Well, the world's still going to hell, more new evidence this week as Breckenridge decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana, which should probably not effect Ullr Fest in the least. A cruise ship helps rescue a couple on a fishing boat, creating a tiny amount of good karma for cruise ships. An architect proposes a German city make an enormous man-made mountain (maybe we can fly over some mountaintops from the Appalachians?) National Geographic Adventure announces its Adventurers of the Year, and "Sky Flier Dean Potter" makes the list.
The nut tool, in the entire history of its existence, has pretty much been an incomplete piece of climbing equipment. Manufacturers provide the tool, basically a narrow hook that can withstand frustrated climbers beating the shit out of it while trying to push, pull and yank stubborn chocks and cams out of cracks while following climbs and cursing their partner. But until recently, they've always left it up to you to figure out how to not lose it, should you drop it.
I'll tell you, few things are worse than coming up on a stopper that your partner placed, then set, in an awkward stance, or a cam that he/she jammed in there in a fit of desperation. Then you have to get it out, hanging onto that awkward stance for 10 seconds to 5 minutes. And you can't drop that nut tool. Most people just clipped a carabiner on the non-business end of the nut tool, and clipped that to their harness. Or you clipped a shoulder-length runner to it, and another carabiner, so you had some insurance while you were hacking away at that f%$*ing stopper. But then you still only had about two feet of freedom.
Enter the $3 hardware store plastic coil keychain. Clip a hardware store, not-for-climbing carabiner to one of the key rings, clip the other end to your nut tool, and you've got a piece of pure dirtbag awesomeness in your hand. Hang off a finger lock with your other hand, stretch that nut tool out there and hack away, no limits on how far you are from the offending piece of pro. If you're pumped by the time you free it, simply let the nut tool fall to the end of the coil keychain and climb up to a better rest before you clip it back to your harness.
No need to figure this out, Metolius, BD, DMM -- my neighborhood Ace Hardware store has me covered.
How long does a guy who cut his own arm off have to wait for someone to make a movie about him? Almost 7 years go by before someone decides Aron Ralston's story is worthy of theaters near you. That meatsack Miss California has only been infamous for a few months and already has a book published. And she deserves to have her arms cut off. In other news, you can buy a real-live geodesic dome from Antarctica, save money by carpooling to one of America's most money-hungry ski resorts, and still get shot in Vail.
Rocky blogged about this last week, but now, thanks to Dead Point Magazine, there's video of Max Zolotukhin falling while attempting a free solo of Supernova, a 30-foot 5.14b sport route at Rumney. When you look at the landing, it seems like Max was pretty lucky to come away with only the injuries he did. Read his blog entry on the whole thing here before you decide to shit on him for attempting to free solo a route that hard, with a bad landing, etc.:
My lessons were clear. DON’T be overconfident; DON’T assume that everything will be okay; THINK about the effect that your decisions will have on those closest to you.
Of course you want to see a flick about downhillers in Ireland, where the sky is sometimes blue and they never crash. Great backdrops on the Emerald Isle. Now out on DVD. To order, visit www.breakthecyclefilm.com.
If you find yourself having next Wednesday off work and you live close enough to make it to a national park, you're in luck; Charlotte Durif can hang with you unless you're one of about 10 male climbers in the world; of course someone is planning to open a hotel in space -- next up, expeditions on Olympus Mons; go Meb; well, maybe that wasn't Everett Ruess after all, LOL, WTF; and Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson, the douche that tried to kill a couple of cyclists in California last year, could get a well-deserved five years in the can after an LA Superior Court found him guilty last week.
I've seen both of Alstrin Films' previous videos, and was at the premiere of their last work about the first ascent of the Supercrack of the Desert. Solid work, both of them. The newest, The Continuum Project, looks like it should be up to par. DVDs ship Nov. 27. More info at AlstrinFilms.com.
Not to pooh-pooh that other race that went on this weekend and the American citizen who won it, but let's talk about some real news. The Denver Gorilla Run set a record on Saturday: Most people dressed as gorillas in one location -- 1,061. The run is a 5.6K starting at the Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver, and I'll say from experience that it can be a little creepy being in the middle of that pack when the race starts, and hundreds of gorillas are chasing three cyclists in full banana costumes, making all kinds of noises our simian ancestors made. Anyway, the fastest runner finished in 22 minutes.
I am happy to report that Starbucks Via Ready Brew is not crap. I finally picked some up the other night and gave it a shot. Verdict: It is not real coffee, but it is not Taster's Choice. The beans are micro-ground, rather than freeze-dried, so it tastes less like a boot.
I wouldn't call myself a Starbucks fan -- I am happy they exist, as it keeps me from having to drink way too much truck stop coffee on road trips. But I don't go looking for them if there's another coffee supplier nearby.
If you're one of those people who proudly announce "I don't drink Starbucks coffee!" at every opportunity, I assume you're not going to buy this. I am, and I'm going to enjoy the shit out of it. I hate doing dishes when I'm in the backcountry. When I'm done eating breakfast, I want to finish my coffee and hit the trail, not sit around trying to clean a french press, or any other contraption that makes coffee. Cowboy coffee is an OK solution, but I'm still chucking the grounds into the woods, which isn't exactly LNT. In this little package, three 8-ounce cups of coffee weigh .35 ounces.
I am a fan. Now, if someone would just show me where to buy something that I can use to "micro-grind" beans, I won't even have to buy this stuff. Downside is it's expensive as hell compared to every other instant coffee at the supermarket: $2.95 for a 3-pack, $9.95 for a 12-pack.
