Jens

Plenty of new routes on the north side of I-90 that are going in on meta/granitic rock. Go get em'.

Now your talkin'.

Nice trip!

I love that peak!

Thanks!

Sweet pics, but remember as a climber you are supposed to boycott Sultan.

Did you get the break-up solo in? (what has given us all the greatest solos of climbing history)

For the rest of us drooling over the pics, be careful, you go down some pretty choice little slide slopes on the descent from the top of Colfax that will dump you into some gnarly terrain if they slide. They make a lot of other slide slopes look like the bunny hill at the bottom.

Ever clip a hanger that his been hit with a round or two- it ain't fun.

I've heard that the new XSgrip2 is as good as anything 5.10 makes. The XSgripedge isn't as sticky but is awesome in hot weather. I heard from my gym buddies that XSgrip2 will not be available for resole in North America. Anyone care to weigh in? Anyone try XSgrip2 or XSgripedge? Speaking of XSgrip2, are the new Sportiva Speedsters resoleable without cutting the rand or butchering the last?

I've got an A4 finger injury right now and am going crazy. The sad reality is that almost every MD has no clue about the kind of forces that sport climbing can exert on the fingers.

Wow! Amazing conditions. A totally different ballgame than an October or November in our range. If you want easy ticks, both the Polish route and Cosley-Houston look easily soloable right now!

The solo permit process is insane. It has to be the only of its kind on planet earth and should be changed.

Crazy! I frequently leave static lines for long periods partially hidden when opening new routes. I've had snaffles chew on stuff but nothing like what you speak of!

You had me fooled. I thought it meant at the "Jolly Roger Taproom" here in Seattle-Ballard. (A favored joint of many a climber).

Cool. From what I've heard, the doppler will give us a much larger safety cushion for our alpine adventures.

It can get really ugly. We don't get out new doppler radar for weather until 2012. You can always use your pack as a bivy sack in an emergency but tents are so light these days.

Dan, you did the route in a day didn't you say? ----- I doubt anyone gets up the route this Holiday Weekend. It is downright nasty outside my house right now. The best beta for this route is to wear boots with good ankle flex so you can French Technique up the whole thing. ------ Lib Ridge is one of the most classic enjoyable alpine routes in North America.

I don't remember very much at all from the climb. A sandbag for the grade though for sure.

Amen to that.

We put the shortest snarg available partway into rotten sun leached ice one warm spring day. We each took our crampons off, ditched our tools, and jumped above a big snow slope, the snarg held.

My brother claims that the ushers at safeco (the ones in the turquoise jackets)are some of the most Nazi in all of sports. He says they all have attitudes and are jerks. As for your idea, because of the ushers, one I guy I know says that if a fan goes down with his buddies and "upgrades" and later leaves to hit the restroom or grab a hot dog, he is denied getting back to his friends. Safeco is spending thousands on ushers for nearly every section (even the empty sections). I was once was sitting in a good seat that I had paid for and a usher came and sat down and checked my ticket. I was legit. He spent two hours checking the tickets (and blocking the views) of every single fan in the section. It was a real distraction. I almost called the organization to complain.

Skip Red Rocks altogether and hit some of North Americas's best limestone. Most of it is close to Vegas. Ask the employees at the gear shop for details. Sharma called Vegas's Clark mountain the best crag on earth. If your a newbie You'll also find Verdon quality 5.8 pocket routes at Mt. Charleston or 5.14b routes (40 minutes from the strip and climbable 11 months a year). One of the employees at the shop told me they hadn't climbed at red rocks in two years and said that some of the other locals were in the same boat. I've found package deals that have accomodations on the strip for around 32 bucks a night. A full service casino on the strip gives many ammenities that the stuff off the strip can't even come close to. If you hit a freeway on ramp like Sahara AVE,the access from the strip is super convinient. Driving to Vegas is more expensive than flying and the rental car rates in Vegas are some of the cheapest in the country. Have fun! And save the nine dollar steak and lobster dinner deal up at Fremont street untill after you redpoint your project!

For making clips on steep overhangs or clipping while wearing winter gloves, I like stiff ropes. I still subscribe to the adage "buy cheap and buy often". For sending purposes and handling, it is better to buy 3 cheap ropes a year than one expensive rope every 3 years. I like Petzl and Mammut I hate Blue Water. I also tend to perfer single pick over double pick weaves. Their is nothing worse than showing up for a day of cragging and meeting your parnter who declares "We'll use my 10.2mm 50m rope".

-Once while shoving my fingers into a three finger pocket on a 5.11 pocket route, I heard a creak. The tips of my fingers felt weird. I was smashing a bat into the back of the pocket. I didn't crush him and I didn't fall off. -At 4th of July rock in college I approached the top and saw several rattelsnakes "guarding" the anchor. -climbing Mixed Master at Banff, when I was part way up the first pitch, I ran into and followed a 120 foot streak of blood that was in the ice below the surface of the ice on the first two pitches. -Climbing Girth Pillar with Colin H.and running into a pair of crampionscarefully set on the rock.