rat

oh boy, dolomite tower safe for roto-hammers for another year. drink, spew, fight.

mastectomize the mechanized man-tits.

somebody just take down the draws. give me 20 bucks for gas and i'll waste a day of my weekend to do it. then you all can stfu.

we climbed the thompson/abrons north face route on north trapper peak prior to publication of brunkhorst's book. we asked at the major shop in missoula (pipestone, i guess) and though no one had firsthand knowledge, they dug up an old climbing rag with a bit of info. i thought that was damn nice of them considering we didn't buy anything there. the rock on the thompson/abrons route is a bit chossy. it's probably better to finish on the lowe variation than traverse the unstable ledge/blocks rightward at mid-height as for t/a route---more aesthetic line and a bit harder. the antonilli route to the left also looks nice. either way, the rock improves above mid-height. brunkhorst says to descend east but we headed west to an easy gully that took us right back to the base of the face. the approach is slack by cascade standards. expect 1 1/2 days cooler-to-cooler (a long day if you know the approach). there are lots of other walls lining the approach trail. there is some info in more recent aaj's for routes in blodgett, tin cup, fred burr and roaring lion canyons. hope that helps.

nice job. guess i should have reminded you to take a double set (thought you knew--makes linking pitches easier too). no hyperspace the next day? wtf? hahaha.

yea, wilford climbed the upper northeast ridge to retreat off the north face above the yellow bands. i don't remember the year. including wilford, who climbed the hardest part of the route during his epic, there have been at least 4 recorded ascents prior to peter and i. put up in 1985, it likely has had some anonymous ascents as well.

the north face looked considerably worse than 2003. the first icefield was almost black from the constant rockfall, the small ice slope above the yellow bands was basically gone, the upper rock band was streaming water and the newly formed seracs on top cut loose at least once. amazing changes going on up there. gonna have to change tactics if you wanna tick those faces. overall, a very successful trip. thanks for slowing down so i could keep up. the youth these days sure are strong--too well fed as pups, i guess.

feck, you should know by now that disagreeing with mark only invites suffering. consider yourself let off easy.

nice to see some reactions here. i'm always happy to stir things up. drink, spew, fight.

part of learning how to climb is learning how to deal with those situations. this isn't europe. as i said, fixed hand lines are garbage.

fine job on the route. however, what is the justification for the fixed ropes? that is just dumbed-down trash. i just don't understand it---hand rails for climbers in a mountain environment?

check your pm's.

for what it's worth, i caught someone's 40 footer using twin ropes on h2o2 early last winter. the first screw, in wet ice, pulled lickity split. the force on the next screw, in good ice with a screamer, ripped all the tacks but the rope's biner broke. never found the biner but the leader insisted it was a wire gate. he fell onto the next screw placed in aerated ice with a screamer. the force ripped the screw halfway out, pulled half the tacks and held. he ended up about 15' above the ground bruised and badly shaken. screamers: i use 'em if i got 'em. and wire gate biners are a fine idea.

hardware seems to be sold unless people change their minds. shoes are still up for grabs---if you're a dirt bag, sans trust fund, i send 'em to ya for free.

#3 blue camelot (very good shape, single stem, slung w/spectra cord)--$20. 1/2" rigid stem friend (older but in good shape)--$8. 3/4" angles (2), 1" angle (1), leepers (1 short thin, 1 long thin)--$2 ea. #1 and #2 bd stoppers (rivet/dowel hangers)--free to a good home. vasque shoenards (size 9.5, very good shape, resole them with sticky rubber for a good wall shoe)--$10. mostly interested in getting this stuff, some of it admittedly older, to someone who will use it. prices are therefore negotiable but i'd like to make a bit more than the shipping costs. willing to trade for tcu(s).

dane's post from the spokane area thread (copied below) pretty much says it all. and according to early poll returns, it looks like there'll be a lot of burning and hanging going on---about fucking time. quote box added by off white for clarity, no editing done

day hike to hardscrabble lake. you can check out the routes on big snow mountain. good climbing on the doorish route and the east ridge (freed at 5.10).

scott, i thought it was 5.10 (not hard 5.10) when we did it. so my comment about the grade is really pretty insignificant, but bp asked.... a highly recommended route overall. someone should continue it to the top of silver star. see ya out there.

and there was no rock climbers before you climbing the choss heaps on chuckanut drive, right?!? nope, not a one before 1983. 'nough o' this silliness.

assume you mean the "crux" pitch? very nice, varied crack climbing. accurate ratings? maybe a bit soft. though a bit of prior knowledge usually makes things seem a bit easier than during a ground-up fa. final splitter? definitely the way to go. more questions? fuck off.

you might check out the area north of mud cove. take the right turn prior to the park just south of fairhaven (name? the one with the rose garden next to the road). there used to be some public access to the shoreline along to the southwest but this could easily have changed. good bouldering above a narrow bench that drops straight to the water. don't bother bringing your humping pad.

"a few years ago..." and the laughs keep coming.

the verglas and light snow added a nice touch but didn't hamper the free-climbing. scuzzy rock and a lot of snow in the descent gully (melting fast).

never mind. i checked the updated topo.

your last sentence is fucking hilarious.