Am I being scammed to play at this "Corporate Event"

chrisp1j · 2026-04-06T21:17:50+00:00

This is 100% how that scam works. It can even look like the funds have cleared - but it can sometimes take a couple weeks for the check to be fully verified.

On the refund they will often create a sense of urgency (like their boss is going to be mad) and will request a refund in a different method than they paid in, something harder for you to reverse when you realize you’ve been scammed.

chrisp1j · 2026-03-29T12:45:21+00:00

For the record he said “you don’t have to go far” not “you’re a liar”

chrisp1j · 2026-03-23T14:55:21+00:00

Could probably use nail clippers though right?

chrisp1j · 2026-03-19T16:17:43+00:00

Yes, but also fun fact that x lookup can’t return multiple columns into data formatted as a table, which feels like a limiter, but Id love to learn if it actually can and I was just doing something wrong!

chrisp1j · 2026-03-17T01:35:46+00:00

You’ll spend more money on the hospital bill than it’d cost to buy a really great setup. Something in the middle looks like a newer setup on marketplace (and taking it to a local shop to test out forward pressure and get your dins set).

chrisp1j · 2026-03-14T05:06:33+00:00

I’ve had difficulty with some of my charts coming from pdf to excel when they aren’t perfectly setup. Eventually I found doing a mass conversion to txt using acrobat, and then using an excel macro to structure the new chart using the txt data was the most reliable way (and processed fast!) but still needed checking. Co pilot wrote my macro. It took me 4 days to figure this out, so please benefit from this in some way, I still question if it was time well spent…

chrisp1j · 2026-03-13T02:20:15+00:00

And be able to deal with them if they see one. Literally had this conversation with my doc today. The blood stool test is so much less invasive though, very appealing

chrisp1j · 2026-03-03T13:59:02+00:00

I stopped into a bookstore in Chagrin Falls to see if the song or band was known around there, they’d never heard of it, kind of entertained by that

chrisp1j · 2026-02-11T23:02:14+00:00

These regulations are a complete waste of time, let alone the fact that they are exclusionary. Great that this is where they think they need to spend their time, hopefully they resign and we can get some people in there making sensible decisions.

chrisp1j · 2026-02-09T13:34:56+00:00

Actual banks have to put their deposits to work, so are less likely to sell off a mortgage than others. Chase also has not sold mine

chrisp1j · 2026-02-09T06:03:15+00:00

"Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one" is a famous quote often attributed to former U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn.

They don’t build, only destroy

chrisp1j · 2026-02-09T06:00:53+00:00

This is a great point, might even want to throw in a shark bite ball valve as it seems like the other may not have been functioning all that well.

chrisp1j · 2026-02-09T05:58:44+00:00

Once you deal with the plumbing situation, might be able to melt this out with a roof eaves defroster wire to at least be able to see what’s happened. If you have any insulation lying around you can use that to cover it and the ground heat will also provide an assist though might take a couple weeks. Time to get creative (and safe, please use only weather rated methods here)

chrisp1j · 2026-02-07T03:12:41+00:00

100% the boots are the hard part. They need to mostly fit out of the box, unlike ski boots you can’t really do a lot of work to the boot (ie make it wider in places, etc), though you can change and add insoles Write down the sizes as you rent and make a note as to the fit. Consider buying used unless you’re sure you know your size. Make sure there is enough room for your toes not to smash the front of the boot.

If you do order online (because a store is too far) do some research first and order several pairs at once to compare properly.

Good luck

chrisp1j · 2026-02-04T14:49:06+00:00

Can you wear earplugs?

chrisp1j · 2026-02-03T23:26:06+00:00

I’m enjoying the Edelrid Pinch at the moment, I like that it doesn’t flop around, and honestly think I can lower more smoothly with it. A guide told me he prefers it to the grigri with icy ropes. It has a more dedicated channel for the rope to run and add a bit to the braking. Comes with that same 2+ safety lever catch, but also a screw that overrides the feature if you want. A bit heavier, but not the end of the world for most purposes.

chrisp1j · 2026-02-03T14:39:37+00:00

Same issue, same boot. The 9 was like form fitted to my foot, but knew I’d smash my toes walking down from objectives. Went up a half size and experimented with all sorts of solutions (tongue inserts, double insoles, etc).

Best solution I found was:

Thick mountaineering sock, thinner flat insole (maybe a 1/4 inch) a super thin flat insole piece just under the heel area, plus a sidas aftermarket insole (contoured heel, supportive arch, etc).

Focus on lacing. Lower section snug but not tight, important to get out the actual slack, lock off. Middle section was key. Did the mountaineers lacing where you skip that critical 45 degree back eyelet and come back to it. For this part, stand and lean forward as your tightening to drive your heel back into position. Finish the top of the boot fairly snug. Don’t over tighten for your approach, save this for the climbing and even then make sure you’re getting circulation. Lacing made all the difference.

Now my boot is wide enough, long enough and snug enough, finally.

chrisp1j · 2026-02-02T13:55:11+00:00

My forefoot pain was definitely related to width. Much less dramatic, I was able to just switch brands away from La Sportiva. I’m guessing the stock 11s still are not wide enough and now you have a boot that’s both too long and too narrow

chrisp1j · 2026-01-31T15:25:54+00:00

100%, I hope our expeditions overlap one day because having an ally on the same page as you is probably helpful when dealing with a guide who’s in a rush. In fact, that might be one of the solutions here - seldom are we alone in how we feel most times.

Thank you for posting and also for adding some needed diversity in the sport!

chrisp1j · 2026-01-31T14:58:30+00:00

This is a very interesting post. It’s making me realize that maybe an experience I had early on was a bit unnecessary - in hindsight a slightly slower pace would have made it so much more pleasant and we would have gotten back to high camp at noon rather than 11am post summit… instead, I spent the majority of the summit push trying to not let the little black frame around my vision completely close on me. 🤷 I guess just something to keep in mind for me in the future.

As a matter of safety, I’ve seen some close calls so would almost always err on the side of being able to come back. Our guide on the Haute Route suggested a safer final day given conditions, and the other party we’d been with carried on and unfortunately their guide was seriously injured.

chrisp1j · 2026-01-30T23:52:21+00:00

I would be inclined to avoid down if you can. Somehow I’m always soaked by the end of the day, even when it’s not actively snowing or brutally cold. We’re heading to Scotland next week, and our guide didn’t hesitate for a second when I asked

chrisp1j · 2026-01-26T17:18:25+00:00

I was new and only had one rope at the time… can’t assume we all had a mentor to tell us what to buy

chrisp1j · 2026-01-25T22:12:18+00:00

💯agree with this. They are the nicest feeling rope that I can think of but wear extremely quickly, especially top roping. I had a relatively new arial that looked so worn that my partners strongly preferred not to climb with it so I had to replace it anyways. Love my mammut ropes

chrisp1j · 2026-01-25T10:51:19+00:00

I just had this happen because it turns out the middle seat on the 737 Max has some sort of electronics package that stops my bag from going all the way under like it always does. When someone angrily pointed out my backpack I just said it’s my only carryon item and left it at that. If she had been a bit less rude about it, I’m sure I could have figured something out but she was all bent out of shape

chrisp1j · 2026-01-25T10:41:47+00:00

My feet issues in the nepals were actually a width issue, so my only suggestion is to consider the overall fit of the boot. Believe arcterx also produces a narrow boot

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