Maurice

Should have said was.

I don't think anyone give a flying fup. I've you've ever noticed the random and seemingly illegal places that hunters squat their camp trailer, how could they care about sleeping in a car for a night?

I summited on tuesday morning. All the snow is pretty consolidated except mushy from the hogsback up to the gate.

For the people who complain about the prices: Have you ever tried sewing something? I don't dispute some of it may be overpriced, especially when made in third world countries, but doing the kind of sewing involved with a product like an Arcteryx amazes me.

This question has many answers, just as bears have many behaviors. They have been shown to be attracted and repelled by both spray and bells. One can never always predict their behaviour. Spray is at best a last hope and more importantly, for some, a reassurance of safety. Since a confrontation is improbable, it can be that little extra which makes a trip enjoyable to a worried person (a spouse perhaps?). For the PNW? Fish and Wildlife reports the North Cascade brown bear population at 5-10 animals. Compared to the 400-600 in the Greater Yellowstone area, that is not many to worry about.

C'est evident, monsieur la BelleMontagne doit considerer une ville telle que Chamonix.

I see from the GPNF website that there is a snopark called Smith Butte at the end of 82 before it turns into 8290. It looks to me like it would be approximately 9 miles away as the crow flies from the mountain. Anyone familiar with this snopark?

For the famous stuff try: The Alpine 4000m Peaks by the Classic Routes, Richard Goedeke, Menasha Ridge Press

How are you planning to get to the "trailhead"? I guess the road must be snowed which makes two days seem kind of short.

That BD letter talks about different markets and value added to the local market blah blah blah, but all Nepal top extremes come from one place. It seems simple: either the italians price discriminate to americans or we are getting bent over by our own. That is about as much sense of this as I can make!?!

JayB-Maybe you have seen this already, but if not check it out. http://www.cascadeclimber.com/u_s__prices.htm web page

What is going on down at Mt Hood?

Nothing but Ramen in ten different flavors which all taste the same. The sliced and sauted portabello mushrooms are optional.

I'll raise to that. I'm not Maurice for no reason. Vive la France et ses grands hommes.

Those that mentioned MC Solaar, I am curious how you have become familiar with him.

Britney Spears Backstreet boys (slightly more technical) Christina Aguillera (leads 5.12 sport) 98 degrees (best for longer climbs) These are just some of the classics.

Was there any snow or ice on road 16 just before the gate?

You might think about short-roping him, especially if you're worried about him losing his balance.

I have the Petzl Ecrin Roc and the Edelrid Ultralight. They are both nice, but the Petzl is more comfortable and sits down on my head better. The Edelrid material seems stronger though.The Petzl is French, yah.

You should try being a bit more imaginative with your post. What area are you in, what kind of climbing and which is your favorite spice girl.

I suggest flying to France. Then you can buy both Axars for the price of one Cobra. Just a thought.

I was looking through my Au Vieux Campeur catalogue (store in Paris) and noticed the comments for the BD Cobra ice tool and had to laugh a little. They said: High Tech materials, attention to detail and an astronomical price. In fact it is a minimum of double the price of about 15 different tools. 298 euros while the Axar is 143 euros or the Rambo 2 is 129 euros. In fact I checked Mgear and they sell it for 299$, so a guy with dollars would pay 30$ less for it in France. That's funny! Anybody who wants to compare some prices go to: au-vieux-campeur.fr

Alex I know only prices in France and Sweden, but am not surprised that you might say some places in Europe are expensive. But now that we cannot generalize about Europe, it's really going to get complicated.

Thanks Snowleopard I think I have got my answer now. The letter from BD is interesting and their arguments seem weak. I think they are implying that BD products are the only one to have design and production costs, as if others don't ?!?!

Alex It's interesting that you say Austria is expensive, but if you don't think France is any cheaper then go to: www.au-vieux-campeur.fr and tell me if the euro prices are not lower than Austria. This is the biggest store in Paris for equipment and I've bought lots there at their prices.