pope

Note that pope and RURP are simultaneously logged. Just trying to clear any association folks might have made between the two of us. I was just going to let the suggestions slide....until I read the Hillary joke. Foul!

There are many considerations in deciding where to put the first, second and nth bolt. I think stance is important...a good stance below a hard move is where I think that a bolt should go. Two body lengths isn't much more than ten feet in this short guy's estimation, and if you really need the bolts closer than that...maybe it's too hard. As MattP points out, a good bolt shortly above an exposed belay of any kind is important so that a fall directly onto the belay, with very little energy-absorbing rope in the system, does not happen. Same theory when you place gear: don't allow for the possibility of a fall directly onto the belay anchor, when at all possible. One buddy of mine suggests placing a "frank" nut immediately after leading out from the belay....he's never told me who Frank is or why Frank's willing to let us borrow one of his.

quote: Originally posted by JayB: Allison: It brings to light a risk that one commonly encounters on sport-climbs that seems to have gone unacknowledged on this board by some folks who maintain that there's no difference (in terms of risk) between leading a sport route and top-roping it. No, in my vast experience, I've never known a climber to get hurt on a sport route, although a close friend once set up an inadequate top-rope anchor and fell 30 feet into the talus, breaking many bones and spilling liters of blood. Worse, they had to cut his harness and rope when they evacuated him. There is a significant difference in the risks associated with sport climbing and top-roping: the latter is more dangerous. I've seen sport routes in which the second bolt is more than double the distance the first bolt is above the ground. Considering the bolts were placed on rappel (the bolting mode in which one may most "thoughtfully" design the fixed protection distribution), I have to agree that somebody out there needs to take a physics class. The solution to this: make sure the first bolt is at least a few body-lengths up. That way, if you miss the second clip, you're less likely to deck. And did anybody mention.....Allison is living testimony to why teaching yourself to not fall is the better approach.

quote: Originally posted by mr. happy: what's the website address? There's a link in Chuck's profile. Just got back from my own tour...Bravo, Chucky! God damn,GOD DAMN! Your photos/stories make me want to get out of the house. Thanks.

For certain, Erik. Once the little voice in your head says, "It's OK to fall you can't get hurt here man," watch out. This is a sign that you've trained yourself to rely on your gear, that you've trained yourself to quit fighting gravity and succumb to the often mistaken notion that falling is both safe and acceptable. Often it is not. The best instinct to have in almost every situation is a fighting instinct. Rather than relaxing my mind by remembering that falling might be safe, I prefer to "relax" by remembering that I've fought through similarly difficult ground, occasionally with crappy gear, and refused to let go. Instead of being comfortable with falling, you should be comfortable with being near falling and still pulling it together. Best advice I've read in the thread (several people offered it but I think Matt Anderson said it first...not that everything he said is great advice): get comfortable being above your gear by getting outside and getting above your gear...frequently!

quote: Originally posted by RURP: This is RURP:Pope: I am not a "meat inspector" in Leavenworth RURP has spoken. Schlangeschmecker is a "meat inspector" in Leavenworth, according to his profile. I never insinuated that YOU are a meat inspector in Leavenworth.......your "meat inspection" activities have never been confined to that tiny pseudo-Bavarian village on the sunny side of the Cascades. No dude, you're nation-wide.

quote: Originally posted by nolanr: I think it's a trick, Pope wants Lambone's woman to help him w/ his woody. And anybody else we can find.... it takes a small army to put that thing away. ------------------------------------------------ Caution: my unit is even larger than it appears in your side mirror.

When free parking is outlawed, only outlaws will park for free. Yo Charlie, it's cheaper to pay the ticket (though perhaps less satisfying) than to rent a Ryder truck and buy all of that fertilizer....don't do anything rash!

Here's a solution: on any given night, at any given time, any one of the major lushes on this board announces, "Cyber Lounge is open. Time to liquor up!" I think we could get 50 or more to hop into the chat room and crack open a coldy....we'd probably get more babes to attend, and we could imagine that they're hot while they pretend we're wealthy alpine jet setters with ambitious itineraries in the Himal.

Der Sausage Shoppe is an exotic all-male review in Leavenworth. He is a "meat inspector" only in the sense that he heads the personnel department: he is in charge of recruiting new talent. If you want to nominate that guy, fine. He certainly has changed the face of nightlife around the town of "Liverwurst", which is half the reason climbers go over there in the first place. But I think RURP's going to take it personally.

You like that guy? What do you like about that guy? Come on man, the guy runs some kind of seedy exotic dance club in Leavenworth and he's always having a post-separation bitch fight with RURP. ------------------------------------------------- Caution: my unit is even bigger than it appears in your side mirror.

For pants, it's tough to beat wool. Wool is wind-proof and offers plenty of warmth when wet, it sheds powder better than polar fleece, plus it gives better friction than wind/rain gear when you're trying to perform a team arrest above a big bergschrund. Wool has a great comfort range; it will keep you warm sitting around camp yet it's somehow cool enough for hiking up hills. But on a really soupy day, I'll put on a pair of off-brand WPB pants. Buy the cheapest and lightest, then plan on patching them as needed. Some of these bibs/pants are incredibly heavy, and climbers tend to put them on when the first wind comes up because their pile pants aren't doing anything to cut the wind. I wear wool and almost never put on rain pants, and when the weather really stinks, I just go home. This is a formula that works for me, for weekend warrior stuff. If you're going on an extended trip into the mountains, you might want some stout WPB rain pants and polar fleece (since it dries so quickly). ------------------------------------------------ Caution: my unit is even bigger than it appears in your side mirror.

Broiled lobster tail, crab-meat cocktail, French onion soup, and Wild Turkey on the rocks. That's what Jonathan Hemlock orders, that's what I order. In addition to Wild Turkey, Hemlock and Big Ben Bowman drink Olympia beer on top of the Totem Pole. When I want beer....OK, I won't go that far. Olympia is easy to turn down.

quote: Originally posted by slaphappy: The next time I feel a bit "ify" about the snow pack stability and hear the little voice in my head say "if it slides you have your beacon-it won't slide anyway" I can remind myself that they are only useful for finding dead bodies and possibly reconsider. That's exactly what they're good for....provided the batteries are fresh.

Lambone, next time you and your pretty Mrs. go to ski Crystal Mountain (I assume you got married...did you incorporate any of my wedding ceremony suggestions?), you should stop by Pope's place in Bonney Lake the night before. We've got an extra room and my wife will cook you a fine dinner; then we can play around on my garage wall and work on our disco/sport-climbin' moves. The price: you need only sneak a crimp or two out of the gym (suitable for a not-quite 45-degree wall used by an old man) and donate it to my woody. You'll be well-rested and ski like a champ the next morning. Oh and uh, congrats on breaking the k-barrier.

Brother Trask.....a yeasty Amen to you. And while Pope offers the Brewsky Benediction, and when all eyes are reverently closed, you can put down your tumbler and drink me under the table.

I had a similar idea for a thread: Unimaginative Threads.....but I confess, I didn't put a lot of thought into it.

I'm going to smoke a bunch of what you young hipsters call "herb" between now and Fred's big day in the bar....maybe the herb will make my rack impressive enough to stimulate old Fred!

quote: Originally posted by Dwayner: Brother MTNRGR: I later watched it on television and the "special challenges" were LAME: embarrassingly LAME. One of them was to get your team mates over a barrier made of a sloping plywood wall covered with plastic and Crisco. Now there's some REAL ADVENTURE- Dwayner Sounds about as contrived as some other outdoor adventures I've seen manufactured along I-90.

What the hell is this? I though this thread was about bastard off-spring!

Ain't seen it. I would imagine some of these bastard children of well-paid basketball stars receive hush money. I worked with a very honest lady who said one of Seattle's former professional athletes had fathered her friend's child, and that had been the reason he had to be traded, so he could come home every night after practice (now plays in the city where his wife lives). Sounds like BS, but I heard it from a reliable source.

Look, this is going to sound a little arrogant, but Chamberlain was a bad amateur when it came to Lady Luck. BTW, I'v seen a grown man at a pub-club function who certainly resembles F.B.

Truth is, I know RURP and he actually drove all the way up to Rainier for the purpose of offering to carry to base camp the aforementioned lady's tent....which is doubly funny since he pretends to be a super-macho, first-urine-sippin', no-sex-Saturday-before-the-Super-Bowl kind of man's man. Apparently even RURP has a "sensitive side"....... it's the side of his brain that allows him to see the color blonde.

Although I was careful about it, there was a time when my pace was....well, let's just say I am a little worried. The "Law of Large Numbers" makes it almost axiomatic.

quote: Originally posted by the shadow: this is a really stupid thread. That's no thread hangin' there...it's your arm. ------------------------------------------------ Caution: my unit is even bigger than it appears in your side mirror.