TimL

Best slab pitch I've climbed is Off Duty on Duty Dome in Leavenworth. Really, really good. Spray away.

Great weekend at Leavenworth with a little bit of swimming up routes which to be expected in the spring. Sent Pumpline at Careno Crag. Awesome climb! Since I neither consider myself as a hardcore gear or sport climber, I have a question for everyone. What would you consider slab climbing since it mostly involves bolts and run outs unlike that of a typically bolted sport climb or a gear protected crack? I never see very many people line up for or bitch about a good ole Leavenworth slab climb. Also, I never hear anyone ever boasting about slab climbing or exchanging move by move descriptions. Never seen any boy scout, youth challange, drum beat'n, multiple route hoggin, rock chucking, pre-pubesent congregation at the base. Maybe slab climbing is to weird. Spray away!

It sounds like you plan to do several grade 5 wall routes? If you want to ever do grade 6 wall I would buy the big one.

Who cares what variation whoever did whenever? I don't. A climb is a climb. Motivation is personal. Routes are conditional. All I say is thanks for reporting conditions Michael and good job on your climb.

oops [ 04-05-2002: Message edited by: TimL ]

Good Job!

Focus on your next climbing adventure. After not working and climbing full time for 10 1/2 months, going to work not only was interesting but freaky as well. Thank God for a website thats you can waste plenty of time on!

My 2 cents.... I've found you can't really go wrong with Metolius, BD cams #.5 through #5 and Aliens to the Red. I've had problems with the micro BD cams. They seem to walk and fix themselves very easily. HB and Trango cams seem to walk and fix themselves easy too. With Metolius they fit an extra 2 1/2 inch piece in between the 2 inch (blue) and 3 inch (Burgandy) pieces. Don't know much about the DMM cams. For an Icicle rack I would have a set of nuts, set of TCU's (blue, yellow, orange) or Aliens (?blue, yellow, green) and cams either Met or BD .5 through 3. You could use a 3 1/2 or 4 inch piece here and there but nothing mandatory. Maybe double up on 1 & 2 inch pieces. I don't thing there is a need for a grey 00 Met cam. A purple 0 Met cam is nice here and there but still not needed. Thats my opinion. I also hate hexes which is my bias. Hope this helps.

The Mole through the wrong Toketie Creek Drainage.

I thought JB's slideshow was good. He didn't seem like a grand story teller but his pictures and descriptions of the route were great. Just being able to see the legend in person was entertaining.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Originally posted by Dru: jerome likes to lean on his cheater stick while wearing spandex and talking to his stock broker on a cell phone about Britney Spears Guess its better than you sitting on your ice tool in Lilloeet spraying about all the climbs you've done. I'd rather be a sporto at Smith.

I'll be there even though I have a final exam tommorow. Anybody know what time?

If you like Pumpline, you should give Air Roof down the road a go. He,He,He

My vote is for the 5.10b Split Pillar pitch at Squamish or GM p2 linked with Heart of the Country p3 at Index.

With the cold weather and all the snow, anybody know if the Banks Lake ice has formed? Thanks for any and all beta.

Thanks Mitch. I was just wondering if any ice is formed at Banks? Do you know if much is formed at Lworth? Tim

Good topic. I would have to say as exciting as Canary is both pitches are Leavenworth 5.8. Although I pity the fool who blows the first moves and ends up below the roof on the 2ndpitch. It seems to me the topic revolves around grade inflation/ego gratification of climbing routes. For instance, if Angel Crack was rated 5.9 by the hard men that put it up, then it should stay 5.9. Same with Outer Space and Damnation Crack. I think they should stay at their original ratings. [ 03-05-2002: Message edited by: TimL ]

I just started a new job a couple of weeks ago and forgot to talk about the time off issue during the interview. Knowing that I couldn't wait very long to voice time off intentions, I marched into the boss and asked him if 2-3 weeks was OK? First questions out of his mouth: "Is this for climbing" Me: "yes" Boss: "Where?" Me: "Alaska or Yosemite" Boss: "What are you going to climb" Me: "Something in the Ruth or something on El Cap" Boss: "Just 2 weeks" Me: "2 maybe 3" Boss: "Shouldn't be problem. Let me know the dates." All I got to say is thank god my boss is cool and has been climbing for the past 20 years. Now the only thing I need to know is how to talk my teachers into letting me take my spring finals early. When I figure that out I'll start a new thread.

Rodeo, I was kinda in your situation about a year ago and I took 10 1/2 moths off work and did the climbing bum thing. I would consider it as one of the better times of my life. The experiences and people I got to meet were awesome. Now starting week 2 of life in cubeville and going back to school I look back at what I have learned about life and smile. Its time to make some cash and gain knowledge but soon I'll be on the road again. Go and have fun. Life is to short!

They have special powers. Click the heels together and you get elevated a bonus 5,ooo feet in the blink of an eye. Really, I'll take $200 if anyone is interested. I don't were them anymore and they are just collecting dust. [ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: TimL ]

Koflach Arctic Expedition Boots Size 10 Good Condition Price: $250 If interested email me at Lucky14956@aol.com Product Info: These warm plastic-shell boots designed for high-altitude expeditions also perform well on vertical ice. The warmest in the Koflach line, the Expe feature Thermo liners which contain open-cell polyethylene and closed-cell Alveolit foam Y-Technology™ outer shells, dual density polyurethane; stiffer near the bottom for crampon security and softer over the instep for flex Vario hinges allow natural. forward and lateral foot flex making for easier approaches on rocky terrain or flat-footing techniques on steep snow Removable Thermo inner boots feature bacteria-resistant polyester linings that help move moisture away from feet Reliable Vibram rubber lug outsoles provide traction on a variety of mountainous terrain Steel ball eyelets allow snug lacing by letting you pull tightly with a minimum of effort, even with gloves on Temperature rating is estimated to be -65 degrees Fahrenheit

Funny, I found the BD ice clips to work really well. On the other hand, the Trango ice clips (forget the name) suck. Several screws have fallen off that piece of crap. It seems if you overload either piece of gear with to many screws, the chance of dropping a screw is greater.

Ice climbing, like everyone says, is scary stuff. I started ice climbing last season. Unlike other mediums of climbing, I plan on learning as much as I can before start agreesively pushing harder grades. It was a learning and humbling experience this weekend watching a guy take a good 30 ft. screamer on lead. The guy walked away unhurt but the experience was enough to make me want to puke.

Thanks Chris!