freeclimb9

Dry weather has been blamed for the glaciar's loss of ice in NZ: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&ncid=753&e=5&u=/nm/20020513/sc_nm/environment_newzealand_glacier_dc_1 But things are heating up in the world (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20020513/sc_nm/environment_climate_dc_1) unless they're cooling down (record low temps in Antarctica have been blamed on global warming and its effects on the stratosphere). Ride a bike.

"so what do you guys think about tying yourself into a static point on the ground so that if the leader may fall the belayer isnt pulled into the wall??? why not be an attentive belayer and work on dynamic belaying skilzz????" Would you want to be the crash test dummy who leads while the belayer learns, or would you have a diminutive belayer anchored and maybe even using a device like a Gri Gri? BTW, I saw a very similar setup to the one you described while at City of Rocks yesterday. The funny thing was that the women made a pretty fair anchor all on her own. Big she was. A huge fall would lift and suspend the belayer. that would be a sight.

you guys are confusing force with work. F=ma, and w=Fd where d=distance. Work has units of energy. A longer fall intuitively produces more work than a shorter one, and that energy will need to be dissipated by rope stretch, muscles sagging over skeleton, rope slippage through the belay device, etc. So two falls of different lengths will load the top piece differently given that all other things are equal.

two of us made the dawn drive to City of Rocks yesterday to enjoy some quiet sunday cragging. I thought that saturday's low temps (light rain and snow where I live) would have discouraged folks from the City, not to mention the typical remnant snow drifts and associated mud. I was wrong. I've never seen so many climbers in Idaho before. Climbers from Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah were crowding the cliffs with still more folks from Montana, B.C., Washington, and counting. We climbed some munge pitches which didn't have any waiting lines, then went and climbed the easy route on Lost Arrow --routes I hadn't done before which was great. While rapping the Lost Arrow, 15 more climbers showed up to join the party. And one pissed off german shepard. I don't like dogs at the crags. Dog-owners should put Fluffy on a leash like the law requires. Sometimes "canicide" is justifiable. And that would ruin everyone's day.

Peregrines made quite a comeback in downtown Chicago, too.

They're really good snowboarders, though.

Heavy Pot Smoking Linked to Short-Term IQ Dip (Fried isn't just the Doctor doing the research) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heavy marijuana use can dull a young person's IQ, but the effects may not be long-lasting, a small study suggests. Canadian researchers found that young adults who currently smoked five or more joints a week showed it on IQ tests. However, the same effects were not seen in those who used to smoke heavily but had quit, according to findings published in a recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The 74 study participants were part of a larger study that had followed them since birth. All had taken IQ tests between the ages of 9 and 12 and again between ages 17 and 20. They also reported on their drug use and had urine tests to verify recent use. Results indicate that only current heavy pot smokers showed a decline in IQ score since their preteen years, according to Dr. Peter Fried and colleagues at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The same was not true of less frequent marijuana users or those who had been abstinent for at least 3 months. The link between heavy current use and IQ decline remained even when the researchers accounted for other factors such as past school performance, use of other drugs and parents' education, the investigators found. Many studies have shown that marijuana use can lead to short-term mental deficits, but whether the effects last is debatable. One recent study suggested that long-time, heavy pot smokers may see lasting problems with memory and attention span. And Fried's team notes that specific mental functions like memory and attention may be more vulnerable to marijuana use than the broad measure of intelligence this study focused on. They add that both their finding of an IQ effect among current heavy users and a lack of one among former users should be viewed "cautiously," in part because of the study size. Only 15 participants currently smoked heavily, and nine were former marijuana users. SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal 2002;166:887-891.

quote: Originally posted by fishstick: Ask yourself however how many tools would you have dropped had you not had leashes and how do carpenters avoid dropping hammers working on tall buildings? I have had tools slip from my hands many times. I guess it has something to do with that slippery ice and snow. I've also worked as a carpenter and lost my hammer over the roof edge, or off the top of a wall, a couple times. There's a reason that multi-story building construction sites require hard hats to be worn.

I spent (misspent?) a couple summers in the valley in '86 and '87. One money-making venture I tried was selling cold beer and sodas on the shoulder of Half Dome. I partnered with my buddy Earl, and he acted as the lookout downtrail. I accepted cash (1 for 3, 2 for 5) and bartered, and was amazed to meet people making the 16 mile round trip with little more than reefer and Stohli for provisions. So, I was pretty high by 10:00AM. After stashing the leftovers near the base of the Regular route (we consumed them a few days later before climbing it), we headed down only to be greeted by a Ranger within a 1/2 mile looking for some guys selling stuff. We denied it, kept walking, then broke out running when incredulous tourons pointed out to the Ranger that we were those guys. Apparently, Rangers get pissed when you ignore their commands. And what's with their uppity exclusion of entrepenuers? Something to do with concessionaire BS. It was epic getting back to the valley. A full-scale search for us went out, and we resorted to bushwhacking and river-crossing to evade the law. A last second grab of my arm by Earl probably saved my ass from going over the falls when I slipped on the polished stone. We later wrote up the tale, and got it published anonymously (after all, several federal warrants were out on us. Cutting switchbacks is a federal crime, incredibly. Then there's the other infractions) in R&I. Our buddy, Kent Belueah, was in the Ranger station visiting a friend that night, and heard all the radio chatter going on during the search. It's amazing we got through. We made more money from publishing the story than through living it. I think we cleared $20 for the day.

All of TNF tents that I have used (about 6 models) have had velcro tabs on the inside of the fly for securing it to the poles. Look on the inside of the tent fly. I used a fly and poles alone when I climbed Liberty ridge, and would use that setup again (if I still had the tent). As an aside, I understand the Liberty ridge to be a popular route, but we (climbing partner and I) were the only ones on the route when we did it. It's a sweet route --spectacular views down the adjacent slopes--, and the deproach off the Cap was exciting in a white out.

Why do you have two tents? The VE-25 can be pitched with just the poles and fly, and that weighs in about the same as the megamid (yet is free-standing, roomier, and better in wind).

Gotcha!

So, I've read this rumor of a great new plum ready to be picked on Charlotte Dome. Half the route has already been climbed, so it's not like it's totally virgin. And then there's the problem of the crowds who are on the dome every summer weekend because the regular route is one of the most popular backcountry routes in the Sierra. And route finding could be problematic since you can climb practically anywhere on the face (hell, it may have been climbed already). Then there's the need to get on it fast because there's bound to be a stampede since movingoverstone.com is spraying about it all. Anyways, I've got a couple weeks free in early June if anyone wants to poach this climb.

fishstick, North American mixed standards are pretty high --leash, or no. Isn't the "hardest" mixed route Mushashi which is in northern Detroit? It has been climbed with and without leashes. Some credit for the high standards should go to the makers of Nicorette and Red Bull, not leashless tools.

leashes will save your life if you get plunked while soloing.

the Regular NW face goes hammerless, and has for decades. Most of it goes free at a moderate level. Forget about hauling and have the second jumar with a pack. It's quite reasonable to blast to the sandy ledges, so you can also avoid fixing.

The increase from $25 to $50 for a Golden Eagle pass is one of many examples of the consequences of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program authorized by Congress. Some Parks tack on additional fees (eg. $15 at Rainier for a blue crap sack). The Program was to begin in '95 and last for three years. It was supposed to end on September 30, 1998. Its continuation signals a failure in Congress to adequately fund the agencies that manage public lands. In my mind, that is the central issue, not any anti-goverment, or anti-tax screed.

Stefan, the Forest Service being "accountable"? Dude, it seems you don't know how the FS works with regard to subsidizing tree harvests and mineral extraction.

Mattp, I actually live in a town where the public transit is free, and it's no problem to sit in on lectures at the college. That aside, I don't pay user fees to look at books at the public library, and it chaffs me badly to have to pay fees to look at public lands. No service is being rendered when I visit a National Park, so why pay to visit. Other monuments in our country are free to visitors (eg. Lincoln Memorial, etc.). Once a toll is introduced, it's tough to stop. The Golden Gate bridge has collected fees enough to pay for its construction at least seven times over. WTF? The Fee-Demo program was to last three years as an experiment. That time has passed and so should the "pay to play" program.

quote: Originally posted by mattp: Personally, I wouldn't mind paying to play. But it's public land for which you already pay taxes.

quote: Originally posted by pope: Didn't Mugs Stump fall in a whole [sic]? If a guy like that can guess incorrectly, so can I. I'll be wearing a rope, thank you very much. he got crushed by a falling serac. roped up, or not, it's all fun and games until somebody pokes their eye out. Best advice I ever got was that if I got hurt, or killed, climbing, I would "look like an asshole." In short, don't be an asshole.

no Fee-Demo, no Fee-Demo.

Who's your Rep? Check out http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Senator? http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm I've written my Representative and Senators. My letter: Mr. ??????, I'm a resident of our great State of Utah, and am anxious to have the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program end. This program was created as a rider on the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1996 as an experiment to last three (3) years. Since '96 it has been attached as a rider to the Interior Appropriations Bill each year. This experiment has gone on far too long. Please stop additional Fees to access National lands altogether. We citizens already pay federal income taxes that should adequately fund the operation and maintenance of national forests. The fee constitutes a regressive tax that bears no relation to the actual costs of recreation. Additionally, the parking fees deny limited-income citizens access to public lands. Let us enjoy the national forests without payment of additional fees. best regards,

Chalk one up for the fiesty NorthEasterners. Time is ripe to re-focus energies on our own western legistlators to drop the Fee-Demo riders. In the words of the Bush, "enough is enough", "let's roll". (The following was cut from Rock&Ice News). May 2, 2002 “Citizens of New Hampshire already pay federal income taxes that should adequately fund the operation and maintenance of national forests,” says New Hampshire House Concurrent Resolution 23 (HCR 23), which passed unanimously in the New Hampshire Senate on April 11. “The fee constitutes a regressive tax that bears no relation to the actual costs of recreation... [and] the parking fees deny limited-income citizens access to public lands.” The passing HCR 23 urges the United States Congress to, “abolish the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program and permit citizens of New Hampshire to enjoy the national forests without payment of a fee.” While carrying no legal or legislative power, the Resolution does make it abundantly clear that New Hampshire citizens are up in arms over the Fee-Demo program. “This Resolution is part of an immense groundswell of public protest about user-fees for simple action to public land, which is a serious abridgement of one of the most fundamental rights we as citizens possess -- that the citizens are the owners of the public lands,” says John Joline, co-founder of New England Public Forest Advocates (NEPFA), a New Hampshire-based group formed to protest and educate the public about Fee-Demo. “The New Hampshire resolution reflects deep concern about the implications of where the fee demo program is designed to take public land policy and who is going to benefit by the push toward privatization of access to, and commercialization of, public lands.” Created as a rider on the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1996, Fee-Demo, or “pay-to-play,” was intended to help government agencies raise money for operational costs, including trail maintenance and waste disposal, with 80 percent of the collected fees going directly to the collecting agency and 20 percent going to the regional agency office. The program was intended to end after three years, but by attaching Fee-Demo as a rider to the Interior Appropriations Bill each year since 1996, its supporters have made it impossible to kill without depriving the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service of all money. As a result of Fee-Demo, entrance fees in 1997 brought in $85.1 million -- almost double the entrance fees of pre-Fee-Demo 1996, which brought in $48.5 million. In addition, 1997’s user fees accounted for $37 million dollars and 1996 brought in $29 million. President Bush is also a player in the world of Fee-Demo, and made Fee-Demo a priority in his 2003 budget proposal. He said, “Proposed legislation would make permanent the current demonstration program and would authorize the Forest Service to retain and use recreation fees collected under the program.” In an article in the San Francisco Chronicle last March, Teri Cleeland, fee program manager for the Forest Service’s headquarters in Washington D.C., wanted at least a permanent decision on the issue. “Some areas it has worked; some it has not,” Cleeland told the Chronicle. “That has been the nature of the test, but the test has gone all too long.” Anti-Fee-Demo advocates Wild Wilderness are promoting a National Day of Action on June 15. Wild Wilderness’s website (wildwilderness.org) urges the American public to “actively participate in the process of shaping the future for recreation on our nation's public lands.” -- Alex McAfee

You'll learn much about pro and its placement (and whether it's good, or not) by aid climbing. Seriously. Much like jigsaw puzzles, really.