Bronco

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: Yeah but what if I cant climb but 5.8? That leaves me one route I suck... Then me and probably 1/2 the posers oops, posters here suck too.

How to protect? if you are climbing S. Ridge of S. Early Winters Spire, you simply clip the bolt someone placed.

Black Star is pretty cheap and good, brewed in Montana somewhere. They have a contest each summer on who shows up at the brewery with the biggest tatoo of their logo. Winner got a new harley last year. check it out. some guy from Federal way won in '99 : http://www.blackstarbeer.com/site/new/frm.htm [ 06-24-2002, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

That Dr. Zorn guy sounded familiar so I looked up who 'scoped my knee in 95 or 96 and that be him. I was back on the jobsite in 3 days, climbing ladders and packing materials around the "catwalk" on the Tacoma Dome Re-roof, I shit you not. That dude is a genius and if you do need surgery, check him out.

Here is my Gaper TR: Wife and I drove to the Blue Lake Trailhead Friday night drank a beer to celebrate the first day of summer, and slept among 10 other climber's rigs in the back of our truck. Much to my surprize, there was still about 3' of snow at the trailhead! I spent most of the night worrying about not having ice axes, gaitors or crampons, in fact I only had my approach shoes. At first light, (4:30am) most other climbers were loading up their packs and making too much ruckus for us to continue sleeping. So we hung out, ate, drank coffee and talked to the friendly guys who slept in the rig next to us, got some beta on our route S. Ridge of Early Winter Spire (SREWS). Helped push start a Vanagon to warm up my quads and we were off. Made it to the base of the route in a little less than 2 hours, wished we had ice axes and gaiters, but, no real problems as the snow was pretty soft. A family of Goats hanging out provided entertainment while we were waiting for the 3 parties ahead of us to work their way off the first 2 pitchs. Started up the route, heard some yelling from below, noticed a guy chasing a goat away from the pack he laid on the ground, glad I put ours in a tree. First 2 pitches provide the only sustained technical climbing (5.4), after that, it was fun climbing/scrambling to the summit, although I kept my wife on a short rope the whole time as she was uncomfortable with the exposure. As we neared the top, we caught up to the party of 4 Tacoma Mountaineers who were very cool and let us use their handline across the exposed ridge crossing from the false summit to the main summit. Here was the lowlight of the trip. Someone has placed a bolt on this easy fin, most people could walk across and anyone could hand traverse, it's hardly 5th class. The mountaineers were disapointed to see it as well. There is really no good reason I could see for it except I could see that someone may be uncomfortable with the prospect of taking a pendu-fall here, but this is mountain climbin and some risks are to be tolerated, bolts don't belong here. On the summit we encountered Gary Brill, a notable NW legend of skiing and climbing. He's got a great sense of humor and always fun to talk with. We Down-climbed the entire route except the first 2 pitches which the Mountaineers had already set up a rap-rope on each and graciously allowed us to use. We Glissaded down about 1500' of the 2000' descent to the truck, (8 hours round trip) drank a cold beer, stopped in Marble Mount at Clark's Eatery and had a great burger and the best Pecan Pie I have ever eaten. Everybody on the route, (we encountered a total of 12) were very cool not one attitude in the bunch which made it a very enjoyable day and first climb in the Washington Pass area. I highly recomend this route to anyone who wants an easy "alpine" climb. As it turns out, Mountaineers are very cool, I take back everything bad I have ever said about that organization. If anyone knows of any other alpine climbs like this, (mid 5th) doable in a day, feel free to let me know, I'd be interested in checking them out.

Climbed S. Ridge of S. Early Winter this weekend. Entire approach was soft snow, route was entirely free from snow or water although there was some snow in the SW Couliar route. The steeper faces looked to be dry from our perspective.

Skyfest lures kayakers to Index By Shanti Hahler Herald Writer INDEX -- Skyfest, the Puget Sound area's premier whitewater kayaking event, will be held here Saturday and Sunday on the Skykomish River. The Skyfest offers numerous events including a kayak freestyle in which both pro and amateur kayakers will demonstrate their skills, and a slalom race through a class 3 rapid for all types of kayaks and all skill levels. "A lot of people come. I'd say more than 100 paddlers from around the United States come from the whitewater circuit to join in the festivities and events, and there's probably 100 spectators that come to watch" said Jennie Goldberg, coordinator of the slalom and downriver events and an American White Water board member. Originally formed by a group of local kayakers, the festival is geared toward celebrating the scenic Skykomish River and raising money for river access projects in the state, including the Sky River Access Fund. The event is open to the public, and there is no entry fee. A raffle and an auction will feature wetsuits, kayaks, paddle pants, videos and paddling gear. Prizes will be given to event winners. Proceeds from the raffle and auction go to the Sky River Access Fund . After last year's Skyfest, almost $6,000 was donated to the new fund, in addition to almost $1,000 more in private donations. Because there are few legal public access points along the river, the Sky River Access Fund is aimed at raising $20,000 to improve access and get a permanent takeout facility for boaters on the river. Directions: Take U.S. 2 east across the Skykomish River Bridge. Immediately after, at the Index Cafe, take a left onto Index Road. Continue until you see signs for event parking. Events include: Saturday 10 a.m.: Inflatable slalom race, inflatable freestyle and surfing. 12:30 p.m.: Whitewater rodeo. 4 p.m.: Downriver race. 4:30p.m.: Beer Garden opens at the Sportsman's Club. 5:30 p.m.: Event awards. 6 p.m.: Raffle drawing and live auction. 8 p.m.: Music by Zeus Storage. Sunday 9:30 a.m.: Three-legged raft faces. 10:30 a.m.: Slalom races.

Injured Montana climber rescued from Mount Augusta in Alaska (Bozeman Chronicle) 06/20/02 By The Associated Press Email this story to a friend YAKUTAT, Alaska — An injured Montana climber was rescued Wednesday after he was caught in a rockslide on Mount Augusta, but bad weather kept rescuers from getting to a second climber. The injured climber — Jack Tackle of Bozeman, Mont. — had been stranded for almost 40 hours. He was rescued from a steep, icy slope at about 9,500 feet where his tent was lashed to the side of the 14,070-foot mountain. An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter hovered above Tackle while a pararescuer was lowered to him. Tackle was then placed in a hoist and raised to the helicopter at about 1:35 p.m., according to Senior Airman Kristi Kendall. Tackle was to be flown to Yakutat about 60 miles away and transferred to a C-130 transport plane to be taken to an Anchorage hospital. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known. Tackle is one of the country’s top climbers, said Margo Krisjansons of Exum Mountain Guides in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where Tackle works summers as a mountain guide. She said Tackle, a former director of the American Alpine Club, has climbed mountains all over the world. ‘‘He is a proficient mountain guide, an excellent climber,’’ she said. Clouds and fog made it impossible to get to a second climber at base camp at 7,500 feet, Kendall said. She said the second climber, Charlie Sassara of Anchorage, was not injured and had two weeks of provisions. A private air service was expected to pick up the climber when the weather improved. Maj. Mike Haller, a spokesman for the Alaska Air National Guard, said initially it was believed that both climbers were injured. The slide occurred at 10 p.m. Monday night. Sassara got Tackle into a tent in a relatively sheltered area, then headed back to the pair’s base camp where he used a satellite telephone to call his family in Alaska for help. A Canadian rescue team from Kluane National Park in the southwest corner of the Yukon was dispatched Tuesday in a pair of Bell Jet Ranger helicopters Tuesday, but both were turned back by poor visibility. The Pavehawk chopper reached what rescuers believe was the base camp late Tuesday but had to leave because of fading light and deteriorating weather. Mount Augusta is at the north end of the Alaska Panhandle near the point where Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon come together.

quote: Originally posted by Peter Puget: Freeclimb's advice:"Get shoes that fit your feet" I couldn't agree more. What size are your feet? What kind of climbing will you be doing most? PP INDEX CRACKS - 42 EUR, fat boys (wide)

Thanks, glad I asked before heading out there.

If you only knew what I went through this morning! [ 06-19-2002, 03:21 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

Does this mean I get a hug if I show up at Index Friday night?

Peter, I don't know shit and I think everyone here knows it. My bad for assuming "old Boreals" meant they were used.

quote: Originally posted by Peter Puget: Well then all day comfort isn't so important. You're too close to my size for me to have any spares. Somewhere I have a couple of old boreals about size 38. Too small for me. Once while in barfeet on a belay ledge I dropped a hammer on my toe! Ouch. Screwed up the rest of the climb. Luckily it was mostly aid. So now on long routes I am sold on comfy shoes. Peter, I dont want second hand shoes, but thanks for your consideration and your story about the hazzards of taking your shoes off at a belay. I don't think I am headed that direction (really tight shoes) anyway, it sounds too painful for what little you pick up in performance. Jedi, I think those Mega's would be too small for me as well, good luck finding a buyer. Has anyone found the Boreal rubber to be less sticky than others? I know Five Ten Stealth C4 is supposed to be the best, but, really, is there a huge difference?

I think I have been paying about $20 for it at GNC, become a stupid member, show them the anoying card and combine that with a sale price, blah blibbity blah blah blah.

Thinking (dreaming really) about climbing the SW Couloir on South Early Winter Spire this weekend if there is still snow in it. I wouldn't consider it this late in the season, except I know it was a pretty high snow year up there. Has anybody been up on the Early Winter Spires lately and happen to scope out this route or know what the conditions are in it?

Thanks for all the great info. I will pass on the Invernos and snafflehoundskin but check out the rest. My wife has Mythos though, and I don't think my ego could take having matching shoes.

unless your leader is falling on at least 2, perfectly equalized pieces, his pro placed on lead would rip before your directional, as long as you placed it well. The force on your directional would be approximalty half of what the force would be on the pro placed on lead. *or almost exactly what TG said* [ 06-18-2002, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

Alrighty then, despite buying the tightest fitting size I could possibly stand, I can now wear liner socks under my trusty Five-Ten Spires pretty comfortably. In other words, they have stretched out a lot. So now I am looking for a new pair of shoes and want be able to edge a little better and a little more suport for jammin' cracks. I don't know if I should buy a board lasted (really stiff) shoe like the Boreal Ace (fits pretty good) or try to stick with an all arounder slip lasted lace up like the Scarpa Inferno or Reflex or just get a tight slipper to take off at belays and hope my technique and foot strength improve enough for better edging. I like the idea of a board lasted shoe, but also recognize that a lot of shoe manufacturers seem to be moving away from it all together and wonder -WHY? Am I putting too much effort into finding the "right" shoe and should just lace my current shoes tighter and focus on improving my techniques? Well?

just don't hit us on the way down man! Seriously, I think just communicating that someone is jumping would be reasonable enough for me, and obviously be careful not to kick anything down when you take off. Thanks for posting here so when I hear someone announce "hey I am jumping so watch out" I don't think someone is suicical, well, not completely anyway. [ 06-18-2002, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

Nice TR, I have a hard enough time climbing with people I know well, good to hear it works out sometimes. Great job on a classy route, post some pictures if you can.

I've been drinking Coors lately. It's the only can that fits in the "tool tubes" of my BD Ice Pack. Pretty cool

Your mother is so fat if someone told her to "HAUL ASS!" she'd have to make two trips!

So there's this preacher of a little country church, one sunny Saturday he is looking at the faded, chipping and peeling paint and decides to paint the entire exterior of the church. He buys 1 large paint brush and 1 gallon of paint. By the time he has the first wall done, he realizes he hasn't bought enough paint to finish but has no time to go back to town for more. He remembers some advice from a painter friend about thinning out paint with water if they needed to stretch it out a little. By the time he is done it is more water than paint but, it looks pretty good. Saturday night there is a violent rainstorm and Sunday morning all of the paint has washed away. He cries out "Lord why have you forsaken me?" God says "REPAINT AND THIN NO MORE!"

quote: Originally posted by Dru: quote:Originally posted by Bronco: quote:Originally posted by Dru: quote:Originally posted by Bronco: sound like a real cluster f@ck to me. but it has potential..... Have you ever been to the J Tree New Years Party on top of Intersection Rock? no, never been to J tree, is it a good time?Drunken climbers solo 5.3 route to reach a Keg Party on top of a giant rock near the campground... always mayhemous fun to duisapproval orf rangers and tourists...sounds like a good spectator sport to me. Of course, I can hardly follow 5.3, but I haven't tried it under the influence. HMMMMMMMMMM...