ryland_moore

Agree with cj on buying or even borrowing a board down there. Plus, most people just sell them before they leave. Places to go learn: On the Carribena side think of Beach Break just south of the town of Puerto Viejo, an afro-carribean culture on the southeastern tip of costa rica just north of the border from Panama. Black sand beaches, pick up soccer matches on the beaches in the evenings with rastas, surfing all day, and you can rent bungalows on the beaches for less than $100/month. If on the Pacific side think about more remote beaches than the trendy Quepos area. O.K. surfing, but alot of tourons and thieves in the beach community. There is, however, a locals surf spot just south of the beach break where surfers jump off a cliff and paddle like mad to beat the freshwater crocodiles to the ocean! The Northern pacific coast has some really cool places like Playa Narjana (Haystack rock I believe) in Santa Rosa National Park. This area is remote and you will need a car as it is thirteen kms to the beach down a desert sand road. Also there are some excellent beach breaks on the Nicoya Peninsula like Playa Negra. Once you get really good, you will be able to attempt the Salsa Brava reef break in Puerto Viejo. Salsa Brava is rumored to break a board per day and the local reggae bar has broken boards tacked to its walls to prove it. There is a guy in Puerto Viejo who shapes boards and he let us borrow his demo boards for two weeks. He lives a bit outside of town up in the hills but within walking distance from the beaches. Have fun, wish I was going back!

Whatch out! Yo Country cousins is movin' to da big city!

I'll start climbing with ya once I move up there next week.

If ya wanna ski backcountry, then go do so, other wise stick to the groomers at the resorts. Hahahaha! who tries to duck the lines at Bachey!

I am a bit confused. I thought that a size 14 boot only went up to 306mm. How big are your feet cletus? I doubt that a medium size binding would accomodate such a large boot. 270mm is = to a US 9 and 290 is = to a US 12. What up?

Anyone know if ice is coming in round Mazama? Also, drive time in winter from Portland to Mazama? Thanks!

It was o.k. not some of their best stuff though. Hottie in there skiing some big mountain stuff that was pretty schweet, but too much twin tips snow park b.s. for me. I'd rather see some sick tele skiers instead of some kid who can't ski anything else except a pipe or a rail . But, as always, there were still some sick scenes in it.

What everyone else said. It is easy....in the right conditions. Last winter was awesome cause the weather was so stable compared to winters in the past. The schrund was even open in March last year. Your toughest opponent will be weather. Find a clear break, skin up, and enjoy it! The south side rarely slides, but knowing how to read the snowpack, dig test pits, and having a beacon with you is always good practice in the snowy backcountry.

Assuming he was jumping off the brick wall, his head/neck got lodged in between the gates and the force could have decapitated him, but wouldn't his body be on the other side of the fence? It does look a bit photoshopped, but one could go check out rotten.com to see if it is up there. They will usually put that kind of stuff on there.

I do, but only trust one company to do it.

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I assume you are speaking of the Salt Creek Falls up Hwy 58 towards Willamette Pass? I know two people who have climbed Salt Creek Falls back in early 90's. The owner of the Crux Rock Gym in Eugene being one of them. He said it went at WI4/5 but was so unconsolidated that they could hear the whole thing creeking behind the ice and it was so thin that the leader didn't put in any protection for the last 60 feet of the climb. Said it was the scariest thing he's ever done. That said, it would have to get cold for a while to make that place freeze over. I check it every year and it never comes close for the 4 years I've been out here. Maybe one day!

Here's the link to John Day Area Ice near strawberry mountain sent in by vert a while back too.

I'd still use an 8mm on Rainier or any other major peak in the Cascades for glacier slogs. I used an 8.8 mm for Denali and didn't think twice about it.

Cool idea Wazzu! There is a lot of ice around the Wallowas, but most people do not know about it because it is such a remote area. The backcountry skiing there is some of the best in the Northwest (if you can call it that) since it takes on a rocky mountains snow pack - dry and powdery. It just takes forever to get there! There is also some ice in the canyons around Burns, that I am told, forms every single year.

Matt was on my soccer team growing up in Roanoke. He did climb quite a bit at NRG and throughout the South, but he started clipping bolts before climbing trad at NRG and other areas in Virginia and NC. He is also fairly tall, built like Dean Potter, and is a machine on thin climbs and stemming nightmares. Climb in different areas, don't limit onesself to one style, and train hard will pay off big.

Check out backcountry gear's website for the Beal Rando and Edelweiss Discover Glacier. You won;t need anything more than this unless you are more than a 3 person rope team.

Yeah, but I don't think she would meet your criteria from your avatar! Although I guess alot can be allowed to go under the bridge when a trust fund is involved!

Let's just say he doesn't have to do anything if he didn't want to. But still, a place like that on the East side of the tetons would run over $1 million. Just trying to make the point of the difference in cost of living from one side of the hill to the other.

Try 4 hours on a good day with no traiffic in the summer going through Yellowstone. If you want to get between the two when yellowstone is closed, try 9-10 hrs. I used to do this drive a few times each season as I had friends who lived up the S. Fork of the Shoshone River in Cody. SkyClimb, why not Driggs? You lived there? I think it is an awesome place. A friend from college is a fly-fishing guide over there and he and his wife bought a 3 bedroom custom log home `1,200 sq.ft. on 2.5 acres that backs up to the national forest and a creek just on the other side of their property line. Paid $250,000 for it. Now that is cheap for the views!

This is within reason in my opinion, Jason. If someone is putting up a project and does not complete it within one season's time (there are exceptions of course) then I say it is free game, especially if all the gear is in and all that is left is a redpoint, which the setter has left to do in the "next couple of seasons" for example. They may have put money into the hardware and so deserve a crack at the rout first off, but if I see red tape on a finished route for more than one season, it becomes fair game. I do have to say that this is an exception rather than the norm as most people who put up routes can do them and are psyched to do them, hence why they put them up in the first place.

I lived in Jackson for 2 1/2 years. I'd move back if I could find a job there that would afford me to buy a house. I do not know much about Laramie other than it is really far from Jackson and a lot different. Jackson is an anomoly for the State and most people in the state look down upon Jackson because it does not represent their idea of what Wyoming is supposed to be. I find it only really touristy in the summers and if you can stay away from the town square and the major tourist centers then you have an amazing place to play. The winters are cold, vut it is a dry cold, unlike the west side of the Cascades. A lot of snow, cool people, and amazing backyard! The job thing is a bit of a hangup. If you can make over $70,000 and live in Jackson, you'll be fine!You are paying for the lifestyle and the backyard amenities. People do it for a lot less living paycheck to paycheck! If you have any other questions about Jackson, I'd be happy to answer. Cannot comment on Larmie. Also, to beat some expenses, look just over the pass in Idaho. You can buy a place for a lot less in Victor or even Driggs and commute in less time than you Seattlites over to Jackson.

Lummox, just because you cannot do a pull up don't feel bad. I guess from the stats, most males in the US can't either. The point is not to show how many you can do but that you are able to improve or increase the number of reps (reflection that yes, you are getting stronger). Will and Blue make excellent points. Also, more sets with lighter reps is better than fewer sets with heavy reps (bulky muscle - not good for climbing!). For those only able to do one or only a few pull ups, that is where the pull up machine can really work, because you can do 3 sets of 10-12 reps using a lighter weight than your body weight. That is the type of muscle you want to build. Also, with more sets and longer reps, your muscles are working for a longer period of time, increasing muscle growth. For those doing the shorter sets with weight attached, try going slower (ie. 10 secs. up and 10 secs. down).

For those that cannot do alot of pull ups try starting with negatives , especially if you do not have access to one of those pull-up machines that will take some of your own body weight for you. Stand on a chair or have someone help you up so that you can lock off your arms in the up position (top of the pull up). Hold it as long as you can and instead of just releasing yourself down to the ground, slowly lower yourself. As you build up strength, and can do multiple pull-ups, do sets of negatives where one of your friends behind you pulls down on your shoulders while you try and hold up in the pull up position. Another great way to increase strength on the pull up bar or fingerboard is to incorporate negatives into a routine. Instead of just pulling up and lowering down, go up halfway, hold for 5 secs., lower down, then up again to 3/4 hold, lower half way, hold, up to full pull up, lower all the way, etc, etc. Mix it up. On your last final pull up when you cannot do anymore, then have your friend come in and pull down on your shoulders while you try and hold it up there. This worked for me as a wrestler in highschool when I could do 30 pull ups easy (I also was 5'8" and weighed 135lbs.) Now I can still do 20 pull ups off the couch easy and weigh 155lbs. Alex Lowe used to do 100 pull ups each day, not consecutively mind you, but over multiple repetitions. Work on other aspects, ie. lat. pulls. sit ups, finger board, and triceps. Note: Not much of this makes much difference if you are not incorporating some type of cardio workout into the mix. Yeah, you can turn fat into muscle, but it won't make a huge difference if you keep putting fat on over the muscle you are building. There is no one cure-all to climb better, It is like the food web, remove one species and the rest will fall. Eat healthy, work out - cardio and weight, and climb!Voila! You will climb harder!

Badvoodoo states: Damn, you mean I've been going about it all wrong? I never realized that pulling VB plastic in the gym and top roping 5.7 one time out at Smith would do this for me! Too bad Siddhartha wasted his life achieving what badvoodoo did in a few weeks!