pope

Just to add a little balance here....I won't miss it. I'm happy to buy beers for the perp. We need somebody to fight the tide of grid bolting. What was the justification for an anchor 35 feet up the middle of an established crack climb? Just 'cause the climb starts out kind of easy? Guys, the first 15 feet of Iron Horse would make a nice little moderate climb. Maybe we need an anchor up there below that undercling. Come to think of it, I can free climb the last 30 feet of City Park. Maybe we could stick an anchor there so that I'd have a nice place to transition to free climbing mode. Increased traffic, convenience, moderate climbing made available where none existed. And don't forget safety. These justifications will one day be applied to the bolting of every crack at Index.

Didn't some French climbers take a crap down El Matador when you working there? I seem to remember they were making a statement about the lack of bolts.

When some little pussy shoots a paint ball at my home.

Hang 'em high. Pathetic.

Mountain Earring: Raw Climbing: Any questions?

I think you'd enjoy the regular route on Careno Crag. Take your time to protect the crux first pitch. This climb is one of the warmer "long" routes. The older, classic routes on Castle in the 5.7--5.9 range are spectacular but probably more like 5.8--5.10 when compared to Exit 38. At Castle I recommend Catapult to Logger's Ledge, followed by a climb of Jello Tower (S. Face or Damnation), then run to the summit on Midway Direct. A thrilling but challenging 5.8 is Canary (this catches sun earlier than other interesting 5.8 climbs on Castle such as Saints and Angel). If damp weather forces you to the Pinnacles, check out Vertigo and Empire State.

It's also worth mentioning that today's "low-end" components are probably better than high-end components from just a few years ago. A mt. bike equipped with Shimano LX components will be significantly less expensive than a bike with XT gear, but today's LX line is pretty darn bomb-proof. Less expensive bikes tend to be heavy but often come with pretty good components (by good I mean functional and reliable). After finding the bike you want at the local shop, start looking on line and also second-hand. With the money you'll save on a used bike, you'll be able to upgrade/repair components.

Damn it. Where's the justice in this world? I hope your friend is in a better place.

What's your point?

What's Dru have in common with a kid on spring break? NO CLASS!

Thanks, MisterE! That was one helluva party.

Gee Bill, did you see any variability in that testing? At least some of the slings tested failed at forces typical of "sport climbing falls". How do you know the next fixed draw you clip isn't sitting near the lower end of those data? Do you really wish to gamble on the results of tests performed by some anonymous wieners you encountered in cyberspace? Do you really clip fixed draws or are you just talking out your ass? Bottom line: climbing is dangerous enough in perfect conditions with new gear, gear that you own and the history of which is well understood by you. If you want to trust your butt to some mystery gear that's been pounded by multiple falls and exposed to who knows how many days of brilliant sunshine, be my guest. I think you're a fool. Again, the folks who leave this crap hanging give every other interested party two choices: trust it, or make exaggerated efforts first to remove it before climbing. That's bullshit. I suppose a third option is to pick a different climb, but then doesn't that present some kind of monopoly on a limited resource? What we have is a mentality that is perfectly consistent with sport climbing. Joe Quickdraw feels he has the right to equip a rock face with bolts exactly where he thinks they should go, without regarding the aspirations of somebody who might actually have the balls to try bolting it on lead. Maybe he'll chip a couple of holds so he can further diminish the challenge to something manageable and saccharine. He essentially monopolizes the resource and denies more capable and principled climbers the chance for a real, ground-up first ascent.

Mike Adamson has a Nomad for sale. Contact him at ascensionist.com, but first check out this bad boy. I promise it won't slow you down:

Erik, how'd you get talked into attending an H-mo convention?

I have no interest in "projecting" or whatever the kids are calling a practice for which we, back in the day, had another (dirty) word: sieging. And nevermind the draws, the bolts are garbage as well. But even if you don't share my opinion of the circus called "sport climbing", you must admit that Maxtrax nails the problem squarely. I never trust webbing that's been sitting around in the elements, and I don't trust 'biners I find on climbs or at the base of a climb. I don't know their history, don't know if the owner has been careful to avoid dropping or cross-loading the 'biners. Anybody with an interest in avoiding appearing in the headlines of the nightly news should be similarly suspicious. When you leave your gear hanging off of fixed protection, you give other climbers two choices: either climb the route trusting the quick draws you left hanging from the bolts, or make exaggerated efforts to first remove the gear prior to their ascent. Neither option is fair to other climbers, and so ultimately we get back to why climbers should approach their sport the way educated backpackers do, by assuming that subsequent adventure seekers DO NOT wish to experience anything more than a minimum of evidence that previous parties were there.

Gotta be the quote of the year. High five, brother Joey.

At least they smashed your window. In Squamish one night, some fool tried to pry the lock out of my door to get what I'd left in my car (an empty milk crate and a sweater, for crying out loud). Best way to avoid the problem is stuff all your gear in a camo bag and stash it in the woods. Also get an i-pod and a device that broadcasts a signal into your car radio. Take the i-pod with you (or stuff it up under your seat cover).

If you were going for humor Dwayner, you might double check it cause you come off sounding like a cold, mean spirited (insert rude word here). Which I'm pretty sure you are not. Regards; Bill I'm pretty sure he was not. Bringing up the recent Skinner accident is relevant because central to Dwayner's argument is that the belay loop is an additional and unnecessary weak link in the chain. Sadly, Todd's tragic death supports the argument. Regarding coaxial loading, my understanding is that a belay loop will diminish the problem by helping the 'biner twist into the vertical position instead of putting twist on the 'biner. However, if you don't treat the belay loop like you would any other runner and replace it FREQUENTLY, you're inviting catastrophic failure. My locking 'biner is always in the vertical plane, because I use a double wrap 2-inch swami belt in conjunction with commercial leg loops with a connecting strap (or whatever you call it) that comes up nearly as high as the swami. The 'biner clips around the swami and leg loop connection and is always in the correct position. I replace the swami every year (for about $5) and the leg loops whenever my ass gets too fat for the size I last purchased. I suspect my harness is stronger than anything commercially available (and much cheaper). Its strength does not rely on remembering to double back on a buckle and there is no belay loop.

"Need" for bolts is subjective, but so is need for a rope. If you're in the middle of a pitch, on the lead and the climbing feels serious to you, I think you have a right to place a bolt where no other good gear exists. Sure, Joe 5.12 might come along later and poo poo your decision, maybe skip the bolt, but "need" in this case is not artificial or hypothetical but immediate and real. As opposed to the sport climber hanging on a rope who speculates, "When we come back for the pink point we'll probably need a little something here by my hip and then again up here by my ear." Who has a license to leave a trail of trash? I'm sure we do see eye-to-eye on some of the creations you'll find around, for example, Vantage, where within 5 feet of a crack route somebody will stuff 12 bolts onto a 40 foot face climb that has probably been top-roped about a million times already. We're supposed to simply allow this garbage in the name of respecting everybody's right to make and interpret their own rules? I realize people get pretty upset about chopping, feel as though they're being subjected to a morality to which they don't subscribe. I feel an equal imposition when the natural beauty of a crag area is littered with far too many bolts that I know were placed without any sense of commitment, without any risk. There are activities I'm sure I'd enjoy in which I refuse to participate because they don't fit in with my "treading lightly" philosophy.

I suppose you could consider me a sport climbing critic, but don't include me in your generalization/review of sport climbing critics' bolting/chopping rules. I think a first ascensionist should be able to bolt a face climb provided no reasonable natural pro is available making some bolts necessary AND one of the following is true: 1. The new climb climb needs bolts to link natural, protectable features OR 2. The new climb uses only bolts but remains bold and climbs a line that features exceptional climbing (defined by the quality of the moves, the climb's position, length, etc.) These rules apply to a fist ASCENT, which implies....ASCENDING and getting the gear/bolts you need during the ASCENT. In this case, you get a valid climb where the gear was placed to protect an ASCENT. After the pioneering ascent, and once the route is repeated by many parties, I think the route becomes public domain. Nobody, not even the pioneers, should be adding bolts later. Bolts placed according to the ideals specified above won't be chopped by me. Outside of that, bolts have no place.

Never did, huh? So where did it go?

Right. I'm sure that, if you had the time, you could just head right up the thing and start a choppin'. Your arm-chair morality lessons are meaningless. I've done my part to help keep local crags free from litter, mostly by limiting my own drilling to its proper applications, but also by removing offensive bolts. I certainly don't have the time to erase every trashy climb in every corner of the universe...where would you begin? But if somebody has the energy to go down and erase that mess they'll get an alpine high-five from me. Most interesting to me is the notion that because the route exists it somehow has historical significance and, even if this were true, that this should preclude removing the bolts. Would anybody really forget the story and details? I doubt it. And why weren't you sportos jumping on the "historically significant" bandwagon when rap bolting was introduced to crags that had a proud history of bold, exploratory ground-up traditions?

It's all bullshit. I don't have the time to correct either mistake. Shame on these a-holes, and shame on you for the worn-out cliché: this one is OK since that one is worse.

Relaxing is for old people, sittin' on the couch with a beer. I suppose it would be kind of neat to find a special resting place, to find a moment in time and vertical space where one can pause for a little introspection, to appreciate the ambience. Who da Hell has time for that hippie nonsense? My itinerary is full, with plans for dozens of pitches then a harem of bitches when the sun finally settles. And if Dwayner catches me milkin’ a hand-jam, I can expect a scolding: Just climb the damn thang, we’re late for the taco bus.