rat

if you're set on trying it, using a vertical bandsaw might be your best bet if you can clamp the puppies down well enough. i still think you should think about trading them for the sizes you want. old snargs and warthogs work pretty well in frozen vegetated cracks too. good luck.

hey tough guy, there is no good alternative to a sawed-off shotgun. reread the original post and my page 1 drivelling response. if you take him at his word, his idea is a waste of time at best. everyone jumped to the conclusion he wants to shotgun them. if so, just fucking saw the goddamn things off with a hacksaw. you guys can't do anything manually anymore, and that includes yanking your puds. now stfu.

no way to win that one unless you tally missing appendages of various sorts.

"I recently inherited a box of Black Diamond angle pitons in the full size range. The larger angles are pretty big, heavy, and seem redundant given the existence of nuts and cams in the same size. I wondered about cutting off some of the material so they'd fit in smaller cracks,....." forgive me if my reading comprehension is poor but..... you have an assortment from probably 1/2" babies to regular 2" angles and you want to cut the larger ones down to fit "smaller cracks"? this sounds like you don't want to make sawed-off "shotguns" for bottoming pin scars but actually want to shave material off the long axes of the pins. if that's the case, it sounds like a pain in the ass and you might be better off selling/trading the ones you don't feel you will use.

".....not being more aware of what the temps were doing up there." http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/newrgl.php

access to omak crack is closed. not mentioned in the leavenworth area: lazyboy royal flush (boulder problem)

if you're planning on entering chile, the customs agents will confiscate all meat, dairy, vegetable and fruit (including dried items). they are thorough. no chilean reciprocity fee is charged if entering by bus.

speak for yourself... http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1508-041

hey, why not add in nooksack tower for the blue collar hardman trifecta? i think jo'burgs probably the coolest of the bunch, though nooksacks the least "moderate" (by the n face at any rate) add the original route on the north face of mt. baring and you earn a "washington brush quad" pin.

this may help or hurt: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/conditions/road_conditions_report.shtml bet you'll be parking on the baker lake road.

because most climbers are motherfucking dilettantes?

ditto all of the suggestions so far plus the harding route on mt. conness and the 50-crowded route on clyde minaret (not crowded). he said "this fall". fewer t-storms late august/early september. might want to mull over the permit situation if you want to do anything in the whitney or temple crag areas.

i wasn't thinking of going up for ice this late but was curious about the potential. thanks.

if you're talking about the peak to the west then yes, that's iron mountain. gordon briody told me he has done some roped climbing on it. i've scrambled up it while working in the area. it's fractured volcanic choss for the most part.

the chute is also known as "the funnelator" or "the lawnmower", depending on which group of locals you talk to. parking for this area will likely become a problem. the road is plowed by the church camp (not the usfs) for their winter use. don't block it. oh, and they certainly made money off that partial cut.

kat was the first to reply so she gets the skaha guide if she ponies up a 6er of pounders c.o.d.(cans on delivery). since when does peter pay for your books? if she balks, it goes to blake (will pm you if that is the case) with the same terms. sanctified sandwiches don't cut the mustard, sacred cow or not.

do any of you have info that you would like to share regarding ice climbing in the fort st. james/mt. pope area? looks like a helluva drive. thanks.

"mountain biking in canyon rims recreation area" (peggy and bob utesch, 1992). covers the area west and south of canyonlands national park. free. "skaha rockclimbs" (howie richardson, 1997). basically new condition. i wouldn't argue if you felt like shelling out some schmidt money for this one. send me a pm.

drury and the pencil have actually lost ice over the course of the week. plenty of routes to climb if you're willing to scratch and sniff. bring more rock than ice gear and watch for releases off the snow covered slabs. there is a route high along nason ridge that is also formed but has high avi hazard both on the approach and climb. it's visible driving along hwy 2 but most easily seen from the whitepine creek road. approach time is about 2hr. pitch 1 is about 100' of wi3, plow up the gully to a 150' cliff and turn this via easy mixed climbing on the left, continue up the gully to a final 80' pitch of wi3-4. rap the route from trees (best to rap over the middle cliff as well). i soloed this a couple winters ago and have been waiting to see if the middle cliff would ice up. it hasn't and probably won't. however, it will provide some good steep dry tooling for anyone will to "climb for location".

current/past temps for the northwest: http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/newrgl.php

http://www.idahostatesman.com:80/newsupdates/story/261407.html

http://www.nwac.us/products/SABSEA lots of new snow in der as well.

"p-s dihedral" + "eagle ears" makes for an excellent pitch...bring stubbies for "ee" or clip the bolts. "closet secrets" is in but much thinner than the guidebook photo...short screws and rock pro to 2" on 12/29. it didn't look like a person could yet snag "shreddie" from "prophet maker". "after the gold rush" is still in. we continued up to the wi2 smear above and right of the last pitch described in the guidebook. fun rambling. good to hear "3 ring circus" was climbed.

leavenworth: drury--last pitch unformed on wednesday 12/12. drip--nope. smear, silver tongue and icicle junction areas--mixed bag. careno crags--bag o' mixed. snow creek wall--not much ice as seen from valley but turf might be ok. left side of duty dome and peekaboo tower area--mixed. lazy boy gully--thin. rat creek climbs--thin. hubba hubba and flows to left and right--thin but definitely climbable on 12/14. chimney/fault about 200' left of hubba hubba--very nice easy/moderate (maybe a bit of filthy 5.8 in the summer) mixed climbing for 3 full pitches (the last one a bit contrived). pro to 4" and a few stubbies on 12/14.

winter 2007-2008: http://climbersaccess.ab.ca/content/view/47/38/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=38 http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/315#Post315