plexus

There is that same layer here in Colorado. I did a pit back in December and found at the time: three inches on top in the melt freeze cycle; 12 inches of good pack on top of another 12 inches of horrid hoar. My wife and I were on snowshoes that day so I went ahead, traversing the slope that was more prone to fail and then she followed. On the way down, I triggered some shallow slides to clean it up, but that hoar layer could make it sketchy come spring

It's true, he didn't fall off of that sheep even when it started bucking!! Sorry you had to settle for sloppy seconds...I'll be quicker next time.

I like that Lucky!! Make a universal gym pass. It would help escape the boredom of going to the same gym over and over again during the winter. I get bored with gyms because it's the same routes over and over. Sure there might be "hundreds" of routes, but there seems to be a semblance of every indoor route in order to make it a certain grade. I don't go climb the same 12 routes every summer over and over so why would I want to do that ....and pay for it?

Just wondering now that it has been a few years since Mt Baker instituted it's backcountry policy what some people think about it. Is it too stringent? A good idea? What's bringing this up is that the TV station I work for in Denver, we decided to talk with the pro patrol up at Loveland Pass yesterday in regards to backcountry safety. This is stemming from the large Utah avalanche and the risks the search and rescue were taking being on that loaded slope to find these people, who made a poor choice in going into that terrain at that time. I informed our reporter about the Mt Baker policy and wasn't sure if Colorado areas instituted the "You must have a beacon, a shovel, a partner, etc" rules. There is the 1979 Ski Safety Act out here but it's more for legal purposes and outlines what penalties a person can face for going down a closed run or a collision with another skier. I did some calls to the areas and none of the Vail resorts require this, Loveland doesn't require this and neither does Breckenridge. Pretty much they have signs stating if you go out of bounds, you're on your own. I'm curious of the consensus is out there. There are parts of it I like, but I never like rules when it comes to personal safety. If a person wants to drive without their seatbelt, fine, it's there choice, but automakers should be required to put them in there. Ironically and tragically enough, there was a skier who died at Vail yesterday, fell going to fast on an expert run and broke his neck, and there was a 18-yo snowboarder at Keystone that went into a tree and was airlifted to Denver. The ironic part is it's Skier Safety week at the resorts.

At least JayB knew how to belay you. When I volunteered at the Bham YMCA wall, I had a guy so fuck up a gri-gri That I didn't think you could set it up that way. I ran behind him and clipped in with my ATC so his partner wouldn't crater into the floor when he was lowered down. And I wasn't even volunteering that night!! I was amazed that the place wasn't sued for negligence. I haven't been there for over four years but what caused me to leave was the non-attentive hippie crowd and their GOD DAMN GRATEFUL DEAD!!!!

Funniest thing about NOLSe post...the First Time I climbed with my wife, we did a couple of pitches I lead to a big grassy bench. From there we top roped a few more climbs above us. I pulled the rope and told her I would clean the anchors if she coils the rope. I come back down to find her laying on top of the still uncoiled rope. "What's wrong?" "Everything is spinning." Thankfully she has gotten off the meds that gave her the spinning which led into migranes. But I still climbed with her. After all attractive women that clean up nicely yet can climb and go on three week backpacking trips without showers are rare to find!!

Careful with those Prana tops guys, you might pull a tendon!!

You made me piss my pants!! Now I have to go change my boxers!!

Mine started rusting after the first season of having them, and they have lasted five more years now with no problems. If you filed them to get more of a point, it seems like they rust quicker. Like what Mister Mo said, it isn't really going to make much of a difference.

There are some aid routes in The Cirque. They are listed in the old Erie guide.

Sniff...I miss Erie. Looks like the base of friction slab. A nice day is starting at the bottom parking lot, head up Skyline Rib, do some of the bolted routes on the right side, class 3-4 it up to the big bench at the base of Friction Slab, climb up that, hike down to Powerline and take some of the sketchy-pro routes like Lone Tree on the right hand side of the wall (to the right of the big dirt streak). And enjoy the hike down, unless the trail is muddy, and try not to slide down on your ass. Give my best to Dallas when you see him out there.

Five stoppers that slipped out of my hand in Yosemite three pitches up. Several more stoppers at various skittish rappel stations. Couple of camera lenses and a goo packet. That last one really bugged me!! Damn these man hands!!!

* Great granite dome in Renton.

Moose up in the western slope Strange dancing lights in the sky Huge transportation lane for pot smuggling by Canyon Creek Rd The glaciers are actually EXPANDING A sheep got away from Dru unharmed

When did you install a toast into that Devil's Club-choked gully that you call home?! If you want walkable crust, I can tell you from yesterday that the Indian Peaks Wilderness here in Colorado has plenty of that. Scourged by wind, I got stymied by styrofoam up a couloir because we didn't bring our crampons or ice axes. What's up with the lack of snow up there? My friend said that Snoqualmie isn't even open yet.

They lost all of the prototypes this summer climbing in the alpine and now they are in some nest up in the Bugaboos!! That's going to be one bad-ass climbing snaffle!!

Don't give "Speedy Dan" any ideas there Stefan!! And from experience, take things in Smoot's guide with a grain of salt. Any of the "Climbing (insert name of state here)" series from Falcon are not that good and should only be used as primers for finding out where climbing areas are. The Climbing Colorado is full of inaccuracies and I rarely use it. I would think only the select few of ultra hikers and lightweight packers would make it roundtrip in a day. Having been up Crater, I think a person would be remissed for speeding through an area with it's own scenic beauty and vantages, that I think are rather unique.

I've heard that about McCurdy Tower. Actually the wife and I were supposed to go up there a couple of weekends ago, had it planned since last winter. Weather forecast wasn't good so instead we went to Crested Butte/Taylor Canyon and squeezed in a lead and some bouldering before getting dumped on for three days. I've head that McCurdy is cool and the pics are what made us drool to begin with. We climbed past the Headstone, We saw some fun 10s on it the way out. Heading down to the Plattey this weekend. There is so much out there and anything with more than a 10 minute walk will be devoid of people. I guess that is the one nice thing about out here.

There's some good granite down in the Plattey. And there's also some crumbly stuff, have had the pucker factor over on Poop Point near Cynical. Went to Devil's Head for the first time yesterday and now I know why my friend always talks about it. Perfect Pike's Peak granite, any type of climbing you could want gorgeous views, absolutely no people. There is just about everything for everybody, even though the guidebook lists a plethora of stiff stuff and the area is known for its 11s and 12s, I led up a 5.8 on gear that wasn't listed and another 5.7 line that I connected to a bolted climb at the anchors. It has to do with that 2.5 mile approach we took. It's funny with all of the outdoor stuff you can do in Colorado, I can't believe how many fat people there are in Denver .

Hmm, I climbed this with my friends about five years ago and I don't remember there being any crevasses on the glacier. I remember doing the West Peak in one cruddy pitch, rapping off a small tree, hiking back up to the col, crossing over (kinda nervous since it was rather steep) and getting over to the main route that Kloke put up. I remember the pro being spread out and the rock quality being less than desired. But hell, any day in the mountains is better than a day in the office. It must be because of the low snow year that they were opened. Still, great views from that peak. I remember we practiced our z-pully skills on the way back. It started snowing on us as we crossed the lowest rock band, and I don't think it stopped snowing until the next May. Always meant to get back and do the Watson/Bacon/Hagen/Blum circuit.

Damn MVS!! And I liked your slideshow on the Dolemites, this one will knock everybody dead. I've gone through about two rolls of paper towels cleaning up the spittle I've drowled onto my keyboard. I miss the Cascades!!!

You'd be able to get up about 2-3 more miles before cutting a right onto the other road after the snow melts. I'd second either take a bike or skis (depending on season). I'd never do the route without one of the two again.

My recommendation would to go to a gear shop and get a good fit. Find something that fits you comfortably, or as close as is possible. For a day pack this isn't really that big of a deal. But I got my REI Aconcagua fitted and set to my body and I absolutely love. I can carry everything in it, it compartmentalizes great, and I've taken it on a couple of climbs this winter/spring, carrying shovel, snowshoes, crampons, pickets, alpine rope, rock gear, etc. And I still have beaucoup room. True it is a "backpacking pack" But the thing's been a dream for me for big gear days as well as an overnighter with gear.

It would be good form to tag a summit up in the Valhallas and leave the man's compass at the top.

Small little cornice there on the summit, huh?