Rodchester

I use the Sileveretta 400s and like them.

The store is now in Ballard and named Second Ascent. I also got one there and has seen others there some what often.

Check out this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1060559848

As noted by others, the I-tent is for 6 foot and under...the Eldorado is longer...for the six foot and over crowd. I am 6 foot and have the I-tent. Tight but no problem. Also only get one door. The doors add way too much weight for the convience added. (Zippers are the heavy part) Bibler I-tent....it rocks!!!!

I have used two brands, Garuda and Bibler. The Garuda was all right, but the Bibler rocks. I own a Bibler I-Tent and it is the lightest strongest tent around (under 4 lbs.) Granted, it is small, but for the Cascades it rocks. It has ridden through a few mean storms and withstood some mean ass winds. I look at it this way. 1. If is raining that hard, I am on the barstool or heading down for the barstool. The majority of the climbs in the Cascades are close to a road and thus a barstool. So if it is raining/sleeting that hard, I either have not gone into the hills or I am on my way out. A little bit of condensation....so what. You get that in any tent. 2. The majority of the climbs in the Cascades are one or two nighters....so I don't need that much room. 3. I travel light...so I don't need that much room. 4. I travel light...so I don't want to haul around a TNF VE-25. (12 lbs.+, no thanks) 5. There is sooomuch less bulk as well saving space in the old rucksack. The only bad thing is that they are not cheap and very hard to even find on sale. Jules is right, the vestibules are seperate and even more money. The Garuda had a lot of condensation when compared to the Bibler. I have heard other say they do not like them...I love mine. [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Rodchester ] [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Rodchester ]

If you are a rock hound Cincy can be a good town. Red River Gorger is within 2 hours, and plenty of great rock all over west Virginia. Also GREAT white water boating. But it can be very boring if you are not. Welll there is always bowling in Cincinnati...oh god would life suck or what?

B-rock: The two day summit climb is a summit climb. It is like an amusement park ride designed to get you to the summit, not to teach you anything more than the required amount to get you to the summit. If you want to learn you need to take classes that focus on what you want to learn. Most of the schools offer 3-4-5 day courses that actually focus on learning, not on the summit. I recommend Mountain Madness. I have been on overseas trips with them to Africa and Peru and they run a good show. I also know many of the guides and they are very competant. Check out www.mountainmadness.com. Or call them and speak with John Farmer.

or a quick run up Hood the West Crater Variation is fun and fast and I did not see anyone on it. A short but fun steep section can be soloed easily. DPS: Please give some beta on the North Eraly Winter Spire route. Sounds cool.

You can take a course with one of the guide services. Mountain Madness or AAI. If your focus is on Mountaineering take one of the glacier mountaineering courses. Good Luck

KKS: Are you saying you are going to Ingraham flats just to find a crevase for crevase rescue training? Ingraham Flats is a bit of a trip for crevase drills...especially in winter. Fog is the last thing I would be concerned with that time of the year. I would simply find a nice steep drift in the paradise area and use that for training. There are plenty of large drifts that form steep walls that would make good simulations for crevase drills. If you must have a crevase try the Nisqually, but the vast majority of the crevases will be filed in that time of the year. If you stay low enough on the glacier and you go poking around you might find one....then again it might find you. Play it safe when in a class/teaching environment. If you are thinking about the summit you may want to check your route. Gib Ledges is the prefered winter route for various reasons...one of which is avalanche conditions on the Ingraham. So if you are looking for training...train in a more controlled environment. If you want to summit post for beta on Gob Ledges....good luck and climb safe.

Don't be making fun of Dave...he is a buckeye and his .99 cent menu has supported many a climbing roadtrip for me and my bros. We will miss you Dave.....99 cents forever!!!

I think I saw something on that on the Discovery Channel..about apes pounding their chest in a mateing gesture. I think the ape on the rope was trying to show his small dick to be much larger than it actually was in a vain attempt to become the Aplha mle and add this women to his group...which has no one in it. That would be my guess....did you get it on film? Discovery might pay some bucks for use in a documentary on primate mating.

Try feathered friends. They always have used stuff for sale and a good for sale borad at the front of the store. Then try Marmot in Bellvue. They also have an area where employees and friends sell that kind of stuff.

I was waiting for Wopper to chime in.....the mounties done learned him well. Then he got out.

I am married to a chick who climbs...but is not a climber chick. If she doesn't want to go she doesn't....but she doesn't stop me either. With me it is more the other things that get in the way.....house stuff and job. Bowling leauge?....fucking spare me. Write his ass off. He is gone. Never to climb again. If you really want to climb you can even if you are married. The other just has to understand. I wouldn't blame her....it was his choice. Some people climb as a phase in their life, like going to college, when they are done they look back and say "hey, I climbed this or that." When they get it out of thier system they stop and move on to what ever they are doing now. I had a long term girl years agao that I was considering marrying. But she had that this is a phase thing going, now it was time to move to the burbs and breed. No thanks...I am out of here. Anyway...shit happens and they fall to the wayside one by one. Sucks, but true.

my 2 cents... I think the Mountaineers and clubs like them provide a good service. Seriously, can you imagine what it would be like with them all roaming around the mountians without some structure? Fuck, it would suck out loud in stereo!!! Talk about rescue!!! I also know many very accomplished climbers and very competant climbers that started out in the basic course. Then they usually leave the club once they have the basics down. No shame in that. I will say that the mounties are not the only group with that rep. I was in the north Wind River Range with some bros a few years ago and we ran into Ted Lowe....first thing he said to us was..."you guys aren't from NOLS are you?" Silence until we realized they have the same problem as we do with the mounties here in the Cascades. We laughed and said fuck no. We went on venting about running into NOLS groups and how they say that their way is the only way. I do take exception to the way they run many of thier outings and I am very unhappy with some just-passed-the-basic-course-so-now-I-am-an instructor telling me I am wrong. Sure if you see someone is not clipped in and they think they are, you should politely point it out...but most are just saying do it the mounty way. Additionally, because the school environment has so many to teach, it simply cannot teach more than one method. This approach is fine if it is tempered with the idea that: we show you this way, we want it done this way...but there are other ways that we will not show you here today. Too many graduate the course and believe there is only one way, the mounty way and that all others are wrong and dangerous. I rarely have problems with them because I avoid and ignore them. Accept it though...if your are on the tooth you are going to have to deal with them...so deal baby, deal. Leugo!!

Yeah...that is the one. I'll be damned I just couldn't recall the name. Thanks. But by the way....Peru ROCKS!!! I loved my trip there, the mountains are just incredible...so much better than Ecuador. Food was excellent and the people were pretty cool too. Enjoy if you go.

Sorry Cavie....but you have got to admit this is just crap.

There is a fairly well known one at the entrance to the Huascaran National park into the Huandy Group area. There actually are known to be quite a few others many with lines never even attempted (Cordillera Blanca and Huayhash spelling?). I am not a big wall guy...but a buddy has his eye on a line down there so I hear about the areas. I have also sen the big wall at the Huasacaran entrance area. Climbing had an article on it a while back...fairly recent...say past two or three years.

No shit...I was mnot around during the thread on this one...that is just bullshit. I am not a big sporto guy but the wife and I have fun at vantage and this is just bullshit. Was it Osama Bill?

If you need a GPS...you need to stay at home.

This might sound stupid...but sharper is better...and sharpen them when they need to be sharpened. Sure they will wear out if you sharpen them...but if they need to be sharpened, they need to be sharpened. I agree the key is to find the balance between sharpe and durable. Good luck finding it.

BD Express...hands down. I will never buy another type again. Grivel 360 are decent but the machining on them is only mediocre, when compared to BD. No screw places as smoothly as a BD. Smileys actually are really good for the money. The are very well machined and place very easily and are priced to sell. The little "turn knob" is not very good and they do come off, no matter what the store says...they do...trust me they do. [ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Rodchester ]

Cut 36 inch SMC pickets in half...so now I have two 18 in pickets. Work GREAT on spring and summer snow routes.

Intersting one...well....years ago someone gave me a candle lantern. At the time I thought...cool. Now I am not saying it is the worst piece...but I never use it. For climbers and mountaineers I say it is worthless.