Phat, if the xgk burns multi fuels then it was before that. The first one they developed was a one fuel, one trick dog.....again if I recall correctly.

I had the benefit of living near MSR and sometimes hiking with Larry Penberthy (via Seattle Mountaineers) so I could keep track of what they were fiddling with as things developed. I bought several MSR stoves, ice axes and packs. Larry Penberthy was very smart and very creative.

Larry said he started out selling the ice axes at a loss just so he could introduce a safer ice axe to the world. Before the metal axes he sold kits that would allow one to fiberglass the wooden shafts of ice axes for greater strength and more predictable breaking points.