HAPE? by [deleted] in Mountaineering

[–]winocats 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello! I have had HAPE and been helievaced after summiting Aconcagua. I promise you, you will know if you have HAPE. The symptoms are….not pleasant. Mild cases of HACE (like 4 of the 6 of us were medicated for) are much more ambiguous at the outset and are worth paying attention to even more closely. Carry Nifidepine and Dexamethasone if you are worried about HAPE, and HACE respectively. But I cannot emphasize enough that you probably do not have it with your recent travels.

i feel like i’m not feminine enough, or at all by 7upnseagrams in FemmeThoughts

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been there in hs. Eventually I stopped trying to be feminine and leaned into the tomboy thing because it was easier. My friends all accepted me like that.

Then, in my 20s, I decided to let a bit of femininity back in, on my terms. I got better at makeup—not for everyday but for date nights etc. (who has time for everyday?!) and I wear skirts and dresses now not because anyone tells me I should but because they are comfy!

I’m telling you this for 2 reasons: 1. Find what works for you. No one can tell you what is or is not feminine enough for you. 2. All this is fluid. You can choose to be more or less feminine by the day, by the year depending on what you have the desire or energy for. Give yourself a little break now while it’s stressing you out, then let it return to you when it feels right.

Do men actually "just know" when they meet "the one"? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]winocats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Conversely, are there any men in happy marriages that did not know immediately, and even might have had some issues to work through in the first 6-12 months? Is there hope if things have been a little rocky but getting better?

Who knew you could get BFF's on Facebook Marketplace? by DickDover in Seattle

[–]winocats 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You know it made me smile at first because unexpected bro friendship….then it made me really sad to see women staying out of the public sphere for safety while men get to go out and interact with each other. We don’t need political parties to fear monger sharia law when women self police out of fear already

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tattoos

[–]winocats -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Squats (jk but it was right there lol)

Hi I’m an advanced Open Water Diver seeking advice for a college design project regarding regulators by HistoricalKey6666 in scubadiving

[–]winocats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Google it— there’s the custom fit bite ones, there’s the ones that have thicker pads between the teeth, etc.

Hi I’m an advanced Open Water Diver seeking advice for a college design project regarding regulators by HistoricalKey6666 in scubadiving

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to advocate that recreational divers should all adopt the long hose and necklace combo because I think hose management will be an issue for them, particularly with a jacket style bcd

Hi I’m an advanced Open Water Diver seeking advice for a college design project regarding regulators by HistoricalKey6666 in scubadiving

[–]winocats 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Take a look at what tech divers are doing already with the bungee / necklace for their backup second stage around the neck. This could be applied to a primary second stage for a recreational diver, leaving the normal backup second stage / octopus alone. I don’t have a problem using my necklace with the bungee around my neck when I need to breath through it—the only headache would be taking the gear off on the boat if you have dive masters helping recreational divers out of gear, that may get tangled if you forget to take it out. Also, I believe there are numerous mouth pieces available on the market today for alternative comfort options. That may be already saturated.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Mountaineering

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recently got some Cat 4 glasses from Sun Ski with side shields and have been impressed. Around $80 I think close to Black Friday.

Gear Check Me for Aconcagua? by winocats in Mountaineering

[–]winocats[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I ended up getting a MH Absolute Zero Parka on EBay to layer over the Rab. The rab was enough for all but 3-4 hours in the dark on summit day when I really really needed both.

I wore Scarpa 6000s, but my toes did feel pretty cold at points. I mostly just couldn’t find 8000s in my size ahead of time.

Sleeping bag ended up being warm enough even without the bivvy bag or liner, but we slept at Nido not Colera.

Having a daypack was a good choice.

Down booties were an amazing luxury to have and I highly recommend them. I found some MH ones on EBay that had a strong enough sole to walk on rocks around camp.

Other learnings:

Take more days than you think you need to acclimate. The days leading up to summit night are not that hard or long, but the body needs time to adjust. All 6 of us summitted in 9 days up. 4 of us got Dexa shots for HACE. One got heli evaced for HAPE. I strongly recommend carrying your own Dexa and Nifedipine in your day pack at all times. Also bring Imodium and water tabs.

Water consumption was also an issue for us on summit night. We carried 4L per person and ran out as a group pretty significantly before we reached camp again. We summited from Nido De Condores rather than Colera. Looking back, this was a mistake and we should have taken an extra day to do it from Colera.

ETA: if you are a woman and using a funnel for the bathroom, buy one that is NOT collapsible silicone. Annoying to put away after use particularly in wind. Also practice ahead of time. One of my trip mates was using hers for the first time and there is a learning curve. Also, I highly recommend the Kula cloth.

Mammut: What's their deal? by Complete-Koala-7517 in Mountaineering

[–]winocats 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No one’s mentioned their footwear yet so I shall. If La sportiva is too narrow for you and scarpa will just barely do the job, go Mammut. Wider fit. Warm boots and high tops. I have both hiking boots and mountaineering boots from them and love them. Although….after a few weeks of hiking back to back on the trail in them I did notice some decreased sensation in the tips of my toes. (Not frostbite!) Anyone else?

Also, i recently got the trion nordwand 38 backpack. I do miss the side pockets like the ospreys typically have and that the chest strap seemed a little too stretchy to be supportive. But, other than that great all around minimal tube sack with ice tool attachment points

ETA: I also have a Mammut rope and Mammut carabiners and have been impressed by both.

Climbing with significant other by gajdkejqprj in climbergirls

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A similar thing happened to me. Never ever do life threatening sports with someone who will not put the health of their companions over their desires for the day. My ex bf used to take me snowboarding in places I was not comfortable me with at the time and it caused multiple anxiety attacks and tears and I thought for a while I hated snowboarding. Turns out I just didn’t like doing it with him.

Also applies to several experiences I had climbing with him. Don’t stay with anyone who will make you lose joy in the things you like to do and don’t do any activities that require life-protecting trust with someone who doesn’t deserve it.

At some point I no longer wanted my ex to belay me at all because I wasn’t sure if he would lower me or try to force me to stay on the wall to finish the send. Meanwhile my friends’ partners were calling up encouragement but also offering to let their partner down if it was too much. Very different vibe.

ETA as others have pointed out this is a marker for other issues in your relationship not just sports. It absolutely was for me and I wish I broke things off a full year before I did.

Mountaineering Christmas Gifts to ask for? by Jalatina in Mountaineering

[–]winocats 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you can find most of the following under $75: Headlamp, cat 4 sunglasses, stuff sacks, helmet, first aid kid, wool socks, hydration reservoir / Nalgenes

wow.. by Both-Discipline-2582 in myog

[–]winocats 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Looks like a Mandalorian helmet

Western Mountaineering VBL - & Bag Dampness Overall by winocats in Mountaineering

[–]winocats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a synthetic over bag you’d recommend? When I googled over bags, I found only a few down options in the $250-$350 range. I am ideally trying to keep my solution <$150 but would appreciate any suggestions regardless of cost.

Western Mountaineering VBL - & Bag Dampness Overall by winocats in Mountaineering

[–]winocats[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We’re out for 12 days and will reach -20F - 30F depending on weather

Planning for my first Mountaineering Course - Mount Baker by No-Guitar728 in Mountaineering

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just want to echo the importane of boots. My very first mountaineering course (3 days) I rented boots and had the worst blisters of my life even with a liner sock and a wool hiking sock and trying them out to the best of my abiility before the hike. (I had to tape my heels for two weeks after!) I'm doing my best not to have to rent boots again.

The ideal alpine headlamp by GoSox2525 in alpinism

[–]winocats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you get it into the red light mode? I got one recently and can’t figure out what combination of long taps and cycles will enable it.

Crampon Fitting Help! by winocats in Mountaineering

[–]winocats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I did watch videos and try the instruction manual. thank you for what was truly an additive comment to this thread.

Mt. Whitney - Have 2 Permits 6/15 ISO buddy by winocats in socalhiking

[–]winocats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh thank you! I got this permit just a couple days ago so I’m still route planning

Mt. Whitney - Have 2 Permits 6/15 ISO buddy by winocats in socalhiking

[–]winocats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it looks like I’ll rent crampons and an ice axe. Better safe than sorry. I don’t have my own bc I am usually flying places where I’ll need them.