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backcountrydog

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Everything posted by backcountrydog

  1. backcountrydog

    Ropes?

    if your doing anything where u thought u might fall,(rock rts, forbidden etc) just double up the rope and u've got 2 strands. and still only have the weight of 1 double rope. this method has worked for me lots. actually thats what we used on w. ridge of forbidden now that i think of it.
  2. good route imo. seemed pretty 11c-ish to me. did the FA'er run outta cash for hangers or more index hanger ganking?
  3. my opinion is that the fixed pins are in the right place for good and well accepted (how many yrs..?) reasons. the number of yrs the pins have lasted should be a testiment to the longevity of pitons and there working life. that being said, i think that pulling them and replacing them often can create an unsightly and unnecessary scar. the pin puller should have been in a position to replace them the same day he pulled them, OR not have pulled them at all (at this point i side w/ the latter. i keep reminding myself while reading this thread that the reason they are gone is still unknown. i dont think any part of that climb needs a bolt though. peace
  4. "it is too bad the pins were stolen. Especially the lower two." the 2 lower pins on the route are still there DC. and i personally think that the 2 upper pins will be in place again for this climbing season. as it was stated the lower upper pin was cracked. the upper upper pin was pretty rusty too. sounds like a good reason to replace them both to me
  5. not trying to flame u Rumr cause at times i think that approach works...however on iron horse, that pin has been there and used for years. it wasnt a public disgrace (to my knowledge), it was there for a reason. if the looter has never free climbed iron horse and/or was just taking it to get a free pin, i think the 'just do it quietly' approach doesnt work. plus, the pin MAY have been replaced and yanked again. its been there for many years and served a good purpose and 1 person decided they didnt want it there pulled it. did this person free it and wanted less metal in the crack? i can buy that if so. but if the person has climbed iron horse a thousand times and doesnt even have to place gear from the stance to the anchors, im not sure that the removal was for the greater good. or if the person doesnt even do the climb free, but can do C1, i dont think its for the greater good...my 2 cents
  6. dont forget to bring money to pay for camping. thanks to the new climbing ranger from washington, the great history of free camping in jtree is over.
  7. ehmmic the pin i was referring to would actually be the 3rd pin, as there are 2 fixed pins within a ft or so of each other about 25ft off the ground. those 2 protect the 1st crux below the roofish type feature that has a horizontal crack above it which runs right to the 1st Sag. anchor. the pin that seems to come and go in the last year or so is the one above the hand to finger crack Above this, which is at the beggining of the V slot (and 2nd crux) which is about 15ft or so below the anchor. im not sure how that pin missing could lead to a ground fall though as the gear below it is bomber. However the pin missing has remained there because once u get to where u would have clipped it, its pumpy as hell and placing gear off that hold (and above it) probably adds more of a crux than without. which is why i think it WASNT pulled for free climbing purposes... hope this answers your question
  8. ya i saw that the pin up high was removed. my Guess is that it was removed by someone aid climbing because if u are AIDING it doesnt necessarily have to be there. However, for free climbing, i think it belonged there. it kinda sucks that it was removed because putting it back in (and the pin looters removing it) will only further scar the rock. If whoever removed it is reading this, please leave the pin if and when its replaced. ya it might take a C1 placement out of the aid climb, but what the hell, its only C1 anyway. i see this trend at index on other climbs too which brings up the old 'aid vs free' debate which is as played out as bolt bashing on this sight. im not talking about AID climbs here im talking about FREE climbs that people still aid. pls leave pins in rts that were 'originally' there for the sake of protection for free climbing. (notice originally is in " ")
  9. are u referring to the 2 fixed pins closest to the ground? i hope that those were replaced and not just yanked as they were pretty ineffective for free climbing due to being pounded too far in and every time a sling was left it was usually pulled too (which made clipping them while attempting to free it a real pain). every time i attempted to free it and the slings were taken off the pins i would have to hang on a nut below them and use a nut tool to push a sling in to tie to. i plan on replacing them this spring. i just hope no one takes it upon themselves to steal the new pins once in place
  10. i have heard that there is some climbing there but thats all ive heard...sorry btw. was there any ice up there? theres a lot of falls in the summer and ive seen pictures of that big one back there all frozen up??
  11. i see your point onandon but as w most things, diff opinions can be derived by how u look at it to begin w...im not telling people to not bring there dogs on trails and im not pulling anchors. and the other hand, i dont support people OR their dogs trashing the trails or climbers putting bolts all over the place. all that being said...i think that there is a method to my madness--dont render an anchor useless and if someone is hiking w there dog and its not being a nuisance (your problems w dogs in general DOESNT count as a nuisance) then just leave it alone. so i dont see it as a double standard. i might not like dogs but that doesnt give me a right to say that a dog thats not hurting anything cant hike on the same trail as me. i might not like webbing or chains but that doesnt give me the right to pull them off of routes that we all climb. hows that? and i might be an asshole but none of my friends think so. maybe there assholes too though, but i think not
  12. Does anyone have any idea why that guy keeps cutting out the rap rings and webbing? Stations don't last a week up there. Someone’s got a freakin’ trunk full of webbing, rap rings and ratty old biners. Is there some “ethic” that’s being enforced here or what? uh ya...its called 'look at me, im a TRAD climber' syndrome. why leave anchors that are usable and make sense when u SHOULD just be doing it the way Mr Beacon thinks it should be done. spare the tree?? are u kidding? unlike rock, trees can be trashed by using them for anchors and we can kill them after a relatively short time. the rocks been there and going to be there for hundreds/thousands of yrs. so of course strip the anchors of usable gear and KILL THAT TREE. we all know the consequences of 2 bolts and slings/chains (or whtvr) at the top of a pitch...the end of the world. and seeing as how the rest of the climbing community in this country looks to beacon rock for the standards in "ethics", stripping permanent anchors of usable gear is the ONLY right thing to do. which is why im going to 'clean' every anchor at index, leaving only 2 bolts behind. REAL climbers can figure out how to get down w/out webbing or chains or biners left behind. after all, shouldnt the ethics be decided by those w the 'balls' to chop whatever they feel??
  13. backcountrydog

    Dogs?

    i like most dogs better than most people... so if u dont like my dog on the trail, go hang out someplace where someone is always watching to make sure no one breaks the rules and stay off the trails so me and my dog dont bite you
  14. if u did do it in the winter...would it be the first winter ascent?? just wondering if it has been sent yet. a few yrs ago i was under the impression it had not seen a 'first winter ascent'. anyone know?
  15. ya what gives peepee? the article sounds about right to me. good advice on how not to botch a bolt job. or is this another "chop em all", anti-climbing troll??
  16. p.s. theres bolts all over lost arrow, camp 5 and fairview...
  17. i had an old tool with grip tape on it. same thing as skate deck tape i think. it was in a couple strips on the grip. worked great but wore my gloves out where they came into contact w tape. the rest of the glove was still fine
  18. easy gov'ner nothing wrong w clarifying. some friends did that a few weeks ago (w snow). prob couldnt notice there tracks w new snow and melt/freeze cycles being what they have been. theres wasnt first ascent this winter either though... sounds fun anyway. glad u guys had a good time
  19. what do u mean 'first ascent'?? i think u mean its the first time it was climbed this winter. if so...how do u know that? and today (22nd) is the first day of winter anyway. happy solstice all
  20. ya 60 footers arent the best example for the biggest slam on the belayer. i should have put "falls UP TO a 60 ftr INCLUDING enough factor one falls to know that my experience base includes a bit of everything". All that said...even when i did use a figger 8 (in stitch mode) the rope never slipped enough to burn me or anyone that was paying attention while belaying me. if your using the 8 in rap mode to belay, well, theres your lesson. in my experience, MOST climbers dont wear gloves cause MOST climbers dont get the hands burned catching falls. sounds like a nasty burn if u do, and if u werent paying attention and the rope slips, having gloves would save u a burn; although maybe prolonging the lesson to PAY ATTENTION lest u want burned hands and a seriously bumming (or worse) climbing partner
  21. just another opinion... in 10 yrs of climbing and catching LOTS of whippers and taking WAY more, i have never had my hands burned by the rope nor seen anyones hands burned by the rope catching my falls or anyone elses. i attribute this MOSTLY in part to using an atc instead of an 8. i think the main reason, however, is making sure the belayer is at full attention the entire lead. seriously though if the rope is burning your hands something is wrong. the biggest whipper ive caught is a 60 footer on el cap and the biggest ive taken is a 40 footer both with ZERO rope burn to belayer. all that said, the times i have used gloves (rapping w pig, mutliple full length raps, etc) it felt like a luxury, providing better purchase on the rope with not much loss in the way of sensitivty. however the loss of sensi i did experience, i felt was made up due to an increase in awareness of the whole scene DUE to said 'lack of sensitivity'. for those w sensitive hands gloves sound like a reasonable approach but nothing beats an attentive belayer and an atc. SAR applications i know nothing about.
  22. being a climber in wankers clothing...or is it wanker in climbers clothing?? regardless, i have learned to loathe the figure 8 and love the gri-gri... seriously though, i think the atc is much better at catching big lobs. 'locks off' with ease and i do use the term 'locks off' loosely cause it really doesnt lock off now does it? i think the tests show that there is more slippage when catching a fall w the 8s. i dont hate them i just think that modern belay devices do a better job. and they do twist the rope more so than the other devices ive used IMHO. but the golden rule about all of them: there only as good as the person using them. and with a compitent belayer: the gri-gri is king
  23. i climbed rainier in them. i think there fine for anything under 2 days. but unlike many boots, they fit my foot well. so that makes them good boots in my mind
  24. if u referring to me... that climb was definetly harder back in 'the day'. i was just a little disapointed that it wasnt harder. i didnt use a rope, the chimneys are an easy downclimb with good holds.
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