slothrop

AlpinistAndrew has it right. I was in a phone interview the other day and the interviewer asked what I do in my spare time. "I like to climb." "Oh... Have you climbed Mt. Rainier?" Whenever my (non-climbing, mostly) roommates ask about my trips, I start to tell a story and their eyes glaze over. I've always attributed that to being a terrible storyteller, but maybe they just don't get it. I've gotten them both to go to the gym and they like hiking. One of my roomies even went to Exit 32 with me once, and the other owns crampons. Still, they just aren't climbers. My girlfriend likes to hear my stories *and* she likes to climb. Even better, she's sympathetic when I come back all sore and dirty.

That's the top of the second pitch on Midway.

18/20, bitches.

The journal (AAJ, the big book) is great. I read it mostly to gape at climbs I'll never do. There are some entertaining stories in there, but also a lot of boring trip reports that are only useful if you're going to climb Peak 6848 in the Karakoram or whatever. The quarterly AAN is a little booklet and isn't much of a read, with a lot of ads and pictures of club members at meetings. Oops, the article I referenced said that the only murdered trekkers were traveling without guides or porters, not necessarily alone.

The recent American Alpine News, in an article by Greg Mortenson: Fairweather, who's Ned Gillette?

Yeah, and they're extending that 50% discount for this year, too. Hey, Shahid, I'm doing your marketing for you! There were only 29 expeditions last year (compared to 70 in 2001). The article sez that a Japanese guy summitted Gasherbrum I and had an epic, and another Japanese made it up Spantik, but died in the descent. Yeah, sounds like a bad year.

I did? When was that? The night of Alan Kearney's talk. I was climbing in my mountain boots for shits 'n giggles, with my girlfriend. I remember overhearing someone call you Scott, and then noticed that certain routes named after Himalayan places were set by a "Scott". Seemed like you.

That's the thing. From what I read in the AAN article, only three foreigners in 40 years have ever been murdered while trekking or climbing in Pakistan, and all those were lone, guideless trekkers. Though if you go around these days wrapped in a US flag, waving an M-16, and dropping Big Mac wrappers everywhere while grabbing all the burqa-covered ass in sight, your chances might not be so good. I'd say if you're a well-financed sahib who tips his liaison officer generously, you'll be safer than the natives.

There's an article in the American Alpine News about how tourism has dropped off in Pakistan. In 2002, the country brought in less than a third of what it made in peak fees in 2001. Add to that the two earthquakes that hit northern Pakistan, and it looks like the Pakistani tourism industry is hurting.

Scot'teryx gave me a belay test at Cascade Crags, where you are required to anchor yourself to the floor when toproping.

I'm a little behind in this discussion, but here are some ideas. Censorship bad. I'd rather see a degenerating thread locked than have it sliced and diced with the moderator's knife. Dru wants a moderator with style and panache, but even mattp will be hard-pressed to deliver graceful editing on a daily basis when dealing with the spray. mattp, I like how you step in and ask everyone to tone it down when the buttnuggets start flying. People around here respect you, for good reason, and I think you can use that constructively. If no one listens, just lock the thread or move it to spray.

Hey Timmay, the My Home feature is busted. I logged in today to find all of my favorite forums gone off the page. What's up?

Wow, iain, that looks incredible! Just curious, but why did you go all the way around the big tower at the top of the headwall, instead of going left where the route line first gets obscured? Duh, never mind, I reread your TR. Ice raining down and all that. Nice climb!

Nice, pope, sounds like fun. Thanks for keeping mention of Big Lou to a minimum.

How far up the basin is this? A friend of mine had spotted a flow right off the parking lot in November, but by the time we got out there to climb it, it was gone.

Naw, it must be awesome to climb with one. Look at the photos on the site: That's some climbin', that is. And at only $400, it's a steal. Way better than just strapping a cooler to your back. Can't rats chew through lead pipe and drywall? Why would some plastic stop them? Check this out: "Future releases will include lighting, hydration & heating accessories." I think that means you'll be able to make a hot tub out of it.

Pretty sweet. Safe travels, Erden.

Hmm. What are the approaches like for some of the classic desert climbs? A short hike off a Nat'l Park Road? Miles of trekking through featureless desert? Any significant elevation? Rough terrain? It seems to me that Cascade approaches would involve rougher travel with more elevation gain, if not longer distances, too.

Huh? How is desert climbing more "high-adventure" than some alpine grade III in the Cascades or Sierras or wherever? You know, with glaciers and avalanches and thick brush and such? There's no brush in the desert!

I've got nearly a whole set of them and they work for my simple needs (easy cragging and occasional alpine rock in the PNW). They are the same sizes as the WC Friends. I don't like the smallest sizes because they're too wide -- I like Aliens or TCUs much better.

Definitely go to Eldorado. The approach isn't that bad and the climbing is quite easy via the standard route. Good bivy sites at the base of the route, too, and you'll get incredible views of Forbidden across the way. You can stash beers in the creek mere minutes from the car.

Musta been one of these .

There's a big long thread on this topic somewhere around here. Just search for it and you should get some good suggestions. Your local laundromat might be the best place.

nice job, eric8 and bolt_..., uh, i mean, cracked. keep it up, all this fine climbing is motivating my ankle to heal faster.

C'mon, JoshK, why so pissed at dot-commers? Is someone an idiot for getting a high-paying job with an Internet company between 1996 and 2000? Lots of smart people have been getting laid off from those dot-coms for years now. Your concern is a bit too late.