Wallstein

You know I would be down but I am in Jackson skiing some pow....Then off to CO. I was hating driving away from index on Monday. I hope it is good when I get back. I'll look ya up when I'am back.

I have seen two broken aliens. They did not brake in falls because I noticed the frayed cables before it happened. Once I noticed the fray I bent the head back and forth a couple of times and the weld completely broke. After alot of aid climbing (like 20+ grade VI's) on aliens the weld will start to brake. the is also the case with double stem junior camalots. I have never completely broke a camalot but have retired them after I noticed frayed welds. Sorry no photo evidence either.

Did I miss the big party? I knew I should of motivated this morning. But the achey fingers just said no!!

Get your facts right harry. Specialed, boobyperu and colin were there doing special testing on the ability of camera lcd displays as headlamps. And I was there chalking up useless holds.

I just got back from a week at red rocks. I was still able to to climb 4 of my 6 days there. Good bouldering temps.

Skied around lake tahoe. Good conditions. More snow on the way.

Bring beer.

Yeah Will thats me up there.

I think he owns positive resoles, located around josh.

Tex, try using a bat hook to hook the rurps. hook the hole where the wire use to go through the rurp. Or stick the smallest wire you have through. pinch the bottom of the stopper wire and pass it through. the swage shouldn't go through the hole though.

Justin told me it was easy.... I don"t know about that.

Whats up with the new grey alien. Its in between the yellow and red one. Total marketing scam or what? I have rarely ever need a size in between yellow and red. I looked at the new yellows and I think they are smaller and the red ones are larger. Anybody know if I was just imaging this?

I second the vote for Ropers 1964 valley guide. Best book in my collection.

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 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.