Rodchester

"In Casablanca life is cheap"

half mast please

Good point Dru.....hmmmm....ladies I think Brian needs a girlfriend.

You know I think it is worse for women...I mean as far as society saying they should not be a mom and climb. The amount of criticism that surrounded Alison Hargreaves was WAY WAY WAY beyond that surrounding Alex Lowe. When Alison died coming off K2 in 1995 (?) the only thing the press focused on was that she was a mother who had left behind children. People take chances everyday, if you are a parent and cop or a fireman it is cool. If you are a parent and a climber you are irresponsible. Unto each their own...risk...peak...life.

Dennis, I seriously doubt there is a straight answer....and I doubt many, if any, are actually leaving. Just BS rumors. Guides often leave companies or guiding altogether. Some guides get burned out, some love the job but want more money, some want to spend more time climbing at their level and not at the level of a client. Few guides stay at any one company for more than a few years...regardless of it being Madness, AAI, or RMI. Some do stay and really build themselves a nitch. Madness has a strong share of these guides. I just completed a trip with Madness and loved it. I have used them for overseas trips in the past and will use them again. Will, As far as making big money in the outdoor industry...even the giants don't make much. I am very close to a few major climbers (yes sponsored pros) and guide company owners. I have seen the books and they are not impressive. I am an attorney who has represented them in many scenarios, including deals with Nat Geo, Travel Channel, Discvery Channel, as well as sponsorship from the big gear companies. There just isn't much many there. I do most of the work gratis or for a deeply discounted rate because I hate to see them get screwed and I love the climbing community. As far as guide companies go, they have MANY hidden costs/overhead. Insurance, payment to the Forest Service and Park Service for "user days", advertising, etc. The overhead will kill you quickly. Yes RMI has a sweet deal but old Lou lined that up YEARS ago....don't think you or anyone else will unseat him. If you wish to operate below the radar screen you can do so more cheaply and make more money....you can also end up in a lot of hot water. Then you will have to call an attorney and pay him/her to bail you out. And he or her will tell you about how you can't actually get out of it....you can pay alot and srtill have a judgment entered against you. I encourage you to step up to the plate and use a little entreprenuerial energy to easily double your wage and gain a modicum of control over your schedule, working conditions, etc. But then you won't be a guide any more...you'll be an owner. By the way, it takes the average guiding company ten years to become financially stable. If you can make it for ten years maybe you will be making "loot." You'd be the first. I am more than happy to prvide you further advice if you are serious. Good luck

Will, Your numbers are way off and you have not even figured on any start up costs. You also completely forgot about the costs of "user days" to the Fed Gov. This is a major expense. I applaude your efforts..but encourage you to really think this through more clearly and completely. Maybe you should start a new thread.

I yalked to carlos Buhler about three weels ago and he said the upper section of the Black Ice Couloir is wiped out. I would imagine a lot of the ice is bad. Two very hot and dry summers in a row with an average winter in the middle spell shitty conditions...good rock though.

Who is jumping ship and to where?

"Bake a pie, eat a pie." Al Bundy

Adam, The wife and I each have the TNF Nuptse Jacket and love it. It is lightweight and very compressible. It is also priced fairly....you can usually find it on sale. The best lightweight down coat is by feathered friends....expensive. Marmot also makes a good down sweater that is 700 fill. good luck.... [This message has been edited by Rodchester (edited 09-04-2001).]

If you mountaineer overseas guide services are great. They handle all of the logistics and messy permits. They also know where to go and what to skip. I work full time and the time off needs to be spent climbing...not planning to climb. Dru...have you been over 28,000 feet? [This message has been edited by Rodchester (edited 08-16-2001).]

jtflyfisher, Mountain Madness has been in business continually since 1983. In 1996 Scott Fisher died on Everest and the company was briefly run by his widow (through her sister). In 1997 Christine Boskoff purchased the company from Scott's estate. Christine has been the owner and operator of the company continually since. Any changes have been the normal ebb and flow of changes in staff. Mark Gunlogson has been running the office for quite some time now and has been connected with the company for years. Mountain Madness runs various expeditions and safaris all over the globe on all seven continents. Most trips are "scheduled" trips, however "custom" trips to anywhere are always being scheduled. Mountain Madness has an excellent record of success and saftey. They employ a wide variety of competant guides, both male and female. The fact of the matter is that many of the guide services are good companies. I am sure that someone somewhere has had a bad experience with Mountain Madness....just as some have had bad experiences with AAI and RMI. I would ask those that have given you the "bad" if it is based on a trip that they were actually guided on? Since you are being guided, that is the info you need. Ignore the rest. I am curious to know what bad you heard? Remember there are always skeptics. I went on a 20 day course in Peru a couple of years ago and had a blast. The food was great, the guide was great, the whole trip rocked (Huascaran & Pisco). I am going to Tanzania this weekend with Mountain Madness. No problems. Good luck!!!

I have used the APS film and think it is decent at best. 35mm blows it away. I just have them scanned when I need to use an image on the computer/web.

Call Mountain Madness at 206-937-8389

This one time...I was at band camp... and I stuck my flute in my pu....

Jules does still work for M2. Call them at 206-936-8389. They can try to get a message to him...but often times the guides don't check their mailboxes for a while. Good guy....good luck.

Just the market fixing itself....no big deal.

A guy I work with is looking to hike and camp in the area and wants to know if there is an easy scramble or walk up on Mt. Maude from the entiat side. Does anyone know what routes are on that side that are EASY....I MEAN EASY? (walk up to class 3). No spray please....Thanks!!!

all things Bibler

mmmm...beeeer...mmmm me

Yoss, Yes I have treated my ropes with it. They were starting to get wet, factory treatment was wearing off. My understanding is that it is almost all the same. I got a deal on some and soaked the ropes in it. It worked quite well.

Try Monster.com and also executive recruiters can work wonders. good luck...

DRU, Good to see you pushing the limits of your abilities in the sport we share as near and dear to our increasingly decreasing brain cells...drinking. Now that is a sport.....

DRU: I am not considering "sport" climbing. So a runout above a bolt to me means sport climbing, delicious or not. If all climbing is a sport, why do we call sport climbing, sport climbing? Drinking is a recreational pastime, is it a sport? (some tongue-n-cheek)

OK...now think about this one for a minute before you respond off the cuff........ Is mountaineering, apline climbing, and "trad" crag climbing really a sport? (I AM NOT INCLUDING SPORT CLIMBING....that is why the call it "sport" climbing.) There are no spectators, there are no real rules with umpires and/or referees to enforce them, there is no score keeping, there is no field or arena, there is no timer running, there is no anything that you have in most sports. How many times have you heard of people dying in a "sport"? Not too damn often (every year an average of one boxer dies and some years a football player will die). I serioulsy do not think that climbing is a sport. But what should we call it? I don't know. Maybe an "activity" or just call it climbing. So the question seeking a response is: Is climbing a sport? Why or why not and if not, what should we call it? (stay of target)