sobo

Nowhere did I see where I discredited BD in my post. I merely posted an article, freely available on the internet for public consumption, describing some concerns with the Halfdome helmet.

You might give this article a read. From the article... ...In order to finally lay the issue to rest and to reassure customers, the BMC has recommended to Black Diamond that the helmet be retested and hopefully recertified at a third test house with appropriate experience in testing of mountaineering helmets. The BMC is also recommending that BD improve the quality control procedure to limit the variation in crown/cradle distance. I was going to buy one recently, but when I read this about a two months ago, I rethought that decision. Note that the date of the article is from November 2000. I'm sure BD is already aware of this.

OK, so I couldn’t get out earlier in the week when it was really cold, but Cragg and I managed to hook up for both days this past weekend to swing tools. Here’s the goods: Saturday: Peekaboo, at the Great Wall (page 207 in The Guide), saw its first lead (I had provided incorrect info to the The Guide’s authors in late 2002, misunderstanding Cragg’s comments – In truth, Peekaboo had only seen a few TRs prior to this weekend). Once led and seconded, we debated about upping the grade to 3+ because of its steepness. We each made two additional laps on TR, and decided to leave it as it is in The Guide. Remember to take two ropes for the rappel, because even though the ice is only about 40-50 feet, it’s a long way up to the rap tree. Moved over to Horsetail Falls, which was as fat as I’ve ever seen it. We dispatched it with three laps on it solo, each. Moved up the highway to Union Creek Falls (page 209), which is a tough one to catch in condition. After busting the trail in with snowshoes, we were rewarded with the best conditions that either of us had ever seen for this climb. My turn to lead. I led up the left side of the falls, repeating the first ascent of 2002. It was so fat, we thought about downgrading it to just a 3. But Cragg insists that I always undergrade, so we left it alone as well. By now it was pretty damn dark, so we trudged out by headlamp. Total for the day: 3 routes, 350 vertical feet per climber. Cursed myself for not bringing a camera! Sunday: Figgerd that we better get back on Union Creek, as its never been as good as it was yesterday. I remembered to bring a camera this time, so we took pics of Peekaboo, Two Face, and Horsetail on the way up to Union Creek. The trip in to the falls was a cruise this time, given the previous day’s trailbreaking effort. Cragg took the lead today, and we set up a TR on the left side, and just took laps. Lots of fun experimenting with Figure 4s and ¼” pick placements. For Cragg’s fourth and last trip up, he veered way right of the TR anchor, taking on the center of the falls, which by now were no longer encased in the sheltering tube of yesterday. He got totally soaked, but enjoyed it all the same. For my last trip, I went extreme left and climbed the verglassed rock wall to the left of the bulges below the TR anchor. Pure vertical columns and icicles - very pumpy! I would call it a WI4+/5- if it were to be led. Had to rest 2 or 3 times by hanging on tools and front points (no tight ropes allowed). Someone get out there and ropegun it for this fat old white boy and confirm or refute it. We had some visitors come by and gawk for a bit and ask some reasonably intelligent questions, then we packed up and headed out. Total for the day: 1 route, 320 vertical feet per climber. Will try to figger out how to post pics to The Gallery. PS: I posted a correction to The Guide regarding the Union Creek Falls descent route. Instead of rappelling from the downed tree on the top right , rappel from good trees and exposed tree roots on the top left of the route . Once at the top of the ice, continue up a narrow gully in snow beneath cedars to the tree roots and rap slings and ring. Now get out there and get some!

The last time I did it, we went as a group of three. It was the last week of May/first week of June, 1991. Our route was the same as you plan to do. Your rack looks good. When we did it, we took a "shared" technical tool. Only the leader got the second tool, whenever we swapped leads. The other two followed with standard ice axes (this tactic proved interesting above the Black Pyramid). We did not take any ice screws or screamers, but everyone carried one picket and a fluke. In late May of that year, the flukes proved more valuable than the pickets. One shovel, one light rope, same as you (10mm back then, I think). Bivy sacks all around, 0-5 degree polarguard/synth bags. We went in White River late in the day, camped at Glacier Basin below St. Elmo's Pass. Day two ended up at TR. Sunday put us on the top, but not until after rescuing two other groups of two (4 folks total) and putting them on the summit so a helo lift could be staged, but that's a story for another time. Weather indicators at TR: Look uphill toward summit for presence of lenticular (we had one late on the final day - they can form fast), also look left (west) for approaching maritime weather systems. We couldn't afford cell phones way back in ole '91. If you can, do the short ice pitch right out of TR and up the steep snow-covered ramp to its left. It's way more fun than the open snowfield around to the right, IMHO (especially sans pro).

Damn! That would be a long summit day. Lib Ridge

I just did some googling on dehydration and eating snow, and the references that come back talk about just what I already said, i.e., using up body heat/energy. From that, I would conclude that eating snow in lieu of drinking water could lead to excessive expenditure of body heat/energy to warm the snow to liquid, which in turn could lower body core temp, leading to hypothermia. Once hypothermic, the tendency towards lethargy could lead one to not drink enough anymore. So you've arrived at dehydration, indirectly, by eating snow. QED

I think it has something to do with your body expending precious energy to melt the snow so that you can "drink" it. And we all know that it takes many times more cups of snow to make a cup of water. A lot of energy can be wasted melting this stuff, for not much return, leading to dehydration. Mebbe one of board's medical professionals will speak up on this one...

Sad news, yet again. Condolences to the family.

Ah! Carry on then.

Lambone, I suspect that you are taking my inference about "search first, ask questions later" to an (illogical) extreme. I merely suggested that people should do a simple search first, read what they find in the search results, then formulate specifically relevant questions (that haven't already been answered from the search) to ask when they put up their post. This discussion has been had on this board already, ad nauseum. If I am wrong about the underlying intention of your reply, then I apologize in advance. I don' wan' no w' no one.

OK, my bad on replies #2 and #3. You cannot copy/paste the URL for a search to the boards, as the resulting URL of each search is www.blahblahblah/dosearch. But, Downhill, if you type in the keywords that I've indicated, limit the keywords to "in subject" and narrow/expand the search to The Gear Critic and/or All Foums, with no date restrictions, you will see the threads I tried to show you. Be sure to click the "Display Only Main Posts" selection at the bottom of the search page, or it will take forever to return results. You'll get the main (initial) post, which will lead you to the thread. Carry on, and pls forgive the earlier rant. I'm in a really pissy mood today, and it just got shit on you for no particular reason. I apologize; I'm really not that much of an asshole.

One more time! A search of All Forums, all dates, with the keywords "avy", "avalanche", "transceiver", and "beacon", limited to "show only main posts" provided this wealth of information. This should keep you occupied while on the shitter for quite some time...

Yet another search for "avalanche transceiver" in The Gear Critic forum yielded these 7 threads. Read on.

A quick search (10 seconds invested, mebbe?) of The Gear Critic forum for "avy tranceivers" yielded 4 threads within the past 2 years. See this thread for starters. It discusses all three of the options you listed. Open thought: Why don't folks on this board use the search function more often before posting?

You have to go to college? Does this mean that you don't want to go college? You should seriously rethink your priorities and get some direction in your life, dude. Unless you're a trustafarian.

That, and bill the fuckstick for the 4 years of free cable anyway.

You can get your Wu-name here. Mine's Crafty Barnardo (use it wisely, Soldier!) Or, you can get your Afghan terrorist name here. Watch out for Abdalla The Kenyan! Or, you can get your Prison-bitch name. I won't put mine up here, not in this company, no fuckin' way! Or you can ask Mr. T for a name (Hint: they're all the same from this site...).

Kinda tells ya how long it's been since I've been to Mass, doesn't it?

3 or 4 years ago?? Maybe a different provider. I did mine with WFAI (now known as Wilderness Alert)in Vancouver. Ah! Different provider, then. I did (do) mine with the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute.

Snoboy, I took the WFA course in 2000 and 2002 (intend to recertify in 2004), and they never mentioned anything about VGH being the be-all, end-all in frostbite treatment. How far back was that when you heard that? Mr. Natural, I, like many others here, have had the shit scared out of me by numb fingers and toes for weeks on end. All in all, I'd go with lummox's and Alex's advice. It should be warm enough up there, and with plastic boots, you should be fine. Flex your toes continuously to be sure you can still feel them. Sobo is not a medical professional. The opinions herein expressed are not meant to replace the advice of a qualified medical service provider. Use this information at your own risk. Closed course. Professional driver. Do not attempt these maneuvers at home.

The Guide covers approx. a half dozen routes in the lower Gorge near Camas, around Cape Horn and Beacon Rock. Washington side only. See Portland Rock Climbs by Tim Olson (published by Wild Horse Adventures, 2001). Credits for the above info to the Washington Ice guidebook authors. PS: It is probably too warm by now to tick these. I think you may have missed your chance this time around.

Quite funny, being raised as a Catholic. But, point of fact, you kneel in a confessional.

OMFG! What a dumb fuck! They deserve every bit of anything bad that happened as a result of that exercise of massive stupidity. Christ, throw some more chlorine in the gene pool!

Smoking, drinking, and chasing floozie girls are good ones to start with. Minor bending (i.e., one or two times,) involving shallow angles, of the toe bail should not contribute to long term fatigue of the metal. Repeated bending and/or sharp angles will contribute to work hardening and/or stress corrosion cracking, and that will cause it to break ultimately.