TimL

Interesting reponses. Lets just say maybe now I'm psyched about grades but not fanatical. Its fun deciding you want to climb something, putting work into it and then getting it done. In this post, I'm talking about grades, not the satisfaction you get from doing them, although thats highly interwoven. In terms of climbs, my best memories are mountain routes, usually in the lower grades. Its funny, I see a lot of pure sport climber fight burining out after a while. For me, when I get tired I go into the mountains. Deep down, for me, sport climbing is training to do harder cracks and harer mountain routes. As for attitude and sport climbing, you every walk through camp 4 during the Spring or Fall. The worlds full of assholes and it doesn't make a difference if its sport or trad. In Washington, higher grade sport routes have appeared around Little Si and I don't know how many other places, but what higher grade cracks can you think of. 5.12 and upwards. And...how many hard crack climbs are there in the Alpine?

A lot of word for nothing said. Like it or not we put a number to everything. Numbers arn't the climbing experience, but they play a big part of it. For example, each means a differentr thing: WI7, A5, 5.14a. Granted for me climbing isn't a numbers game, but you kinda gotta know what your getting yourself inot or what you have to get yourself out of. For example a Canadian Rockies 5.9 A2. That says a lot to me. Come back with something better.

Its just interesting thinking about the standard. I have nothing to be righteous about. Thing is I'm mostly talking about sport climbing, not crack climbing. But you gotta admit that some of the hardest trad climber have climbed super hard sport routes. I'm I trad climber at heart. I search out and find every crack I can in this country. I see nothing wrong with clipping bolts. Its fun and great training. There is a time and place for everything.

This has nothing to do with spray. I'm just observing whats happening around me.

This is kinda a troll and kinda cause I'm bored. Anyways, last weekend I spent a couple days pulling down on some limestone sport routes. While at the crag everybody got into a big conversation about the lower, middle and upper grades. I just listened. This is what I heard. Most people consider 11+ to 13a middle grades or an average grade that the majority of people are climbing. Higher grades are 8a or 13b and upward. Easy grades are 5.7 to 5.11-. Although almost everyone fell in the middle grade category, believe me there were some heavy hitter there that day, and everyone still agreed that stanards are rising. A teenager that goes to my gym just put down 2 14d's in a row at Rodellar. There is at least one person at my gym who has climbed 15a. Tommy Caldwell is doing sick shit on El Cap. The Cobra crack got put down at 14a I think. Not that grades really matter in relation to having a good time, but it seems standards are really rising and what was hard when I started climbing 11 years ago is no longer hard. You do you think about all of this?

New project bolt? Amandela is just to the right of Iron Horse. It is bolted...but project bolt?

Bullshit its not often free climbed. Besides, I think there are two solid pins you can lower off of if you get in trouble.

Does not the route go from 5.9 at that point to 5.10b? 5.9 Climbers no longer can do the route. To be honest, I think the lower 5.9 part of Sagitarious is harder than the upper part. The 5.10, which might be a little soft, is perfectly protectable. To me the problem is some idiot chopping without asking an opinion rather than the actual anchor. You can't just go around doing that shit. Not sure if I know this person or not, but it sounds like he's not thinking. This anchor is really not needed and is an eyesore. On Sag alone, you have three anchors in 30 meters. I think leaving two will be fine.

Hey Mike - Thanks for the info. I only have a mini traxion so I can´t use the pro traxion as a back up. You or anybody else have any good ideas on backing up the mini traxion without a pro traxion and still have the system run smoothly? Gri Gri? Knots. But it would seem a pain to stop to adjust the system. Thanks

Does anyone have much experience using a mini traxion to TR solo? Looks pretty simple. Although I'm wondering if there are any hidden little dangers. Might find myself with a good amount of free time and not many willing partners this summer to work a couple projects.

Hey Jens! Hope all is well with you. To add to my point a little, whatI used above was kinda a blanket statement. What I mean to say is actions speak louder than words. Many people speak about bold this and that when what they are saying is just words thry are repeating from something they read in a climbing rag or an ideal they have never put into practice.. They have nothing to back there words up with. I didn't mean that "bold" is bullshit. It's not. It's awesome. But not everything, neither every route can be bold. I have great respect for bold climbers and bold routes. And bold routes shouldn't be tamed by bolts. Rudy - You don't understand. In Spain your supposed to have good climbing weather all year except for a month in the fall and a month in the spring. In Seattle I expect shit weather. Here, it's been raining since March. I slipped my lycra chorizo huggers on last week to see if they still fit, havn't been climbin too much cause the rain. Elena peeked her head in, while I had them on, and asked if I was growing a third testicle. With that I had to reply that it is just my belly cause I've been eating too many pastries.

Wow, the only reason I wasted time reading this is because it friggin raining and I can't put my tight, chorizo hugging (Spanish version of horsecock)lycra on and clip some bolts here in euroville. Why do you guys waste so much friggin time beating a dead horse. Go to the gym and train...or climb. Really, Washingtons past climbing history is a mixed bag of everything. This whole idea of "ground up, without bolts, trad superstar" is totally bullshit. I'm sure there are a fair amount of climbs that have been opened this way, but look at the evolution of routes in Washington. If its a crack worth anything, I bet it was nailed on the first ascent. Talk about impact. Then later some hotshot, wearing sexy euro lycra (u know it all started here) free climbed it. Now its open and graded for all us idiots, me included, to throw ourselves at and beat our chests on the internet and postulate about ethics because we now are badass (with or without sexy euro lycra). Then you have the other type of PNW route that was uncovered from about three feet of moss and dirt. Again, low impact. Putting a bolt next to a crack is not ok. Thats a general rule. Next it comes down to the perceived idea of boldness and how its interwoven with trad and climbs without bolts etc, etc. Seems like the climbing media, (The Alpinest for one) flaunts boldness as the holy grail of climbing. Myself included, I really don't know right now, neither when I lived in Seattle knew many truly bold climbers. Maybe 10 to 20 percent of the climbers out there are doing bold routes. In reality its a center piece that most like to talk about it, place on a high shelf and look up and smile at it like a Christmas tree decoration. And remeber, hard routes don't mean they are bold routes. I like to think of it this way. Whenever I walk up to a euro sport crag and see a hot spanish chick in skin tight lycra pants and top, it gives my loins a funny, tingling sensation. Kinda like clipping the chains at the end of a sport route. When I finish a long difficult alpine route it gives me a funny sensation in my entire body. The thing is not to forget where you are at and what you are doing. What happened in the past is history, and I doubt we knew what actually went on. We need to carry on and define future ethics for our areas. Instead of bantering on the internet, have a route forum where you can discuss a route, its history and what should be done with it. Maybe over this website or having beers. Put forth an action, get a vote then do something. Easy. Remeber, this is something to keep in our hands as climbers. Once it goes beyond our hands, all of us are screwed as a group.

Cham is a good idea, problem is work. Good thing about Barcelona is its only about 6 hours away from Cham and 2 from the Pyrennes. Thing that I'm starting to see here is that all the good lines have been opened here. Its not like the Cascades. You can get a lot of climbing in, techincally very hard, but the adventure scale is pretty low

Not sure if I'm coming back this summer, but for sure next. We'll have to plan something.

I'm thinking a lot about this as well. Being in Spain allows rock climbing all year. Plus, there is a fair amount of granite. Only the limestone sport routes get the press. There are so many 500 meter limestone trad walls here that its impressive. And trad on limestone takes big huevos. Always around this time of year I miss the spring and summer in the Cascades. Problem here close to Madrid is that there are mountains, but not very big. We're also thinking about Barcelona, but people from Madrid and Barcelona have this nationalistic thing going on that....well my wife is from Madrid....the thought of living in Catalonia for her is like being a traitor. South America seems interesting, but the wife as lived in Santiago and she said that its just too far from everything. Still, I'd like to see. I think Boulder might be good, and I'm always thinking about Seattle.

I'm thinking a lot about this as well. Being in Spain allows rock climbing all year. Plus, there is a fair amount of granite. Only the limestone sport routes get the press. There are so many 500 meter limestone trad walls here that its impressive. And trad on limestone takes big huevos. Always around this time of year I miss the spring and summer in the Cascades. Problem here close to Madrid is that there are mountains, but not very big. We're also thinking about Barcelona, but people from Madrid and Barcelona have this nationalistic thing going on that....well my wife is from Madrid....the thought of living in Catalonia for her is like being a traitor. South America seems interesting, but the wife as lived in Santiago and she said that its just too far from everything. Still, I'd like to see. I think Boulder might be good, and I'm always thinking about Seattle.

The best place to live in Washington for alpine climbing got me thinking. If you could live any place in the world that where you have a good selection of everything ranging from bouldering to alpine, where would that be? Also consider weather, seasons, amount of climbing you can actually get in, wilderness, amount of new routes, etc, etc. Spain right now is good on the alpine rock climbing and crag climbing in general, one of the best places in the world, but I'm also thinking about other places in the distant future. Maybe in Europe, maybe in the States, maybe in South America. What do you think? I'm interested in hearing some ideas.

What about masturbating with poison ivy without your partner knowing, and then hidding it for a multi day trip? skull

Bring tape. Its also really dirty, but fairly short. Send it and let us know what you think. Not to sure about the top, but the bottom moves were really hard.

It felt a little harder then Jap Gardens. But is much shorter.

Not that hard of a route for the grade. Bring doubles to 2 and 1 three and a set of nuts if you and maybe a micro cam. With this you can stitch it up. C1. Save a very small piece for the crux end. There are a couple really good rests. Enjoy! Its stunning!

Listening in on my wife asking a friend of ours his life goals are he replied, "Climbing, Fucking, Eating and Sleeping". Sounds better in Spanish.

Last mid to late july the glacier travel was easy. I've also been in the Bugs in early August and glacier travel wasn't a problem then either. Its not really something I would worry about. The only thing is the B/S schrund. We used tennis shoes, light ice axe and light poons. Seemed to me that you would have to want to fall into a crevase. Worry about the weather. Get a very early start, especially for West Ridge of Pidgeon cause its farther away. Beware of afternoon storms. We got caught in one and they are really exciting. Not sure how many alpine routes you've done but the best way to climb Pidgeon is in two pitches. One from the col to the pitch below the summit, which is like 5.0. Then the pitch to the summit, which is like 5.4. Beware of parties belaying the entire route.

Feeling really homesick right now, but it looks like we won't be back until March of next year for an Indian Creek trip. But, we'll be in the States from March to August or Sept if things as we want them to go. Plan to spend a lot of time at Index!

We have the week off to climb but weather basically turned nine days of climbing into four. Since I have some free time, I thought I'd post some pics of Spanish rock climbing. Baggesses Wall in Terradets, Catalunya. Amazing 500 meter limestone routes. The Peladets Wall or the hardman wall. Most routes here are 5.12 with nasty 5.11 runouts. Have yet to do q route on this wall. Granite crack climbing in La Pedriza close to Madrid.Aid climbing in Pedriza. Sport climbing in Pedriza. Puig Campana, Costa Blanca. This is a great rocky mountain within a couple miles of the sea. Great limestone trad routes. Limestone tufa climbing in Gandia, Costa Blanca