Black Diamond's Fusion 2

I intentionally stay away from writing too much on ice tools. I am very specific in my likes and dislikes and obviously swayed by them. It isn't fair to to allow my prejudice to blanketly sway people too far on ice tool choices.



I have been doing this stuff long enough to realise if you know what you are doing that almost anygood club with a big nail through it will get you up most anyice.



Youdon't have to climb hardby today's standards to know the difference. (and I don't climb that hard) But I know what I like and why and why I don't like other tools. I continually get surprised by my judgement of the cosmetics.



Case in point. The Petzl Nomic (old or new) looks to have been almost perfectly cloned by the now last year's version of the Green Machine, Black Diamond's Fusion.



Pictured are a Fusion (the Green Machine) and a last year's Nomic over layed.



While they are close there are subtle and meaningful differences. Which most will readily recognise climbing on either tool and making a comparison.



To no one's surprisewho worked on the Black Diamond design effort, the new Fusion was not, even given the hammer and removable spike,an all around tool. Its performance on pure ice could be better. The Nomic, as much as it might appear not to be (with no spike and no hammer), works well on ice and on hard mixed.



Black Diamond, to their credit, has from the beginningmarketed the Fusion as an expert's tool for modern mixed. Petzl did the same thing on the Nomic as well, and missed a wide audience at first. Black Diamond in this case was well advised to "stick" withtheir plan. I get asked more often about the Fusion than any other tool..."how do I makeit climb ice better."



Obviously the Fusion will climb ice, as hard of ice as it comes these days. But if you are capable of climbing that kind of ice you aren't asking me how to "fix" a Fusion.



Where the Fusion really shines is on hard mixed. No surprise as two of the guys intimatly involed in the design work were Roger Strong and Raphael Slawinski. Bothare known internationally for their abilities on hard mixed.





Raphael Slawinski









Roj.....Roger Strong.





So when some one asks me what I think of a Fusion as a intermediate's ice tool I suggest they look else where. But if you want to really push your mixed climbing the Fusion is a shoo in. One of the best no question.



I can argue the pick angle and pick design with the best of them. But when it comes to hooking hard thin moves (which I can't do btw) I know what worksand why. One of the major advantages of the new Fusion over most anything else currently, is the rigid,hydroformed shaft. No or less flex in the shaft means less pick shift, ie,movement and angle change.



Again to no one's surprise, I literally can feel the flex and bending of the shaft with every pick set on some of my favorite tools. I know the limitations of that flexand address it accordingly by using it on terrain where it isn't going to matter. Great idea but poorly done in over all design for the intended audience.



The hydro forming is great technology and way ahead of everyone else in the game but if I was a BD athelete I'd be asking for the next generation of Fusion with a *carbon fiber* shaft :)



No question here it is the INDIAN not the arrow....but a bad arrow will miss the mark no matter how good the Indian.





Markus Bendler won the first two Ice Climbing World Cups this winter - with the new Fusions!

Josh Warton has won three consecutive Ouray Comps on Fusions....2 on the Original orange Fusion and the last and I think the most imopressive win on the Green Machine..the newest Fusion.









If you are capable, the Fusionis a scalpel. Just thought a great design, done specifically for one reason in the climbing community,when so few things are, should get the credit it isdue.

Lily Pond, Magnetic Rock Trail

Following our outing to Cascade River State Park earlier this week we headed up the Gunflint Trail in search of Moose and more wildflowers. Our destination was the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail near the end of the Gunflint Trail. I've hiked this trail this time of year in the past and seen a lot of Wood Lilies, one of my favorite flowers. We did find a few of them, but not as many as I've seen in the past. I think with this year's extremely late winter we were a bit early to see the best of the Wood Lilies. Along the way to the Lilies, however, is this beautiful little pond that I always enjoy seeing but have a difficult time photographing. I've never gotten a shot that I really like of the pond. This time was different, though. The air was completely still during our time along the trail, which made for perfect reflections of the trees on the water. Even the little puffs of clouds were reflecting nicely. It is the first time I've made an image that I really like of this little pond.

Price Comparisons: All Things Considered

[images via Linus Bikes and Gazelle USA]

It's Spring again, and I am receiving more emails with questions regarding which new bike to get. I notice that lots of readers are comparison shopping, and that's fantastic. But when doing price comparisons, the key is to compare like to like - which is not always what happens. Take one of the emails I received this week, from a reader who was trying to choose between a Gazelle and a Linus. She wrote that she has a hard time "justifying buying a Gazelle for three times the price, when a Linus is a perfectly nice bike."



When I checked out the prices online, it became clear that the reader was comparing the $425 Dutchie 1 (Linus's single speed,entry-levelmodel) to the $1,299 Toer Populair (Gazelle's 8-speed, deluxe model loaded with extras). But comparing the cheapest model from Brand X vs the most expensive model from Brand Y is hardly fair - especially since these manufacturers offer more equivalent models: The Linus Dutchie 3 and the Gazelle Toer Basic (pictured side by side above). Both are 3-speeds, with the Gazelle toned down a bit and the Linus fitted with some extras, somewhat leveling the playing field between them. The cost of the Linus Dutchie 3 is $589, whereas the cost of the Gazelle Basic is $849: a difference of $260. Still unjustifiable? Let'ssee what each bike offers at those price points.



[image viaGazelle USA]

At $849, the Gazelle Toer Basic offers: a lugged frame,enclosed drum brakes front and rear, dynamo lighting,a full chaincase, a matching rear rack with huge load capacity, dress guards, and a wheel lock.



[image viaLinus Bikes]

At $589, the Linus Dutchie 3 offers: a welded frame, rim brakes, no dynamo lighting or battery lights, a partial chainguard, a rear rack with lesser load capacity, no dress guards, and no wheel lock.



Even if we leave frame construction and ride quality out of it, the Gazelle's extras alone are worth over $500, which more than makes up for the $260 price difference.Are lower-end bikes a bargain? The only way to determine that is to do the comparison fairly: Have a look at all the models available, choose equivalent models for the comparison, and make a list of all the features included in each.

Freshwater Spring

Cool, clear water emits from the ground at this spring. The water comes out from under the rocks in the top right-hand portion of the photo.

Did Not Wearing a Helmet Save Gene Hackman's Life?

film still via the gothamist

As some may know, 81-year-old actor Gene Hackman was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in Florida last week. As the media has made a point to note again and again and again, Mr. Hackman was not wearing a helmet during the incident. It is now known that Mr. Hackman has survived the collision.



So... Does this mean that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life?



Don't answer that, I know what you are going to say: My God, of course not. That would be absurd. What an insane conclusion. Right? Well, don't worry, I agree. Of course the fact that a helmetless cyclist survived a collision does not mean that this favourable outcome resulted from them not having worn a helmet. An accurate way to describe the situation is that the two facts coincided: He was not wearing a helmet, and he survived the collision. As everyone who has studies the scientific method or statistic knows, correlation does not imply causation.



I am glad we are on the same page now about the absurdity of implying that Gene Hackman's lack of helmet saved his life. Because if you agree about this, then surely you will see the double-standard of finding it entirely logical when helmeted cyclists who survive collisions report that wearing a helmet saved their life. It is a powerful emotional argument, but logically, statistically, and scientifically, it is erroneous for the same reasons it would be erroneous to say that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life. If a cyclist wears a helmet and they emerge from a collision alive, that implies correlation, not causation.



Bicycle helmets have some protective properties under some conditions, but these properties are limited and do not extend to colliding with moving motor vehicles. Bicycle helmets also have some drawbacks, including their ability to cause rotational injuries. After reading lots and lots and lots of studies (the studies themselves, and not the media's digested, distorted, misquoted and sensetionalised versions of the studies), I believe that the evidence pertaining to bicycle helmet effectiveness is mixed and inconclusive. And this is talking about effectiveness itself, without even delving to the larger, social implications of the helmet debate. We are all scared of getting hurt while riding our bikes, and we would all like there to be a magic device or talisman that makes cycling safe. But it is erroneous and even dangerous to over-attribute protective qualities to the bicycle helmet. Personal accounts of surviving collisions are tremendously affecting, both for the person recounting their experience and for the listener or reader. And I by no means wish to undermine these accounts. But it is also important to recognise that as human beings, we are "wired" to be more susceptible to affecting narratives. Things that are not in fact logical make sense to us under emotionally charged conditions, and "a helmet saved my life" is a textbook example of that.



Be angry at me if you must for the title of this post and the things I write here. But also try to understand my point. Accepting emotional, subjective beliefs as evidence does not actually contribute to safety. It only contributes to a false sense of security, to hysteria, to witch hunts, and to the media now making it a point to state whether a cyclist hit by a motor vehicle was wearing a helmet or not, thus normalising the "blame the victim" mentality in reports of cyclist deaths and injuries. How did we let this happen? That is something we ought to think about very carefully.

Tuffee and Jade

Tuffee and Jade sharing the food bowl. Yes, Jade actually does get a bit now and then.

Where Oh Where Has My Florida Weather Gone?

If you were to visit Weather.com, it might fool you because although it is in fact sunny as the cute picture shows...it is just downright COLD here right now.



Cold as in low of 27 degrees tonight cold. We had an unusually cold winter last year and I'm fearing this year will be a repeat. I hope not! So how is the weather in other parts of the country?

Boating and Tubing

We have been so lucky to be able to do boating on Daryl and Diana's new boat. The boat is just awesome and they are so gracious in sharing it with us by inviting us each time they go out in it.



We really appreciate you all and your cool boat! Today we spent a good bit of the day out, enjoying the water and doing some tubing with them.

An osprey and its nest:

Miss Moose

Today we went up the Gunflint Trail in search of the cow moose with twin calves that seemingly everyone who has driven up the trail in the past month has seen. Unfortunately, we did not see them. I think maybe if the weather had cooperated and it had been nice instead of a torrential downpour we would have been more likely to see them. Oh well, you take what you can get. Luckily we did see another cow moose further up the trail and had the pleasure of watching her eating in a small marsh right next to the road. She hung out in the marsh for a long time and it sure was fun watching her from less than 50 feet away. Every time she dunked her head under water she would root around for some plants then come up and shake her head off. It was quite a comical sight I must say :-)

Hot Air Balloon

Driving down the French Alps

Our winter sport holiday is now definitely over.





Normally it takes about 15 minutes’ drive from our chalet hotel in Le Crey to the valley in Aigueblanche, however with the snow aftermath and cars driving slowly, it’s about half an hour.



On the way down we saw busy locals manually ploughing the snow on the streets. We also passed by a bus that went off the road. Tough situation I reckon. Lots of dangerous things can happen after a heavy snowfall, especially in the mountains.



Convoying: driving slowly down the alpine zig-zagged road.



The bus that went off the road.



Here are the videos I took as we drove down the zigzagged alpine road:











It was a picturesque alpine drive. The mountains were immaculate and it was a bit hard to say goodbye after a week of winter (sport) holiday in this lovely part of the world. But life goes on and we will be both back to work on Monday. Welcome reality.



When we reached the valley, Dutchman and I saw the French police barricading the other side of the road and checking every car. No car is allowed to trek up the mountains without snow chains on. Its a standard protocol in the mountains when its snowing and after a snow deluge.





As we drove on the valley, we searched for a place where we can remove the snow chains from the car’s tires. Unfortunately removing the chains took us a while because these got stuck between the wheel. Nevertheless, perseverance paid off but not without increased blood pressures. Grrr. Sigh.



Removing the snow chains upon reaching the valley.



Beautiful castle ruins along the highway on the valley.



Driving back to the Netherlands was uneventful. We took turns driving, dropped by at a McDonalds for a quick eat (I do not like burgers so chicken McNuggets please) and we arrived home before midnight.



It was a loooooooong drive having left around 11 in the morning and there was only 1 thing that I wanted to do when we got home—Sleep.

Leics Round 11 - Launde to Hallaton via Belton in Rutland and Allexton

With Marta. Fine, cloudy, pleasant. Dry underfoot. A couple of dry ploughed fields - hard work. Rolling. 663 ft of climbing. just over 8 miles.




We walk briefly along the Withcote Road from Launde Abbey, before taking the signposted footpath off to the right, behind the chapel and the gardens. It leads uphill, through fields with sheep, to the corner of Launde Park Wood. Here the path should cut downhill diagonally across a field, but the way is impassable, so we stick to the field edges.

Some rapeseed or similar is still blooming here - at least it brightens the grey day

When we reach the far corner we find a gate whose fastening is impossible to open, and have to climb over it. Grid ref - SK 809045 (I think).



The path continues east, crossing the river Chater, and turning into a wider track, and heads south to a ridge with a fine view.



We are overtaken by a horse-rider up here. The map shows a trig point just off to our right (west), but we can't find it. Instead we take an early break and admire the view over to Eyebrook reservoir in the distance.



We follow the hedge for a while then the path goes towards the bottom left corner of the field. We keep the hedge on our left until we reach the road near Brickle Farm. A lot of free range hens are in a field nearby. The road takes us into Belton.





We walk through the village and down to the A47, which we cross to reach the Allexton Road. We cross the bridge over the Eye Brook, and follow the Main Street, past the church, which is now redundant and looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust.





























It's open and worth looking inside.



We carry on along the No Through Road, to the footpath past Manor Farm. This leads behind Allexton Hall, which lies to our right. we can't easily follow the line of the path here, and again walk up beside a hedge until we meet the waymarker. The fields here have been ploughed, and are very dry. It's almost like walking on concrete chunks.

Not my favourite walking surface.

Then it's alongside a small wood, and turn left to go past Alexton Lodge. Here we turn right once more and along a field edge. We're at the edge of the ridge here, and there's a memorial seat looking southwest towards Fearn Farm. Beautifully placed.

We walk down then up to Fearn Farm with its Zollgrenze sign - Leics-Rutland border??



We turn left to pass the farm, and then right on to the footpath



- it's marked clearly from here to the dismantled railway - we cross by the overgown bridge and then follow the good clear path through the fields. We come out at the junction of Allexton Road and East Norton Road and walk into Hallaton past the Fox pub and duck pond.

Dinner With Friends at Oakwood Smokehouse

This past week has been quieter than normal as far as doing activities here in The Villages. Rich and Donna have been house hunting and are now the owners of a beautiful house in Lake Placid! That means I have had more quiet time at home. I have been able to do tons of scrapbooking, so I have been quite content.



We have managed to get out and play pickleball, deciding after a day at Mulberry to return to Churchill. They are very friendly at Mulberry, but nothing beats the fun level at Churchill.



We also managed to fit in another dinner with Buddy and Diane who are still in the area. This time we chose Oakwood and took advantage of their rib special. They offer a full rack of ribs, two side dishes and garlic bread for $10.99. All of us did not have the ribs, but we all agreed the food was delicious.




We are winding down here for our time in The Villages. We are enjoying every minute we can in the next few weeks, being sure to not waste any time before we do have to leave! We have not had rain every single night for this past week also, so knocking on wood that it stays that way until we leave. When it doesn't rain, we can sneak in pickleball at night and play twice a day!




Living the life in wonderful Florida!

Ingalls Lake and Ingalls Peak

A big group ready to hit the trail to Ingalls Lake and the South Summit of Ingalls Peak.

Ingalls Lake on a beautiful fall day.

Dave, Pete and Jim on the South Summit. Mt. Stuart in the background.