haireball

Frank Zappa's unforgettable "Billy the Mountain" - "a mountain is something you don't want to fuck with! don't fuck with Billy, don't fuck around! don't fuck with Billy and don't fuck with Ethel you saw what just happened to the guy on the ground. don't fuck around! "

this may sound really idiotic, but I find that I experience fewer ankle sprains/fractures bouldering in my Lowa Denali Extremes than I do bouldering in rock-shoes... and no, this is not tongue-in-cheek -

for us east-siders, the Cliff Hangar in Wenatchee does have a corner set up for flailing with your sharps...

"used" is definitely a key word for climbing gear for kids - another one is "rent" (or "borrow" if you've got tolerant partners...). one issue that is harder to get around, tho, is the problem that ice-tools are sized to fit adults. Now, my kids can split kindling using a hatchet-sized splitting maul with two hands - but they won't have the luxury of using both hands to place a single ice-tool, so I'm waiting to see how this plays out... and open to any ideas...

I'd like to know more about the FCCC, but I may not be able to make that 12/1 meeting. what can you tell me about your outfit?

on the subject of a full-strenght haul-loop: anchoring yourself at the rear of the harness, and belaying off the front, is a dangerous practice. besides making the belay difficult to escape, it can result in injury to the belayer who catches a significant fall from this configuration. if all you're doing is trailing a haul rope, then any of the gear-loops will work for this purpose... I'm glad Petzl recognizes that a manufacturer may elect to design their products to make them more difficult to misuse.still, I can't see why anyone would pay Petzl's premium prices, when I can purchase a harness with virtually identical features for less than half the price (gearexpress.com - ABC Blast harness by Singing Rock, currently $29.95-I just ordered two of these this week) [ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: haireball ]

Speed, wash your bag yourself - you'll pay more attention to it, and probably know more about how to do it than anyone you could pay to do it... DONT get it dry-cleaned!!! Strickland is correct about dry-cleaning being death on down do: use the largest capacity washer you can finddo: use the gentle "down soap" that you can find in most outdoor stores, or woolite works finedo: run the bag through a complete wash cycle without soap first - to thoroughly wet the bag.do: after one wash cycle with soap, run the bag through another entire wash cycle (or two) WITHOUT SOAP - this is critical, because the down must be THOROUGHLY RINSED if you want it to loft fully (soap residue will cause the down to want to clump...)do: be very cautious transferring the wet bag from the washer to the dryer - the down will hold an enormous tonnage of water, and it's altogether too easy to blow every baffle out of your bag just by lifting it incorrectly when its wet (I've seen it done...)gather the wet bag into a roll or wad, and support the entire bag from beneath during the transfer; any part of the bag dangling unsupported while wet is at risk for blowing baffles & seamsdo: plan on dumping a roll or two of quarters in the largest capacity dryer you can find - lowest heat setting available on the machine, "air fluff" (no heat, just forced air) if possible. Heat is another enemy of down. for fluffers, I use towels rolled into tight firm bundles & secured with string or rubber bands (gentler on your expensive bag than shoes or golf-balls) about four towels seems to work, and these have the added advantage of being absorbent, which I believe aids in the drying process. if you take the time to rinse thoroughly and dry slowly/thoroughly, you may well find that your freshly-washed bag has more loft than when you bought it!!! (this has been my experience with several down bags over the years...)good luck!

does Shatner speak Japanese?

Tex - good question! without being able to look at current conditions on that face, I'd have to qualify my answer...I wouldn't recommend any line on the Elliot headwall unless its good and COLD. I was fool enough to climb this in July back in '90, and had both elements of a twin-rope system chopped in a single rockfall episode! (perhaps rock avalanche would be a better description)however, there are two gullies to the left of the headwall proper (towards Cooper Spur) - both are pleasant climbs less subject to rockfall than the headwall itself.

climbers who throw things off walls in heavily-travelled climbing centers ought to be lynched with their belay ropes! they ought to be, at the very least, prosecuted for reckless endangerment! these jokers got off too easy!

how did the WTC and Pentagon get hit in the first place? the pilots who flew those suicide missions were, according to the information the FBI and CIA have made public, pretty much all illegal aliens. they wouldn't even have been in the U.S. if our elected and appointed leaders had been enforcing laws already on the books. but, in the aftermath, have we closed our borders? have we deported every illegal alien? are our flight schools still accepting trainees employed by Saudi Arabia Air? (the employer of several of the suicide flyers, according to FBI and CIA reports). these actions would cost no additional American lives. they are "no-brainers", yet I don't here about them being implemented... I believe in self-defense - but I know of no self-defense system based solely upon attacking one's opponent. In every self-defense system which I have investigated, attacking your opponent is the tactic of LAST resort - to be employed only when every other option has been tried, and has failed. What other options have been tried? I have enjoyed close friendships with a number of ex-special-forces gentlemen - three SEALs, several rangers, a couple of Green Beanies (all from the VietNam era - I'm dating myself). I find it interesting that not one of these men will admit to ever killing anyone except as a last resort in self-defense. And when any one of them does acknowledge having killed, it is only that: an acknowledgement - almost as if he is embarrassed about having had to resort to violence. It's difficult for me to reconcile the uniform attitude I've observed among these WARRIORS with the silly spray I read on this thread. But maybe these guys have just gotten old and soft, huh?

once again: Could somebody post their phone number please?

David - I did show for the fest, both evenings, but without the banjo...I managed to miss all the climbing, though - by the time I got my lazy butt out to the campground in the late a.m., everyone was already gone doin' their thing! Doesn't anybody get hung over anymore?!?!Keep in touch! Vantage during a warm spell is a great winter trip. The sporties are usually thinned out a bit December thru March, making kid-management less of an issue.

Johnny & David Sounds like you guys are having a great time with your kids. My boys learned to climb about the same time they were learning to walk - since Mom and I are both "retired" guides...I don't actually tie in my kids on the climbing rope though - I attach them to the belay rope with a long prussik (cordelette, actually) which allows me to vary the distance between us, and even permits climbing side-by-side with no slack to either of us. This technique eliminates the possibility of the kid peeling and knocking you off, Johnny, cuz you can stay on a tight belay yourself.After a few seasons of this, we graduated to "short-roping", and my youngest, aged 8, is now getting into following full-length pitches.What say a bunch of us who climb with our kids get together sometime for a kids day at a crag? Would you believe my guys (even the 8-year old) are pushing to climb waterfalls this winter? I have verified that I can adjust an old pair of footfangs to fit on their downhill ski-boots, so we're gonna go for it! on another topic: David, if I remember correctly, you were looking for inexpensive shoe solutions for your young partner a while back. I mentioned 5.10 c4 resole kits - I buy them at Leavenworth Mountain Sports. The kit (about $20) includes enough c4 rubber to half-sole two pairs of shoes, a tube of barge cement, and instructions. You can get c4 rand material as a special order. I get extra mileage out of the rubber by saving the soles that I peel off of my own shoes when I resole them, and trimming those down to glue onto my kids old tennies. Since its usually just the edge of the sole thats gone, the old sole provides plenty of full-thickness rubber for the kids much smaller shoe. Works out to about $5/pair to keep the family in rock-shoes... [ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: haireball ]

I found an off-brand glove of windstopper fleece (you know, two layers of polartec with a goretex film between the layers) for $7 at the local grocery store this year - so that's what I'm trying. I've never had a glove hold up very long against the rigors of serious climbing, so I refuse to spend serious $$ on gloves anymore. I find it easier to just consider gloves a disposable item...

for what its worth, I've climbed the north face gully routes and the Elliott Headwall in late fall (October-November)and found them very good: very little snow, and what's left is hard ice. this late, temps are often low enough that the dogturdite is pretty well frozen together, so I actually preferred this time of year for those routes. too far from where I'm currently living now, though...

recommended reading for everyone paying any attention to this thread: Alfred Korczybski, "Science and Sanity". Korczybski, a colleague of Einstein at Princeton, is known as the "father of semantics". "Science and Sanity" was his "magnum opus", and illuminates the phenomenon of people speaking a common language, yet being unable to clearly understand one another...

war does not bring peace or security. I believe it could reasonably be argued that after two "world wars" (wars to end war) peace is still not well-established in Europe. true, a few privileged nations like Britain and France enjoy a rough semblance of peace, but just barely... yet examples exist of effective change driven by non-violent means: Nelson Mandela and Mohandas Ghandi were two very strong men who gave their lives for their beliefs and their countries, and inspired lasting changes. the most we can accomplish in Afghanistan with military action is to create a high-altitude cemetery. on the other hand, anyone who can remember being a child, or who has ever worked with young children knows full well that you don't have to be the more physically powerful opponent in a conflict to prevail. all you have to be is unresponsive to physical force. although Osama bin Laden may call for death to Americans everywhere, I think even he is not so stupid as to fail to recognize that if he were to actually accomplish this aim, he would simply make himself an easy target for every other petty power-monger on earth for whom the very presence of the U.S. as a world power currently functions as a deterrent to action. the way the U.S. is pursuing bin Laden is equivalent to attempting to swat a fly with a backhoe. in the end, we will get the fly, having destroyed the house in the process, and the neighborhood will still be full of flies. [ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: haireball ]

I find splitting kindling for my woodstove to be a very effective workout. With a hatchet-sized 2lb maul, I'll split thin kindling for a half-hour or so, switching hands every other log or so. This activity is very similar, ergonomically, to swinging ice tools, and allows me to perform the motion with greater resistance (a heavier tool) than I use for ice-climbing. An even heavier move for strengthening hands and wrists uses a full-sized maul (weight selected to match your size and strength - they range from 6lb head to 16lb head). Grasp the maul about mid-handle (nearer the head if you're weaker, further away from the head if you're stronger), hold it at arms length with the handle horizontal, then raise the head of the maul 180' through the vertical plane to the other horizontal, then back - and continue to failure with each hand. After a brief rest, try holding the maul in one hand with the handle vertical and head up, then rotate the head of the maul in horizontal circles of varying radius until you wrist fatigues again, both hands. Work with a light head weight until you can perform long workouts at the full length of the handle, then acquire a maul with a heavier head and continue progressing. During my thirty years of climbing, I have run across two individuals who can perform these moves with a full-sized 8lb splitting maul at full extension. One was a 225-lb retired semi-pro hockey player - turned logger, and the other was a partner of mine who used to climb ice with Bill March. CAUTION: this is a HEAVY workout, for relatively small muscles... don't try to do it daily unless you relish the prospect of tendonitis. A couple times per week is plenty to generate stunning results for most folks...

Kremmling, Colorado, 1972 - having been run off the road by a truck trying to pass me that came back into my lane a bit too soon, I was stuck - car totaled, no money... but I travel with a banjo... so I'm sitting in the city park frailing away wonderin' how the hell I'm gonna get out of this hole (I'm 19 years old at the time - pretty damn green) and this old blue studebaker starts circling the park, slow-like... about the time I'm startin' to get really freaked out, the studebaker stops, and a mostly bald beer-bellied guy gets out, pulls a Martin guitar out of the back seat, strolls over and asks if I can play Wildwood Flower. Two hours later, I know Frank grew up in Arkansas, works at a nearby mine, and I believe him when he says he used to play county fairs & taverns with Glen Campbell. He invites me to go with him to a friend's place where they are getting ready for a gig at the Grand Old West (main bar in town) that evening, and would be honored to take on an out-of-town banjo picker - even one with hair as long as mine... well, old Frank was better than his word - his friend's place was packed with guitar & fiddle players and sound equipment. we jammed, they fed me, and at 8pm we loaded into a van and headed for the Grand Old West, already two sheets to the wind. now recall - I'm nineteen at this time, and it's not even legal for me to be in this bar, but the town constable makes himself scarce, out of respect for the banjo - and it seems word has got around; the place is packed! the short ending is that I left Kremmling on Trailways the next afternoon, after sleeping off the free whiskey in the town's best hotel, and with the remains of a coffee-canful of folding tip-money tucked into my wallet. so listen to Uncle Haireball, folks - you want to road-trip and drink on somebody else's tab - learn to play a banjo... after that first experience in Kremmling, I carried on hitchiking with the 'jo for fifteen years!

amongst the spray on this t'read are several nuggets of real information: 1) it was pointed out that after you've climbed in an area for a season or two, you can pretty much eyeball a line and guess its difficulty pretty closely - having climbed multiple seasons in every western mountain state except Montana, I'd have to agree (subject to the proviso that your unlikely to guess the difficulty of a route significantly above your own standard...) 2) sticky rubber, active protection units (not just cams...)and body configuration can make an enormous difference. back in the 70's, I climbed regularly with a woman whose hands were a fraction of the size of mine; a 5.9 finger-crack for her was an aid-crack for me, while a 5.9 fist crack for me equated to a 5.11 o/w for her - made for a helluva strong team... so - very often the only rating that would be accurrate for both of us was 5.phooey!

icicle and tumwater canyons are still snow-free, but temperatures have dipped into the 20's, with highs in the 40's to 50's. cold fingers...

Rescue Specialists, Inc, in Leavenworth offers courses in partnership with Wilderness Medical Associates. The owner's name is Tom Clausing, and his phone # is 509/548-7875. Tell him the Haireball sent you... First Responder, Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician are all technical credentials created by the federal Department of Transportation. The minimal criteria for each credential are specified by the DOT, so, to a certain extent, the curriculum is canned. Although the requirements for each credential are set by the feds, the credential itself is granted by each state. One detail often overlooked is that not all EMT & FR course providers require their graduates to jump through the hoops to get on the federal registry - this can create problems if you want to use the credential in a state other than the one that granted it. Your course provider should be able to steer you through the federal registry maze... [ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: haireball ]

spent a lot of years in Oregon, and I respectfully suggest that the best waterfall climbing in Oregon is in Washington... if my memory serves, there's no such thing as dependable waterfall ice anywhere in Oregon... Crown Point in the gorge came the closest to being dependable during the years I lived down there...

What's your objective? Mammoth has the best variety; Alpine Meadows has the best Powder; Squaw Valley has "extreme" terrain. "the best" depends on what you want to do. Why not just head down #97 and ski 'em all?