fredrogers

Well Josh, ya got it. I was up at Lowquality Pass yesterday, happily skimming over the top of the about a foot of crusty, wet glippity glop. Freezing rain did make visibility a little difficult, but made a neat suite of ice on the outside of my gore-tex. Usual number of gapers spun out on the road on the way up, including a Lexus SUV in the ditch at exit 47 and BMW lodged firmly in the snowbank just short of the first exit at the Pass...

I bought several and ended up selling them (including one to Slothrop). My major complaint was the lack of cam stops- esp. in the smaller sizes. The bigger ones seemed to work better than the smaller sizes- they felt a lot more stable and weren't as prone to walking. On the plus side, they're pretty damn light WRT Camalots. I ended up getting a prodeal on another set of Camalots and thus, got rid of my surplus Clog cams.

I also forgot to thank the friendly Canadian police officer that gave me a ticket for going 115 km in a 90 zone on Highway 1. Tim, they're not called Mounties for nothing. And yes, a hearty thanks to Mr. Radon for patching up my bean.

But Rudy, did she give you back the contents of the pickle jar?

Ummm, well it wasn't awesome at Crystal yesterday, but it was certainly much better than I expected it would be. No crowds (except on the bumbly runs), good visibility for most of the day and 9" or so of new snow (a little gloppy, but hey, this ain't Colorado). Had some amazing runs down the ridge to the left of right angle- no one else was over there all day. Coverage is still iffy in spots, although I managed to get away with on minor damage to my board. I'll be taking my rock board next time I go down that way.

Nice work you bastards. I was hoping that some one was up there today after TimL and I bailed on the Denny-Tooth traverse Sunday morning due to rain and no visibility.

TimL and I post-holed our way up there today. Have to agree with Alex on the snowshoes and fleblebleb on the ice. Was getting very warm on the way out, but WINDY...

Nice product placement for Red Bull. Does anyone know if Gadd rates his climbs by the number of Red Bulls needed to fire the crux- something like M9 3RB?

My 2 shents: Index: 5.6 handcrack on GNS Godzilla 5.9+ even though it owns my ass LW: Celestial Goove, 5.9 at Pearly Gates 2nd Pitch of Bale/Kramar- or is it the RegularRoute? on Careno Crag (the 5.7 dihedral) Poison Ivy Crack 5.9 2nd pitch Givler's Crack 5.7 Bo Derek .10b Gibson's Crack 5.6- but too short Squamish Dierdre P3,4,5 5.8 Klahanie Crack 5.7- simply the best handcrack I've climbed Mosiquito P1 and P2 5.8 Tieton Inca Roads 5.9 Vantage Party in Your Pants 5.8 Jtree Sail Away 5.8 White Lightning 5.7 The Bong 5.4 (just for the name)

I used to work with them and know that they're too cheap to pay a team of designers to build that site. I'm sure it was done by their in-house web monkey. You can usually pick up SmartWool NTS cheap at the end of the winter season at REI- shit won't win any fashion awards, but it sure does work well. I have some of their gloves and wouldn't reccomend them for our wet climate. They work great in cold, dry places like Steamboat (where SmartWool is based), but wet our real quick like in our typical 30 and "snowing" winters. Free is free though. They also had a buy one get one on socks not so long ago. Makes the hefty price seem a little less steep.

Okay you Canadians, what about O'Keefes Extra? Now that's some swill and only available North of the border. I make it a point to buy a twelver each trip North so that I can truly appreciate microbrews...

Sounds like you're taking the honeymoon I want to, but don't get. Here's a link I found on NZ climbing: http://john.chem.canterbury.ac.nz/climb/osguide.htm Also, Climbing #200 (Feb. 01) has an article about climbing in New Zealand. Have a good trip!

quote: Originally posted by thelawgoddess: i already did a search and didn't find exactly what i was was seeking. anybody done this route recently? (or not so recently?) you can pm me ... I did in early July of this year. It's a slog up through the Siver Star Creek drainage and some bushwacking to get to the base of Vasaliki Ridge (we scoped Clean Break on the way in). We followed the base of the ridge to a fun coulior (maybe 40-45 degrees?) that took us to the base of Burgandy col on the E side. From there it was maybe 1 1/2 hours to the summit. We went out the Burgandy col route and then managed to get a ride back to our car from the first car that went by (saving us a 5 mile walk). My notes from the trip say "approached via Silver Star Creek. Don't." IMHO, the best way in and out is via Burgandy col (unless, of course, like Alex you can ski the whole way down the Silver Star drainage).

quote: Originally posted by leejams: Course my fever is cut a bit short to buy the rest of my rack. Damn that stuff is expensive. I am leaning towards the tricam's as they are light and not to pricey. However, can be a chore to clean I have noticed. Climbing over on castle rock I noted 2 booty pieces and both tricams and are there as a permanent fixture. Seems to happen if you take a good winger on them. Checkout REI-outlet.com for some pretty good deals on gear. They have Clog and Smiley nuts, limited BD hexes and Clog cams (not my favorite, but priced right) for pretty cheap. Same goes for biners and slings.

Check Outdoor and More in Seattle- they're on Westlake not far from REI (right next to where Faction used to be. sniff). They've got a lot of off-brand stuff and brand-name stuff for cheap. They're very helpful and in my experience know their shit. Marmot in Bellevue also has a pretty killer sales rack... they're also pretty helpful.

Just got back from a hike at low-quality pass. Lots of sun, amazing views of Ranier and solitude (other than the three deer hunters I stumbled on to... yikes) Be careful if you're headed in or out of town between Eastgate and Edgewick Road this afternoon. I saw at least 8 patrol cars and two bikes running speed traps both E and W bound- which leads me to belive they'll be around a while.

Til and I spent some time thrashing around out there yesterday, but ran out of time to climb the ridge by the time we got there (long story). I've made some corrections to Climzalot's approach beta that will hopefully help others... quote: Originally posted by Climzalot: I jotted these down a while back for a friend. They have worked for a few folks so far. I am sure there are errors but this should get you close enough to figure it out. Good luck! Coley North Twin Sister Approach Beta -Drive Mt. Baker Highway THROUGH the town of Deming. Just after the town of Deming take a right on Mosquito Lake Road (MLR). Look for the "Welcome Grocery" (blue sign) on the corner. -Drive MLR 4.9 miles to FSR #38. You will see a gravel road on the left shortly after crossing a small bridge in the road. You wont be able to see the FSR 38 sign from MLR but you will see it on the right after making the left turn. NOT A HARD LEFT AND OBVIOUS. -Drive the gravel road for a few miles (5 MILES). After a while the road will take a downward and right trending curve. You will have the option to go straight but the road is in worse condition. Take the downhill branch and park at the gate over the river (AT 5.2 MILES). You wont see the gate from the main road. -Walk the logging road for 45 minutes to 1.25 hours. Watch out for logging trucks. After walking for a while you will see a trail/old logging road on the right next to a pile of gravel. IGNORE THE FIRST TRAIL WITH A PILE OF GRAVEL IN FRONT OF IT. IT"S VERY OVERGROWN AND THE WRONG ONE. CONTINUE UP THE HILL PAST MM 7.5 TO THE NEXT TRAIL. This trail will be marked with little bits of flagging tape. THERE IS ALSO A LARGE CAIRN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE NOW. THE TRAIL HAS BEEN RECENTLY CLEARED/BULLDOZED AND IS BIKABLE ALL THE WAY. -Walk for 2(+ or -) miles on this logging road crossing several overgrown patches and washouts etc. Keep walking until you come to an obvious branch in the road. Take the left or uphill branch. -Keep walking until you come to an obvious branch in the road. IGNORE THE FIRST LEFTHAND BRANCH AND KEEP GOING FOR 300 YARDS UNTIL THE ROAD BEGINS TO GO DOWNHILL. YOU WILL SEE A CAIRN AND GREEN FLAGGING MARKING AN OLD ROAD. Take this left or uphill branch. (yes this is another left and uphill branch) -Continue walking up large switchbacks on a good gravel logging road. BIKABLE ALL THE WAY TO THE CLIMBERS PATH. -This gravel road will crest a small hill which is the terminus of the West Ridge. Look for a small clearing with some logs and flagging tape and a faint trail heading towards a patch of trees near the base of the ridge. -Reverse your route back to the car or glissade the North Face. -Go home, eat, drink and be merry dinner and tell inflated stories about your climbing ability. ALSO: take bikes! We made it from the logging road to the car in 25 minutes. Super-fun long ride down... perfect way to end the day (other than summitting ). The gate was locked by 5:25 PM.

quote: Originally posted by vegetablebelay: quote:Originally posted by JoshK: quote: There is a very easy cross country trip to the PCT from the middle Kendall Peak Lake that saves 4 miles or so and a couple thousand feet of gain. Ok, details, please.... Go to topozone.com and find Kendall Peak Lakes. You take the Hyak exit at Snoq. Pass and go under the fwy and straight to a logging road and follow it up ingnoring two left branches in the road. You'll come to a big clearing and there take a left. Continue to about a couple hundred yards from the road end and find the obscure trail to Kendall Peak Lakes. Hike it to and around the first lake and then on to the second one. Head off trail almost due West to a low spot in the ridge. You'll see it on the map. Drop 50 feet or so to the PCT and you're within a half hour of the Kendall Katwalk. Doh! Double doh! And I think I probably wouldn't have wrecked my knee if I knew this...

quote: Originally posted by faust: well that doesn't sound too bad, i can handle the annoying anecdotes. sounds like it would be worth to try to pick up the other guide, though. thanks FWIW- I saw the Uroisite (sp?) guide at Marmot in Bellevue. You can probably mail order it if you want to get thinking about routes.

quote: Originally posted by chucK: It's the Commonwealth Basin trail. Not only shorter, but it's more scenic than the PCT. You can get to it via the regular parking lot too. When you start the trail very soon (less than 50 feet) there's an old roadbed heading North (take a left). Go that way. Yeah, what he said. I'd still park in the smaller lot, as that last 200 feet will make a difference if you do Thompson in a day... and I guess it's officially the "PCT North" trailhead.

Ambitions of going to Darrington for the first time were replaced with other thoughts, as a late start (11am) and other obligations kept TimL and I from leaving Seattle with enough time. Conversing by phone in the morning, we decided that the beautiful weather demanded we get out and climb something, anything. Lundin Peak had been on both of our lists for a awhile, after getting an up close and personal look from the top of Red Mountain in March of this year. We packed daypacks and took a 30M rope and harnesses with, along with a couple of nuts and cams, should we decide to continue the traverse over to Snoqualmie and or/Guye, or do something else beside the SE Ridge ("only" 3rd class). After stopping by the store so Tim could load up with Snickers bars and chips for nutrition, we left the PCT trailhead at the crack of noon. We took the old PCT trail (leaves from the horse parking area, not the main one), with every intention of avoiding miles of wandering switchbacks that portion of the trail suffers from. It worked. My guess is that it saves between 2-3 miles roundtrip and avoids a lot of unnecessary uphill, something I wish we had done on our one day ascent of Mt. Thompson. The weather was magnificent, with views of Rainier, Adams, Stuart and Baker to be had, as well as incredible fall foliage. We reached the first section of the ridge scramble on good tread and had to hunt briefly for the exposed and loose 3rd class down scramble to continue on up the ridge. Within short order we found ourselves at the base of the route, right at the first of two memorial plaques on this climb… Very exposed, but solid rock follows 3-4 huge anchors up the ridge (must be used for a hand line for basic students), giving a fair amount of excitement for such a non-technical climb. We summitted 3 1/2 hours from the car, signed the summit register and read the second memorial plaque and headed down. 3 short rappels off fixed anchors got us to the base of the route and the descent off the ridge. We got to the car at 6:30, slowed by my bum knee, for a total RT of 6:30. Much to recommend about this route, especially if one only has half a day available or wants to take non-climbing friends on an outing. I was glad to have brought the rope for the rappels, as a fall would be fatal. The rack was, to Tim’s dismay, completely unnecessary.

I looked at Cat in the Hat (5.7- 8 pitches?) but didn't do it due to heavy winds (50MPH+). Tons of stuff at First Creek (?)- area called the Romper Room and Lotta Balls wall- several multi and single pitch stuff. About an hour from the car but in the shade... must go back... We spent a day at Panty Wall- first pullout- tons of stuff from 5.7 to 5.10, all single pitch. Mix of bolted and gear. Super fun and SW facing- so it was warm in spite of the wind. Have fun!

Sorry to get the thread back on track, but here's a couple of specific selections for easy trad routes in 11worth: Left Crack 5.6, Right Crack 5.2, Gibson's Crack 5.5- all on Mounties Dome or a short walk from there. The are also many low 5th cracks on the lower part of the dome. Suffers from overcrowding, but a good place to start. Clamshell cave has a 5.5 crack that protects well with nuts and hexes, a 5.7 mixed route that's fun and a really fun 5.7 hand-crack on the big block at the base of the crag. X-Y cracks- lead the 5.5 but bring at least a couple each of 2-3" pieces. The 5.7 might be a little sketchy since you don't have cams. Roto-Wall has a 5.2, a 5.6 and a 5.7 slab that are fun. Right and above that is BS- 5.6? and Connie's Crack- 5.2. As well as Underachiever (it's 5.8+, but is mixed and the 5.8+ section is bolt-protected slab). The Tree Route on 8-mile buttress- 5.5- 5.6? 2 fun pitches. A bit of a misnomer since the tree burned down in the fire last year. Rumor is is that there are 2 more pitches above, but I haven't climbed them myself. Ditto R&D on Icicle Buttress. The Cave Route on the same goes at 5.4. Ditto on Midway and Sabre but watch the start on Sabre.

After getting laid off this Spring, I did a ten day trip- 2 days in Smith 3 in Red Rocks and 3 at JTree. It's a hell of a lot of driving for two weeks. If I had to do it over, I'd skip Smith and head straight to Red Rocks, then down to Jtree, which is a relatively short drive from Red Rocks. The camping at Red Rocks sucks, since you're in the middle of a dust bowl, but the climbing is amazing. And, well, JTree is amazing... Beer is better in both places than Utah... Have a good trip.