specialed

Saw lots of smears on Argonaut and Sherpa last weekend. Also looked like a climbeable ice line on the east side of Colchuck.

Wall of Attrition - Sqish; numerous pitchs in Ruth Gorge; Bridge Creek Wall - Icicle Canyon; Drip Buttress - Blodgett, Montana.

So that's why you've been trying to make so many special "friends" in the mountain climbing community.

You should just do it. It will be an interesting learning experience, and the court system relies on "piers" like you to make eveything work. Plus, I hear you get a $5.00 per day stipend for lunch!

You might not live in Tacoma, but you'll still be "Livin' Tacoma"

Re-read her email. Your answer is in there. What I don't know is bigger than what I do but when my girls see other people doing things, they want to get involved "because everybody else is doing it". They own several Barbies apiece. Makeup and sexy clothes are in high demand (they are 5 and 7). So if you think I am going to discourage them from fawning over Tori, I have to doubt that you have any idea what it's like to raise girls today. But you are still entitled to your opinion regardless of what it is based on. You're prejudiced because you have little girls. Your saying you'd rather have your kids idolizing Tori Allen rather than Britney Spears. Still doesn't make her acceptable to the rest of the climbing community who don't have the same issues you do. But you used to climb in the Bitterroot, so your cool as far as I'm concerned!

Lynn Hill wrote a book. Dean Potter does magazine covers and Patagonia ads. Don't think Dean has an agent, homes.

Hype is out there all over everything. She is probably mostly climbing and letting her agent handle the hype. Why not let it be for something like climbing? What is the "bad" that is going to come out of it? I am confused about where the anger is coming from. I ain't angry, just expressing an opinion. I think the contrarians here feel that one of the attractive facets of climbing is that it falls outside the lines of mainstream sports. The vast majority of people who participate in it don't do it to compete with anyone but maybe themselves. And even the best climbers are usually normal people who you see at the crag and drink beer with after. The whole notion of competitions and agents runs contrary to what I enjoy about the sport/activity/lifestyle of climbing. As far as sports go climbing is a more ascetic one. If Tori wants to be a rich and famous athlete, I wish she would have chosen a different sport like gymnastics or bowling. You don't see Deen Potter, Peter Croft, or Lynn Hill marketing themselves or garnering more attention to their activities than they need to get by. If they wanted to be flashy they might have taken up another activity. I don't really care what Tori Allen does, though, I just think she's silly.

wank.

Kids are sometimes the best role-models for climbers, cause they climb for the pure joy of climbing and don't concern themselves with all the bullshit we do. However, Tori Allen's purposefully knee-deep in the bullshit, so she doesn't get to join the "I'm just a little girl trying to have fun and have a good attitute" club.

Child porn.

Attempted Boving route on Dragontail Saturday, via alpine start from trailhead at 5:30. Hiked to base of northwest face of Dragontail to find ice seeping out of most of the cracks in the Boving route and what wasn't encrusted with ice was dripping wet. Considered going for it anyway, then remembered I wasn't that much of a hardman. Went back to the trailhead and drank beer and did 3 pitches in the Icicle. Sunday climbed in the sun at Castle rock and had a good ole time.

At least it was cold. That climb would suck on a hot day.

Finally got on the Nose at Castle Rock this weekend. What a devious bastard!

Sorry, dude, I hear the Mountaineers reserved the Stuart Range this weekend. They're mass-top-rope seiging Stuart, Colchuck, and Dragontail. But, they said it was OK because they warned everyone before hand that they "have this range."

re-defeat Bush in 2004

That's ALL I'm wearing to the catwalk on Saturday... perfect, be sure to stop and say hi, maybe i'll buy you a drink and touch your horns ...you mean my horn.

That's ALL I'm wearing to the catwalk on Saturday...

My ski helmet has built in goggles.

Matt - 99.9% of skiers, including me, stay in what would be considered relatively mellow terrain. Typical injuries would be as you described - backs and knees and shit. For other rad, extremo skier-types I think the danger of head or facial injury is probably a lot more likely, and helmets are probably not a bad idea.

I used to think that too. But then I realized there are alot better and faster skiers than me who wear them, so I just shut up.

end of a sack.

Well I defenitly ain't the fuckin' pope anyway.

Start by removing the poly-pro from under your shorts, hardcore.