sherlock

Does that route get good sunshine? What aspect is it?

New aid technique... Hey, at a local set of boulders down south I started trying a new aid technique for seams or featureless faces. Basically, the problem is that you can't really put traditional pro in and mashies/thinstuff/ just won't always work. What I've been playing around with is like frying ants. I took the plastic Frenel (sp?) lens out of an old overhead projector and used it to focus sunlight on the rock. The temperature rises enough to melt the rock in a small spot. Once it has melted a spot about the size of a dime, I remove the lens and quickly push a hook in. The hook sets in and the whole thing cools pretty quickly - and before the hook melts (though it probably loses its tempering). The whole thing takes just a few minutes and allows a placement that will hold body weight, though not much more. The benefits are that it is quiet, less ugly and takes less effort than putting in rivets/small bolts. Waaaay less sketchy than some of W. Harding's tricks. I rigged the lens up on a cheater stick with the hook and that seems to work pretty well, though you do have to be careful not to get any of the webbing in contact with the hot spot. Anyways, thought the wall-rats out there wouldn't mind a new trick. Of course, it does need sunlight to work, so WA may not be the best place to try it... But hey, anyone know of any good spots locally to try this trick? Any link ups between aid lines that would be juicy to try?

When humping the haulbag up to the base of a wall, my mantra has always been, "I eat this shit up." Attitude and mental approach usually control the outcome of the day. I think that it is true of most things in life. You get out of them what you put into them and most things in life that are REALLY worth having involve pushing beyond normal comfort zones and maybe taking a bit of a risk. Maybe a parallel here between climbing and life. Gotta watch out for getting caught on those big ledges and being unwilling to move on in life too. A buddy down in cali used to call it BLS- Big ledge syndrome.

Funny post considering your Signature...

Hey all, I'm new to the area and wondering what some of the better crags are in the area. Got sick of living in Sacramento and decided to come up here. Interested in aid (maybe A2/3 stuff) and 5.9-5.10 trad lines. Looking at the 'Washington' guidebook by Smoot, it seems like there are many to choose from. Thanks!