chucK

Don't be so sure about that. The bar is significantly lower now after the Clinton impeachment circus.

For simulclimbing the pertinent information is how adept is the follower, not the leader. The rockclimb is easy, maybe one section of 5.6-7, with plenty of pro placements. The crux is the couloir, or getting down it. Car to car, you should try to figure out how much left you are going to have after hiking in that far.

Which do you consider worse? a) Lying about something that is really nobody's business but yours b) Lying about something that is going to cost billions of dollars and many lives? And BTW, I was up at Static the other day. Two of the three or four bolts at the belay above the 4th pitch on Online that offended a few here are 3/8" and look pretty good, though they are quite rusty. If you wanna help out, replace or put another bolt in at the belay above the 5th pitch.

i'm not trying to defend her, but in all honesty sometimes we don't see you guys. Just staying between the lanes is hard enough when you're dialing that cell.

That's cool. Where can I get a porkypine to bring to the crag? I feel so sorry for those leashless unattended dogs with nothing to do until their owners get down off the climbs.

All this gripeing that bicyclists must consistently act like either pedestrians or vehicles is horseshit. It's guise is "I know what to expect from them". The reality is that people who say this crap are the same traffic nazis that get pissed off at you when you're breaking some rule (written or unwritten) even though you are not being dangerous and are not inconveniencing anybody in the slightest. Traffic nazism mentality spooned in with a bit of jealousy. Bicyclists using the best of both worlds are not hurting anyone. There may be specific things some bikers do that inconvenience or hurt people (like screaming down a sidewalk endangering pedestrians, or blocking traffic when they could easily be riding elsewhere), but just because they switch modes does not cause the problem. When I'm biking, I switch from ded to vehicle and back mainly to stay out of everybody's way as much as possible. I do it for safety reasons (myself and others). I'm doing it to stay out of your way, because I can't predict what you are going to do. People who would deny me the right to ride on a vacant sidewalk instead of a busy street, or get bent out of shape if I hop off the sidewalk when there are pedestrians around basically have a stick up there.

Here's a link good search page, try putting in west ridge stuart . That'll probably set you up with some pictures. Check out Fred Beckey, "Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Vol 1- Columbia River to Stevens Pass (3rd Ed.)", it'll do you right. Hike in via Ingalls Lake. Try to figure out your route very carefully from there and figure out how you're going to recognize it from the bottom. Because once you get right to the base of Stuart from that side it all looks like a big jumble of rocks. As for specific route-finding choices, that is basically the crux, finding your way expediently so you don't have to bivy. One choice I would recommend is sticking closer to the crest instead of going by Long John Tower. If you go near the crest there is one spectaculary exposed (scary!) 10 foot traverse, then the rest is cake. I've never gone the Long John Tower way, but from reading about it on the innernet it looks like it's less than straightforward. Descend Cascadian Couloir. It can be dusty and dry, but it's pretty easy. Return to your cars via Longs Pass. Of course you can't do this if you bivied somewhere along the line. If you're quick you can easily do it in a day from the car. But a lot of people who think they are "quick" end up bivvying on the West Ridge.

These don't appear to be hinged. Wouldn't you be hosed if you tried to put these on a boot or shoe without a full shank (i.e. shoes where the sole bends when you walk)?

If Matt really is trying to get info for a guidebook, then the answer is obvious. Clearly 3rd and 4th class distinctions vary widely between users and even sometimes vary with context within user. Because this is the case, a guidebook written by Matt should clearly define what HE considers to be implied by the words 3rd and 4th class. If Matt is trying to decipher another person's beta for inclusion in his guidebook, he shoud query that person for what they mean by "4th class" in the specific context. Finding some consensus using a thread on CC.com then using that as your basis for grading scrambles in a guide, then considering this is a well-known standard would be a poor strategy . Finally, if Matt was specifically asking for guidebook help, maybe he should have stated as such. And if he wasn't asking for input for his guidebook, then Fern is the dork .

It does if you have a #4 and a #5 Camalot . And with respect to bailing. I don't think you want to have to bail off of any of those long Dragontail climbs. You'd need to do a ton of downclimbing or a ton of rap webbing. I guess Backbone is more a committment in that respect because it's got two actual climbing sections (OW and a pitch or two after it) then the Fin. So you might get by the first but get stopped by the Fin and bailing from that far up would be bad news. On the Serpentine Arete you've only got one section of truly technical rock, right in the middle. So if you get by that section you might as well just go to the top as go down.

I did the N Ridge a year or two back. It was fun. A bit more climbing scrambling on good rock than the South route (I downclimbed the S route) Climbed up to Irene (?) gap or pass or whatever, glissaded down then traversed around the East side to the N Ridge. Fun.

Nice Peter! Look at this CLIMBING thread you got going . My exciting climbing weekend consisted of 3- hours on Saturday at Index alone (see Index TR) and then cajoling the wife and younguns out to The Rock for 3 more hours on Father's Day. My daughter sent the slab about 10 times . My son's got the makings of a champion sport climber. He liked to yell "tension" then jump up off the rock so the rope would pull him up the climb.

What did you do this last weekend Peter?

Handline sounds more like a line that you use as a handhold (i.e. not a full blown rappel with harness etc.). Probably set it up like a rappel though, for retrieval after you get down. What scrambles does it recommend a handline for?

Do they have clean taps?

Had Zesty Italian Hamburger Helper. Drove a red truck. We talked about when I was gonna be home. I ate some Good n' Plenty's after my send. No man is an island. Why do you ask?

Went to Index today. Tried my hand at rope-sololing with two clove hitches. Narrow Arrow p1, squeeze behind hanta virus chockstone. Car to Car 2.5 hrs. Saw one dog, one schnaffler.

I was Index today and saw this schnaffler f**kin' running right down Princely Ambitions, between the hand traverse and the big flake. I was just waiting for him/her to pitch off, but never saw flying . Musta run inside that flake. Think about that next time you're sticking your hand in there. Wild.

I went to Index today and there was a f*cking stupid dog barking at me on the trail past GNS. That dog ougta be left at home. To the people that brought your snarlin' pooch out to Index and left it roaming around the base of GNS while you gumbied up, .

Hey! Nice going UT! You guys got off route and still topped out. That's perserverance! When you talk of the "Great Roof" are you talking about that big triangular roof above a 20' dihedral with handcrack directly above the 3rd belay of Safe Sex? You mentioned a great handcrack on your variation pitch. Could that be "S.S. variation 5.9", perhaps the "obvious finger crack that has yet to be freed" mentioned in the Traveler's Guide?

I went up to Lundin yesterday. Lots of snow once up to the Cave Ridge saddle. Perfect for walking on, no iceaxe needed. I'd bet if I was one of you yuppie f*ck f*ck ski types, I might think it'd be worth it to haul some skis up there in my Subaru for some turns.

In climbing, the reason the vast majority of consequences are directly related to your actions is because there are SO MANY MORE CONSEQUENCES. Virtually every minute you spend climbing can result in injury or loss of life. I don't think you can say the same about biking (unless the only biking you do is on Lake City Way or something like that). You can view biking the same way. Cars are an objective hazard. There are things you can do to minimize the hazards. Different bikers choose different levels of risk. Just like climbing. In your analogy, with respect to bikes you have decided to "back off and go drink beer".

Hey Catbirdseat and Dru are you masterpointing right now? Just tie in the rope as direct to a bolt as you can. Use a clove hitch on a locker. If you don't trust the clove hitch, back it up with a somethin on a bight. If you've got double ropes repeat as above but with other bolt. If not, use a sling attached to the other bolt or the masterpoint If you don't have a sling leftover at the top, it's probably because you use those deadly dogbone draws (you shouldn't ).