chelle

Wow. You should have played the lottery on the way down. You were lucky enought to get caught by one of the 6 or so state patrolers on duty in OR that night.

halfs are usually 9mm but some systems are in the 8mm range. I personally like Chuck's system of 50m 1/2 ropes and if you run out trying to get to the next good belay...simulclimb for a bit. Requires good communication but it has worked for me. Also on rappel thinner ropes tend to magically get themselves knotted up. So with shorter ropes there is less rope to get knotted and there is less rope to pull. On climbs like Forbidden East Ridge, you want to do shorter raps down to the east ledges to avoid rockfall when you pull ropes. My $0.02.

I believe we did last year.

I didn't realize that SLC was a hotbed of above average pastry chefs.

Ever think this has more to do with how much people hate Bush and less about how they support another candidate?

hhmm...guess I forgot. Didn't you have an accident last year at Smith? Sorry if I bring up some bad memories...but I figured it was public knowledge since you posted about it here. I just saw you last weekend and can assure the ladies that you are no longer toofless.

TG is not distributed in Seattle...yet. Steve we're begging you! Squid you'll have to go to Portland to get some TG goodness. Or like Guiness, it is best straight from the source. Go to Enterprise and drink at his brew pub.

I suppose that it is possible, but unlikely that you got the cold sore from the rope. Putting the rope in your mouth is a bad habit for a few reasons. Just ask Squid about what happens when you put the rope in your mouth before clipping the draw. More likely that you got it from sharing a water bottle with a buddy. One thing to remember about gym climbing (or heck touching anything in a public place) is that you should keep your grubby hands away from your mucous membranes unless you've just washed them. This means no rubbing eyes, wiping mouth, picking nose, etc. It'll keep you healthier to wash your hands or use alcohol gel before doing anything with your hands like preparing food or touching your face.

Are you in Portland? If you're in the Puget Sound area check out Tacoma Mountain Rescue.

Just 'cause a place is crowded you don't have to be rude. Climb straight through her and be rude if you want and call her names...just don't expect any respect from people around you. Having a minimum amount of respect for the other people around you might make everyone's climbing trip a little better. Maybe she did use the fact they led up the route when she was near the end as an excuse, and maybe it did make her nervous. You are not her and were not in her head at the time. It is possible depending on how much gear the leader put in the traverse, to take a longer fall and either pendulum towards the belay, or possibly fall onto/next to someone leading up the crack below. This might have been on her mind. Give people a break once in a while. And I am not talking about cracking their skull.

I don't think there is a set rule on this, because I have had people at Smith and other areas lead right up behind me or a partner on route...even during multipitch climbs, and have rarely been asked if it is alright with me. IMO it is always a good idea to ask the party ahead if it is fine with them. If you think it is unlikely that you will get to the anchors before they have rapped then I'd tell them that in the exchange too.

Great fun! Thanks AK & others for organizing the fun and to Ken for the yummy breakfast today.

C'mon Greg. How many people do those 30 nations have on the ground? How many have pulled out since the threats on their people? The idea that there is a viable coalition at the moment is laughable. But then we wouldn't want to forget Poland...

Funniest thread I've read in a few weeks. Thanks for the jmace...climber chicks are real women and they like to head out a play in the mountains with their real men. But then if you can't handle that your girlfriend has enough strength and endurance and can hold her own on a climb (and elsewhere)...have fun with the dainty barbie dolls. Sorry Nalo, you're a little to young for me.

Blake, Bridge Creek is past the 8mile campground in Icicle Creek. Look for signs maybe about 1-2 miles past (not sure the actual distance). Go Left and then left again before the bridge to go into the campground. The group site is at the back through a gate.

In my view the climbing community should do the following: 1) assess the impact/damage first 2) then take the evidence to the race organizer and sponsors (including the tv network) to file a complaint about thier impact/lack of leave no trace ethic 3) open a discussion with the forest service to let them know of the impact/damage (with primary focus on the points ScottP and MattP make above). For all we know the FS may not even know about it at this point. Some good goals for this discussion might be: If the organizer is in violation of the permit what financial penalties can be imposed to a: help with clean-up and b: help provide maintenance funds for the area (could be used on roads, etc.) Another goal might be to request that they let other jurisdictions know how the organizer behaved, to encourage refusal of future permits. 4) To have someone write up some kind of article/editorial that can be sent to publications like Seattle Times/PI/Weekly, Climbing, Rock & Ice, Nat'l Geographic Adventure, etc. to raise awareness of the impact of these types of events. This would presumably exert external pressure from the climbing community and potential racers in their events.

Thinker - I have a guidebook you can borrow and can give you an idea about finding a partner. You going to pub club tonight?

I'll donate some salsa and a pack of tortillas. I also have a 2 burner stove. Yes, we will have some TG goodness. Just making arrangements to get it delivered.

The Dish on Leary has a decent breakfast. But the best eggs benedict in the area is...the Sultan Bakery

Cool site Dru. Back in my college perceptual psychology class we talked about visual illusions and distortions that we experience in nature. Cool stuff to think about. One interesting one that no one seemed to have an answer to back then was: when you are standing at the edge of the ocen looking at the horizion it appears that the water level is higher than you are.

My god conservatives are trying to put some level of positive spin on everything these days.

I haven't lived there but traveled there a lot on business in the mid-late 90s. On nearly every visit there was a story about a cyclist getting killed by some car not paying attention while speeding on the local roads. If you do decide to head out there and are looking for an outdoor enthusiast to hang out with send me a pm. One of my best friends just moved there for a great job. For him it was a huge cultural upgrade from his last great job in Birmingham, Alabama.

Apologies for the thread drift Fleb. But given the statements made earlier in the thread I thought it necessary to respond on the moderator issue. Caveman, please re-read the policy you agreed to when you signed up to post on this board. If you cannot abide by the rules and intent of the rules you are welcome to find somewhere else to post or to start your own website. For the full text go here. End of discussion on this topic.

My point Caveman is that if there is a discussion about the issues then the thread is not in jeapordy of going to spray. If you and other posters devolve the conversation into threats of violence and personal attacks then it certainly will and your privalege to be a part of this community will be in jeapordy. To a large degree the fate of this and any other thread is dependent on the behavior of the people who post in it. The discussion does not have to be politically correct to be civil. You have made few points about the actual issue in your posts to this thread. Instead you have suggested that moderation is unfair and is the problem which is simply not true. If you honestly feel that in order to have your points taken seriously you have to be offensive and threatening, you need to find somewhere else to spray your ideas because that is not what the climbers board exists for.