so will try a tap and die first

forgot to mention, you will need an M6 tap with a flat ‘nose’ rather than a pointy one

RS components do them.

£900 for a day pack

I think the day version is <£800 … but yeah – it’s a bug chunk of change for sure!!

But then getting cylinders confiscated / replaced can be costly and you can’t fly to the US with a cylinder!

im looking at getting an airbag back pack. do they come complete?

Which ones have you been looking at Jedi?

A few years ago most were complete, whereas now a number of the current solutions (particularly ABS-Vario style) are modular which allows you to choose a pack size (or multiple pack sizes) that meet your requirements i.e. small pack for heli drop, medium for day touring, large for multiday touring etc …

Is that what you mean by not ‘complete’ ?

Have you had a look at Face West’s selection?

Airbags

The Black Diamond Jet Force solution looks to be very interesting development (and avoid the customs hassle of trying to fly with a cylinder). They don’t seem to offer vertical carry for snowboards though

Y’know those inserts in snowboards into which you screw your bindings? One of them in my snowboards has become cross threaded

T-nuts can be removed and replaced (by drilling through the base of the board) but I’d say it’s an unnecessary faff for just one of them. You should be able to just re-tap the threads with a decent tap & die set. T-nuts are standard M6

Fairly decent video on cleaning/re-proofing from Gore-Tex/Arcteryx:

I’ve had much better results with spray on rather than wash in: With the spray you can target those heavy wear areas.

Indeed … RIP Philthy Phil ‘Animal’ Taylor! :-(

Blimey I thought hoped those days were long gone

Yeah! Nonstop sticking it to the big boys for the third year in a row!

Yay! :-)

I shall look out for you John_Drummer – we appear to have similar taste in music.

I see you hail from the same town as some Skeletal Family members! ;-)

Haha – I was at the Sisters gig a couple of weeks ago as well! 8)

Yep – from memory Nigel Preston was in Theatre of Hate as well.
(Didn’t know he played on SGC’s ‘Song & Legend Album’ though – I thought that predated him, but he may well have played on Sebastiene. I’ll have to pop in the loft this weekend and see if there are any sleeve notes. In my mind though the drumming style is different from Maurita Mayer)

I remember reading an interview with Kirk Brandon some years ago where he describes how quickly the post punk scene went from being vibrant & energetic to being dominated by heroin really quickly – with Nigel Preston being sadly one of the casualties.

Reading Viv Albertine’s autobiography recently she talk about the same thing happening with the original punk scene!

Do you still play live john_drummer?

Another drummer i like is Mark Brzezicki ,especially on She Sells Sanctuary..

Now I always thought that Nigel Preston (R.I.P.) played on She Sells Sanctuary – but Mark played on the rest of the Love Album due to Nigel’s poor health.

Nigel Preston was another of those great post-punk drummers. He also played on Sex Gang Children’s Maurita Mayer

I was at Killing Joke last night too!

What did you think?

I enjoyed it. Was surprised at how busy it was. They seem to be a having a bit of a resurgence.

After having seen Killing Joke in Leeds last night I’d also like to nominate

‘Big’ Paul Ferguson – for those pounding rhythms (I’d forgotten how good he is!)

Which also made me think of another ‘post punk’ drummer of note – Martin Atkins – whose body of work includes P.I.L. and Murder Inc

on the subject of Neil Peart – I always admired Rush for their creativity and ploughing their own furrow [often against popular trends] even if much of the music wasn’t to my personal taste

– and last year (ironically on an Air Canada flight to Calgary) I watched the Rush documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage” where Peart starts studying with Freddie Gruber in order to change his technique/try and continue to progress and grow as a musician. It was very interesting and worth watching – even if your not a fan of Rush and/or drum solos …

Clem Burke – another of the flamboyant ‘Keith Moon’ school – apparently Clem was notoriously bad at keeping time – much to Debbie and others annoyance!

I much prefer drummers who can just drive the band rather than show off.

Spot on John Drummer!

I’ve never been keen on the whole rock ‘double kick drum’ style (although Danny Carey and John Dolmayan are exceptions)

It was amusing reading Duff McKagan’s book where he recounts the band hiding Steven Adler’s drums so he would play a smaller kit and play with more ‘swing’!

Rob Heaton – great drummer R.I.P.
Budgie – (don’t think anyone else has mentioned him yet – gotta love those floor-toms!)
Dave Grohl – powerhouse punk-rock – esp in QOTSA
Clive Burr – from the first 2 Iron Maiden albums – underated
Doktor Avalanche – helping keep the Sisters on track! nothing but steady! ;-)
Stephen Perkins – fantastic tribal percussion

I never get the adoration heaped on Keith Moon. I agree he was talented and great at improvising and clearly the early incarnation of The Who wouldn’t have been The Who without him, but he was too ‘busy’ for me. Footage of early gigs seem to show Keith Moon following Townsend whilst Entwhistle keeps time. (The sum of the parts etc …). Outside of The Who though I’m not so sure …

here’s a couple of the best minutes of my March 2015:

very nice nedrapier … very nice! :-)

the Eurocarve Selfie

… lol … what a splendid idea!

Do you know which valley you’re heading into? Sodal?

Not sure yet – course details say either Hans or Grete Glacier which [looking at Mapcarta for Greenland] is a fair bit further south than Store Sodal …

Hmmm! Return flights for c. £530…

Wow – that’s pretty reasonable (for comparison, this years flights to Calgary in January were £690).

Go on – scratch that itch! You know it makes sense! :-)

What’s a sensible budget for a trip to score some ridiculous pow?

I got asked along to to a Japan trip next year but sadly had to decline as I’m doing the Greenland thang.

The Japan trip looked pretty reasonable [also] with Black Diamond Tours but not much change from £3k for flights from Europe, 10 day accommodation, 7 day guiding & lift passes etc.

I know you were after self catering but I guess ‘lodge’ style’ trip avoids some of the language issues (unless any of your group speak Japanese of course!)

I really fancy a [snowboarding] trip to Japan before I get too old … another year maybe! :-)

Wrong side of the Pennies for clogs, surely? Traditionally a Lancashire thing.

Ever been to a New Model Army gig Gravity-Slave?

Back in the day the West Yorkshire/Bradford contingent would favour ‘Walkley Clogs’ of Mytholmroyd [No connection to Walkley S6 btw!]

:lol:

To answer the original question – yes I would happily pay a small % of bike/frame cost as a ‘Trail Tax’.

I think mountain biking still has a lot to learn from other organised advocacy groups such as the BMC, but the likes of CTC are doing good work.

I’m conscious that ‘payment’ often lends itself to a sense of entitlement and I wouldn’t want non-payment to be a ‘barrier to entry’ but that’s just down to education:

Many people [thankfully] contribute to MRTs and the RNLI etc not expecting to get ‘their money’s worth’ themselves but in order to help others in their hour of need. I’m not sure if this altruism extends to funding trails, but I’d like to think that the examples set by Lady Cannings could be extended elsewhere.

I was at the Jesus & Mary Chain gig in one of the article pics, don’t re-call it being that bad

I was at the JAMC gig @ Sheffield Uni Lower Refec shortly after the North London Poly riot and everyone thought it was going to kick off again. A skinhead stood next to me down the front told me to take my earing out so it didn’t get ripped out!

… in the end nothing happened apart from JAMC not coming on stage until really late …

Still love going to gigs but sadly lots of the audience now go to have a chin-wag with their mates. I miss the old days where P.A.s were big & loud and standing in a bass bin might make you need a number 2! Yes Massive Attack Sound System – I’m looking at you! :oops:

Digby’s going on April with Neil McNab, with broadly the same plan, I think

Pretty much yeah! :D

stevomcd .. lol @

“Ah….. Non.”

;-)

Wow nedrapier! ;-)

That’s very impressive!

Very nice! You going with McNab?

Yep! :-) Getting rather excited already!

It’s well known that if you create quality provision, the ‘sheep’ will follow the routes, which is the best way of protecting the sensitive areas from excess disturbance.

Agreed and this has apparently worked in places such as the LDNP, where in high usage areas, rangers etc have ‘steered’ walkers onto ‘maintained’ paths by removing excessive cairns and making the designated path distinct in order to remove pressure on sensitive and poor drainage spots.

But then the LDNP and the Lakeland community are reliant on the tourist industry – of whom walkers make up a significant percentage.

I’m less convinced that the PDNP and DCC see mountain bikers as a ‘cash cow’. Initiatives such as the Stanage-North Lees Parking Sticker are a great idea I think and I would hope have been embraced by many local riders

Coincidentally, I note that there was a discussion about a group of riders on the footpath I mentioned earlier on the ‘Peak District MTB’ FB page. Given that this was the same day I was running that footpath, it isn’t inconceivable that the walkers perceived annoyance was due in fact that it was a group of riders on the descent …

Which made me wonder about two elements of this scenario and the well meaning & commendable suggested idea of ‘Respect’ when riding on designated footpaths:

Firstly I wonder whether there is a exponential increase in the perceived nuisance when we ride footpaths in a group? The occasional lone but cheery cyclist on a footpath is seemingly more tolerated than a group ‘swarming’ over the path (I use the pejorative term ‘swarm’ intentionally as this [sadly] seems to be an aspect of human perception)

Secondly if said part of the footpath is a descent then any rider using it will want to ride it at ‘maximum’ – thus alienating any walkers who quite rightly see this as a disruption of their quiet enjoyment.

Which makes me think that whilst it’s perfectly possible to cycle certain footpaths in an enlightened and non-confrontational manner (such as the conduit FP mentioned on the PDMTB page) I do wonder about the viability of this when riding in groups and on ‘downhill’ segments of footpaths. Would it not be better to self-impose a restriction on riding these footpaths during ‘Peak Times’? Permitted/tolerated or otherwise, the continued increase of some of these footpaths during peak time is likely to become a contentious issue.

Whilst not always ideal, such restrictions have certain merit in other areas popular with walkers: Snowdon and Chamonix spring to mind

Surely the onus is on us mountain bikers to show that we are respectful of other users and the areas we play in. And I’m wondering whether this can only come through education and self restraint. Otherwise the diatribe, vitroil and contempt directed at us from other memebers of society is only likely to be exacerbated.

Taring everyone with the same brush does no one any good

I wasn’t aware that I had – my impression was based on comments from the 20 or so walkers – as I said:

I was left with the distinct impression that as far as these 20 odd walkers were concerned …

I’m a walker/hiker/climber myself so I was very saddened to see such irrational behaviour!

With regards the location I’m slightly reluctant to post on a public forum, but it may well be the same location you refer to – much of the footpath is now flag-stones apart from the final section to the south where it meets an intersection with a BW.

Stanage is a BW though – and it often attracts a slightly different demographic I think. I’ve ridden it many times and never had an issue – quite often boulderers with their matts on their backs have held open the gates for me. But generally as you say it is another route best avoided during peak times.

“Instead, we should be riding those trails whenever we like, regardless of how it’s designated. Just be nice to everyone you meet on the way and ride appropriately.”

This is very interesting discussion and there are some great points being raised.

Until fairly recently I kindof agreed with the above and hoped that the ‘just be nice’ approach would work but I’m starting to come to the conclusion that, at least as far as walkers in the Peak District are concerned mountain bikers are parasites intent on spoiling their day.

I witnessed this first hand from the ‘other side of the fence’ so to speak recently when out running on a recently re-surfaced footpath in the Peak District that has started to become quite popular with mountain bikers:

I’d ridden the same footpath the previous week very early in the morning and had not seen a sole, however when running it a week later, on a pleasant sunny Sunday late morning there were a lots of walkers & ramblers when a group of cyclist were heading along the path. As I ran past each group of walkers, the vitriol towards the on-coming cyclists was a bit of an eye opener … one of the walkers took such exception to the cyclists that they had written ‘THIS IS NOT A FOOTPATH’ with a walking stick in large letters in the sandy/gritstone soil – the irony of which was not lost on me.

As they approached, the cyclists were friendly and pleasant enough but the walkers had already made up their minds – the cyclists had no ‘right’ to be there.

I was left with the distinct impression that as far as these 20 odd walkers were concerned. Mountain Bikers were irrationally hated/disliked and they didn’t want to have to share the ‘footpaths’ with them – no discourse would change this point of view.

Will it stop me riding [suitable/appropriate] footpaths? No … It just made me even more convinced that the solution as far as the Peak District is concerned (and I do appreciate that there are other factors in other areas) is keeping to early mornings/late nights and self imposed responsibility as a general ‘access all areas’ approach would only lead to further conflict and antagonism as numbers increase in sensitive areas

But Lofoten is calling too.

yeah nedrapier – I’ve been looking at Lofoten as well – it does look pretty amazing! 8)

Planning a trip to Greenland in April – not decided yet on the rest of the season yet …

yeah – eccentric exercises seem to be the ‘goto’ exercise for tendonitis

Suffered similar myself – I’m 47 and various forms of tendonitis seem to be the curse of the active 40 something – yoga etc seems to be the key to managing it.

I had pretty good results with the following:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3614

Not sure if you’ve been to Canada before but it’s worth pointing out some of the differences between North America and the Alps.

– Catered Chalets are relatively rare in Canada
– ‘unlimited wine’ until coffee is almost unheard of even when a catered chalet is available
– Majority of Accommodation in Canada is ‘condo-style’ i.e. it’s often based on groups of 4+ which can often make solo/couple travel expensive (look at local Motels as alternatives
– Ski in/Ski out is less common in Canada – often short drive/ride required to get to the ski hill

Fernie is awesome [except when it rains … then it’s just wet]
Have a look at NONSTOP ski/snowboard courses. You could combine your trip with some improvement.

If I look at somewhere what part of Cham is best for access to the trails and beer/food?

That kindof depends what you are after … the ‘main’ designated bike trails are either up at Le Tour at one end of the valley or down at Les Houches at the other. Choice of beer & food is spread along the valley but obviously choice is greater the closer to town you are.

Have a look at the ‘Chamonix Bike Book’ by Tom Wilson-North [from Zero-G] for more ideas.

http://www.thechamonixbikebook.com/%5B/url%5D

have a look at Hôtel de L’Arve if it’s just for a couple of nights.

Agreed re: ‘Le Vert’ – it can get a tad noisy wiv bangin’ choons! but that might be your thing!

If you are looking for budget/don’t mind sharing – try either ‘Gite Le Vagabond’ just out of town or ‘Gite le Belvedere’ in Argentiere

‘john thomas via prince albert’ … it’s a steepish chute that intersects a switch-back making a route that looks like a man’s ‘gland’ on strava if a circuit is done … :oops:

Yep – it’s great … all the way to Innerleithen for coffee and cake at ‘No 1 Peebles Road’ 8)

Same here Stevomcd … thanks for the amusing write-up! ;-) That snowboardcross course just looks insane!!

I take it that your BASI 4 is now ‘in the bag’? Nice one – that’s fantastic news! 8)

re padded shorts.

I’m still using a old pair Dainese impact shorts (the ones without the hard plastic ‘tail bone’) for icy piste days etc.

However, I’m hearing very good things about Force Field Body Armour. They are a UK company with heritage in motor sports and currently sponsor Snowboarders Jamie Nicholls and the lovely Jenny Jones!

http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/snow

torsionalalake – odd choice to do a ‘vallon de berard’ tour starting in le buet given recent conditions in Chamonix – i.e. late spring conditions & warm fohn winds; then heavy wet snow.

Looks like you had an interesting experience for sure! Pleased to hear everyone was ok!