Jens

Thanks for sharing! I've used some of those! ------ As for the Lowe comment.... Footfangs were almost as good as anything today for pure ice and were the top dogs for at least 12 years in my humble opinion.

Gotta' love the mighty Boston Glacier!

Julie Brugger is working on a project about the the public perceptions around Cascade Glaciers retreating.

Thanks Blake! -------------------------------- We really have some serious untapped late winter early spring mixed potential in our range. Not really alpine ice but more scottish style stuff. Sharpen them' tools!

I love treadwalls. They are way better for endurance training than those silly auto belay devices that some gyms have. The French National team uses the treadwalls extensively.

So they were Kong hangers? ------ I took a 15 footer on one of Calling Wolfgang's bolts a number of years ago.

Nice pics! I've always wanted to do that route. It will become a future classic.

Is the road washed out? Can you drive to the regular park spot just before the creek? Sweet climb. This route has a mythical status and is one of only five others in our range that made the 50 Classics of North America list.

Anyone else dealing with the nightmare New Jersey company that calls itself CoSport? They got the contract to be the middlemen in selling tickets for the Vancouver Winter Games to us Americans. They have been a pain at best.

My memory is poor, but I think Jim Yoder pressure washed Spire Rock at least once (if not more) in the late 80's or early 90's. He'd be the one to ask before starting the UW project. I've heard that some additives really polish the stone badly.

If Bridwell and Bard are tough enough and pure enough to use tape for cracks, then i'm with them.

Planning on rock climbing at Index, 32, or 38 tomorrow during the day. With my schedule, it would work best to meet at the crag. I'm thinking sometime in the ballpark of 9:00am. Anyone interested? I would prefer to avoid direct summer sun (lower town wall) and avoid longish hikes as my legs are tired from coming out of the mountains last night and I might be heading up on Rainier on Friday.

Partner found.

Looking for a competent soul interested in climbing on Tuesday (7/7) at Washington Pass. If we get rained out, just continue over to Mazama for some sport climbing or beer drinking. Looking at Tooth and Claw or Rebel Yell or Thin Red Line (if the weather looks OK and you have wall expereince and are comfortable short fixing).

Go get it next spring! It looks cool.

The after work factor on this route is sweet!

Max, no offense but I'd wager you haven't spent much time in the big ditch.

Amen

I seemed to have seen some under google serch results for wild country friend a month or two ago. They were buried pretty deep into the results pages. Marmot Mt. Works in Bellevue has carried them in the past.

Thanks guys!!!

The term "take" has seemed to have changed. I first started hearing British climbers at Smith in the in early 90's casually say "take" as they would lob off for routine 15 foot sport falls. We thought it was a funny word to use. In some situtations, the belayer would pay out some rope or jump up to give a soft catch. The Brits used the phrase as a film director would like "take 3 scene 3 cut" to indicate that a section was rehearsed and a medium to longish fall was coming. Several year later, gym employees and managers bastardized the term and began to apply the word in belay checks to mean tension while toproping , or I'm going to hangdog on this bolt if leading(don't go with my fall or give me any slack). As a result of rock gym culture, the term has permiated all climbing. To avoid confusion, I sometimes say "off" when I whip on a sport route and "take" if I want the belayer to yard me tight to the bolt as hangdogging. Sadly, I've had far too many belayers yard in rope while arresting my falls above overhangs (after I've shouted "take") and my ankles have paid the price.

A biologist told me that Falcon populations have exploded in the US.

9.1mm-9.5mm x 70m "Buy cheap and buy often". When you find a screamin' deal, buy 2. It ain't just the weight, it's the drag. Try pulling up rope to clip the 13th bolt on your project and compare a 9.2mm to 10mm. The difference is unreal.

I climbed on one at the Puyallup fair a few years ago. Lots of scone grease and cotton candy residue on those holds! It was fun and a great workout though. I think the French National Team uses them a lot for training for the speed World Cups.

All right guys, who got hit on the head with a dropped biner?