aggressivepedestrian

After all the angst over which Dynafit ST vs Dynafit FT vs Marker Baron, I opted for the G3 Onyx. I guess durability is a bit of an unknown, but the plate mounting system sounds good, and overall it just seems a little less fiddly than Dynafits.

Thanks for all the comments. I think I'm opting for Dynafit. What else am I going to spend my money on, if not gear?

I'm trying to decide between Dynafit and Marker AT bindings. I'll probably be lift skiing more than backcountry (75/25, probably), and I'm fairly aggressive: no cliffs or big air, but dropping cornices and skiing fast on hardpack. I don't need a DIN higher than 8, though. I'm about 160 pounds, and the skis are K2 Hardside (131/98/119). So, will a Dynafit hold up? If so, is the Vertial ST good enough? Or should I spend the extra bucks on the Vertical FT. Or should I just get a Marker binding? I figure the Baron will hold up to anything I throw at it, and it's a lot cheaper, but damn it sure is heavy.

I've used Jackson Hole Central Reservations twice, and was pleased both times. They set us up with good deals on lodging and lift tickets. Last year they set two of us up in a decent motel (the 49er) in Jackson for 7 nights, with 5 lift tickets, for $605 each. The other time we stayed in the Cowboy Cabins (or something like that) which was a little nicer, and a little more expensive. http://www.jacksonholewy.com/default.aspx

I'm thinking of heading up Mt. St. Helens next week, but only if I can ski. Does anyone know what the snow conditions are now?

Jeez, man, they're just doing due diligence. If they didn't make sure it's not some other party's responsibility, don't you think your insurance premiums would be a lot higher? And for all you dumb shits ragging on Edwards and other "millionaire trial lawyers", think where we'd be without them: corporations would be running more roughshod over us peons than they already are.

The climbers haven't been identified yet. Does anyone have details? Here's the story from KATU: http://www.katu.com/stories/72380.html November 4, 2004 Mount Hood Rescue Turns Into Recovery GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. - Search and rescue crews have taken two climbers off Mount Hood today that fell into a crevasse. Clackamas County Sheriff's Sgt. Nick Watt said one climber died after the fall into the Sandy Glacier and was successfully removed from the crevasse. Sheriff's said the man who survived had a broken arm and was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Early Wednesday, the man with the broken arm surprised 9-1-1 operators after he successfully called on his cell phone for help while trapped in the crevasse. The two men were well equipped and had adequate clothing, officials said. Officials have not decided when to remove the body of the second climber from the mountan.

Check out the report on PMR's site. It also has a good image with the location pinpointed. I'm pretty sure I've tooled along there unroped before. Not any more. http://www.pmru.org/pressroom/headlines/hoodcrevasse051804.html

From kgw.com: 04:50 PM PST on Saturday, April 3, 2004 By TERESA BELL, kgw.com Staff MOUNT HOOD, Ore. -- Black Hawk helicopter crews safely hoisted two injured climbers off Mt. Hood in dangerous conditions during a high-altitude rescue Saturday afternoon. A trauma crew brings one of the injured climbers into Legacy Emanuel Hospital on a stretcher. (KGW Photo) The two people were climbing in separate groups on Mt. Hood's Reid Glacier when they were hurt, said Major Arnold Strong, a spokesperson for the Oregon Army National Guard's Military Air Rescue Team. One of the climbers had head trauma that was described as "life-threatening" and the other suffered an ankle injury, added Angie Brandenburg, a spokesperson for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Rescuers airlifted the climber with the head injury off the mountain first. But it wasn't easy. Mount Hood. (KGW file photo) Strong said the crew actually had to abort the rescue halfway through, and return later. "They lowered the flight medics as close as they could and they climbed over to the patients to stabilize them," Strong said. But before the helicopter could hoist the man up, Strong said white-out conditions blinded the pilot. So the crew was forced to leave the medics and the patients on the mountain and land at a lower elevation. After the storm cleared, the helicopter crew returned and safely hoisted the injured man off the glacier. He was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland for treatment. A second helicopter maneuvered over the other climber, a woman, as a medic on the mountainside secured her to a safety basket. She was eventually airlifted to Oregon Health and Science University just after 3 p.m., Strong said, as a third Black Hawk hovered above, supervising the rescue for an added safety precaution. Authorities have not yet released the names or ages of the climbers. Call for a rescue came in on a cell phone Emergency dispatchers were first alerted about the injured climbers at about 12:30 p.m., when members of Portland Mountain Rescue came across the pair during their own recreational climb, Brandenburg said. The Army rescue team, based in Salem, was soon contacted and launched three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at about 1:30 p.m., Strong said. In addition, members of the Clackamas County Search and Rescue Team began hiking toward the injured climbers from a basecamp set up at Timberline Lodge. The entire rescue effort took about three hours.

Anyone have details on the accident on Reid Glacier Headwall today? I had a couple of buddies heading up that way this weekend. Here's a link to KGW: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_040304_news_hood_rescue.ed7e68a3.html

Balls of steel, I reckon. As for the shooting, no worries. According to this article in the Oregonian , it was just an accident. Apparently the Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputies are cool with folks shooting their cousins with semi-automatic pistols in state park restrooms.

That's wildthingsgear.com

Right on, Iain. By the way, KATU has a better story on its site. However, it doesn't say what an oustanding job PMR must have done to get five exhausted climbers down the mountain in miserable weather and dangerous avy conditions.

Just saw this news item on cnn.com about a rescue on Mt. Hood. Sounds like they probably came due south from Crater Rock, ending up in Zig Zag Canyon, but, of course, the story doesn't really say. Anybody have details?

This reminds me of a couple of women I saw climbing at Smith a couple of years ago. One of them had a dog, and while she was leading a climb, with her friend belaying, her dog was going nuts, constantly barking and, worse, jumping on the belayer. Numerous times I saw her take her brake hand off to push the dog away. If the climber had cratered, I'm sure she would be one of the first to tell you: don't take your dog to the crags.