mattp

quote: Originally posted by chucK: I think UT and F_m are inadvertently talking about two different cruxes... I read their posts to be describing the same crux, starting about 25 feet off the ground. I think the mentally easiest approach (least committing) is to use both cracks, but FM describes what is probably the easiest approach to it if you are comfortable with the lieback. I usually cheat and tape up my hands so I can combine the lieback approach with resting on some pretty solid jams on the right (hang my head in shame). I find that next corner section often seems the crux to me.

Heinrich- For a casual walk, I would recommend a hut-to-hut hike in Tongariro National Park (I think that is what it is called) near Lake Taupo on the North Island. There are some good treks on the South Island, too, but if you are looking for casual climbing you will probably want to be careful what you tackle in the Southern Alps. Mount Cook, for example, rises nearly 10,000 feet above the glacier next to it and the easiest route is like climbing a glaciated North Cascade peak with Ptarmigan Ridge on top of that (though some people fly to the hut at 6,000' and from there it is only a 6,000 foot climb with a busted up glacier below an active icefall leading to five technical pitches followed by 1000 feet of low-angle ice). And the weather sucks.

Not exactly "right outside Aukland," but it does have a ski area on it and, hence, a road. Dru is right, the chain of three volcanos there is very similar to the Three Sisters, only they are a little more active and have cooler thermal features and stuff.

Veggy and Ivan: the guy is cool and the last time I saw him give a talk he was pretty entertaining, too (though that was nearly 20 years ago).

There have been lots of good points here. If you can train your dog so that it behaves properly, there is room at most crags for you to bring your dog - most of the time. I'm less inclined to say the same thing about mountain climbing or ski touring, because I have yet to see anybody bring a dog on such an outing where the dog didn't become at least a bit of a problem for everyone else in the group, but maybe there are some well-behaved superdogs out there and I just haven't met them. One point I might add is that you have to understand that even if yours is the best behaved dog in the world, if you bring it climbing on a regular basis you WILL be causing a problem for SOMEBODY at SOME TIME. Even if your dog lies asleep at the bottom of the crag and doesn't lift his head, somebody's badly behaved dog is going to go nuts or somebody may have an irrational fear of dogs, or some dog lover is going to freak out because it is a sunny day and they are convinced that you are a bad pet-owner to leave your (perfectly comfortable) dog in the sun. What counts in these situations is how you handle the matter. A second point I might add is that many dogs who are otherwise very mellow become territorial when you tie them up. When confined by the leash and left without their owner around, they may feel vulnerable and get snappy, but you may not know this until a problem arises. Thirdly, I will say that I always enjoy it when I meet a dog who behaves as Mitch describes, but I do not enjoy it when I meet three of them. [ 11-12-2002, 06:41 PM: Message edited by: mattp ]

Quiz: 1. What kind of car or truck do you own? 2. How many times in the last year has it been inadequate for getting to a climb that you wanted to do? 3. On any of the occasions counted above, would higher clearance have actually made the difference? 4. On any of the occasions counted as a yes in #2, would 4 wheel drive or tire chains have made the difference (and which one)? Why do I ask? I'm shopping for a new vehicle. And I'm thinking of buying a car and not a truck because I am tired of the stiff suspension and cramped quarters in my Toyota 4x4 and I believe a car is probably better suited to what I do with my vehicle 95% of the time: commute, run errands, and otherwise drive on well-maintained roads. Even most logging roads I drive are not all that bad and any car could make it up them, though I slept in my truck once in the last year and there were four times I was able to drive a half mile further in my 4x4 pickup than I would have with a normal car. I hauled construction materials 15 or 20 times, but I am wondering if even this does not justify driving an uncomfortable, bouncy, and less safe vehicle all of the time. I could probably just as easily have those materials delivered, or rent a truck a couple times a year. Several threads have addressed these issues, and the discussion boils down to this: (1) if you really want to explore the remote parts of BC or go to the Maze district in Canyonlands, you probably want to take a high clearance 4x4 pickup; (2) if you ski a lot and don't want to have to mess around with chains, you gotta have all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive; and (3) if you are going to just about any popular climb, even including routes on remote peaks if those remote peaks are ones that are served by maintained trails, just about any car will get you to the trailhead.

Conlin, White, and just about everybody here make good points: the ecrin roc seems to be one of the most popular, the super light "bicycle style" helmets may not be as durable, and the holes that are designed to ventilate may whistle (they also let in rain and snow), but the most important thing is to TRY THEM ON. And then WEAR IT WHEN YOU GO CLIMBING. Most of my partners own helmets but find a reason not to wear them most of the time.

About the Eastside: Out of purely selfish motivations (I have a meeting in Bellevue) I proposed an eastside pubclub for tonight over a week ago and nobody responded. Beck again proposed it last night. Again nobody responded. So lets have an eastside pubclub another time. About Als: The owner is cool, and one of the most talented bartenders around. Does anybody know if Max will be there tonight?

Forrest - You are right that suggesting restraint on this board may be somewhat akin to trying to herd cats. But I sincerly wish that, even if they aren't going to let me steer them all in the same direction, some of these cats would learn to use a litter box. What can one do? I don't know. But I'm not quite ready to just throw up my hands and say "oh well, that's just the way it is." [ 11-08-2002, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: mattp ]

I think Ian is probably right that the distinctions between telemark gear and AT gear have blurred, and that more touring oriented gear tends to be lighter. However, there is a bewildering selection out there, and ski snobs or salesmen will tell you that there are subtle disctinctions in the flex pattern or shape that turn out to be very significant. They are right, perhaps, but the fact is that any ski will get you up and down the mountain and it is all a matter of trade offs: more highly shaped skis and soft skis will turn easier and generally perform better in soft snow; skis with more parallel edges will tour and climb better; longer skis will perform better at higher speeds; shorter ones will be more maneuverable and easier to control with climbing boots that are not made for ski control; lighter skis are easier to drag around all day but will generally be pushed around more by crappy snow. Choose the ski you want based on what you intend to focus on, and choose your binding type based on what you want to focus on and what your friends will be using.

ERock - Thanks for the support and thanks for the compliment. But whether I am a "well respected" climber or not (and I should say that the degree of respect that I have garnered depends on who you talk to), is immaterial. I believe this is "cascadeclimbers.com" and not "respectedclimbers.com" and I like to hear from beginners and experts both. It is my belief that, while Chips is right that one can scroll through the garbage to find the substantive posts, it is annoying. Sure, the jokes contribute to the amusement factor and nobody wants to see this site become sterile (well most of us don't), but it is a question of balance. And when five or six guys turn every single thread into nonstop banter, the site is out of balance. Matt

quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: Hey matt last time I checked you began the name calling. Get over it! It's not the end of the world. All the moderators have to do is erase it. Ray, I said you were being an idiot. I think you rachet it up a little bit when you call me a prick. Should I respond and call you a fucking asshole so you can fire back that I ought to gargle butt gravy if I don't like it? You are right. It is not the end of the world. And the moderators could erase it. But wouldn't you then call them brown-shirt nazis and make some suggestion that they kiss your ass if they don't like it? I direct this post to you, Ray, because you actually replied to my argument. But I have asked all of the sprayers if they can think of a reason why everyone needs to read through all their bullshit to find something substantive. Other than the fact that you guys CAN fire off a quip in ten seconds and maybe three posts later you can claim "page top," is there some reason you SHOULD?

Darin - It sounds like you had the full-on Darrington experience when you went to Witch Doctor. Nice!!! If only all the routes there could be of such "quality" ChucK wouldn't be tempted to call it sport climbing. Greg - Chris has logged a lot of time up in Darrington and while he does like to talk in riddles, the guy knows something. I believe he has in fact climbed "The Scar" and I bet he is right that it is a worthy route. However, in addition to being bodacious enough to take on Squire Creek Wall, he has more of a stomach for loose rock and dirty flakes than most modern rock climbers so if you head for "The Scar," be forewarned.

For the last two weeks, I've scoured this site for substantive discussion and mostly it has been pretty thin. Yesterday I was excited to see Mike post something that was thoughtful and provocative, something that might actually interest readers who are climbers and who are not bored out of their minds at work or up-to-date on the latest inside jokes at cc.com. It started out well, but then there came a whole page of one-line quips that had absolutely no content whatever - and weren't even funny. I called bullshit so that makes me a politically correct whiner-prick. So sorry to ruin your mornings. I like a joke as much as the next guy, but if anybody would care to explain to me why there is some unwritten rule that every thread on this board has to consist of at least 50% inane banter, I'd like to hear it.

Call me politically correct. But I think that you guys who seem to have to spray all over any topic, with no effort to even make it clever let alone significant, are doing nothing but showing what idiots you can be. Sure, most of us who hang out on this board all day long are not looking for beta and we may not want to have to think about what we are saying, but does that mean that there can never be any discussion that doesn't fill up with inane one line posts that add nothing? [ 11-08-2002, 09:39 AM: Message edited by: mattp ]

quote: Originally posted by tom harbell: can somebody give me the specifics of the rack needed for eve dearborne and north face and other pertinent info That is a subjective question, Tom, and the answer depends on who is going to undertake the climb and what the conditions will be like -- so be careful relying on any one answer. I haven't climbed Mount Index in the winter, but I can offer the following: the rock is compact with relatively few wide cracks, so rock gear should be weighted toward the smaller sizes and pins will come in handy. I would expect some thin ice even if conditions appear pretty "fat" when you scope it out from the highway, so I'd take both long and short ice screws. Long slings come in handy for tying off bushes and I like to carry rippers to ease the load on key ice screws or suspect placements. I generally don't find them very reassuring, but I usually carry a picket or two as well.

I used to use a jogging windbreaker but now I've gone high tech and have a microfibre jacket from MEC. But it is still just a windbreaker. I'm not sure about the "infurno" thing, but when it actually rains, I put on a raincoat or poncho, but in wind, snow or drizzle, the windbreaker does just fine.

For cheap and highly effective raingear, skip the goretex and go to the GoodWill for a windbreaker. Combine this with a plastic poncho (if you are not climbing big mountains), or with a completely waterproof rain jacket like those made by Columbia Sportswear or something. The combo is more breathable and more waterproof than goretex and even if you go for a brand new raincoat it will cost 1/4 as much as goretex. Plenty on this board scoff at this suggestion, but I have never used a goretex jacket and over the years I have managed to keep myself drier than most of my friends that did.

It is a grim forecast mostly if you are thinking aboiut skiing in the resorts or you want to go yo-yo skiing in the woods. For ski mountaineering, the low snow years offer driveable roads to middle elevation Cascade trailheads and a lower overall avalanche hazard. Even if it turns out to be a 50% snowpack, there will be plenty to fill in the boulders and bridge the crevasses, and there will still be powder days.

Greg, I don't know a thing about those crampons. But I'd be a litle leery of a "new" Black Diamond product. I have a pair of the Stubai crampons like those pictured above (mine are steel, not aluminum, but the aluminum would probably be better for most general use). For alpine ice climbing, peak climbs, and moderate water ice (up to WI III or so), I like them. You suggested that you don't really plan on focussing on waterfall climbing, and something like that would probably be just fine.

Hey everybody: The rumors that you've heard - about Darrington being a wet climbing area - are all untrue. In fact, Three Fingers creates a rain-shadow and the sun is shining on Exfoliation Dome at this very moment. Here's "the beta," according to Zippy Monkey Boy. Why don't one of you go out there and claim your prize?

quote: Originally posted by chucK: Yeah those f**kers are probably lying about the strength ratings . Newfangled plastic hexes!! Throw 'em in the junk heap with the wiregate 'biners, Friends, and crampons! Yeah. And kernmantal ropes really suck too, eh ChucK? We should all be climbing on hemp.

Isn't that the Devildogofballard?