slaphappy

FYI_The access to the smear and anything in that vicinity is not ok. The property owners at the end of the road do not want ANYONE crossing their property

2nd ascent in Ballard has some voiles for about $300 w/everything but skins and binders

Don't know about the Makita but have logged some time w/a Bosch 11536c. Weighs a bit over 6lbs, 36v and got mine for $399 w/2 batteries. (Throw it in your Amazon cart and check regularly, its currently at $499 but does fluctuate.) I get 12-15 3/8 holes in Levy "granite". It's so light you can actually drill a hole above your head not just chest high. They offer a 3ah battery for $200 but I haven't found the need for the extra juice, if there is any question, I just make my partner carry the 2nd battery. I have used/owned many roto hammers and this is by far the lightest and best for the $. You won't be disappointed.

These guys were as good as good gets. I new them well and feel lucky to have spent as much time in and out of the mountains as I have. Another huge loss to Leavenworth. Seems we have had a real string of misfortune over the last year or so with the passing of Joe Puryear, Dan Zimmerman, Ian Mynatt, Chris Rudolf, Jim Jack, and Johnny Brenan. So sad...

I can't even express the sense of loss I'm feeling right now. Dan was the best partner you could ever dream of having on any pursuit. I truly loved the "little guy". We will miss him greatly. The Icicle will never be the same with out you... Here's to you buddy -Ron Cotman

Best way to climb 5.10 at Index: Drive by and head to Leavenworth for a long weekend. Day one do S Face of Jello Tower, Damnation, Scary Canary, The Bone, and Crack of Doom at Castle Rock. Day two go to Careno crag and do The Regular Route, third pitch of BK, Pocketmeister, Swingn Affair, and Exotic Dancer. Day three go to Pearly Gates and do all ten or so 5.9s and 10-. Realize there are far more quality 5.10 climbs in Leavenworth and go back to Index when you can lead 5.11.

Nice! The right hand crack has been done at least a few times albeit a bit dirtier/harder. The ticks have been terrible this year due to the cooler/wetter spring. I have been bit 4 times and have pulled seemingly hundreds off myself and the pooch since February.

Most importantly, your hard work updating outdated/unsafe hardware is greatly appreciated by all. However I can't help but notice the odd angles and lack of equalization on the three replaced anchors. Would it not be better to either patch the old holes and start from scratch using longer chains (at least on one of the bolts) greatly reducing the force that is nearly doubled when pulling sideways, or reuse only one hole and drill one new one. (using 3 chain links on one and 7 on the other achieves this nicely) Two part epoxy putty works great for filling old or botched holes, comes in a grey granite like color, is available at Lowe's/Home Depot, and is cheap. Bringing both 3/8 and 1/2 in. quicklinks also helps making small adjustments. The aluminum Omega rings although strong will wear out rather quickly, why not just use cheaper burlier steel chain links? Once again your efforts are appreciated it just seems it could be done cleaner and better. Please don't take this as negative feedback just an observation on how to possibly improve on an already great thing.

Nice john! A great looking line. A number of us have been eyeballing that for quite a while. A handful of februarys ago we went in and ski/snowboarded the north facing lines on 7828 in your first pic. That area has a "big" feel to it and the lines are steeper and bigger than they look from a distance, an anomaly for the area. Again, great work this past winter/spring!

I've been there. None of your guesses are even close...

!!!

Nice!!! Last year two members of the elite "Icicle royalty" and myself did the infamous Chiwaukum Traverse although we included a stretch of Icicle Ridge by starting at Jay Saddle and descending into Index Creek from Ida lake. Due to extreme avy hazards we were unable to complete a number of our objectives, much to my displeasure since I was on a splitboard and was motivated by some of the steeper terrain. I did far more "skiing" than I would have liked although the snowboarding I did was fantastic. Killer views, weather, and company made it an awesome trip. *Lowell- I would recommend doing it earlier than later by either including the Icicle Ridge or getting a tow. There are many kind locals that would be glad to offer up a ride, myself included. (seriously, if I cant do it, I could put you in contact with someone that could. There are many local avid skiers/boarders that have sleds) We did it late (may?) and caught the trail, hiking out the last three miles to White Pine. The direct descent from Dead Horse Pass would be a far more rewarding finish and well worth the hassle of arranging a tow or the extra day or two by including Icicle Ridge in your trip.

Yall are so yester-year. Thankfully the park mentality is infiltrating the bc: modern 2-stroke technology is off the hook, 150+ hp, 163" tracks, the places we can go! and man when DaKine put out that nifty chainsaw pack for mtn bikers- oh the possibilities... all those drops and shots that just didn't have the runouts... poof! Husqavarna has the cure! A handful of 60d's and a mini sledge- endless stunts... a little imagination and lots-o-elbow grease and... The bc is the best park ever! I get sweaty palms just thinkn about it! Splittys are the shit! It takes 1-5 min to switch over, big deal, why the rush? just enough time to enjoy a cheap headbuster. Spark r&ds/burton driver x's sidehill no prob, and ride/sledneck better than plastics. Venture's extensive board line is the answer to Voile's intermediate dinosaurs. Man some of you ski fags sound like idiots. Let me guess- yall are ghey-ass teleskiers, scuffing around avoiding absolutely anything difficult, terrified of actually using the fall-line, in search of the endless field of over exagerated hippy-pow "turns"... Why is it yall think skinning is a competition, something to brag about?

Was up snomo-boarding by Van Epps this past Feb. Some solo dude rolls up and starts yammering about the Boving route on Dragontail, turns out it was Dave's brother Dan. He offers to show us some "exciting" terrain. We get to this HUGE open bowl and Dan beelines 1000' straight to the top, turns up a narrow coulior, charges through it and turns out just below the rocky ridge top. I just shut my sled off and watched in awe. Apparently the extra large steel sac runs in the family... -

Brass Balls... and Smut and The Bone and Crack of Doom. All from a guy who "quit" climbing. Fuckin impressive... -

In a late night effort (Sun 6th) to sober up before driving west, I may have left my green Wild Things "goat coat" near Groundhog Day. (or 8-mile area? ) It is recognizable by the patina of funk, burnholes, and stench of stale alcohol. I would love to get it back and will glady trade a twelver of your choice. PM me... *caution*- "use" at your own risk!

You are allowed to camp on the north side of the road anywhere it is not posted not to...

Kat, try a Wookie. Ask Chad at 2nd Ascent, he can elaborate...

recon... or a casual glance... but hey, you know what they say about assumptions? Nice work on the Drag-On. -

What you climbed was "Crickets". "Chitlins" clips the first bolt (buttonhead) and moves left into the blocky corner and follows nondescript moss patches and rhubarb to the top of the cliff. VK was misinformed on the details which is why it is wrong in the current guidebook. The first ascentionists of "Crickets" rated the route 10b, I think it is more accurately 5.9+/10a. 5.8 would be a bit of a sand bag IMO. Tis a fun quality route. (The anchor chains and all bolts are easily viewed from the base and could/should have indicated the books error before you left the ground yielding a "full rack"...) -

Nice Craig!

***due to "extenuating circumstances", I have decided to keep any knowledge of said topic to myself***

Oh Kat, we have been through this before. It's both fun and easy if you stay on the obvious trail and outta the rhubarb. It's a bit longer than 20 minutes, but more fun. It's also important to approach these depproaches with the right frame of mind. Do you remember the super hot and buggy hike outta Temple? I don't and I doubt Elizabeth does either. The half bottle of Bushmills took care of that... Well, Hook Creek just requires a bit more prep time (and a bigger bottle) up on The Beach. Did I mention the fun? I always thought git meant "stupid fuckin dumbass", but ,woe, I'm no member of Team Negative and they have a special one syllable language, I'm told.

More like 20 min or so...

That's one of the good things about the telemark turn: you don't have to have much speed at all to make a smooth and easy turn. In crappy snow or maybe deep muck, it is sometimes the only thing short of a gorilla turn that will work. And even in great conditions, I can enjoy a nice smooth run down a beautiful mountainside at half the speed of my AT or snowboard buddies. To each his own, but all but maybe a couple of boarder knuckle-heads would recognize that finesse winds points over brutnesse and speednesse and while good skiing is good skiing, the telemark turn does have a certain elegance to it. Wow Matt! A fine display of ignorance... First off I wasn't aware that my choice of winter recreation has anything to do with my intelligence but thanks for enlightening me. Secondly do you really think a competant snowboarder relys on "brutnesse" over technique, finesse, and elegance? The beauty of snowboarding is combining all those elements, including "speednesse", resulting in a near effortless ride. "Brutenesse" doesn't even play a roll except in the most demanding survival situations, just as it would on tele skis. Telemarking's best attribute is that it effectively turns a good skier into an intermediate skier. Only the absolute best teleskiers seem to be able to consistantly link turns on steep terrain without making awkward, over exagerated turns that display any sort of "elegance". Maybe it feels elegant, but to the onlooker, it's more akin to a square box tumbling down a hill versus a rolling sphere. But hey, I guess intermediate "hippy pow" can be, um, fun.