If it was near anaerobic threashold activities, then I would expect to get lactate readings somewhere between 3 and 4 mmols.
Don't happen.
Though that may also suggest that the muscle group that is working hard is so small that all the resting muscles around it could metabolise the lactate quite quickly and therefore show no circulating rise.

You are right in that the solution is outside of the body that we are preparing. The solution also does not contain bicarbonate which would aid in the buffering. However, even in the body, lactic acid would work as an acid and reduce the pH. If the exercise physiologist you were talking to follows what Robergs was saying with lactic acid not contributing to acidosis, I can see why pH might not change. But, looking at more recent literature that refutes that article, scientists are back to saying that lactate does contribute to acidosis. A good article to read would be "Lactic Acid still remains the real cause of acidosis" by Boning (Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 289:902-903, 2005.) along with the 3 other articles that he cites.

You were correct in saying that lactate is a fuel and it would typically be consumed in the muscles nearby to where it is produced. While not much lactate is being produced systemically (whether at the ear or the fingertip), there is probably high amounts of lactate being produced intramuscularly. From a study that should be published in the next sixth months or so, we are seeing that lactate levels of 50mmol, pH6.6, and high levels of ATP is causing a muscle ache similar or slightly worse than that of a feeling of being pumped. We are seeing feelings of fatigue at a pH of 7.2-7.0, lactate of less than 10mmol, and lower levels of ATP.

Thanks all for the great thread on fatigue and training.

What might make more sense, though, is to increase the cell's ability to utilize the lactate produced. Common sense suggests that training near the anaerobic threshold could increase the muscle cell's ability to utilize lactate.

So is the actual term anaerobic endurance synonymous to the efficiency of the muscle to use lactic acid as a fuel and therefore reduce pH intramuscularly? Is that technically what a climber is "training?"

However, even in the body, lactic acid would work as an acid and reduce the pH. If the exercise physiologist you were talking to follows what Robergs was saying with lactic acid not contributing to acidosis, I can see why pH might not change. But, looking at more recent literature that refutes that article, scientists are back to saying that lactate does contribute to acidosis.

when exercising individuals (submaximal thresholds) were injected with an outside source of lactate, no signs of fatigue were brought about--which you would expect if lactate is related to/a cause of fatigue.