slothrop

Rossignol Hellgate 184 cm tele skis w/Voile releasable plate bindings $40 Pretty skinny by today's standards, but I did a decent amount of touring and lift skiing with them over the years. The bases need some love. The bindings are not in great shape--the plates have some significant wear where the cables connect, and the cables are bent and need reshaping, or else they'll come loose too easily. Release mechanism worked well the few times I wanted it to. SOLD ScottyBob Fat Bastard 174 cm tele skis w/Hammerhead bindings Garmont Veloce tele boots, size 29 (mondo) $20 Basic tele boots, well-used but entirely functional. Pretty sure I threw crampons on 'em and climbed NF Chair Peak. I could be half a size off here, don't have the boots in front of at at the moment. I'm usually a US 11.5 shoe and wouldn't want them any smaller. Scott Chase 2 helmet, size Small $50 It's a ski helmet! Used 5 times, then my kid outgrew it. Never truly put to the test, the dang size sticker is still on the back. -- Ideally you'd pick up in Portland. I'd be willing to look into shipping, but I'm lazy and haven't done that yet I'll probably sell the oldskool AT setup you can see in the first pic, but don't have the details on that at the moment.

Whoa, that's wild! It's... a pretty wacky book. Dense and solipsistic, quite absorbing for my self-absorbed 20-year-old self, if I remember correctly. Thanks for bringing back my account!

Hey sobo, thanks for the welcome! I've been in Colorado for the past couple years. It was fun, but I'm glad to be back. Lots of family here to help take care of the little one. Hey thelawgoddess, you can't get pregnant from a stick in the eye. I think you're looking for another smiley. Choada, don't be scared. I'll be gentle.

Hey Off! It's nice to be back in the PNW. Doing Wednesday nights at the quarry, then? Mila, I don't have a regular schedule, but usually early afternoons some subset of Tue/Wed/Thu (I work from home a lot). When are you there?

Posting in a sahara hat thread. This one's got legs. That photo of the "ice axe attack" is incredible. Josh, keep on keepin' on. Just don't die.

My wife's pregnant and won't belay me any more. Bouldering's OK, but I want to lead stuff. I go to the Warehouse in Olympia a couple times a week and would like a partner who can lead belay. PM if you're interested.

http://climbinglife.com/current-rmnp-conditions/ is a good resource for the mountains. Lots of cornices waiting to drop, but conditions are still good for many mixed and rock routes. Windy as hell up there now. Boulder Canyon is probably best for a youngun cragging for the first time. It's closest to civilization and has many easily topropable routes right off the road. Search mountainproject.com for route info.

Ha! eric8 and I went that way, too, back in the day. Good times.

Seven Virgins and a Mule is 5.7 with good gear. And just try falling out of the thing.

Everything's free for the taking now.

Fender and poles spoken for.

I'll be at Colin's slideshow Tuesday at Feathered Friends--if anyone wants something, I'll bring it there.

Everything left is FREE. Used, but in serviceable shape. Acopa rock shoes, size 44 or so, one needs resole (free) REI fingerless cycling gloves, men's S (free) Camping Gaz Globetrotter 106 canister stove w/pots (free) - This thing is old, but it works. Compact design fits in its own tiny pots. Takes Camping Gaz 106 canisters. Two Camping Gaz C 206 butane/propane canisters--do NOT fit stove above (free) Sold: Leki Makalu shock-absorbing trekking poles ($10) Planet Bike rear fender (free) You pick up in Ballard or pay shipping. PM me if interested.

Ho-ly shit. Awesome.

Gary and Wayne, nice work.

Sweet! Looks thinner than it did three weeks ago.

Nice to see someone getting on that face!

Are you going to make the St. Bernard read the Economist? That might teach him the economic utility of eliminating his rivals, so maybe balance it out by giving him rolled-up copies of Mother Jones for chew toys. Sorry, couldn't resist. Bummer about your pets, Lance.

Yikes, glad you're on the way to recovery. That slope is steep for a pretty long way and it's easy to let your guard down when the "real climbing" starts 300 feet up.

Abiel, Kent, and McClellan Butte are all easily accessed off I-90 and have fun, moderate north face routes. All three involve more snow/ice steeper than 30 degrees than Chair. The approaches are a bit longer maybe, but all three peaks have fun routes if conditions are right. There's plenty of info on cc.com and in Beckey. Red and Kaleetan are probably in good shape for snow climbin', too.

Nice! Looks like White Slabs Direct, which seems to have water streaks even into summer. Plain ol' White Slabs is an LFC most of the way.

"Red Leader, hwere iz mah fahckeeng X-Weeng?" I can't believe how much I contributed to this thread without ever having posted until now.

Trip: Abiel Peak - North Face Date: 1/13/2007 Trip Report: Ben (wbk), Mike (colt45), and I climbed a route on the left side of Abiel Peak's North Face on Jan. 13. After looking through the threads from last year, I think we climbed the route Mark_L describes. After a pitch of ice, we went right up a broad, curving snow gully where the line in his photo bends left: There was only one 200-foot pitch of WI3 on this climb, with some snow (squeaky to sugary) the rest of the way up. It was Mike's first time ice climbing and he got introduced to two important aspects of the sport: suffering in the cold and getting hit by chunks of ice. Our route didn't turn out to be that great--just one pitch of ice--but it was good to get out. A lot of other lines on Abiel are lookin' good. We left our skis and extra gear in the trees above the lake, then carried packs up and over, descending the West Ridge to an obvious wide gully, an easy downclimb that we wished we'd lugged our boards up for. After sifting through the threads from last year's activity and AlpineDave's page, I put together this topo showing all the routes on the North Face (click for larger version): Gear Notes: 4-5 shorter screws, picket, no pins. Screamers and double slings. First belay is a tree and a screw in the best ice of the route, at 200 feet. Approach Notes: Up Annette Lake trail, then turn right at the Iron Horse trail (road) to the open slopes on the right side of Humpback Creek. Good ski route, not so good on a snowboard.

I'm absolutely willing to trade the amazing views I now get at the UW Rock--of Husky Stadium and the tailgating fratboys and lingering trash from football games--for a concrete noise barrier and an effective transit interchange and replacement for an aging bridge. I'm all for keeping the Rock where it is, or moving it out of the way, but build the damn bridge. You can see in the photos how the 6-lane interchange connects directly with the light rail station. Transit, including bikes, coming over the lake can connect to the most efficient form of in-city public transportation. That is HUGE. If there's a land-use issue to really fight for these days, it's I-933, the most blatant anti-democratic blackmail to come out of the initiative process in a while.

Whoa! Anyone know why?