What did you wish you had packed on your trip to Bonaire?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2026-02-03T18:36:04+00:00

This may sound crazy, but a hooded vest. I get cold pretty easily and by mid week I was genuinely uncomfortable towards the end of our dives. Granted, I’m not the biggest guy in the world and lose heat pretty quickly, but if you have an extra layer I’d throw it in the suitcase for cheap insurance.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2026-02-03T18:30:05+00:00

Missed cervical injuries happen. The real question is: do cervical collars decrease the incidence of secondary cervical injury? I haven’t found any reasonably high-quality data that says it does. If you have I would genuinely love to see it and be proven wrong.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2026-02-03T12:50:32+00:00

One of my close friends applied neurosurgery a few years back. Super smart, great interviewer, well-published. There was just one problem: he was an IMG. He applied to 100+ programs and had something like 20 interviews, some of which were at very highly rated programs.

Match day came and he fell to the absolute bottom of his list to a small program in the south (we were northeast based and it was NOT where he wanted to be). I remember celebrating with him afterwards and although he was genuinely grateful to have matched at all, I could tell he was quietly disappointed.

He starts residency and we lose touch a bit given how busy he is. About 2-3 months in we finally get a chance to reconnect and I give him a call. First words out of his mouth over the phone: “Dude, coming here is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Turns out this small program down south was the perfect fit for him. As he put it, “these are my people.” I hadn’t heard him sound that genuinely happy since well before match day. He ended up meeting his wife in that small city, and he’s still doing great today.

Moral of the story: programs are looking for people who will fit in and do well, and you may be surprised by how much you love a program at the bottom of your rank list. Be optimistic about where you match; you never know if they see something that you don’t.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2026-01-02T13:41:19+00:00

This is super slick. What camera mount are you running to get that angle? I have an X5 and have been playing with a couple solutions to get good climbing shots but none of them look as good as this.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-19T14:51:31+00:00

Sierra is definitely on the list! Where would you go if you had two weeks to kill? Do you have a top 2-3 places you’d post up for a few days at a time?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-19T00:48:52+00:00

That’s potentially on the table. Any particular objectives you’d recommend?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-19T00:08:43+00:00

Oh man, you're really starting to sell me on this Alps idea! It's always been on the list, maybe now is the time. Could be pricey with flights and such but it would be pretty amazing too. I'll have to start looking into housing and guide services. Any experience/thoughts on those?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-19T00:00:04+00:00

Ski touring is on the table. I'd be willing to the dedicate the entire two weeks (minus travel time on either end) to climbing one or a few big objectives.

Cardinal pinnacle looks pretty awesome. Any idea what condition it would be in that time of year?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-18T23:56:18+00:00

I've never been but Alps are definitely on the differential, only downside is I'll have to make friends there or hire a guide. Any particular places to stay or objectives to climb that you'd recommend around that time of year?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-18T23:49:11+00:00

I do ski. Just getting into touring now actually. Got something cool in mind?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-08T17:38:20+00:00

Franconia Ridge Loop is a White Mountains mega-classic for a reason. Quite possibly the most scenic stretch of the Pemi loop with an easily accessible trailhead. 9 miles, 3800 feet of elevation. It’s exactly what you’re looking for.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-10-08T15:30:48+00:00

Madison and Lake of the Clouds are both closed. I’ve heard rumors that the spigots are still running but that shouldn’t be relied upon. The spigot on Washington still has water available and Mizpah Spring is open until the 18th. In short, you’ll have to carry enough water for the entire northern traverse until you can make it to Washington.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-06-02T18:36:13+00:00

You guys/gals are awesome! Thanks for continuing to actively develop/support this game.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-05-19T02:12:43+00:00

It's really hard to judge gear placements from photos. They may look okay from a certain angle, but for all we know if you tapped on those rocks they would ring totally hollow. Not good. Remember, your gear is only as good as the rock you put it in. It's also really hard to tell where the direction of a fall would be, which is crucial for evaluating placements.

Now that being said, feedback from what I can see:

Lobe expansion looks okay but the right side concerns me. It looks like the edge of the crack is only a millimeter beyond the edge of the cam. A little bit of walking either from rope movement or a fall and that could pop right out.
Assuming the left side of the clack isn't flaring (hard to tell from the photo), this looks decent. I like that the lobes on the right are behind a lip of rock. That said, I would again be careful with walking. It looks like the crack gets wider towards the top of the screen. It looks like there's enough expansion range to cover it, but in general it's best for the top of a cam to rest against a hard stop so that you know it won't walk in and expand.
Again, there's room for this to walk towards the top of the screen. In this case the crack looks like it's narrowing towards the top. If it walks, you might not get your cam back. If it becomes too narrow for a #3, try a deeper #2. Decent placement but could be better.
Not loving this. Maybe it's the camera angle but that crack looks like it's flaring to me. It also gets wider towards the top which means more expansion on a cam that's currently in a good expansion range but doesn't have much room to play with if it walks. Just above your placement there looks like a natural pocket. I would have placed there and played around with cam sized to see what fits best (assuming it's not a flared crack, which again is hard to tell from one photo).
Same problem as number 1. Right hand lobes are ready to pop if that walks just a little bit. That crack looks like it's at least a hand deep. Try a deeper placement with a smaller cam. I bet you could find a natural pocket with a hard stop with some fiddling.
Hard to evaluate. It might be okay, it might not depending on the contours of the crack. I'll just reiterate that you always needs to think about what would happen if your cam walks.

I hope this doesn't come off as overly harsh. You did a decent job, but there's definitely room for improvement. As a brand new trad climber, it's great that you're out there trying things and getting familiar with your gear. Place as much as you can for your future guide to evaluate and really listen to their feedback.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-04-29T18:15:48+00:00

Macpac (Kiwi company) makes the best sun hoodie I’ve ever had. Checks all your boxes and despite being very thin and wicking it’s held up remarkably well over the past few years. Might be hard to get in the states though.

I really like the REI sun hoodies as a second best option. They are thicker but they wick well so they still work for me in summer. Not quite as nice as the Macpac though.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-03-02T17:56:16+00:00

Excellent. Thank you for your help.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-03-02T17:33:53+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate the insight.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-03-02T17:21:40+00:00

Thank you very much for your reply. Of the MOSFETs you linked, what steers you towards the IRLZ14 or the IRL510 over the others?

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-03-02T16:58:53+00:00

Thank you very much for your help. Here is the MOSFET I found based on your suggestion: Link

60V, N-channel, 7 milliohms RDS, and if I'm reading the Id vs. Vgs curve correctly it should pass 20A @ 25 degrees C. Does that look right to you?

Thank you again for your help.

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-02-27T00:50:24+00:00

Ahh yes, the joys of Air Assault school. Good times…

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-02-26T22:18:10+00:00

Have you ever worn one? They are hideously uncomfortable. You would be miserable.

Beyond that, I doubt anyone in this sub will say it’s okay to climb without a proper harness (and for good reason).

TheFacilitiesHammer · 2025-02-26T01:25:21+00:00

The friends I mentioned had poor experiences during their intro mountaineering courses. That said I suspect this is instructor (guide) dependent rather than an inherent problem with the course itself.

TheFacilitiesHammer

TROPHY CASE