David_Parker

When I read this topic I envisioned video promoting a plan to build a new cog railroad like the one on Mt. Washington in NH. You just never know these days. Whew!!!!!!!

Taking out that large life insurance policy was not a good idea. It's obvious she's trying to kill you. My wife tried to kill me once. She had the rope running through the locking biner but not the ATC. She dicovered the mistake when I asked for tension before having her lower me on a TR. I rapped! I share your concern. Now I don't climb with her anymore (very much). It's a lot better that way!

With a great forecast for Sunday/Monday Feb. 25/26, Lisa Garcia and I headed to Mt. St. Helens for a winter ski descent. On Sun. am we parked at the Marblemount trail head and headed up trail #244 on skins, glad to get away from the hoards of snowmobilers. It was no more than 2 miles to get out of the forest and the overcast showed signs of breaking up as we headed up to our base camp. We found a tent site between two trees on a small ridge around 4000 ft and made camp. Some other day skiers came by and I headed up for one run with them. They had already come down from about 5,000+ft and said it was all icey. Hoping for softer snow in a slight depression we ascended to about 4700 ft on a western facing aspect. There was a few fresh inches over boilerplate and the skiing was tricky because you couldn't tell soft snow from pure ice. The best snow was eastern slopes, especially under the cornices, but these slopes were also suspect. Low angle stuff was the best. That night the full moon gave a wonderful glow to the white slopes surrounding us and we went to bed thinking about the great turns we'd make the next day. Monday dawned cold with blue skies. There was also wind, probably about 15-20 mph. As we ascended and the sllopes got steeper, the desire to be on skiis began to wane. The skins were not holding on the icy sections and ahead, a party was carrying their skis. The wind held steady so we deliberated on wether to keep the skis. My main point was that I only care to ski if it's fun. I don't need to say I did a ski descent of St. Helens. Lisa was up for holding on to them for a while longer but we had to stop to put on crampons and put the skis on our back. Another 500 ft with no improvement and I made the call. It's windy, it's icey, and in spite of the sun, I don't think the wind and temps will make things better higher up. We dropped the skis. About another 1000 ft (around 6000) I regretted my decision. The wind stopped, the ice turned to soft snow and the temps went up. Who would have guessed? I had to go into anger management so we stopped to puff. Another party on tele boots caught us and they too were expressing regrets for dropping their skis. The higher we went the better the snow got and the hotter it got. By the top we were stripped down to fleece and you could have lit a match! (So we did!) It was agonizing to watch two guys who persevered on skis make nice turns for 2000 ft down the hill. It was easy to kick myself as we headed down until we got back to about 6000 ft. There the winds were as strong or even stronger than the morning and the slopes turned to ice again. I knew that ice went down to about 3500 ft. so I felt a little better because it was not fun skiing. Looking back, I realize how understanding mountain weather can be confusing. Standing at 5000ft on a cold, clear day with steady winds lead me to believe the wind wasn't going to be any less higher up. I now know this isn't neccesarily true! Next time I will think twice before dropping my skis. Heres a link to some photos:http://vtour.mywindermere.com/index.cfm?ln=StHelens&username=davepark [ 02-27-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ] [ 02-27-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ] [ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

I did a little legal research once when my car got towed. That guy should get an attorney! First, the truck was on private property and apparantly with permission from the property owner. In this case, only the property owner or his agent can call in the tow truck. The police can not! Therfore the towing was not authorized unless the police tricked him into making some sort of statement that implied authorization. The guy could have said he'd deal with it himself. So he shouldn't pay the bill and if the towing was not legal, anything else discovered after the towing should be inadmissable in court. Now, I am not an attorney, but I know there are some CC's who are. What's you take?. This is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. I was laughing outloud!!! You gotta hand it those rednecks sometime. They sure can have "fun" with enough bud in them!

Now you know why I like to frequent taverns on the Olympic penninsula! You meet all sorts of fun people! Just can't pose as someone who cares about the environment. That guy may have been from New Hampshire. LIVE FREE OR DIE!

quote: Originally posted by Dan Harris: I'm happy an American won a gold medal, but hey, isn't blocking part of any racing where you are not restricted to a lane? Autos, cross country, etc. I've even seen blocking in distance racing in track meets. The stuff that happened in some qualifying heats and the medal race last week were much worse than last night.That is part of the event in my mind. My $0.02 worth. If you watched the Daytona 500 on Sunday, you'd see what happens when you try to block! (18 car pile up.) I think the rules are made to try to keep crashes to a minimum because they are so dangerous in STSS (and auto racing). Also, from my observations, most of the passing happens in the begining of the turns, not the staightaways. The korean guy blatantly moved in front of Ohno in the staight section, thus the foul. I don't think Ohno "sold" the foul to try to get a call that wasn't deserved. I think he HAD to pull up to avoid the crash and used his hands to show he had to do it. Without that block, Ohno wouldn't have lost momentum and would have toasted the Korean in the final turn. The judges don't get to review instant reply. You have to bet he's a little shy on crashing. That's why he hung in 5th place until the last 2 laps. I have heard that Ohno has recieved 16,000 email threats from Koreans today. Maybe we should send email threats to the Korean guy who dragged down Ohno in the first race! Give me a break. He deserved the Gold and the Korean guy was a total sore sport afterwards. Ohno had more to bitch about in the first race than this guy did in the second and Ohno was a true gentleman about it. GO APPOLO!!! [ 02-21-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

It sounds like he descended the Gib route as well. There are some pretty steep sections thru the Nisqually chute area, so I'm impressed. Of the two times I've done Rainier from Muir, I have descended the same way which I don't think is routine. I have come back down to the top of Gib rock and instead of dropping down to the right where Gib ledges route comes up (steep) I have dropped to the left, followed the base of Gib rock and then down thru Cadaver gap. Has anyone done this? I don't know If I'd do it solo though. I have gone this way because I have never done the Ingrham/ DC route and fear I would get lost on the way down, especially in a whiteout. Gib rock keeps me oriented.

quote: Originally posted by specialed: Thank you for the advice about sex, drugs, and alcohol. Sorry, forgot to mention rock-n-roll. Don't forget your CD's!!!

Buy your beer (and gas) in the states, it's cheaper in spite of the exchange. Bring your skis in case it snows a bunch. Buy your dope up there and smoke it all before you come back. Consider going further east for more ice climbing.

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: You know the funny thing is I bet this chute can be skied no problemo. I look back and think just right conditions and person will allow it. I hope he skied it and sprays all over your asses! In the right conditions, I suppose the east chute could be skiied "no problemo." I wouldn't say that about the west chute. But that's assuming you magically appear on the top with your skis and not a big pack. But you WON'T do that unless you have a helicopter. So if someone skis the North Face of Buckner in winter, I'll call him "bad ass" because it WILL be a "bad ass" trip!

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: You can call it what you want. All I am saying is that you guys are full of shit if you think some yahoo with no big name cannot do it. I met some dude in canada last month that skis shit like that for breakfast after a long night of drinking and smoking weed. Cavey, Your post immediately following mine leads me to believe you think I said (paraphrase) that only some "big name" skier could do it. I did not. I think there are plenty of people right here on CC that could and would ski it if they could be dropped on top. I would do it on telemark gear in the RIGHT CONDITIONS! Your Canadian friend is no doubt a bad ass! It just seems to me that there are a lot of people who have conveniently looked over at Buckner from Forbiden and seem to think it's no big deal to ski it. It's not the skiing, its the logistics. No matter how you slice it, it's not done "for breakfast"! Maybe Alpine K and I should just go do it and put an end to this thread! I just don't know about doing it in winter. Then again, last week's weather was making me think about it. Since there is no ice climbing to speak of, it's something to consider.

I don't have tubes but have thought about them some. One disadvantage is that if you are sit glissading, you risk the buckle coming undone or breaking and the tool coming out. This could be mitigated by using a carabiner thru the leashes as backup. Still, the standard loops seem more secure while glissading. It wasn't me who had to walk back up Rainier searching for a lost tool. I just sat on a rock and waited for my partner to conduct his search. He was lucky and found it!

Bob Marley joint

Unless you have never climbed Rainier, I wouldn't be upset with not standing on the very top. If you were at 14,000+, as far as I'm concerned you climbed the mountain! My 3rd time up my partner felt satisfied waiting at the rim while I walked across and up the last little bit. I had to do it but if conditions were like what you describe, I wouldn't be bummed. Hell of an effort!!!

see this>>>> http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000225

quote: Originally posted by Yungaburra: I think my friend may be getting too big for his britches! This all sounds like maby I should get a stick and slap him around a bit and then reconsider Maybe you can hook up with the guys who want to ski Mt. Buckner! [ 02-15-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

quote: Originally posted by vegetablebelay: The Russians get to keep their gold medals so now everyone gets gold. Sounds like the special olympics to me. Controversy is not new to the Olympics. In 1972, the Russians had 2 extra chances after the clock ran out to win the Gold in Basketball. I think they should give Tommy Smith his Gold Medal back from the '68 Olympics. I think the antics and the costumes some of these athletes wear on the podium are worse than him holding a fist in the air!

quote: Originally posted by bonehead: Dave, Off the subject a bit - but is anyone aware of any good sports taverns that show world class soccer, including the World Cup ? Any bar in Mexico! BTW, I went to the Sonics game last night. I would have rather stayed home and watched the Olympics! News Flash: They just awarded the Canadian figure skaters the GOLD!!!!!!!! [ 02-15-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ] [ 02-15-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

If you're going to compare bike riding with climbing, you need to be more specific. I was having a conversation last night about what sports require the athlete to "dig deep down inside" when they really need to. I don't think bike riding requires that unless you are racing and more specifically racing in the tour de france. Now, then, I agree that those riders are definitely elite athletes and the most fit and do have to dig deep to keep going day after day. However the consequences of quitting are not so severe. Now an alpine climber doing the equivelent of the tour de france, say something like Twight and company doing the Czech direct or Viesturs climbing a 8000m peak without oxygen, those guys were digging way deep. And the consequences were much more severe if they quit.Take the traditional american sports like baseball, basketball and football; they don't hold a candle. If I were to pick a mainstream (professional)sport where an athlete has to dig deep to win and make money, I would put tennis up there. If you lose you're out. Watching someone come back after 2 sets down is digging deep. They play long hard matches that are 100% physical and 100% mental day after day to win. What impresses me about the olympics is that MOST (not all) of these athletes are doing it for the pure joy of the sport, not money. What I don't like about the olympics is that they are now mixing professionals in with amateurs. The most blatant of these is hockey. I think that came from the situation where the Russians were sending their best players and able to not call them "professionals" even though they were taken care of in other ways by their country. The only way to even the playing field and let Canada and the US send their best was to tap the NHL. I don't think we'll ever be able to see a "miracle on ice" game like in 1980 because of this, which is too bad. Earnest Hemingway once said: There are only three sports: Mountaineering, auto racing and bullfighting; all the rest are merely games.

Allison, I posed this question to the tour guide when I visited the ski jumps and bobsled/luge runs in January. The women lugers and bobsledders start lower than the men. He replyed that mostly this was due to "tradition." They have just been doing it that way for so long, that they keep it that way. It's probably the same for the downhill. I think years ago there was a bigger difference in abilities between the men and women. Now that difference is not so much and I agree there is a case for them to run the same exact courses. This year is the first year for womens bobsled so maybe in the future when there are more women participating they will both start at the top. While, the impression is that "the women can't handle the higher speeds", keep in mind that downhill races are often won or lost on the flats. The flats are equally as technical as the knarly turns. It is possible also, that the FIS is concerned with preventing an abundance of crashes. Keep in mind that the Olympics are a little different than the World Cup. Generally, they don't want a knarly course for the Olympics because there are countries that send athletes that would never make it onto the world cup circuit. Remember the ski jumper Eddie the Eagle from Britain? The Grizzly course (I skied it in Jan.) is by far one of the knarliest courses ever run in an Olympics. The start of the Wildflower wasn't that much lower and the course was fast too. It did have some slower sections but like I mentioned, those are tecnical too. Although not readily noticeable on TV, the start to the mens was by far the steepest I have seen and it was pure ice. I skied it and can say if you were at the top standing still and fell over, you wouldn't be able to stop sliding for about 500 vert feet. In Utah, they had no choice other than Snowbasin to put the downhills and meet the minimum specs of a downhill course. It needs to be a certain vertical drop, length, width and time overall. It is likely that the minimum specs (due to tradition) are different for men and women. Also, the IOC prefers a course more like they had in Sarejevo. That is why Bill Johnson won there; he was a great glider. I don't think he was the best downhiller that year. I really hope that women's ski jumping is an up and coming sport. I see no reason why they can't include them in the Olympics some day.

So I admit, I'm a winter Olympics Junkie and I just wanted to see if anyone else is enjoying watching them on TV. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the men's downhill, the ski jumping and watching Bode Miller do what he does best....go balls to the wall and pulling it off! I mean really, who else can actually fall going 65 mph and recover to finish a downhill, blow a first run slalom run, still be in 5th and then totally smoke the field in the second run to pull off a silver. That was fuckin' spectacular to watch and full of drama better than could be scripted! Also, I think this 20 year old Swiss kid coming out of nowhere to win 2 golds in the jumping was awesome. I'm also impressed with the short track speed skating, especially the way they run the relay. Is that cool or what! I guess I just like watching the best athletes in the world do sports I have done at the highest level. (I have ski raced, ski jumped and played hockey) It's humbling and inspiring at the same time. On the other hand the figure skating shit bores me to death and they deserve all the controversey and bullshit the reap on themselves. I just feel sorry for the athletes who have spent thousands of hours training, only to be victims of bullshit politics. What can you expect from a sport that involves judging. I guess that's why the snowboarding and freestyle skiing bores me too. I'll take the clock over a judge any day!

quote: Originally posted by fern: I am perplexed about what there is to like or not like about that quote, I mean it had a smily and everything ... (hmm hmm, the internal struggle, shall I be facetious or helpful ... la la la ) ... I think the preferred way of making them 'work' is to mount the bindings on the ski, insert the boot into the binding, and point 'em downhill. Whether or not this would 'work' for _you_ David is beyond my ken, as I know nothing of your abilities or joie-de-vivre. I don't even know if it would 'work' for me, but it looks like hella fun. I have seen it done by other people, they looked cheerful. I have clicked on the " " and am just typing here below. If the above is not bold, then what the hell am I doing wrong. Fern, I am an expert skier, both clownhill and tele. My Silverettas are on 195 Rossi Haute Routes and they are really heavy and basically suck. I've seen these guys on these short skis and they look fun! Lets assume I know how to mount bindings, put my boots on, attach skins, insert boots into bindings and get up and down in just about any snow conditions. What I was looking for was some feedback from someone who has tried this setup for mountaineering. I don't think $99 CP (canadian pesos) is a lot to invest unless someone convinces me this is a really stupid idea. Or maybe I should just get a split descision but, man, I don't know how to do the backside, fakie, 780 thing! Veggiebelay, so if I have a photo saved on my computer in jpeg formatt, how do I get it into the post? [ 02-14-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

There are a few things I don't like about the If you want something a little more sporty, MEC is selling 120cm twin tip mini skis for $99CDN [/QB] How would these skis work with silveretta bindings and either plastic or leather ice climbing boots? For example, I have done the approach to Chair Peak 2twice, once with snoeshoes and once with tele skis. I much prefered coming out on skis but I don't like having to carry and switch boots. And will someone please post how to do these responces where the original quote is bold. Also, how do you add a photo to a post. I'm not a complete idiot on the computer but someone start a thread with some basic instructions on how to use this web site for us imbiciles! [ 02-14-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]

[ 02-14-2002: Message edited by: David Parker ]