Jens

I've never climbed on trips to Vegas, but am considering it and am seeking some beta on areas. Could the following be true: Two of some the most well traveled and expereinced sport climber aquantances I know have both told me the same thing "Red Rocks is lame- people just don't know what else is in the nearby vicinity." Not counting the popular Mt. charleston limestone, they have said that their is Verdon quality limestone with immaculate pockets at all grades that is roughly the same drive as red rocks. They have also said that red rocks is just the herd mentality because people do not know of these other areas and red rocks is simply horitzontal handhold greasy sandstone endurance problems with boring cruxes and a few trad lines. I've seen the pictures of these other limestone areas and the 5.10's look like verdon, France! Are the people that are traveling thousands of miles from Seattle to climb at redrocks getting snowed and having a sick joke played on them or is their more to this story than meets the eye? I know nothing about the areas I have mentioned and am not revealing my sources. If my sources are true though, I may take a permanent rain check on red rocks. Anyone care to weigh in?

Make a top 10 list of "best individual cliffs in WA" I don't mean areas(Leavenworth, etc.) but instead individual cliffs. list. Mine: 1. Midnight Rock, Leavenworth 2. World Wall 1, North Bend 3. Castle Rock, Leavenworth 4. Snow Creek wall, leavenworth 5. Static Point, Shock treatment area 6. Upper Town wall, index 7. World Wall 2, North Bend 8. Drip wall, Leavenworth 9. Main Roadside wall, Newhalem 10. Ted's wall, Fossil rock (closed for ages) I'm told marcus would make the list but I've never been Runner's up Cave area-tieton Rattlesnake rock- leavenworth Seattle Vertical world-when it's raining Secret crags-under the radar!!!!!!

Would anyone care to shed some light on the current situations with cell phones in mountains?-- I don't make cell phone calls in the mountains but I carry one for a safety margin. I routinely turn mine on at summits to see if I can get a signal. I've noticed that some summits that used to have coverage no longer do. For instance after my Liberty Ridge and Willis Wall climbs this summer on Rainier, my verizon phone didn't get coverage either time on the summit and the weather was perfect. Back in the earlier days of cell phones, I remember they all seemed to work high on Rainier. Even in the last year or so, i've noticed my verizon phone works in less places than it used to. I went with Verizon because of beta from this site. Now, I am thinking about switching. Some engineer said something about it is not so much that the technology is gettting worse but instead different companies are trying to save money and selling out rights to former towers. Anyone know anything about this? I took the phone in and they reporgrammed it but it did nothing. Is Verizon no longer "King of the Mountains"? Should I go with t-mobile? Anyone else? The engineer said something like phones are gonna get even worse in the mountains. Could this be for real?

If you could find a way to bring this film to Seattle, it would sell out. I want to see it bad.

A sport climbing minor aquaintance of mine got ripped in jail (the food) and did a ton of pullups in his cell and came out a year later climbing harder then ever.

Thanks for the replys. I guess I'm just weak. I have excellent technique and footwork, just my arms suck.

That grivel add on is nice for the pointer finger but isn't effective for a high match and has the same problem as those hose clamp rigs people have shown earlier.

Sweet pics! --------- Haven't watched that K2 movie in quite a while.

Thanks Dave for the valuable information.

The simond spiders that you mention are nice biners. ----------------

Man, I often forget just how good Banks is! I gotta get back out there. Pray for it to get cold again! When it's really cold, that whole area is as good as anywhere.

Thanks for the link. The picture wouldn't be what I'd want because it is effectively designating each tool as either a right tool or left tool because the thumb would have to go around that big blocky screw.

You are right on the money with that one! (I've been at the butt end of that cruel joke more than once). As for vactations and epics, great thread. Late spring and early summer on Rainier especially comes to mind.

Would anyone wager to make a guess about: I want to put the Black Diamond viper strike shaft attatchement on Petzl quark ice tools. Do you think it would fit or could be bent a little to make fit? Do you think it would slip? It's only 13 bucks to find out, but I was wondering if anyone else is using anything similar?

I didn't take the time to sift through this whole thread but when and who is bringing this to film Seattle? I want to see it bad. --------------- In Europe this summer, most of the guys I climbed with and or talked to had only ever heard of two rock climbing areas in north america SMITH and yosemite. Squamish-no, rifle-no etc.

Anyone seen em' for sale anywhere? MEC won't ship them to the states. The only place I've seen them is a Eurpoean website that Black diamond bullied into not shipping limbing gear to the states (just like they did to MEC). Every year I go through this. Perhaps I should wise up and buy like 3 pair.

Can anyone recommend a good excercise for me to help me hang on to my ice tools? I swithced to leashless 100% of the time last year and am finding myslef pumping out on ice climbs way to fast. With leashes, I used to be able to hang on forever. The Europeans and Canadians are calling leashes aid. It seems like the standard monkey hang technique for vertical ice is no good anymore? With leashes, the weak link is the biceps so the monkey hang rocks. Going leashless, the weak link for me at least is the grip.

Any votes for "worst speed traps" on roads to climbs? This was a thread several years ago but it has changed. For instance, Concrete, WA on the way to the north cascades was at the top of everyone's list, but they got rid of their cop. here's some *Ritzville (I-90) *Westbound I-90 coming back from the pass in the afternoon at the denny creek overpass. *2 miles due east of greenwater during ski season *Coming down to Ellensburg off elk heights on i-90 *Centrailia on the way to Portland (i-5) *The straightaway on highway 97 a few miles south of the highway 2 junction. *Eatonville, WA -Don't even stop or get out of your car in this town. *Highway 2 just in front of the turn off to Peshastin Pinnacles

Offwhite, I've done wheat thin but I had no idea the holds were "comfortized"- wow. I confess, I'm guilty of never having climbed the route I am spraying about (I guess whenever I'm in that canyon I'm always drawn to the 4-star lines on midnight rock and the drip wall). If it just gets a little wide at the very top, run it out from your last piece. Bolting cracks that are wide is poor form- (And i'm a sport climber!)

For sale: 4 pack of used black diamond picks for ice tools. $44 bucks for all 4 (only want to sell as a package) They will fit all BD ice tools (reactor, cobra, fusion, black prophet, x-15). Great for thin ice routes or mixed climbs so you can save your expensive new picks for the thunker ice roues. Jens In Ballard, Seattle Prefer not to ship.

How about the bolted crack on the front cover of the latest leavenworth guidebook? And it isn't a thin flake like Yosemite's wheat thin.

Nice climbing guys. In your pictures, "Even cowgirls get the blues or children of the sun" looked to be in much harder shape than normal. That is certainly one of the awesomest climbs!

I think I'm gonna head over to the desert to rock climb this weekend but through the tools and crampons in just in the off chance something survived this warmth. Way above freezing over their today. and +7C at lillooet

Nice climbing and nice pics guys!

I've always thought it would be cool to get a bunch of cc'ers together in the spring at Marymoor or something and share tricks of glacier roping stuff we've learned over the years (tricks that have never been put in books). We here in the cascades are probably the best in the world at roped glacier travel and rescue. Definitely better than what I've seen from Colorado,European, and Asian climbers.