TimL

If you had from July to the end of September to go road tripping....where would you go? Trying to figure out the best use of our time using Seattel as a home base and also keeping in mind that we need to spend time with the fam.

I'd be afraid Power of Lard would jump on me. Tower Arete on Snowpatch looks really nice.

I've been to the Bugs once, so I have a general idea of the area. Going again this summer and I've done a couple of the crowded classics. Can anyone reccomend good routes that are not the crowded classics. The more difficult the better. Looking for ideas for harder free climbs that can be done in a day by non-super climbers, but by a party thats able to climb fast enough. Energy Crisis looks awesome, but is short.

Holy shit, I guess you really need a margin for safety. Two or three seasons cleaning gear! Your crazy. I think this is how you advance from being a 5.3 gear leader to a 5.4c gear leader in just 5 years. Think about when this sport started. Their were no safety measures, no helmets or belay devices. I for one started climbing outside. I followed one 5.6 pitch at Index. Then I lead it. Really, it wasn't that hard. By the end of the year I was leading 5.9 at Index, onsite. I'd hate to think were I would be if I followed someone for 2 or 3 years. Wow, thats a crazy statement. Grow some balls. I think the most important aspect is developing your "lead head". The technical aspects of placing gear, especialy in granite, are fairly easy. I do think the most important issue out of all of this is that the poor guy who had the accident has a speedy recovery. Its easy to spray on the net if your not the one in the hospital.

This is perhaps the smartest thing yet said in this thread. Although beginners typically learn on 5.4 and 5.6, that type of terrain is really bad to fall on. Maybe have them learning on harder steeper stuff? Really, there is not too much difference between 5.4 and 4th class. As for adding a bolt, its not going to make the mountians safe. Best to leave bolts off routes established without bolts. If someone doesn't think it is safe enough, don't do it. Nobody makes you climb. Best wishes to the injured person. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

SC - When I first hurt my wrist I got kinda upset, but I figured that without the additional baggage of being pissed off, the injury would heal quicker. I think thats totally right on. As far as static climbing goes, and RuMr knows this about me, I have to work on my form because I have the strengh to pull most moves. I've found that I'm concentrating more on holding body tension longer to do long static moves on overhangs than just hucking for it. Thanks

SC - Thats the best advice I've heard. Thank gawd, the injury is not as bad as I thought. I've bouldered for the last two days with next to no pain. It still hurts around my wrist to forearm area, but I am able to climb with it if I climb smart. Really good advice. I'm not a dynamic climber by nature. I prefer static, technical routes. I'm learning to climb with an injury, and it is a big learning process, but its working. Whenever I feel a hint of pain, I let. I doubt I'll be climbing hard sport on a regular basis untill I get back to Spain in October. Lucky enough, i already put down one project this spring so I can at least lay off in peace. If you have any more tips on climbing with an injury, I'm all ears. Thanks.

A couple years ago Mike and I found a Bavarian Reality in Leavenworth. Doubt its been climbed either. I just tried a Spanish Reality this past weekend. Good thing is that its only a roof "boulder" reality problem.

sweet!

I hurt it about a week ago pulling on limestone pockets. I've been trying to be chill with it but its kinda hard. I'm just not pulling on pockets for a while and climbing more cracks, a kinda rare thing here, and slabs. The thing is that it doesn't hurt when I apply pressure, only when I pull down when my two fingers are almost at full extension. This is the first time I've every had a problem like this.

Last week I was clipping some bolts when I grabbed a huge 3 finger pocket and felt a pull in my right side ring finger/pinky tendon from the base of the finger all the way down past my wrist to the middle of my forearm. It hurts the wrist around the wrist area. Now the weird thing is that the tendon only hurts when pressure is applied on the two fingers while they are in an extended position, like grabbing a pocket. Now when I am crimping, nothing hurts. Has anyone had this problem? Anybody know what has happened and what I should do to heal this fucker. Any info will help. Thanks.

I might

Soul Reaper, Yikes...the block fell off? When? You mean there is not a perfect hand jam behind the block? Can't wait to jump back on that route when I come back this summer. Been thinking about that last move. Excellent climb!

Who has been on Steel Monkey? That thing is pretty hard for the grade, but the gear is all good!

hmmm...i'm about 5'-5" and i think sag is .11b...maybe you're too tall??? I'm about 5-9, and thing Sag is 11b. Its just one or two hard moves. Jap Gardens feels like 11c. Heart of the Country P3 is not 11a.

I'll try to add a tr on the Costa Blanca in Spain.

My point regarding leaving trash is that people from every country have trashed the mountains. No need to label. I hope Patagonia is not trashed. If I'm lucky, I'll be there next year.

He tagged the top, and it sounded like he was off the mountain. The issue is him being rescued after the climb descending through an icefall. Normally, correct me if I am wrong, people are usually flown in and out of the Devils Thumb? If this were true, and he was off the climb, the rescue bit is not a big deal. If you look at it in black and white, he was flown in and out. Just like everyone else.

A5 - I totally agree with you and they way young people are learning and the ethics (and lack thereof) some are carrying into out sport. Bolting cracks is one thing we never use to see of ever her of. Euros (French) in particular have also been known for leaving all their trash after an expedition to a remote pristine part of the world (Here's hoping they don't do that any longer). It looks like they did have the wide gear. Check this pic. roof pic Some pretty good pictures given the environment. Well, that lacks impact! You guys, AFive and Bill, are silly. The young people/ethics/gym argument is so played out. Really, how old are you to be preaching to young people about ethics? How many of these "young gym climbers" do you see out bolting cracks? If I had to place a bet, I'd say that most of the folks placing bolts next to cracks are far from young. People learn ethics from watching other people doing proud send, not from having some idiot beating them over the head with their ethics bible. Really, if you want to bash bolts next to cracks, I have an idea for you. Go down to Yosemite, start up the Nose and start bashing every bolt next to the wide crack before the pendulum into the stove legs. I’d like to mention that the people who put those bolts in place were neither young, nor gym rats. Were do you get off saying Euro climbers/French expeditions for trashing pristine parts of the world. What evidence do you have for that statement? Really, that is just a stupid comment. If you look back historically, it is the Asian expeditions that leave trash. Read the AAJ article, I forget if it was this years or last, and you will see an example of this in the Trango Towers. You statement about Euro climbers is almost the same as the statement that I sometimes face here that Americans are “fat, dumb and drive big cars that destroy the environment”. I guess I'm a Euro climber now and I don’t trash the environment, nor have I seen others trash the environment.

How funny. You mean to tell me that you teach English as well? ha ha ha. I've been working under the table teaching English at a school here in Madrid. Now that I have my papers, I've been thinking of a real job, and have even interviewed for a real job. But here, a real job, in a company is hard to come by, and the pay and the hours they work here suck. Not to mention their style of working. It's like running on a treadmill versus actually running. Your running, but not going anywhere. I've been hired on By an English teaching company to teach business English and tutor students. I get paid more and have a better schedule that if I had a "real job". Funny thing is, when I came to Europe, I thought that in Europe, Spain especially, that people worked less and enjoyed life more. Bullshit. Here people work more and get paid much less, but the cost of living is less than in the States. The difference is you get a month of vacation versus 2 weeks. Wow, I'm done with that rant.

Yes, we reign supreme. Doing well. Finally got my EU papers. Enjoying climbing every weekend in Spain. Too much rock here. a lot of alpine too, but tons of rock. Sometime I'll get around to posting a TR. How are you doing? Congratz on the news of the baby! You nplan on staying in Asia or returing to to the States? Let me know if you have any questions about paperwork for taking your family to the States. I'm working right know on getting Elena paperwork for the States as well.

wow, who pissed you off?

Go to the 5 Open Books for short easy multi pitch. There is also a place close to Yosemite falls viewpoint called the beach, at least I think, that has a couple moderate routes. Go to the base of El Cap if it looks safe. Pine Line is a nice route. the first pitch of the Salathe is good. And for the real Yosemite experience is Sachar Crack. I think there are other good routes further to the left. The Cookie Cliff might have some good routes for you guys to try because it is a little warmer there, but the hards are pretty hard there. I would save the longer climbs for the end of the trip. Let the group get dialed first or else you will epic. On another note, I would go to Red Rocks or J Tree this time of year.

You'll be able to find dry rock if you want after a day or so of sun. Most of the place will dry enough to climb by the afternoon. The GNS will be dry. Traverse from the top of GNS to BOC. PA will be wet. Iron Horse will be dry. Jap Gardens will have a couple wet spots at the beginning, but will mostly be dry. The start of Godzilla will be wet, but the route is doable after that section. The top part of the first pitch of thin fingers will be a little wet. Just aid through it to save your ankles. Most of the sport climbs in the Country will be dry. The slab pitch on GM will, as always, be wet. Basically, if you want to climb, you'll be able to find dry rock.

In town for a week and looking to get to Index one of these days if the weather holds. Want to climb mostly classics at the Lower Town Wall. PM me if interested.