuss their similarities and differences before they start. The leader should get the rack the way he/she likes it. Perhaps that is one reason many alpinists lead in blocks. The follower should clean and re-rack the way he likes the rack if he leads next and the way the partner likes it if he leads next (again). If you are using two ice tools, it affects the way you handle slings (why I like rabbit runners!) That being said I think in the alpine most of the gear should be on a sling with each partner always having one. Large cams can be on the gear loops and passed off if the particular pitch calls for them. Alpinists should have gear loops on their packs! If you're wearing a pack, the ones on your harness don't work very well. Slings work better at tight stances. Climbers who don't like using gear slings should start practicing to get used to them if they want to become an alpinist. Keep in mind the alpine rack is often much smaller. A rule of thumb is one rock piece for each 5.? of the grade....ie... 6 pieces for 5.6, 7 for 5.7 etc, not counting ice screws. I like to have 4-6 slings around my shoulder on top of the gear sling and draws on the rack. An alpinist should not have to constantly make long runners short and then undo them again and again. Too much bumbling around. I like my runners around my shoulder going the opposite way as the gear sling with one biner on them and a couple spares on the rack if you need another. I also like the biners with gear clipped with gates out. (I don't care what is in front or back so I just put the sling on backwards instead of turning them all around if my partner likes it the other way). When wearing winter clothes, I think they unclip easier. I do like my screws on "clippers" on my pack or harness as they hang better and don't rip my pants. I disagree with the premise it doesn't make a difference how fast your change overs are. This is where a lot of time CAN be lost an a big route and it IS important to have your systems down. Alpinism is about moving all the time (fast) without wasted energy. Al-Pine, you carry way too much gear!!!

No werd from BD after last email. I took the thing apart and now have the broken section isolated. I think I'll call and tell them I'm sending it to them and want a replacement of the bbroken piece. If thet can't do just the piece, that's their problem and then they can send me the whole replacement. If they balk, I tell em to fuck off, I'm not paying $60 for another piece of weak aluminum. I agree that the pole should be as strong as the tent though! Beck, thanks for the offer, stand by. BTW, I don't set the thing up in salt water so I don't get the sea kayaking thing. It's not like it's suceptible to electrolisis or something!

I wonder if alchohol was an "issue?" I remember when I was in my 20's, got drunk in Park City and went buildering all over town. Pretty stupid in retrospect. Too bad and condolences to his friends and family.

Michelle, I hope you do find Mr. Right.....what about Erik . But seriously, I bet if you did find Mr. Right, you'd be more likely to climb with married men in the interest of not having to do so much explaining. Just another correlation between marriage and climbing, eh?

Yeah Rob, I debated about writing that on the internet. I don't think my wife reads this board, but I decided I wanted to be blatantly honest about what I think to see what kind of reaction I'd get. We Americans seem to always be "hiding" behind our true feelings and not saying what we really think. I do NOT believe in "PC". I find it's just easier to be truthful; it seems to open doors with other people who are initially shocked...or fein being shocked. In reality I'd rather discuss this whole subject in private with you, Kitten or even my wife. I have nothing to hide, but a public forum IS risky. I'm a risk taker though!

So now that we are getting closer, who is still interested? My son and I will be there. WHO else? For kids sake, please leave the spray out of this thread and keep it simple!

It is a question I contemplate daily. It often seems the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. For a while I was more focused on the other side, but recently I have been making an extra effort to find the good things on my side. It has improved things. Without a doubt, marriage is a higher level of commitment and most people will work harder to make it work. My wife can see how grumpy I get if I don't go climbing and has become more understanding with time. Climbers are passionate about their chosen sport and if a spouse does not have at least one passion that is comprable, whether it is another sport or quilting, then it would be difficult for that spouse to "understand" our needs. As climbers, we need to be sensitive to the fact a spouse has good reason to worry why we are away. One thing I do is "register" with my wife. I have a form that says where I'm going, where the car is parked and type/licence #, day in/day out, closest ranger station with phone #, and when to call someone if I have not called by a certain time. As climbers, we are into instant gratification, have larger egos and require activities that release endorphins or adrenaline. Climbing and sex do this. I don't like climbing the same thing over and over and so I can say along those lines, the idea of sex with other woman is intriguing to me. To me, that has nothing to do with how much I love my wife, but I also think most American woman would have an extremely difficult time understanding that. I'd say marriage keeps me in check in that department and is why I question it sometimes. I'm selfish, what can I say? Does that make me a dirtbag? I'd probably be more of a dirtbag if I got divorced! When I got married I wasn't thinking about kids. Now I have a wonderful 8 year old son and I can NOT even imagine life without him. I do think if you want to have kids, you should be married. So I'm glad I'm am.