AJ

I did a little bit of climbing in Cabo a few years ago. I'd have to disagree with freeclimb9 - I found the rock to be very coarse granite. My brother and I did a couple routes on the south end of the beach (Pacific side) before you scramble over to Playa del Amor. This is far before Los Arcos. We were staying at the Sol Mar Hotel and it is easier to go through their lobby to get to the beach. The Finistera is a bit north along the Pacific side. I think Dru's suggestion about old articles is good. I believe most of the routes are Paul Piana & Heid B. creations. It wasn't the best, but it kept us amused for a couple mornings. We got a lot of odd looks from tourists and the locals ignored us because they see rock starved Americans try climbing there every so often. When I go back I probably won't climb - maybe boulder around a little, but the real reason to go to Cabo is the fishing. Supposedly some good surfing in San Jose del Cabo, ok snorkeling on the "booze cruises". Plenty of tequila and even Sammy Hagar's "Cabo Wabo" bar to keep you occupied. If you are inclined to go we found that tape was necessary. Most of the easier climbs can be done with a single 50m rope. We took 50m of 9mm in case we needed it for the rappels. Seems like the gear placements were very similar to J-Tree. For us that meant cams and some nuts. I don't recall anything under 5.10 having bolts (except for some so-so rap stations). The climate is hard on those stations so inspect carefully. Climb early to avoid the heat.

Forget about it for a while. It will take more than this storm cycle to set up into good conditions. I'd also wait quite a while for this to consolidate. Sorry, no great suggestions until we get a little further along into winter.

I used a pair for a couple hours last year (in dual point mode) and they performed well. A friend of mine also tried them out, but in monopoint mode. He liked them as well, but wasn't ready to ditch his Trango Harpoons just yet. The crampon seems solid and well made. The front points are a much harder steel than the rest of the crampon but that shouldn't be a detractor. I don't think you will have any material failure problems and they shouldn't fall apart on you as long as you check the bolt tightness occasionally.

Are the Friends the flexible (Tech Friends) stem or the rigid stem?

I don't have the MH Chugach, but I've got a Marmot Trango Sweater (very similar design and also Polarguard 3D). I've also got an MEC vest with Primaloft. I'd opt for Primaloft vs. Polarguard 3D. The 3D is supposed to be more durable, but I feel the Primaloft is much warmer and less bulky. Both have served me well though.

Unfortunately the movie couldn't be shown last night. If you were in the area you saw the power outage in the Westlake neighborhood (everything east of 99, west of Eastlake, north of Denny and South of Mercer. It was dark! The Friends are looking to reschedule this showing and had already planned another showing for November 30 anyway.

Don't overlook UNM - the University of New Mexico or as a good friend of mine calls it - the University of Nothing Much. Albuquerque is a real hodge podge as far as a town. You know, not much wealth, no great downtown, etc. You will find the Sandias 30 minutes away with a smaller ski area and enough climbing on high elevation rock to keep you happy. Plenty of other climbing within a reasonable drive. Unfortunately not the most inexpensive place to live. You are fairly close to Taos and the slow moving Rio Grande. The other option in that state is New Mexico State in Las Cruces. I had a neighbor who went to graduate school there and loved it. Way off the beaten track but has some good opportunities. Reasonable academic reputation and friendly town. Not too far to El Paso, TX and Hueco Tanks (what is left there to climb/boulder).

Last I checked - Pro Mountain Sports (Jim Nelson's shop) also carried some clothing made from Schoeller fabrics. I don't think it is Schoeller but take a look at Outdoor Research (OR) - they make something similar. They don't have as good a distribution network for their clothing but I hear it works very well. I know someone who bought a pair of the Schoeller-like pants and he swears by it. Their Dryclime shirts (similar to the Marmot ones) also seem well made and reasonably priced.

I've heard great things from the people who own and really abuse their Cloudveil gear. You can find it around Seattle at Feathered Friends and the Seattle REI (limited items at REI).

Rick, it has been a while since I read Potterfield's book but I thought he hinted at the possibility of his belayer failing to catch the fall. I recall him writing that his belayer was using a new "tube" style belay device (instead of a Munter or Figure-8). I once went to a slideshow he did and the question came up but he wouldn't answer it directly. He would not name the belayer and didn't (publicly) blame the individual. One hell of a fall and an awful bivy. Good to hear he eventually recovered almost fully.

With the ice climbing season fast approaching I'm trying to make up for my lack of conditioning. Aside from general physical fitness, does anyone have specific training they do off the ice to help? Do you drytool all over your garage? Do you do tons of weight assisted pullups? What works for you?

My vote for some good climbing related reading that doesn't succumb to the previously mentioned problems: "A Walk in the Sky: The First Ascent of Hidden Peak" by Nick Clinch (may be out of print). Nick Clinch was coerced by Pete Schoening to write the book and didn't publish it for nearly 20 years. Talk about a humble guy and the story is great. "The Acent of Rum Doodle" by W.E. Bowman - one of the best climbing satires I've ever read. It shows how much fun people have been making of big Himalayan expeditions for a long time. It does kind of have that eerie feeling at times that it touches almost too close to reality sort of like "This is Spinal Tap" did to the heavy metal world.

Jobe - I think you have a great suggestion. My wife has been climbing with me for 3 years and has only occasionally felt like taking the lead on trad routes. I recently spent a day at Index showing her the basics of aiding. The payback was big. Not only is she more interested in trying some bigger aid climbs but she really understands how gear places and holds. The only problem for most new climbers is having enough gear to aid or having someone show them the basics. That short 15', 10c crack below GN Slab at Index is a good learning spot. A couple etriers and nuts up to a #5, maybe some small Aliens and a Leeper Cam is all you really need.

Ouray has a pretty good New Year's celebration. All the other advice posted is pretty good. The ice park is scheduled to open again this year, but there are some water rights issues. There is also another access issue brewing again - mostly as a result of a fatality and the ensuing finger pointing that happened last year. Plenty of climbs outside the park. Horsetail Falls is the closest, most reliable one. You can scout the whole line with binoculars from the road. The Ribbon was in and out last year - in a dry year (like 2000-01) expect thin to no ice for the first pitch. Plenty of other climbs by the Ribbon (up the Camp Bird Mine Road). Oh, the Ice Park expanded last year to include "South Park" about six climbs upstream from the "Schoolroom" so there is now more room for instruction/beginners. Ridgeway is less expensive, but you have to drive a lot more. Plenty of inexpensive to moderately priced places to stay in Ouray and you can walk to the park every day. Only one grocery store in town and they are closed on Sundays (?).

A good friend of mine has been using the Trango Harpoons for two seasons. He tried it set up in dual vertical frontpoints and then switched to the offset mono. He prefers the mono and overall likes the Trangos. I was climbing with him at the Ouray Ice festival last year where he also tried a couple other models of crampons. The only ones he like more were the CM M-10s. In fact, he was going to upgrade but decided to stay with the Trangos until he gets new boots. I'm still getting by with an old pair of Lowe Footfangs (yeah, not even the Superfang) with the centered monopoint kit. I'm sure the Rambo and Rambo Comp are good crampons as well.

Elaho Publishing (Kevin McLane's company) finally published the Selkirks - South climbing guide. The Mountaineers Bookstore in Seattle should have copies in a week (10/3 or later). Just in case you needed a guide to plan next year's big trip... For what it is worth - Elaho publishes the Squamish and other guidebooks. They have a distinct style and feel. I like them.

I went there to explore around about two years ago. (North of Swauk Pass and to the west of 97.) We used the little yellow guidebook that is really someone's joke on the world. The directions were poor, the rock was poor, and overall the atmosphere wasn't that great. Lots of loose cobbles and pebbles coming out of shaky sandstone. The best route we found was a 40m slot chimney. I'm not planning to go back - two days was enough. Oh, if you look around behind the Swauk campground you can see evidence of someone else trying to make something of the same type of sandstone - the occasional hangerless bolt here and there on slabs and short pinnacles.

I know a guy who went down last winter. He flew into Mexico City (not sure which airport), rented a car and was promptly held up by police when he left the airport. He bribed them $100 and took off. After that he didn't report any problems. He said he would recommend flying into a smaller airport since the bribe situation is worse in the big cities. Good luck.

I went back to NC for a wedding earlier this year and stayed around to do some climbing. I was impressed by how much there was to do. Linville Gorge area was a fun introduction - think trad, hardly a bolt to be found. Heard about good bouldering near Boone. Shiprock just off the Blueridge Parkway is in a nice setting, but generally on the stiff side. Looking Glass is wild - the undercling eyebrows stumped me the first time. By the time we got to Whitesides we were tired and didn't climb. It is amazing that the cliff doesn't have more routes. Obviously you need to check with local climbers, but we found that carrying a second rope or using double rope techinique was much more common in NC that it is in WA. Don't even bother with Looking Glass unless you take two ropes. It rains a lot in the NC Appalacian chain - I think Brevard gets about 80-90 inches a year. Lots of rain every month of the year. Good luck finding partners. I'd be curious to hear what you think of Stone Mountain (NC) - we never made it up there to experience the "running" belays.

REI actually contributed more than $100,000 to the Access Fund this year. They've also given tons more to other groups over the years. The total outdoor industry is tiny compared to other retailers (i.e., Wal-Mart and K-Mart). Keep it all in perspective. The OR Store on 1st Avenue is kind of odd, but I haven't ever needed to return anything.

Some friends did the route N to S a couple years ago. They did it in 3 days with 20 lb. packs. Not the speed or weitht you are considering, but they did enjoy themselves. They found enough water along the way so they only carried 1L at a time. Of course stopping every couple hours to filter/tablet might slow you down some if you intended to run. If you are interested in running the route go to the FootZone store on Capitol Hill and ask for Jeff Dean or some of the other long distance trail runners - they should have plenty of information for you.

I had a friend bring back a "New ALP" from France a couple years ago. It is similar to the Gi-Gi, but doesn't have the raised spine. You can belay a leader with it, but the true purpose is to belay two followers. Bruce said it was the hot ticket with guides around Chamonix at the time. Like the Gi-Gi it will autolock so you can let a hand go. Great for taking pictures of your seconds (er, clients).

Jason, thanks for the info. Hard to believe there is that much snow that you could ski the ridge. Must have been a 200' vertical wall to the south and 100' to the north. It was also very narrow. Must go back to look at it again.

Tried to do a traverse from Guye Peak via Cave Ridge to Snoqualmie this past weekend. We climbed south gully of Guye then went over Cave Ridge to the east end of the Snoqualmie massif (what Beckey describes as the Snowdome). From there we headed due west and stayed on the ridge crest until it got high and narrow. We ended up turning around because time was getting short and we didn't now what the ridge looked like after the high point. My partner and I were both wondering what this ridge is like for the full length. Has anyone personally done it? It wasn't described by Beckey and his guidance suggested dropping below that ridge to the south to do the traverse - sort of a "low" high route.

Here are some tips: 1. Wear an insulated hat 2. Pull the hat down over your eyes - you loose a lot of heat through the eye sockets and you don't need to see anything while you are asleep 3. Wear all of your clothes 4. Use your pack to cover the bottom of your sleeping bag