Wallstein

Biggest: 40-50 on El Cap, blew 6 pieces and had a 1 RP stopp me. If it handn't of held it would of turned into 75-100... Yikes Scarriest: Whipper from the top of an ice route at Banks when the tree (anchor) I was holding onto ripped out of the ground. I fell almost the length of the route. I was upside down stairing eye to eye with my belayer when he caught me. Not sure of the length but probably around 45ft. Falling is fun

A couple of weeks ago I tried to climb Mt. Kozicosko, the highest mountain in Australia. As we were getting ready to go in the parking lot some lady told us we should put our 'thermals' on, we laughed as we didn't really have much clothing. And what did she know we were climbers! So we headed up, it starts by either riding a chairlift up or walking, we choose walking. It started raining part way up the walk and we became soaked almost immeditely. I had on cotton pants, cotton t-thirst, a light fleece and a cheap rain jacket. We kept going though and eventually reached the top of the charlift. From here a metal grait walking path leads to the top. It was another 6k to the top from here. We kept going and it kept raining and getting colder. We started joking that we might have to turn around, never thinking we would really have to. It got so cold that I couldn't feel my hands anymore and my shoes were starting freeze to the metal track. We kept going though. We got within 500m of the top when I couldn't even use my hands anymore. So we tried to take a picture but failed and decided to turn around, totally humiliated. We couldn't stop laughing though. We got shut down on a metal walking trak, during the middle of the summer in Australia. When we started we thought it would be the first of our 7 summits. I am not even sure if Mt kozicosko counts though??? I guy in town helpped to heal our wounds by telling us that is was -18c on the summit with wind gusts of 140k/h.

I have used lots of different brands and my favs are Mammut and Eldeweiss. The best cheap rope I ever bought was a 9.5 Eldeweiss Laser. I think it reatails around $140, dry 60m. It has around 175 days of use and i still use it heavily for work. My Favorite all time rope is a mammut supersafe. Kinda heavy but has a good feel and a really good sheath, really spendy though (around $240 i think) I think my supersafe has around 125 days of use and is still going strong. The worst ropes I have ever owned are sterling marathons, I went through 3 in 1 year. Core shots to all of them. Two of them were ruined the first day I used them. Way over priced, heavy, and get super fat and hard to handle. The sheath is way to soft! I get free sterling ropes for work and choose not to use them because they SUCK so bad. I have had pretty good luck with Beal/BD ropes. They seem to be a good deal for the price. I have lots of friends that climb on Esprit ropes and rave about them. They look like shit after a couple of uses but they never get worse. The sheath on these ropes are very tight giving the rope a stiff feel but making the sheath bomber. Though they are harder to manage due to the stiffness.

I have about 6 biners that are broken or almost broken. Most of them I broke using a funkness trying to get out pins. I have broken one carabiner while hauling but I can't say it wasn't crossloaded, as i wasn't close enough to really see it. We were hauling a bunch of shit! I have a few friends that have broken carabiners, two of the cases i have heard about were while people were aid soloing. Both cases were falls real close to the belay. Of the carabiners i have broken, most of them have broken at the bottom of the gate. I have only snapped two down the spine. The easiest carabiner I have found that breaks are the older BD light D's. The gait seems to come open easy due to a weak spring.

The descent off of middle cathedral has stabilized alot since the rockfall. I stayed away from it for a few months but went down it in October. Its not nearly as bad as everyone has said. It was very unstable after the rockfall due to heavy amounts of rain but is no worse now than it was before the rock fall. The rappel anchors were hit with rock fall but are still usable. Have a good time bill, see ya down there soon.

People actually show up in Yosemite expecting to find gysers...

I did Iconoclast to EOS with my bro a couple of years ago, I think during the CC ropeup. The bolts below library ledge are in the middle of the pitch that connects Iconoclast to library ledge. It seemed to me they were in a funny place. I just clipped them and kept going to the ledge. As for EOS not nearly as heady and scary as one might think. Getting to the first bolt was exciting but after that the scaryness was over. I did the pitch as one long 200ft pitch to a natural belay real close to the top.

Last time I was in Curry village it was in Yosemite. Did they move it to Yellowstone this winter?

For me hanging on something makes it hard for me to grade, a short hang can make something feel way easier than it really is. As opposed to climbing something without falling where I have a good idea as to who hard it was. I said 11+ because I fell on lead and did it without hanging on toprope but maybe it was hot and greasy the day i did it.

Just a word about those metolius adjustable daisies. They are meant for body weight only. Metolius does not even give them a strength rating. Metolius says not to belay off of them and always use a full strength runner or the rope to clip into the anchor.See metolius page here. I had a friend blow a piece and fall onto his other metolius adjustable daisy and it broke leading to a 40ft fall. These style of daisy are definetely easy but not the most bombers piece of equipment. I reli to heavily on my daisies to trust the metolius adjustables. Using the flotable 3rd aider is the way to go. I don't use a full length aider but a 3 step (a former 5 that i cut up). This method is a little lighter and easy to store when free climbing. It sounds like you already bought some aiders muffy but, it you haven't i would recommend the 4 step metolius aider. It is just as long at the BD 5 step but it has sub steps. If you only use 2 aiders having the sub steps is very helpfull. I am sure many people would object to me saying this but, don't put your aiders and daisies on an oval. Buy some Petzl spirits or some kong keylocks or even some BD ones. The petzls are the best because they have the thinnest nose. This is very helpfull for removing carabiners from weighted slings or anchors. If you can find some Spirit lockers I would snatch them up as quick as you can. I don't think they have been made in 5+ years but they are the best carabiner for the end of your aider/daisy setup. Ovals are weak and hard to get in and out of wieghted pieces. Biner shift is not something that just happens, it happens when climbers stack carabiners the wrong way. Check out the kong adjustable fi-fi hook if you can find it. This is a good alternative to the metolius adjustable. Get 6mm cord for it and not 7mm like it says. Here's a link to pic of it. Its called the resting fifi.

I would totally agree, that thing is more like 11+ on lead. Even on toprope I think I got totally shut down. I scored a bunch of webbing and some biners from the top of it though.

Yo bitch who you callin a worthless sack of shit. You fuckin washed up wanabee secretery... There is no difference between the 3 places mentioned....Everyplace has hard 5.9 and 5.10 and easy 5.11 I can't really tell any difference between these places. Thats my month late opinion

How about the left side of the split piller. I don't remember if I had one but I think i should of... Pitch 5 of Aurora on El Cap.. Bring and least 2. There are some good easy wide thing down in the gorge at smith. Great place to use the #5 without massive amounts of cursing.

Anyone got a sofa I could crash on afterwards? Drikin and Drivin is BAD.

You think publishers and manufactures serve interest besides their own? Publishers solicit towards a select group and charge money for their books don't they? The park service sees guiding as a way of educating the general public, the same way a book might, albeit a bit more exspensively. Whats the difference?

Yeah private industry capitalizing on public lands, it sucks but its going to happen. I-5 is public land right? How about all those commerical truck drivers getting in the public drivers way? They shouldn't be allowed to drive on the same roads as the public, especially during rush hour traffic because i know how bad traffic can piss you off Erik. They are stealling all of your roadway and they won't give it back...wha... wha...

What exactly are guiding companies stealing? And how would they be profitting from you? (the public) Are guiding companies taking something away from the land and aren't giving it back? How is the government subsidizing guiding companies? The same way they are subsidizing general climbers.. Many guide services will do alot at the local level to give back. Almost all guide services teach things like Leave no Trace and other appropiate ways to act in the outdoors. I think that is called educating and giving back to the community. I have helped in the re-construction of popular trails in Yosemite that only climbers use. I know many guides that actively replace poor anchors on routes and pick up much more trash than the average climber. Erik you are in the same league as my 10 year old brother, but better at bitching and whinning.

I climbed this route on Thursday and found it to be in ok shape. A little snowy and soft in some sections but fun climbing. We did use some pitons and stoppers and didn't really find any good snow for pickets. We did use them though. I would say go left early to enter the 2nd couloir and don't try the "easier" 5.8 down climb. When entering the 3rd traverse over as early as possible to avoid wallowing in snow. Definately a must do route!

I have only owned the older petzl ascenders but have played around with the other models. I found the ushba ascenders difficult to take on and off the rope quickly. Not a big deal if using it for fixed lines but for cleaning traversing pitches it could be real pain. These are the weakest of all the ascenders. The SMC ones are heavier than the petzl but aren't any stronger. I dont like the trigger mechanism. I find it difficult to disengage due to my short fingers. This isn't a problem for me with the petzls. Jumars are very similar to the SMC ascender Yates also makes ascenders. But like all other yates products they are really bulky and heavy and are more geared towards rescue use. They are the strongest ascenders on the market though. Twice as strong as the ushba. A disadvantage of the new petzl ascenders is the top clip in hole. there used to be two holes but the newer model only has one. When a carabiner is clipped through this hole (added safety for traversing) it creates alot of friction and makes it hard to slide the ascender up or down the rope. Also if using the ascender for some methods of hauling, the ascender must be waited and the second hole was great for this. The older ascenders also had an extendable trigger which made it easier to use with gloves. If you could find a pair of older petzl ascenders that are in good shape that is what i would recommend

6" isn't nearly enough, unless you really want to tie the death knot. I would leave at least 12" but I almost always leave 18"

I was woken by a phone call on Sunday morning by a close friend. I couldn't believe that what he told me was true. I didn't want to believe it. The last time I saw Jose was in November when I was leaving the valley and I never thought it would be the last time. I first met jose 4 years ago during a winter trip to Yosemite. My partner and I were hauling loads to the base of el cap and we ran into Chongo, whom I had met from previous trips, he was sitting underneath the Sea talking to a man I had never met. I couldn't understand a word they were saying but the conversastion sure seemed to be important. We kept walking. On the way back by I saw chongo but not the other man. After bullshitting with chuck for a while I noticed something moving in a very large tree. To my amazement it was this man standing on the very top of the tree. He was barefooted and shirtless in december standing on the top of a 150+ft tree. I was in awe. He stood in the tree for at least an hour stairing out towards the valley. My partner and I made our way back to the car followed far behind by Chongo and his friend. With a lack of better things to due we decided to burn a little hurb, Chongo's highly trained nose lead him to our spot. We passed it around and chongo's friend took a small hit, Chongo explained something in spanish to his friend and showed him what to do. Chongo then told us his friend Jose just started smoking yesterday. I thought that was a little wierd considering Jose was probably 20 years my senior. I ran into Jose many more times over the years but it wasn't until this last year that I really got to know him. We made a couple early season trips up to tuolumne and did some sport climbing together. We had a great time, but I really wanted to do a long route with Jose. I had heard of Jose's amazing talents at speed climbing. The regular route on half dome in 1:50 something, onsighting the Salathe in under 9 hours and numerous other amazing times. I consider myself to be a good climber but wouldn't even consider myself in the same league as Jose. But what the hell I thought he might do half dome with me. So I asked him and he thought it would be a great idea. I warned him that I would probably be slowing him down alot, but all he kept saying is "it will be fun..." I have never known speed climbing to be very fun but he kept reassuring me that "it will be fun" We met in the cafe at 7:00 and had a leisurly breakfast, Jose instisted that we go to the boulders for a quick "session" but I thought we should maybe get going, he said "don't worry it will be fun." Nine o'clock rolls around and we are just getting ready to go. I throw a rack together and Jose looks at it and says "all we need are doubles to .75 camalot and a #1 camalot." I laugh at what I thought was a joke, but his insists thats all we'll need. He "says when Dean and I did it we only brought a single set to .75." (thats 4 cams) I explain to him that I ain't Dean Potter. He looks me straight in my eyes and says "all you need is is doubles to .75 and a 1 camalot," he laughes "it will be fun" He had more faith in me than I had in myself. We finally escaped the parking lot at 10:00am and made our way to the base of Half dome. We took our time stopping to take in the scenery and talk about pyhsics, something Jose had a passion for (and a masters degree in) like he did climbing. He tried to explain relativity to me but I thought we should probably be hurring but Jose didn't think we needed to. I don't think Jose ever hurried anything. He just let it happen. We eventually reached the base and got ready to go. We talked about the route and decided that it would be better if he went first, I aggreed. He explained to me that when the rope comes tight start climbing, once again he stated, "it will be fun." I was about ready to puke from being so nervous. Once I started climbing I forgot about everything and just climbed. Things were going great, we were cruisin. Eventually it was my turn to lead, I looked at my anorexic rack and quitely said "this will be fun!" To my amazement I lead 7 continuous pitches without tagging any rack, I even ended up with 2 cams at my last belay. He was right, like he almost always was. We decided we should stop and have a little safety meeting, what the heck we had plenty of daylight I think. (we left the watch in the car so we wouldn't worry about how fast we were going.) The safety meeting might of been a mistake. Jose started leading but something seemed wrong, he was moving really slow. I didn't understand what could of happened. He yells down "sorry, but I forget what to do...." I didn't understand, he had climbed this route 10 times and had been climbing for longer than I had been alive, how could he forget. Well that was Jose.... He eventually fiqured out how to climb again and we were soon on our way to the top. We topped out as the sun was going down so we coiled the ropes and imediately headed down. We reached Curry village at around 10:30, a little over 12 hours after we left. It was indeed "fun" We did things on and off together the rest of the season. We went to parties, slacklined, went hot-tubbing on the eastside and talked. Well actually he talked and I listened. I finally started to understand Jose and his way of life. He was the only person I knew that could get all of his material possesions into the trunk of a Honda civic. Yet Jose had more in his life than the richest person in the world. He could go anywhere, do anything, anytime. I once asked him what his plans were for the winter, he responded " plans? plans can only tie you down." Jose not only said this but lived like this. I caught a ride from Yosemite to Squamish with Dean and Jose a couple years ago. During the ride Jose read me a story he had wrote on a climb he did in his native land of Venezuela, on a formation called Autauna. He was in venezuela visisting family not intending to go climbing. He was bouldering around at a little cliff in town and ran into a couple of old climbing friends. These friends had plans of climbing Autauna and invited Jose. He explained that if he hadn't of gone bouldering during that exact time he wouldn't of ran into his friends and would of never gone to Autauna. Who needs plans? Jose had dreamed of climbing Autauna his whole life and had even atttempted it before. But this was the time it was meant to happen. Jose taught me more about life than he will ever know. I looked up to him and his way of life. He probably wouldn't want me say this as he would rather have me live and make my own life and not follow anyone elses. Images of him have been running through my head for days now. I hope these images never fade, I don't ever want to forget Jose. As i sit here in front of my computer I wonder if he would of thought it was his time to leave. I hope not...I know there are hundreds out there that wish he was still with us. He will never be forgotten....

The route starts just to the left of Non-local Barkhouse, I think. It is a very incipient line. The last 30 or so feet finish on NLB and then belay at the anchor for Twelve angry bees. The first pitch consisted mostly of #2 heads and a couple of #1 s with a few small aliens. The next pitch goes up the first two bolts of swim and then continues straight up using heads, beaks and rurps. I think those are the only things I placed on this pitch. after 70ft or so I veered left through some big loose flakes and used a bolt on 12 angry bees for a belay. This belay probably isn't needed but the full pitch would be A4+R without it. I have done some pitches rated that hard but I wouldn't commit to this one. After the belay I stepped back right onto the steep arete. Scary #1 knifeblades and rurps for 40 feet leed to a little easier terrain, not much easier. The pitch finishes on the huge ledge where the swim belay is. The next pitch hasn't been finished. It starts up the bolt ladder and then penji's left to hooks and rivets of dubiuos quality. I rapped off of a rivet below a huge balancing tooth pick that would be extremely hard to get around without drillin or trundling the feature. The route would go to the top but it would require some more seriuos climbing or some easy drillin. I think the route would go to the top of the cliff with a 70m rope. I don't believe the route has seen any traffice besides mine. The difficulties are comparable to Native Son and Plastic Surgery Disaster on El Cap.

Erik and I are going to Index right now... Someone from Tacoma should meet us up there and give Erik a ride back to T-town. His car is there and I don't want to give him a ride. Give me a call if interested. 253-905-7076

James Notgotnomoney?????

It's always dry at Index