Matt_Anderson

Checked out the guide on colchuck balanced rock - it looks like the descent just walks to the plateau above asgard pass and then down the pass. Or did I read it wrong and we'll have to descend steep slopes all the way to the lake? Either way, anyone have info on whether the conditions up there? thanks, matt

You said you flipped over: That's generally because you have to much weight up top. Unless my pack is veeery light, i hang it from a 'biner attached to my belay loop any time I am doing a steep rappell. Otherwise you are fighting the weight of your pack doing situps the whole way down. The only down side is that your pack can knock things off on the way down. More of an issue, the more slabby it gets. matt

Just because it came from his "head" doesn't mean it was brain matter.

Probably should've put this in newbies or gear critic, but . . . My wife and I are going to go do the Ptarmigan (traverse, not ridge) with a couple of friends this summer and need to get her some better boots. I've got more expereince than her and I still don't know shit about long alpine type stuff. The guy with the experience is out of the country and we want to start breaking in her boots sooner than when he gets back. What's optimal for this objective/ how burly do the boots need to be? Leather, full shank? Flexible crampons? Are flexible crampons even relevant if the boot is full shank? Obviously, I'm a total gumby on this inquiry and would love to have someone both frame the question and anwer it. Thanks, matt

With an early morning start, a not-to-rushed pace gets a climber for whom low .11 is hard to the bellygood around 3:00 and the top of the roman chimney's in the early evening. Be sure to bring something big (either balls or pro) for the boot flake. As I recall, the only good a tipped out number three cam would do you if you fell would be to keep you not to far below the ledge you just decked on. Sccaaarry. Matt

Confirmed that Fence Sitter's beta should not be trusted (Waterfall on Upper Town wall was wet as hell). Had fun anyway on the single pitch stuff on lower town wall. Barely climbed there at all last year, pleasantly suprised that depsite spending way more time working than climbing over the last year or so, everything seems a bit easier.

I tr'd it off of the Japanese Gardens (full first pitch) anchors this weekend. In doing so I passed a set of anchors underneath the bombay chimney/corner. (It looks like copperheads if you're aiding it). Anyways, there's no bee's nest in that chimney or the roof moves that kick over to the Japanese Gardens Anchors, if that helps. By the way, do you have free climbing beta for establishing in the Stern Farmer flare (right around the bolt that protects the traverse and the climbing above?) I can get over to the knee bar, I can lay back up and down the flare for a few feet, and once I'm in the flare, I can move (kinda) but crossing into it is a mystery. Matt

Thanks, but most of the long free routes are effected by a chronic Drip that doesn't dry up until mid-spring to early summer, depending on the year. Anybody actually seen the wall lately?

Hey, thinking about trying to go do one of the long free routes on the Upper Town Wall and I'd rather not waste the hike if there's no use. Is the waterfall area still dripping? Anything likely to be dry besides Davis Holland, Swim or Centerfold(I'd like to do something new). thanks, Matt

An observation . . . Tunnel vision seems to occur when you are to preoccupied by the current situation to take the time (or energy) to step back (figuratively) and consider alternatives. In other words, if you're pumped, then it may not seem like a good idea to expend further energy on the off chance that you might find a hold where you don't expect it. Instead, it just seems like making do with what you've got may be the most expedient solution. I think I'm decent at not getting tunnel vision and here's how I do it . . . Treat the climb like a series of boulder problems between rests. Take a look, and find the next probable good rest, look at the holds in between and guess what the best sequence will be, making sure you consider all possibilities (looking for, and making mental notes of, atypical holds). Then go climb until that next rest (if it's marginal, you may have to consider a number of possible places where you can rest). Then when you arrive at the next place to stop, do the whole thing over again. It forces you to think further ahead than the next move and allows you to do so from what is (hopefully) the least strenuous position (enabling rational thought instead of panic). Matt

Aid - Thin Red Line - the last roof just before M&M Ledge - Placed an alien, bounce tested it, transferred weight, back cleaned my last piece (I was linking two pitches and unsure if I had enough rope and gear, this greatly lessened a dog leg). Ping! Landed on the slab, tumbled ass over tea kettle several times, stopped 50 feet below my high pint. Luckily, My head lamp escaped unscathed and still attached (it was midnight) Shitty thing was that when I went back up, and because I had a light rack , I had to place the exact same cam in the exact same place. Oye. Pulled a hook move next, then I placed my first pin ever. Pounded the shit out of that thing

My rack of cams consists of trango, camalot, aliens, metolius, and one of those splitter gear two cams. With the exception of the splitter gear unit, I've taken multiple falls on all of them. The only ones I remember pulling are the aliens. When they did, they were inevitably less than optimal placements. Any cam in a good placement will hold. What someone said earlier is true, its learning how to make a good placement. Taking the time to go take whippers on them also helps confidence. For what its worth, I'm generally between 170 and 180 pounds if that is your primary concern. For all those gear heads/techy people out there. How much does body weight really matter for you average fall (< fall factor of .25). My guess is that the increase in force on the cam still leaves it so far within the average gripping power of the cam that it rarely makes a difference anywhere other than your head. Matt

The variatioon to the left is nice. Also if you intend to haul more than you can carry when you get to the low angle stuff at the top, I would seriously consider tossing the pig and retrieving it after you get to M&M. My memory is that you should be able to look below you and see if anyone would be endangered. I can't remember any ledges that I would worry about the pig holding up on.

Hey, who's got a good sight for Shasta weather? How about conditions? I'm thinking about heading up and boarding down on Saturday. Anybody been up there and can tell me somthing about whether it'll be decent? Thanks Matt

Any leads for beta on good half-day climbing in the area? I'm gonna be there for a conference March 31 - April 4 and can climb from 11:30 'till dark on Wednesday, April 2. Anybody got any of the following? 1) Time to go cragging or something long starting at 11:30 on 4/2? 2) same thing, but bouldering (I prefer routes, unless the bouldering is waaay better). 3) beta on some bouldering that I can find near there. I'd prefer to not have to rent a car, but doubt that that will work out. 4) Contacts in the area who can give me 1-3? thanks, Matt

quote: It might be a good idea to wait until you have an experienced climber who is willing to watch and who you think could get you out of a jam should you get in trouble, but in general I think common sense and caution will go a long ways to keep you out of trouble Exactly. A) My first time outside (I had been in the ym for a couple of months, but no leads) - it looked fun. I figured I was strong enough to pull the moves. B) The next day outside. the guy I was with got to the anchors and whipped before clipping. He was unwiling to go clip the anchors for me on what was then as hard a climb as I had ever completed, inside or out. It didn't seem like I would hit anything (he didn't) and the gear was good (bolts), and I wanted to do the climb. I think I also whipped (and whimpered). Ever since then, the decision is always based on 3 questions at each piece of pro: 1) is there a chance I'll fall? 2) if so Is the fall safe? 3) If no to number 2), iis it worth lowering off than just going up anyway? Cheers!

Probably beating a dead horse, but . . Anna - It sounds like you keep putting yoursef in positions where 1) you don't know how to keep yourself safe; and 2) you either are unwilling or unaware that you should ask someone to teach you how to keep yourself safe: First (per jkrueger) you set up a top rope anchor where if any of three pieces (either anchor biner or the cordellete) failed you would have died. A gumby mistake. Despite the fact that you didn't know enough to avoid this, you told an experienced climber that you were able to set up a safe anchor - totally wrong. Then you let others trust their lives to this anchor. You could have killed yourself or another person. You decided to do this even though other people were available to ensure that you could make a safe anchor. Second, you led up your second trad lead ever, couldn't finish it and set up an anchor that failed. Again you could have died. You set up an obviously inadequate anchor and trusted it. You didn't have the knoweldge, instincts or humility to ask someone to either bail you out or evaluate your anchor. Third (not in time order) You chose to take climbing advice and trust a person who beat himself up for not insisting you rappell of an anchor that failed. (Not realizing that doing so would have killed you). Some people have inherently good judgement or instincts. They can look at a system and figure out how it works. Other people research things enough that they can learn how to set up safe systems. Finally, other people have a knack for choosing people to teach them who are qualified and can be trusted. Unfortunately, it seems crystal clear that you have excercised none of these qualities(I'm sure you have many other wonderful qualities). It has been said cruelly and nicely, but you need to understand that at this point, you totally lack that certain something (except luck)that will keep you and (more importantly), the people you climb with alive. Go find a certified climbing insturctor who can teach you how to keep yourself safe and limit your activities to what that insturctor explicitly authorizes. Your luck has saved your butt and the butts of those who climb with you so far, but it won't do so indefinitely. Its one thing to screw up and risk your own life. Its another thing to screw up and risk the lives of those around you. You appear incapable of accessing your own skill level. Don't let other people suffer because of it. [ 11-02-2002, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: Matt Anderson ]

quote: My favs- long, free, clean trad rock routes with lots of exposure, runnouts, some spicy .10-.11 pitches and a high commitment level. OW,s and wide stuff are the shit Uh, yeah . . .What he said. 'cept I only like runnouts after I'm thorugh 'em and offwidth's may be compelling, but enjoyable????

Errrr. . . What's a rip runner?

Painted the kitchen and put up shelves in the new house. Looks like I'm gonna have to use seige tactics, because theirs still more to do after the alpine attempt over the weekend.

I'm not a big believer in absolutes, blindly following rules generally teaches you to turn off the brain and stop using good judgment, nonetheless, there are a few simple ways to stay alive: Everytime you or your partner start to climb ask to double check the double back, the knot and the belay device. Never speak to someone while they are tying in or putting on their harness. Its to easy for them to want to respond and stop the process in the middle. Always have two things keeping you alive (note the following exceptions - one rope, one belay device, one belay biner - make sure those items are "beyond question"): two pieces of pro keeping you of the deck, two biners/pieces of pro in an anchor. Some people feel ok with a single, bomber anchor, (one rap ring, one rap biner, etc) when lowering. If that fits your personal risk aversion level that's your choice. But people have died that way - They died because the risk was worth less than butning a biner or snap link. [ 10-03-2002, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Matt Anderson ]

quote: Apparently, the rope stretched while pulling the first piece and did not have time to recover when hitting the next piece. At this point, it was similar to a static rope and broke a caribiner. Perhaps this is what happened to Goran - how else can you explain the damage to the gear? I'd love to hear from some "qualified" person (engineer at one of the gear companies? ) on this theory.

Lots! Meet meet me in the parking lot and we'll hike up to upper town wall. After belaying me on my project for 1/2 the day, I'll show you them. . .

When a friend and I were on the Rainbow wall, we reached Over the Rainbow Ledge after dark. Well, sort of . . . Despite the fact that the moon was nowhere to be seen, the lights of Las Vegas allowed climbing sans headlamp. 'course, once you got past the lack of a wilderness experience and tossed down a bit of scotch , the view of the city was pretty cool . . . [ 08-30-2002, 09:00 AM: Message edited by: Matt Anderson ]

you want larger prices?