Francois

FYI, Alpinist and artist Jim Sykes posted his new record at www.hoovercain.com It's experimental, tells a story and is his fifth full length record. If you like Indie art rock you might dig the sound. -Francois

Willis Wall, Thermogenesis, North side of Mt.Rainier in Winter.

Cathedral peak is an overrated choss pile. The nicest part of the trip is walking 18 miles through horse shit and dust. Have fun Franky

Dave does seemless rand repairs for in fremont. My Mythos look like two new barbie dolls now: pink with purple shoelaces and sticky.

Some thoughtful contributions have been made here. The ground up ethic is the only hope for Washington pass. Otherwise it will inevitably become an Alpine sport climbing Disneyland. The topic starter asked us how we feel about all Washington's roadsied areas becoming sportclimbing areas. Do we value diversity? That is seems like the crucial issue here. no one is trying to slander the guys that are putting up the new routes. These guys are just climbers like all of us. Hopefully the "chopping" is taking place in this forum before the bolts even make it into the mountains. Someone said the style in which routes are put up reflects the style of the community. I would have to agree. Do we want that style to reflect domesticity or wildness? Can we have both? Maybe we can, by thinking hard about where rapbolting should take place and by all climbers being critical of the way the areas are developed. I too, want to reiterate the fact that I'm not bashing these guys for their work. I'm just voicing my oppinion; I would be disapointed to see a Condor style route go up on Early Winter Spire. Keep it Real my friends. ------------------ Francois

I did the route on Condor last fall. It's a beautiful line on beautiful rock. They did an amazing amount of work up there. I'll tell you all about it. The route is direct and 180 meters long. It is broken into seven pitches. My wife and I did it in three. The first pitch is about thirty meters and 5.6 and stops at a chain belay. The second pitch avoids a #4 size crack via bolts to the left. The third pitch is easy and would take gear in horizontal cracks. Infact, the entire route could be done with gear for belays. The fourth pitch, the crux, is protected with three bolts at foot, waist and head. the fifth pitch is casual with lots of bolts. The last two pitches are low fifth with lots of bolts. The rock is outstanding. Some of the finest found in Leavenworth for sure! It's a great route. I would encourage climbers to develop more of the area. It will be a great place for people to practice clipping bolts. More advanced climbers can skip more than half of the clips if their feeling spunky. It will also be great for climbers that want to learn to place pro. They can clip the bolt first then place the # 2 cam. I'm certain the Mountaineers will utilize the area for climbing classes. It's a good introduction to outdoor climbing.

W, It sounds like most people who have responded to this forum are for preserving the natural quality of the climbs at WA. Pass. Am I taking a stand on a platform? I'm not voicing my oppinion and suggesting possible solutions as some kind of egotrip. I'm assuming people agree that Wa. pass should be left out of the sport climbing circuit because it's nice to have a place set aside for natural climbing that is close to a road. I agree with you; chopping bolts is a less than ideal solution. That is why I turn to this forum for ideas on other possible solutions to this complex problem. I'm not saying my ideal is the one that should be lived by. I'm saying the community as a whole needs to decide the fate of their favorite crags. If the majority wants it to be a sport climbing area then I guess it should be. I would like to shine light on the fact that diversity is a good thing. Not all road side areas should have contrived rap-bolted climbs. Yes I agree, chopping someones route breeds animosity, but it is a wake up call for all involved: Hey! think before you rap down that spire and place bolts every six feet. There are people around with the talent to actually climb the thing. W, I think your on target with putting your energy toward right relationship and I'm listening for solution oriented ideas. I'm convinced most climbers would like to keep Wa. Pass trad. So the question still remains; how do we make sure the resource is not abused by a few people that think the place should be a new sport area? ------------------ Francois

Is it position? Is it exposure? Is the experience classic or the route itself? Is it still classic if you have to wait in line to get on it? The word "classic" is a buzzword that needs to be unpackaged. Without unpackaging the definition is meaningless. What are the attributes of the climbs you call classic?