sobo

I think GMC started it about halfway down Page 2, talking about getting married as a potential financial windfall/occupation. Archie followed up shortly recommending to the contrary, then you jumped in, minx. I think at that point us guys were still hoping for some nekkid pictures...

Yeah! Who threw the wet blanket on this thread anyway? Crucify him!

I'll weigh in from the Mountain Rescue community. You think I'm gonna say it's crazy, right? Wrong! In a full-blown technical rescue situation, I say it's crazy. There is no safety factor. In full-blown technical rescue situations, we strive for a static system safety factor of 10:1 (or better) in every component of the system, which means the strength of the weakest link is 10 times the load. This constraint precludes the use of mechanical ascenders from the get-go. That being said, I have no problem using mechanical devices for a glacier crossing team (which is the scenario you're talking about), but I would not use the "Jumar-style" ascenders shown in the link (nor Clogs, Frogs, etc.). I would use a Tibloc-style ascender in this application. Why? First off, it would be quite easy for the rope to twist itself out of the jaw of the ascender under a shock load at an angle to the direction of the rope path through the jaw. Mountaineering books from the days of yore are chock full of stories of people falling off ropes to their deaths because their Jumar took a load at an angle to the rope path through the ascender jaw. ANAM has an incident of this same type every few years or so. The Tibloc-style ascenders minimize this flaw by the very nature of their design. Secondly, the Tibloc weighs next to nothing, and takes up no room at all on your harness. And that goes back to what gene said: whatever you decide to use, leave it off the rope until after you've fallen in the hole. Unless it's a prussik cord. My $0.02

The former is correct. Think lining up at attention in a military review formation. The "line" is imaginary, and all members of the formation "put their toes along the line" in order to line up all straight and proper-like.

Thanks for sharing that little tidbit... :puke:

That's the real kicker, isn't it? I fully expect to die before my kids, but I don't know if I could handle it if one or both of them died before me.

Listening to this guy will get you killed quicker than snot... ...and this is the first intelligent thing I've ever seen him write.

BTW, Keith... I didn't see a thread about it, so... Happy Belated Birthday (for yesterday).

more like sticking your head out of the window of a moving vehicle. "I feel the need... the need for speed..."

I love that feeling! It's like someone took an axe, and split my forehead open right down the middle, and the cold air comes rushing right in on my frontal lobe. Gawd, I love that feeling... Next best thing is the Slurpee brain-freeze...

that was funny. It hurts so goddamned much when beer explodes out of my nasal passages... owwwwwwwwwwwie

Well, he's still 50% of the equation. Can't write him off, even though he wrote himself off. At least you had the empathy to get involved in the first place. That's a plus in my book.

WTF have you been, Ricardo? Gone for over two years, and now you show up in ROK? Do they have a lot of rich, Corinthian leather over there???

A pretty good rule of thumb to remember for Prussik cords: Prussik cord diameter should be between 2/3 and 3/4 of rope diameter. 8mm rope => 5-6mm prussik cord 9mm rope => 6-7mm prussik cord 10mm rope => 7mm prussik cord 11mm rope => 8mm prussik cord The equation: 0.67*rope diam. < Prussik cord diam. < 0.75*rope diam.

WTF?? Just shit on the ground, put your hand in the blue bag like a shitmitt, pick the steaming article up, turn the bag inside-out whilst holding the offending article, and wrap and twist-tie it off. Continue as per usual with secondary bag.

This is a pretty good rule of thumb to remember for Prussik cords: Prussik cord diameter should be between 2/3 and 3/4 of rope diameter. 8mm rope => 5-6mm prussik cord 9mm rope => 6-7mm prussik cord 10mm rope => 7mm prussik cord 11mm rope => 8mm prussik cord The equation: 0.67*rope diam. < Prussik cord diam. < 0.75*rope diam.

Mel, I'm glad you've decided upon the NE. My first post to this thread: "...consider a Norwegian Elkhound. ...However, I think it's doubtful that you'd find one (purebreed) in a shelter or a pet sanctuary. The purebreeds can command some serious coin." was obviously wrong, and I'm happy for you to state that. I hope that Chaos becomes a lifelong and trusted member of your family.

From Bug's OP, sounds like the son wants to see his dad (Bug sez: "Father never shows. Son is sad."). So it seems the kid is ready, but it sounds like Dad is not. At the very least, he sounds like he'd be embarrassed to meet Son now (Dad believes/recognizes his predicament is not "cool" to his own siblings, so he's likely to believe/recognize it's not "cool" with Son, as well). No sense forcing more embarrassment on the old man. Just might tip him out of his chair. I wouldn't push it, but kudos for getting involved, Keith.

Jumbo Joke website

From the "Bad Joke" category ^^ Bumpersticker: Joan of Arc is alive and medium well I had to laugh...

FOR SALE: Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! I don't wanna go around in circles anymore." "Shut up, kid, or I'll nail your other foot to the floor!"

Why do kamikazi pilots wear helmets? When you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? How do you know it's new and improved dog food? How come wrong numbers are never busy? Why do tornadoes always touch down in trailer parks? Why do school busses always stall out on railroad tracks? Why do they put Braille pads at drive-thru ATM machines? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations? Does "virgin wool" come from sheep that glassgowkiss hasn't caught yet?

That has got to be one of the funniest rejoinders I've heard in a goddamn long time.

Ancient Chinese proverb say: "Choose job you love, never work day in life."