David Yount

Smith routes (mostly sport) under 11 that are very good or otherwise entertaining (entertaining being the emphasis) and quick approach. 9 and 10C (2 pitches) Nine Gallon Buckets, you never climbed huecos before? this is some wild stuff. crux on 2nd pitch hits just after belay (many lead straight thru to top anchors - uhm there are 2 anchors for end of top pitch and I think a 50m will lower you to ground from lower anchor up top) this new route would be on page 73 #21B and on pp 77 it sits right of #23 and just left of the crack 7 or 8 Five Gallon Buckets 1st clip is a bit elevated (this is Smith, consider getting used to it for the classics or use stickclip or beg somebody to help or choose another route), this new route pp75 #35B going up the left side of the leftmost line of huecos also seen on pp77 just right of #37 9 Light On The Path also climbs huecos pp75 #35, there's a thread most girth hitch as pro enroute from the left getting way up to that first bolt and some even use the first clip from Five Gallon Buckets just to the left 6 (8) Zebra first pitch pp75 #34, same start as last 2 routes, after clipping bolt on 'Light continue traversing right, crossing a new line (I call it Gumby Direct) and finally joining Zebra Direct's easy top portion. Do this on a weekend and you're SURE to make friends 'cuz this wall gets way crowded. Watts says it's 6 but I think it compares to other 8's 10C Gumby Direct, start as for Gumby but continue straight for 4 more clips rather than traverse right, pp75 #33B (finishes left of #34) I've watched leaders fall on that 1st bolt time after time after…. Makes me wonder…. Does a bolt's placement weaken with such brutal treatment? 9 and 10C (10A/B) (2 pitches) Tammy Bakers Face spooky first clip then sweet slab ambling slightly runnout, crux hits near top but many cheat the vertical exposed sweet moves by bailing right, way right, pp77 #41 8 Hop On Pop pp79 #45 9 Snuffy Smith Buttress new route pp79 #45B (line not shown in topo) begins 20-feet left and 20-feet up from #45, since it's not in 1992 guidebook people don't know about it and it's reliably available, as well as being a fine fine route with exposed moves up top 10A ?name? Begin 25-feet left of previous route, solid chimney start (stem, stem, stem!) but many stickclip 1st bolt and many think at first it's 10B. Second pitch is 11A, pp82 #45C just right of #46 crack 6 Easy Reader pp91 #3 8 and 7 (2 pitches) Ginger Snap steep and thin with elevated 1st clip (trad pro available) pp91 #5 and now do 7 Cinnamon Toast (it now has 6 bolts rather than only 2) sweet exposure with unique line and great position, pp91 #7 begins at top of previous route and that other bolted line leading slightly right from top of Ginger Snap is a 6 or 7, not recommended 10B Wedding Day nicely sustained arete, pp96 #34 your first visit to Smith, you're looking for 8's 9's and 10's, then I wouldn't recommend 10B BBQ The Pope, 1st clip is way up there, I've watched more than once as it's sticklipped while the leader is already 12 feet off the ground wielding the pole way up there…… 9 and 10A (2 pitches) Revelations, pro available to first clip, pp111 #21 and now do 10A Heathen's Highway second pitch, this line of bolts is hilarious! I gave a name to this second pitch of HH and recommend it highly, Ten Pounds Of Chicken (long story.,…) or choose 10B Nightingale's On Vacation (layback, layback) for the first pitch to get up to Ten Pounds of Chicken and the line of bolts that goes straight rather than zig-zag is 10B do you like to layback? 10B Double Trouble pp 113 #33 unique 10B Lake Of Fire, new route pp113 #40B interesting and varied face, cruise all the way up to same anchors as 7 Dancer pp 113 #42 8 and 10C Sky Ridge and Sky Dive, the position is classic - everybody will watch your ascent, but the 8 is way runnout (some creative small pro available) pp120 #2 and pp119 #2 also shown on front cover. 10C up top has great exposure and fun committing moves. Rap off the back face and come back over Asterick Pass on the trail 6, 7, 9 (3 pitches) White Satin, 5.6 bolted pitch, 5.7 somewhat awkward gear, 5.9 gear feels easier for many than previous pitch, pp119 #6 10B JT's Route, new route pp122 #18B very very very nice

I just did Boxtop (one of the many small peaks along Temple ridge, Prusik Peak being the west-most peak) a few weeks back. After reading the 4 routes described in Beckey's... we decided to climb a 'new' line. Our route gave us more vertical and much more direct than 3 of the other solutions, as well as keeping the standard of climbing a bit higher. This was one of my favorite alpine lines I've climbed yet. Begin 30 feet west (left) of the South Face route (which goes up a 4th dirty chimney just right of a black rock). On very clean granite (local anomally) steep friction 5.8, no pro, until seam is reached which forms into small crack 5.6, 25 feet. Finger crack bends left to join vertical hand crack 5.5, reaching sandy ledge. Continue in crack 5.5 to next ledge. This is same very long ledge that South Face route uses a "flake pullup 5.8" to begin next pitch. We were never definate of this flake feature, so we continued adventure climbing. Moved the belay 35 feet east (right) to a hand crack in a left facing corner 5.7, widening to fist 5.5 and finally to offwidth 5.7 then reaching the next ledge. During the approach from campsite at Naid Lake (newer name is Temple Lake) we saw a crack nearing the top of Boxtop and from our current stance we knew this crack to be only 40 feet left. But how to get over _there_? We were on the right side of a 30-foot wide, 8-foot deep, perfectly horizontal roof. There was a horizontal crack between the roof and the face below it, a small ledge 3 to 4 feet below the roof and another crack just a little bit above the ledge. Due to the "kitty litter" nature of decomposing bits of rock lining both cracks, it's my thought nobody has ever climbed this feature (or at least not protected it As I inched along the 2-inch ledge on my right knee and toe, dragging my left leg dangling in space 5.9+ for big people or 5.6 for smaller, I easily cleaned several spots of kitty litter for pro, hacking and chipping with nut tool, eventually reaching the vertical crack. Hmmm, overhanging finger crack pinches to tips, with undisturbed black lichen thickly coating both sides of the dihedral. No way _I_ can free this, so 20-feet of C1, filling my partner's eyes with thick clouds of dislodged lichen until I can pull the lip, then 5.5 fist and offwidth to last ledge. There are some thick but not deep chickenheads (steep, scarce pro) leading up near the right side of ledge. We opted for last pitch as per South Face (didn't find the bolt for the awkward step-across). On each ledge during the climb we found 1 to 4 rap points, but ultimately we rigged our own descent (you might have seen our purple slings with rap ring?) Actually, we removed well over a dozen slings throughout the south face. Most were completely useless so worn, one was strangling a tree, another was left lying on a ledge forgotten or dropped. Man, that was over 3lbs extra packweight I had to haul out. Beckey mentions a suitable horn for rapping the north face in 1 double, I'd recommend looking harder than we did. The published routes seem overly fiddly, but fine if you've the patience and interest. Many Cascade peaks are found to be piles of choss refusing to lie down and so is Boxtop, but with a difference. It's composed of now-discrete blocks (huge blocks) of granite, stacked. It's very spooky if you poke about the top 15 feet and carefully inspect the rocks........ The "tunnel route" sounds unique, next time...

On mega-classic multipitch trad lines bolted belays help to quicken the shuffle of teams of gumbies; it's a good thing. Though, this increased efficiency for bumblers may not need to be incorporated for our local classic lines, since few receive back-to-back traffic from 6am through 6pm.

Hey, if you're up in Everett then driving time is shorter to Skaha than Smith. Some well-rounded climbers actually prefer the lightly wooded slopes and friendly atmostphere of Skaha. Frenchman Coulee - Winter Walk Wall, right to left (as you encounter them): 11?; 10D; 10D; 10D; 10/11?; 9 They're 100' to 125'with lots of bolts, up to 21 bolts. The Cube. 4 routes on West block (10 & 11 on west face, ~8 and 10 on inside face), 1 route on East block (10). I haven't climbed any of these, just got a copy of a beta sheet.

Virgin on the Ridiculous..... yep, just about the most fitting route name I've never climbed. But the clips have all been removed; I wonder why?

Index was sweet yesterday; warm, little wind, no people, no dogs. Hey, route question. I climbed a route and saw another one, but niether are in my 1976 guidebook, and I wanted beta. Directly above GNS is a crappy little trail, very steep, with many missiles waiting to launch. This reaches a contour trail, I went left to a 100-foot wall with 4 or more routes. Middle-right is a right-facing flake edge; it was a gas! Full on lieback most all the way up, with sparse rests. I suppose if you were a crusty trad klan member you could squeeze-chimney behind the flake but somebody has placed 7 or 8 bolts just outside the 'chimney' which was a good thing for me 'cuz I didn't have 7 BigBros. The anchors looked somewhat suspect, thin hangers, smallish-bolt, but what do I know. A nice fat tree sits on the top ledge and there was a sling around it, and a big tree maybe 20 feet up the forested hillside also had a sling on it. The bolts enroute were typical, they seemed solid. So, can somebody offer me a name and rating? I'd suggest 'Keep Moving' 5.10b And there's this white stained vertical streak just right, with anchors at top. All of the bolts have been removed, except the last. This line looks sick! Maybe I don't know what an arty 12 looks like but it looks harder than 12. Anybody?

Hey, was out casually climbing at Index yesterday and rediscovered some info in my guidebook: "Mountain rats are becoming a nuisance in all the mining camps. The Cascade Mountain rat is entirely different from his voracious brother of the Rocky mountains. Those around Monte Cristo are bobtailed with very large ears and when cornered or alarmed in any way, stamp repeatedly with both hind feet like a rabbit." Everett Daily Herald September 5, 1895 Beckey used this quote in his 1976 Darrington & Index rock climbing guide.

I took a look at Fossil Rock a few days ago, first time. Creative holds! The handful of 3-star-classic routes I climbed were fun. Wish I had a bicycle for the 3 mile approach, though. The madrona trees were a first to me, don't remember such a presence near climbing crags. Highpoint: getting to flail midweek on classics without locals pointing and laughing Lowpoint: an empty beer bottle remaining by a belay seat; i wasn't sad this bottle was left as trash, i wasn't even sad it was empty (bullshit! i was sooooo thirsty at 10pm after a day of 80+ temps...), it's just that it was a heineken!..... Redeemer: going to flail on classics at Index in a handful of hours, hopefully nobody else will see me.

...comforting to see so many loyalties to PBR. "Heineken? Fuck that shit! Pabst... Blue Ribbon!"

Ray Jardine's is the most comprehensive and technically oriented text. It's also spendy. The 2oz Backpacker Robert S Wood Much cheaper and much much quicker read (meaning you're far more likely to read and learn and use..... Jardine's tome takes months of boring hours every weekend to plow through.......)

Here's some more direct information about those unfortunate 4 fatalities, from a friend in Yakima working as a forest firefighter. Dave, you're correct that four firefighters have died, two men and two women. Tom Craven of Ellesnburg/Cle Elum; Jessica Johnson, Miss Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Weaver all of the Yakima area. The crew they were from the Naches Ragner district of the Wenatchee National Forest. They were part of a 20 person crew, 10 from Naches and 10 from Lake Wenatchee district. The fire had a blowup and over ran them; 13 firefighters and two civilians depoloyed shelters one firefighter took two civilians into her shelter. Six people were also injured, one in serious condition with burns to 30% or more of his body. mainly to his hands and legs. I knew Jessica who died and Jason Emhoff who was seriously burned. The funeral for Jessica and Miss Fitzpatrick are tomorrow. I worked with Jessica last year. the investigation will not be out for a couple more weeks of what the team found to the events leading to the fatalities. I also knew a couple of the other folks who survived. I met Tom Craven at a couple fires but didn't know him well. The other other two people were at the recent fire camp that I helped with. Take care, Matt

Gerber Scout Multitool or the Gerber Scout Compact Multitool. Kershaw, S.O.G., Leatherman, Swiss Army, and a few others... I've owned them all (though not all the various models). Gerber's $85 model and $50 model have served me best for alpine climbing, backpacking, motorcycle touring, cross country mtn biking, multi-day whitewater kayaking, roadtripping 20,000 miles in search of kicks as well as a variety of employment situations. And... chicks really dig the McGyver aspect when dudes find reasonable but unexpected uses for multitools..... Gerber goes climbing: cutting oldest webbing and cording from an overstuffed rap station (to be used at a later rap when we ran out of our own 'disposable' goods ; cutting bail-off loops of webbing or cord from hangers so I could clip; loosening a nut on a bolt with no freakin' hanger(?!) so I could place my stopper wire behind the nut; tightening numerous nuts (yes, I sport climb some); cutting two 3-foot lengths of cord from _my_ cordelette so my partner could prusik up a full 100 feet to fix the cluster he created up top by threading the ropes through 3 chains; needlenose pliers on the multitool used several times to perform maintanence on cams.... yes, while climbing.... [long story]; several times removed pro that otherwise would have been left behind. I've met those that have a new razor blade, with cardboard collar on, tucked in a thin piece of leather, stitched or duck-taped to the side of their harness waist belt, minimalists.... I am not one of those.

jtulinsk Differing sized rap lines will move through an ATC at different rates. Not true if the joining knot is sufficiently large and jammed against a rap ring with the large line through the ring, or the joining knot is jammed through a twist of webbing, or sufficient extra friction is applied to the smaller line. Best way to introduce extra friction on the smaller line is to use a carabiner brake on the smaller line, up-rope from the ATC. Willstrickland I just take my shittiest racking 'biner and leave it. If they decide to filch it and rap the slings I don't care because it's their ass on those slings, not mine It makes sense to consider carrying 2 or more lightweight inexpensive aluminum rap rings whenever you're descending by rapping a route without bolt+chain stations. They are less than 1/3 price of biners and less than 1/4 weight of biners. When a rap ring is left it usually stays at that rap station much much longer than a biner, meaning it benefits the public good much more. Though I do support Darwinism, I try not to hasten the demise of less critical thinking climbers, climbers that might filch leaver biners to bulk up their rack. willstrickland While you should always knot the ends of your rap ropes, it's super critical in this case. The feeding discrepancy is easy to remedy, just pay attention and brake a little harder on the skinny line to even out the feed rates. Yes, always put sufficiently large knots with sufficient tales at the end of rap lines. A double overhand properly set with 6-inch tails is a good choice for lines 8.1mm and larger. But never tie the ends of the rap lines together; though this will definitely keep you from rapping off the ends, it will also offer great chances of hanging up when thrown down prior to rapping and will always create a huge snarl that will take significant time to unravel because it won't allow each line to freely unwind as the kinks and twists are ushered down the line from the rapping device. Oh, and if you're using accessory cord (7mm, 6mm or 5mm) then the stopper knot at the end of the cord should be bulkier than a double overhand, I just tested a double overhand in a 6mm cord and it pulled through an ATC with less than 50 pounds force and the 5mm cord with same knot slipped right through. Figure-Eight on a Bight in 6mm also pulls through an ATC. And if you're still using a Figure-8 belay/rap device then your concerns of the stopper knot slipping through are much more acute. For accessory lines the stopper knot I use and have recommended for years is a quad-thick overhand. With the final 4 feet of line fold in half to form a bight. With this 2 foot bight fold in half to form a double bight about 1 foot long. Now tie an overhand in the middle of this. willstrickland The feeding discrepancy is easy to remedy, just pay attention and brake a little harder on the skinny line to even out the feed rates. Definitely pay attention to your lines while rapping, everytime. But if you're using lines of greatly different sizes then attempting to grab harder on the smaller line is challenging at best. Better to create extra friction on the smaller line with a carabiner brake on the smaller line up-rope from the ATC. I've also tried the Carabiner Wrap on the smaller line up-rope of the ATC but this never works up-rope of the ATC because the sling holding the upper biner just twists round and round the smaller line and begins to get shredded as I descend. And placing the Carabiner Wrap below the ATC was a bit of a cluster and it introduced endless twists into the smaller line. Neither satisfactory. specialed decide between a twin rope system (two 8mm's) or a 9.4 single rope and a 6mm trail line for alpine rock routes Twins (7.5mm to 8.4mm) can twist on each other relentlessly while rappelling. In most alpine environments the raps are not in free space, quite the opposite, many low angle slabs are descended and wide ledges are walked across and down. And just after you reach the next rap station and unweight the lines…… all hell breaks loose, they seek each other out like oversexed incestuous Siamese twins. If they twist just 3 times about each other likely you cannot retrieve the lines, somebody has to prusik up (ascending 7.5mm lines is much more tricky than jumaring up 11mm, TiBloc with a thick stock biner is the best method I've found) to the twisting and get them to remain untwisted by separating them laterally with various features on the rock face. And when you pull the twins….. good luck. The chance that a falling line gets randomly stuck is in great part related to its size, because a (Sterling) 7.6mm twin flops about violently compared to an 11mm, the smaller line gets wrapped about stuff far more often and it fits into more places because of its smaller size too! The other setup is preferred, a single rope will almost never twist about a smaller line and the smaller line will not twist about the larger rope as long as you keep a little tension in the smaller line. So as the last climber to rap reaches the next rap station subtle tension should be applied to the smaller line by another climber, or the final climber can use a TiBloc on the smaller line up-rope of his ATC to apply tension to the smaller line. And ALWAYS pull the smaller line. ALWAYS. Twins wear out much more quickly than single ropes, but they EACH cost similar to a single rope. 7mm and 6mm cord wear out faster than twin ropes but are much cheaper to replace, $65 for 7mmx60m and $56 for 6mmx60m. A 7mm line is the way to go, at least the price vs. a 6mm is NOT a consideration. Alex I use a 6mm rap line combined with a 70m 9.4 single, strength isn't really an issue If your smaller line is 7mm then tensile strength is not an issue, 2700pounds is a failure force as tested by Black Diamond on Sterling 7mm cord with a knot; it's impossible to generate twice this force (5400pounds) while rapping. And if you use 6mm line, rated 2000pounds single strand with a knot (2300pounds no knot), tensile strength is still not an issue cause you can't generate 4000pounds while rappelling. I don't know how much force can be generated, but I'll guess 1500pounds is a conservative upper limit if you're rappelling with some grace and style. To learn how to rap without safe style watch a recruitment commercial for the armed forces featuring rappelling. Basically, maximum rappelling forces are generated when decelerating - meaning that if you take huge leaps by shoving off the rock face and enjoy the acceleration down as you allow the ropes to fly quickly through your device and then as you swing back into the rock you prepare your feet to land by decelerating the descent….. it's _that_ deceleration that builds significant forces. Avoid it. Rap conservatively, smoothly, no leaps, and live long. Matt Anderson The non-rapping partner kept an eye on the knot (if he's the second one down) or held onto the seven mil (if he's the first one down.) It is a nice idea for the second climber to watch the joining knot while the first climber descends…. But there's not much he can do if the knot does begin to move, besides observe it and communicate it, which is definitely a good thing. And when the last climber descends there's similarly nothing the first climber can do to prevent the smaller line from creeping, for if the line is held fast then the descender ceases descending because he is now held fast in place by the Fireman Belay. And if the joining knot moves and the descender attempts to reset its position (perhaps by holding fast to the small line and allowing the larger line to pay through the ATC) then both lines are being scraped hard where ever an edge is crossed and this is very very very bad for both lines… especially the small one. It's best to prevent the knot from moving by applying extra friction to the smaller line, a carabiner brake. fishstick I'd be very concerned about cutting a 6mm cord on rock edges or with rock fall. Yes, me too. If you always feed the larger line through the rap rings (you are using rings right?) and your joining knot is sufficiently large to prevent it from crossing thru the rings then if your smaller line is chopped by rockfall or saws through rubbing on a sharp edge then you'll be held safely on the larger line (which is now considered a fixed line I prefer 7mm to 6mm because of the much greater tensile strength, greater abrasion resistance (related to its larger circumference), greater resistance to getting chopped by rockfall and last but not least… it's extra bulk helps to prevent the joining knot from slipping back through rap rings. But I'll tell you, a 10mm single and 7mm cord tied with an overhand can quickly slip thru rap rings. But if you make the joining knot bulky enough to prevent its migration, then you've got a liability of jamming in a crack when pulling. And if you've got a 9.7mm or 9.5mm or 9.4mm and you use 7mm or 6mm then there's really no chance of creating a joining knot to prevent migration without greatly increasing the common-enough-already risk of jamming in a crack when pulling. The more slings that go thru the rings the better, with enough slings present even a 9.4mm and 6mm combo won't creep backward. Incidentally, when joining dissimilar sized lines the common overhand knot can be greatly fortified by forming an overhand in the tail of the smaller line and snugging it up against the main overhand, and this does not create any greater bulk to get caught while pulling. Also used, and perhaps safer, is the square knot with overhands on either side backing it up, sometimes called a Square Fisherman. fishstick toss it via a throw bag or carry it in a fanny pack, feeding as you rap, otherwise the 5mm will tangle instantly Feeding as you rap is the most sensible thing in most conditions with 6mm and 5mm lines. I usually feed my 7mm, unless it's a plum vertical rap on steep and unfeatured rock. The more experience I have with small lines the more I realize their affinity for wrapping about anything. haireball One question you might ask yourself is how you'd feel about twinning the 6mm low-stretch rope with your lead-rope in the event that the lead-rope were to be damaged and your best escape is continuing upward If your lead rope is partially cut or severely abraded you can isolate that section of rope by tying a Butterfly and continue rappelling. This is almost always preferable than escaping by returning upward. As you rappel you will now have to "pass a knot" which is easier than passing a stone, but will slow the descent down quite a bit. And you now have to thread the smaller line through the rap rings because the Butterfly will not go through the rings or over the slings (if not using rings) if you were to pull on the smaller line. Now you will be pulling on the larger line, meaning your butt is depending 100% on that smaller line.... hopefully no dinner plates come your way. The Butterfly is commonly used by the middlemen in a rope team of glacier travelers to tie in to the rope. willstrickland New England's "Tech Cord" 5mm has tensile strength 5,000pounds 3.4pounds/200feet which uses "technora" and their "Spectra Cord" 5.5mm 4,000pounds 2.8pounds/200feet has spectra and kevlar. The "Spectra Cord" is 20% lighter and 25% weaker, I don't know about the prices. Though weaker than "Tech Cord", the 4,000pound "Spectra Cord" is certainly much much stronger than any 7mm or 6mm perlon (nylon) accessory cord! But this is only true as per manufacturers' specifications. Destructive tests performed by Black Diamond found that 7mm perlon (nylon) is much stronger in real world conditions than any of the 5.5mm high tech new fiber cords. In fact, a 6mm perlon cord is even stronger than most of the 5.5mm new fiber high tech cords - in real world condtions. Flexing and coiling and knotting and storing and stuffing and flaking those new fiber high tech cords permanently lowers their real world strength to the neighborhood of 6mm perlon. Maybe 7mm perlon is still the best overall choice for the smaller line (considering robustness, durability and price). http://www.neropes.com/maxim_climbing/default.htm Pencil Pusher you mean you'd rather rap off one rap ring than put the rope through all the slings? Never trust your life to a single piece of gear if you can avoid it, always use two rap rings. If there are not rap rings at a rap station then I identify the best 3 pieces of webbing present, crack the knots by rolling them between my palms, thread my 2 rap rings and re-tie. If there are not 3 loops of adequate webbing then I choose the best 2 present and add another loop of my own webbing. lambone If you are using two ropes of different diameter, they will slip through webbing while you are rapping. Different sized lines will not migrate at the anchor if adequate friction is applied to the smaller line, perhaps a carabiner brake. lambone P.S. For those of you who didn't know this, Rap rings should be used for body weight only, not as the main point on your anchor. They are not made to withstand high impact forces. Rap rings are designed for rappelling anchors, they are bomber safe. Never trust your life to a single piece of gear if you can avoid it, always use two rap rings. Rap rings are not designed to be used as part of a running belay. [This message has been edited by Idea Guy (edited 06-30-2001).]