rat

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?

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.

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.

long shot. anybody have recent info on conditions in cowan cirque and/or beehive basin? post or email snocreek@crcwnet.com. thanks.

direct north face of liberty bell---good hard kitty litter with runouts. moonshine (west pillar) on half-moon---put up not knowing about lunar rubble and might share some pitches. good, not as hard kitty litter and cracks. cedar creek wall---climbing kitty litter for location.

actually, more than a few people have known about the potential back there for more than a few years. who knows, maybe both lines were climbed previously. anyway, it's a cool place. word is that doorish is doing/has done some wall climbing in that area.

i'm bored so....i'll nit-pick.... it doesn't deserve a AI4+ rating---more like 3+ but you don't want to fall, hence the tongue-in-cheek "genuine tough guy" comment. we did some very nice pitches but it would be great to see someone straighten out the line and take it to the summit 'cause style is all you got. we were alpine chickens.

blah blah fucking blah.

enter our beershed again without permission and you won't see what hits you.

bring a snorkel.