Rodchester

I use a 9.8 mm x 60 meters dry. Love it. Dry is for any alpine use. If you are a cragger only, skip the dry. Some say it makes a rope more durable. And some say there are aliens here on earth too. Maybe, maybe not. Sure if you are on really hard ass trad stuff with lots of edges Pope's points are well taken and should be adhered to. Simple....the fatter the rope the better is is on an edge. When I am cragging on harder stuff I use a 10.5mm x 55 meter. The rope technology has REALLY improved in the past ten years. A 10mm is stronger than an 11mm was ten years ago. But Pope is right that you still can't change the pyshics of the smaller diamiter cutting more easily...they just make the sheath more resistent to cutting. Who knows? Good luck!!!

Does the Osprey 30 L have a frame? A size etc.? I know pain in the ass questions.

What is the 30 liter osprey? Details please.

Cavie, How about some route beta? What do they go at? Range anyway. I assume it is trad? How many routes...roughly...and what kind of pro...estimate please. Thanks.

I don't know what the rules are right now....but assume that you need a passport and bring it. We, both in US and Canada, need to make it as simple and effecient as possible on the border guards in both directions so they can focus on the real dangers....and not worry about us dirtbag climbers.

Not concerned about what sex your partner is? It seems Brian has become less picky. What gives Brian?

In Reply to Matt Anderson: Ha Hah Ha ha ha ha too fucking good.

DRU: What did people do before water filters? 4) Used iodine tablets. That is what I did before there were water filters.

You really don't ned any maps of the mountain. It is very straight forward.

If you are doing the standard route don't bother with a rope. Also regarding TG's advice on Reyes...he is not the only one to have this opinion. In fact MANY people agree that Reyes doe NOT support the locval community. I used some local guy who was REALLY cheap, REALLY cool, and I slept in his barn on straw. It was cool. Always aclimatize as was mentioned by others here. Also if this is your first time at that kind of altitude, you may want to stick to the standard route. learn to barter to prevent yourself from being riped off...look like a dirt bag.

take a bus out of Mexico city and sleep.

In any third world country do your best to look like a dirt bag climber. They know you don't have money. In Mexico and South America petty theft is te main problem. Violent crime is much lower than the states or even Canada. Always travel with at least two of you if you can. Safety in numbers. Watch your wallet, pick-pockets. Watch you rucksack from slashers. Overall it is quite safe and fun. Know the dollar/peso amounts and how top barter or you will be taken advantage of, ehat we call "white mans' tax."

Here is the way to go...don't buy one. Thats right don't buy one. They weigh too much, they take up too much space, they cost too much, they break/clog, and they say right on the package to carry iodine tablets in case it breaks/clogs. Now think about it. Why not just carry iodine tabs. They don't taste bad now-a-days and many have the neutalizing tabs that kill the bad taste. They are lightweight, cheap, don't break, and don't take up space. Filters are a scam. Especially in North America. You just don't need them. Over seas a really good purifier can come in handy...but I still use bottled water and just treat other water with iodine and have had no problem. In all honesty I do not know one climber that carries one in the States/Canada. If you want to waste your money go ahead. They all suck.

I think Nick is a fake and his post is BS. Even if he is real and was serious, it is still BS. Note that it was his first post...I hope we didn't scare him off. Look Nick, we joke a lot on this page...don't take us too seriously. It is just that you REALLY set yourself up on this one. We just couldn't resist.

Nothing like them corn fed inbred women. Buck toothed knocked kneed. Mmmm mmm the good old days. Hill billys racists..oh boy oh boy.

Nick, Are you serious or just trying to get one hell of a thread started? Either way...I have ten pound rock that I would like to test. I want to know how it carries in different rucksacks. I will give it to you if you promise to let each guy carry it for at least two full days in the back country. One day on the top of the pack and one on the bottom. I will need extensive data regarding how well it carries in each pack and in each position. Are you up for it? I will also need to have the ropck returned so that we may conduct extensive post-field test testing in my company's lab. You can contact me at 1-900-bul-shit. (Please don't take me too seriously...it is just this is such a good one I couldn't resist).

Oh boy NC. Well Nothing to say about the climbing except that there is plenty of good rock. But get ready for the heat and the humidity...it is oppressive. Winter lasts about 6 weeks, but it actually gets colder than it does here...sometimes you can even find some ice. I am sur you will find some climbers to hang with back there. Good luck!!!

I have bibler I-tent aas do twwo buddies and we all love them. They do have limitations, small and lightweght will bring on limitations, but I love them. If I was on a thirty day alaska/yukon trip I would love the TNF-VE 25, but here on short trips they rock.

Just a quick point regardiong "legal" responsibility or "liability" In the states, as well as most anglolegal systems we have a legal doctrine called acceptance of risk. Put simply, you participate in it you accept the risk. Now with many things the risks are not inherent. However we have a long chaoin of legal history, called precedent that clearly outlines that all things dealing with heights, fire and water are inherently dangerous. Meaning that any compentant person is able to look at it and assess the dangers. Heights = gravity. Water = drown. Fire = burn. The theory is that anyone from a five year old up is competant to understand the basic dangers involved. How does this translate to climbing? Well as a general rule anything involving climbing involves "acceptance of risk." Just like swim at your own risk. Now in recent years there has been a distinction made between waters that are natural and man made. These leads into the attractive nuisance doctrine. ...which means if you create the nuisance and it harms some one you may be liable. This applies to swimming pools and not putting a fence around them. What does this mean for climbers? Well right now nothing. If you climb and fall whtther it is guided or unguided, sport or trad, crag or alpine, no one is liable. So the short answer on bolts is: no one is responsible other than yourself....in a legal sense. I did not feel that the thread asked this question in a legal sense, but since it was brought up by Dru I thought I would put it out there. It is possible, and one thing I greatly fear about "sport" climbing, that it may cause the creep of the attractive nuisance doctrine into sport climbing. A very clear and cogent argument can be made for liability in a gym setting since it is man made...like the swimming pool. The question is does bolting a route make it man made? I do think it is good to have an informal group try to police bolts when possible...but no one other than the user is or should ever be "responsible." My, and the laws, two cents. Check that bolt before you clip it.

crazyjz: What leads you to say Chris Boskoff is trailer trash?

Mattp I had to stop reading your post when you stated: "From the perspective of anybody who cares about Arab nationalism and human dignity in that part of the world, they believe that we installed the Shah of Iran in the 1950's . . . " Iran is not an Arab state, the people are Persian...not Arabic. They do not speak Arabic. They do not practice the same Islam as most of the Islamic Arab world. (Many Arabs are christian as well as other faiths) Afganistan is not an Arab country. In fact it is located rather far from the Arab world. Afganistan does not have a "government" as we consider governments in the West. Afganistan has been suffering from MANY problems ever since the Soviet invasion. It has never recovered. The Taliban is a quasi-government that does not have popular support of the people. It is not democratc. It siezed power with the help of the Pakistani Inteiligence community. In fact without that country's involvment the Taliban would not exist. The northeast of Afganistan is not even controlled by the Taliban. Don't take it personal...I actually am not trying to diss on you. But you seem to oversimplfy while you say others are over simplfying this unprecidented act of terror. Regarding US involvement in the region as well as other places around the world, every country that can, does what it can to influence events and governments around the world. (i.e. Pakistan setting up Taliban) This is not new. This is not a US thing. This is not a Western thing. Iran is actively opposed to the Taliban and takes actions to oppose it. Read the bible as a quasi-history book and that becomes obvious. EVERY counttry does it. We must do it. While the US has no always been as good as we should be, we have conducted the cleanest intel gathering of ANY other country. That includes smaller countries like Spain. Being so damn nice has in part contributed to the present problem. Because we are a hegmon, we are in the spotlight. As a very close Palistinian friend often says, "In the middle east we are so convinced that the CIA is all powerful that when a dog farts, we blame it on the CIA." On Arab nationalism, I would simply say ask an Arab. There is no such thing. Naser's dream was just a dream. No Arab country is pursuing that dream. That dream was a damning factor to the Palistinians because it gave the something to hold onto, something that did not exist. Now they speak of the Arab nation and no Arab counties come to their aid. Arabs are a nation like all arayans are a nation. Pure bullshit. A dream of academics, political pundists, and well meaning uneducated individuals. The response will be sweeping and many will die. They now it and we know it. As they say, "In Casablanca life is cheap."

The Jetstream is not the lightest pack out there. It is the lightest alpine climbing pack of its size WITH A FRAME.

I checked it out on Barrabes for $136.00 American. That is the pack and I would grab it. It is on clearance and there can't be many left. Just like shoes, someone can tell you how great a pack is...but if it doesn't fit you, it doesn't fit you. So there is a chance you may not like the fit. I found the fit to be fairly basic...as far as fitting a wide range of "average" people. I am 72 inches and havea 43 inch chest. The large fits well. I found the regular fit well too, but the large fits better with gear and winter clothes on. Whopper has the regular size and is shorter than me but has more of a barrel chest build. Plain and simple...the pack rocks for all alpine climbing. No frills, lightweight, simple, effective. Grab it...and good luck. Let me know how it goes brother.

Problem is getting your hand on a jetstream pack is hard. They do NOT make it anymore and the new version is not what you want. If you can find a leftover or a used one grap it. It is lightweight (Spectra material), simple "X" frame which is a very basic two stay system so it has just enough frame to carry around fifty pounds with no problem but not so much that it weighs a ton and is bulky, it has tool tubes, an excellent cramp-on pouch that just rocks for mountianering and ice climbing, two daisy chains, has a "slot" to put in a bivy pad if you want, it is an extendable pack that acts as a bviy as well. It is a simple no thrills pack that focuses on function...not form. It has between 3000 and 3300 cu inches depending on size. Comes in regular and large. The kidney pad...or waist belt...is just enough to grap the hips, but not much more. There are two gear loops on the belt...one on each side, and there are two ski slots on the pack bag. Simple light yet just enough frame to hump a load. Perfect size for two-three days if you can travel light. I have used it ice climbing as well as on alpine rock and LOVE the pack. They used to sell it for $200.00 and you could get it on sale at time for a good bit cheaper. Whopper only paid $100.00 for his. If you can get it...get it.

I have had good experience with OR gear and have had the warranty dept repair gear properly and timely. I can see why they would want to keep the store seperate from the warranty dept....but they should still ACCEPT the item and hand it into warranty. I agree REI has plenty of problems, lack of stock of basic itmes is a major problem, and failure to carry cutting edge or even specialty gear is another. As far as staff goes...welcome to a good economy. I try to shop small stores such as second ascent in Ballard and Nelson's shop when possible.