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katestineSent my application for this summer's climbing class. I'm amused that they specifically ask, "Have you ever had frostbite or any other form of cold weather injury?" and "Specifically, have you ever dislocated a shoulder?" but leave a small text box for your mountaineering resume. I haven't done all that much, but I still had three paragraphs to write! Now comes the hard part - addressing the envelope and putting a stamp on it and putting it in a mailbox.
I budgeted almost as much for new gear as for instruction. I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have an altimeter they'd (dis)recommend? I read reviews in Outside magazine, various message boards, and the guide service itself. I'm leaning towards the Suunto Vector, as a good compromise of price and performance: I'm not particularly convinced the step up is better, although maybe I'll call the manufacturer.
Part of the reason I'm working on it this week is that I really really need a new heart rate monitor - the old one ran out of battery after 2 years and getting the battery replaced costs nearly as much as a new one. Unfortunately, considering how much abuse it gets, going up stairs and hiking and climbing and swimming etc., I'm coming to the conclusion I should have a separate one from my altimeter, even though I find the hrm is very useful for pacing in the mountains. The Suunto Vector doesn't have that option.
Needing a separate heart rate monitor, I considered the HighGear 'biner altimeter, but it sounds like it's not quite as good as the Vector. (The icthyrabdic one used a watch version on Kili and Rainier but it didn't seem too accurate.) The gear guy at Outside also seems to like watches by St. Moritz and Avocet, but I can't find as much info about them.
Even with just the heart rate monitor, I can't decide if I want to get the same basic one, which provides just average hr, rather than the ones that hook into a computer to show a chart of your heart rates. That would be interesting to see, but argh, more data.
I wish there were nearby stores where I could buy this sort of thing. I also recognize I've probably already spent too much time thinking about this, considering every one of the last five pairs of shoes I bought cost more than the most expensive altimeters I've been considering.
I budgeted almost as much for new gear as for instruction. I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have an altimeter they'd (dis)recommend? I read reviews in Outside magazine, various message boards, and the guide service itself. I'm leaning towards the Suunto Vector, as a good compromise of price and performance: I'm not particularly convinced the step up is better, although maybe I'll call the manufacturer.
Part of the reason I'm working on it this week is that I really really need a new heart rate monitor - the old one ran out of battery after 2 years and getting the battery replaced costs nearly as much as a new one. Unfortunately, considering how much abuse it gets, going up stairs and hiking and climbing and swimming etc., I'm coming to the conclusion I should have a separate one from my altimeter, even though I find the hrm is very useful for pacing in the mountains. The Suunto Vector doesn't have that option.
Needing a separate heart rate monitor, I considered the HighGear 'biner altimeter, but it sounds like it's not quite as good as the Vector. (The icthyrabdic one used a watch version on Kili and Rainier but it didn't seem too accurate.) The gear guy at Outside also seems to like watches by St. Moritz and Avocet, but I can't find as much info about them.
Even with just the heart rate monitor, I can't decide if I want to get the same basic one, which provides just average hr, rather than the ones that hook into a computer to show a chart of your heart rates. That would be interesting to see, but argh, more data.
I wish there were nearby stores where I could buy this sort of thing. I also recognize I've probably already spent too much time thinking about this, considering every one of the last five pairs of shoes I bought cost more than the most expensive altimeters I've been considering.