Wallstein

The chasing numbers thread got me thinkin about what I am chasing. What I am really chasing is the moment. The moment when there is nothing else, no past, no future, just now. Right now. I have a hard time getting there. Its a bright light drawing me closer but usually to intense to look at. I glimpse into the light often. Rarely can I keep my focus on it though. Doubt, the future and my ego find a way into my head. I freak out. I overgripp. I fall. I am not ready. Why was there doubt? Why should i doubt myself. I am capable of anything. The future distracts me. My ego doesn't want me to fall. It doesn't matter if I fall. Thats not what its about. But my ego tells me it is about that. Am I so programmed that my ego only feels good when I don't fall? My ego gets in the way. Fuck my ego. I don't want to feel good. I don't want to feel bad. I don't care. I want to look into the light. I want to forget about it all. Uninterupted life right now. Action and reaction in my environment without doubt, without fear, without control. Thats what I chase. Two weeks ago I lived the moment. I climbed with nothing inside me. I gave it all up. No expectations. No Fear. No past. No future. No doubt. Move after move I didn't think, I acted. I absorbed everything. I looked right into the light, as focused as I have ever been in life. Every movement planned yet totally unplanned. I noticed everything. The colors of the rock, the smell in the air, the setting sun, the slight breeze, the sweat on my forehead, the chalk in my eyes, the connection to my partner through my rope, the connection to the rock with my hands feet and mind. The experience maybe lasted 20 minutes but I couldn't tell for sure. I had no orientation with the past or future. I do know it was all just fleeting. I got to the top and the moment was gone, everything came rushing back into my head. Tears rolled, my muscles swelled, and my heart throbbed. For a moment the desire was filled and for how long I do not know. That is what I chase.

Sorry to hear about your partner karsten. Good luck. Partners are hard to find. TimL doesn't have a job a probably won't by then. You will have to get a sat phone so he can call his girlfriend though.

I am looking for an newer pair of Kaukulators. Size 37 - 39. I'll pay good money if they are in really good shape. Or will be willing to trade cams for them.

I hear what the guy is saying. I'll admit that I love climbing harder and harder and sometimes chasing numbers. But we are all chasing something. For me it takes pushing myslef harder to get into the moment that I totally forget about the grade and my surroundings and absorb it all. For me climbing at an easier grade just doesn't get me excited and I never get into the moment. Thats what I am chasing....the moment. I have to seek out harder grades and push myself to get there and that takes some number chasing. Don't get me wrong I can have as much fun on some cruiser 5.6 as the next climber but it just doesn't do it for me like battling through a really hard testpiece.

I watched the whole thing with bino's. It was fucking madness. The meadow was a circus. People yelling and screamin.

After 6 on manure pile in Yosemite. Probably somewhere near 100 ascents. Last one was the best though. Soloed it with a vary nice looking lady who thought it would be fun if we strapped large stuffed animals to our back. I think my scooby do stuffed animal might have gotten the first stuffed animal ascent. We also passed Alex Huber. I told him he was a slow. He did the zodiac in 2:15 just before I passed him.

Good luck. Its like finding a needle in a haystack in washington. Unless you want to go to 32 or 38.

GO light with the hammer. A BD yos hammer is overkill for most leads. The BD is nice for the second but not needed for the lead. The last few walls i've done I used a light weight ball peen hammer. Plenty for me.

I shredded my fingers so bad on "the incredible 12c at givlers" it took almost 2 weeks to heal. Steep and really sharp. didn't even get to the top. Schooooled

The last pitch of Beggars Buttress in Yosemite is one the comes to my mind. Werner braun, the super crack master, who is fairly tall calls the pitch 5.12-. Every short person I know that has done it calls it 5.11. It is way easier to get into the critical stem if you have short legs. The Nose would be the other climb that seems critical to be short, or maybe just critical to be lynn hill.

The adjustable aiders are kinda scetchy for real aid climbing. They might be ok to clip in with at the anchor and them clip in with the rope. But as your sole source of attachment I definetly wouldn't recommend them. I have had a couple of friends brake them during aid falls. They are only given a strength rating of 300lbs. Pretty lame if you ask me. Sell them and get some normal daisys. The aiders can be real sweet for juggig but for aid they aren't so great.

Whatcha need them for? I have some I could part with for the right reason.

A petzl mini traction or protraction works really well for toprope soloing. Petzl even shows using a traction for this exact application. I know numerous people that use this setup and have never had a problem. I use it without a backup and have fallen plenty of times on it. I almost always use a fatty static rope but a dynamic will also work.

Wes is down in the valley right now. I just saw him a couple of hours ago.

Rudy, Its a dogs life is an alternative to the second pitch of jap gardens. From the anchors on top of p1 step left onto a small ledge and climb the crack on the far left. It is shown in darryls book. He recommends bringing pins if you want to lead it but it can be protected with grey tcu's and 3 and 4 hb's. Its short but it packs a punch. its kinda a test in gear placing skills. It just got a super scrub down so its pretty clean. Have you done Stiff kittens. Thats also a good one to do up there. also just scrubbed. I think you heard wrong rudy. I did do the second pitch of stern farmer though. One big mega pitch through the corner and exit right out the roof. One of the best pitches I have ever done. 165 ft of varied strenous climbin. It can also be done exiting left at the roof and climbing to the jap garden anchors, easier this way. You and tim should get out there and tell me what ya think.

Shirley to Narrow arrow direct!!! Full value, varied, and hard traditional climbing. One of the best crag routes in WA. 11c, 10b, 10d, 10. The first 5.10 at index. Classic. You could bring a 4.5 for the last pitch but just bring a 4 camalot and run it out. Thats what the old dads did. Jap gardens to 10%. excellent climbing. Some steep crack, a little thin fingers, and some awesome slab. pitches of 11c, 11b ,9+ 11b/c. You can toporope a Its a Dogs Life, (11c) on the way back down. If ya tick both in a day its kinda like the rostrum of WA. Although both climbs are horribly neglected they are managing to stay pretty clean.

I have feed a few lines before. I unfold a coat hanger and duct tape the 11/6 to the hanger. Then just push the hanger through the 1".

Bob, I think you are generaly right but I think there is a greater variance in the ratings of traditional pitches. Also the amount of time needed to become of strong traditional climber is much longer. I know alot of people that have been climbing for less than 3 years that can climb 5.12 sport. I can't say I know anyone who has only climbed for 3 years that can climb 5.12 trad. To me that says trad climbing is more difficult even if the ratings are the same. Lets take the Narrow arrow direct for example. (the last pitch was the first 5.10 at index) That thing is pretty dam burly. Compare it to any 5.10 at Exit 38. There is no way these routes are the same difictulty. I am pretty certain I know how to climb OW pretty well and I was huffin and puffin to send it. However I can get up any 5.10 at E38 with ease. Another example. The first few pitches of Flying buttress direct on the sentinel in Yosemite. They are rated 5.7. I have onsight soloed plenty of 5.7's in my life but if I had chosen to solo the first few pitches on the Flying buttress I would be DEAD! They are full Fucking value. Steep slick squeze chimneys. My partner who has climbed 5.12 in squamish couldn't even do the moves on this 5.7. He had to batman through them. I thought the moves were somewhere closer to 5.10+. I never seem to find 5.7 bolted routes that i think are 5.10+ How about comparing the Phoenix in yosemite to Darkness at Noon at smith, both 5.13a. The skill required to send the phoenix is much greater than that of the skill required to do Darkness, thus making the phoenix harder. When leading Darnkness you don't have to worry about placing gear in your hand holds ever. Not so on the phoenix. I think these routes are of very similar dificulty when on top rope but when dragging the rope the phoenix is way harder. Hanging out on overhanging ring locks and having to fire in gear that isn't going to get in the way is much more time consuming and pumpy that clipping some pre-placed draw. Fuck, whada I know, I am a weak ass punter for just arguing about it. I never was good at football.....

if you are looking for info on patagonia you should check this site out. http://www.climbinginpatagonia.freeservers.com/main_i.htm Its mostly in spanish but google can traslate it for you.

*****REDPOINT BOT VER 6.9 NEED PARTNER******* *****WILL MALFUNCTION IF PARTNER NOT FOUND***

Yesterday I went through my small nuts and found half (10+) of them to have broken cables. The worst I have found is my yellow alien with broken wires where it attaches to the head of the cam. Last year I broke the head of a green alien right off. It was 10 years old though. I have probably broken around 5 biners using them for various things. I saw a brand new BD wiregate break in half while hauling loads on el cap. I have broken numerous BD light d's while funking out pins. I started using Kong keylocks with really stiff gate action and I haven't been able to break anymore. I dropped a heavy load onto a rock exotica wall hauler during a minor epic and fucted it up pretty good, it didn't fail but cut the rope a little bit. I had to beat on the thing with a hammer to get it to work again. I inverted the cam on a petzl basic while hauling. Once again a little hammering and I got it working again. It was retired after the wall. I have never broken anyting thing in a fall though. (I am knocking on my desk right now.)

Looking for a partner for some climbing at index lower wall tomorrow, mostly 5.11 and up. Call 253-905-7076. I will be there regardless if I find a partner or not. Mike

I am on my way to index right now. Looking to maybe do 10% to the top or maybe crag at the blues cliff. Or all of Narrow Arrow if ya got some big gear. Call if yer interested my cell is 253-905-7076. I'll be at the base of lower wall by myself. Mike

If you need those cams this year I wouldn't bother sending them in to CCH. I think their turn around time is around 8-10 months if they haven't already lost your unit. If you just need the triggers repaired, Bernie who works in the mountain shop in yosemite will fix them for you. Give the mountain shop a call 209-372-1001. Thats the yosemite switchboard but they can direct you to the Mountain shop. I have heard that someone in squamish also fixes aliens. Maybe Dru would know.

So BD and Metolius must not trust devices like gri-gris and reverso's since they don't make anything that performs the same function....Metolius must think all ice screws are bunk because they don't make any. It seems to me that i see alot more recalls from BD than I have from petzl/charlet moser. I wonder who has better testing? I am a huge fan of BD but if Charlet moser is still making them they are ok with me. I have used screamers and fallin on them and never have the the pieces pulled. I would really like to see some test results though. But saying they are unsafe because of company doesn't manufacture them isn't a great argument.