telemarker

Dang Stewart! Sucks.

I would think the 50% chance of showers Saturday and some chance on Sunday would be the bigger hazard at the pass this weekend.

Yesterday evening from Snow Creek Wall. Seems worse today in Wenatchee.

When you do finally publish your report, find room for the term "Smash and Grab" in order to achieve the desired level of drama for your discovery. You should also be super stoked.

I'm pretty sure they're the Mima Mounds.

Chris gets the rope gun award? is that how far our climbing standards have dropped?! But I agree, you want Chris on your team. I'm just disappointed he didn't bring to Rock Wren!

Score one for the obscure file! Nice going you guys.

Crack Gloves should be acquired over a period of years of scar tissue on back of your hands. Start on Classic Crack your first year to get a good base, then work your way through other sharp classics like Deb's Crack, Royal Flush, etc... After ~10 years you'll have all the skin protection you'll ever need without the limp wrist.

The best climb in the world. Thanks Chris! A few photos to add: Chris staying connected on El Cap Tower Traverse to Pitch 8 (Tom Evans pic) The View up to Chris on Texas Flake Chris rapping off the Boot Flake to me on Eagle Chris staying out on the Great Roof East Ledges descent. The raps are just below the web seen above Chris My own El Cap layback

"The tribes already have expressed concern that the many rock climbers who visit the state park could speed the site’s degradation." I don't think the tribes should be too concerned by the 5 to 10's of climbers who visit the Pinnacles each year.

This too may be a bit of an exaggeration: "They have...significance to rock climbers, who flock there to scale the spires."

"Peshastin Pinnacles rock formations...well loved by just about everyone else." Now I wouldn't go that far...

Aah yes. I remember fondly when Bumbershoot was a cute little uncrowded festival. and when there was no line waiting to get on the rickety old Orange roller coaster. When it took just 1 hour 45 minutes to get to Seattle from Chehalis with no traffic.

Excellent Val!

I met Adam recently out cragging, only because his friend introduced him to me. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but I wouldn't know because he seemed largely uninterested in talking. I have seen him several times since with barely a "hello". It would be more reassuring if part of his job description was to be more of an ambassador by actively building rapport amongst climbers he sees at the crags.

Even though personally I like to think I've had a great start to the climbing season, I just don't feel like I'm CRUSHING. you know? I'll do a hard pitch, lower down, and my buddies will say in a monotonous tone, "Nice job," or, "Well Done," or, "cool". Or sometimes they're not even that generous, and just say something banal like, "Should I clean the anchor?" When cragging I hear others crushing in abundance. All around me all the time. What am I doing wrong?! I'm starting to feel very alienated from the rest of our climbing community. So I'm asking for your help. How can I go about crushing? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Trip: Leavenworth Snow Creek Wall - Hyperspace Date: 5/17/2014 Trip Report: Dr. Tom Michael, Mark Shaffer and I took our turn on Hyperspace on Snow Creek Wall. A very busy Snow Creek Wall. The wall, Outer Space in particular, was as busy as I've ever seen it. As we were rapping down, the upper headwall crack of O/S had a string of humanity slowly jamming its way up. We even had some traffic on Iconoclast, but it wasn't nearly as bad and we all moved along efficiently. Combined with Iconoclast (Psychopath, Yellow Wall), Hyperspace may be Washington's best multi-pitch crag offering of sustained cracks. Maybe I'm wrong. Just my very biased opinion. Anyway, attached below are a few shots from the day of the Pressure Chamber, and even a little "beta" video about how to climb it without doing the miserable overhanging squeeze chimney. Dr. Tom after the difficulties. Mark pulling through. It's a cramped belay stance for two, even more so with three. But it's nice to hang out an chat about the route, life, etc... Tom tackling the final little pitch to the top. Even this last pitch is fun. One of the better spring days so far this year. And no ticks were found or harmed in the making of this TR. [video:youtube]

My guess would be this route with a huge, nearly detached chockstone 3/4 of the way up the crack, being held up by a wafer thin sliver of basalt. It's jut plain scary...

Anyone want to do a couple routes on Saturday? I'd prefer to link Hyperspace up with something else. I can lead all of it but would prefer a competent partner who could move reasonably efficient. PM me or email: touring29@gmail.com Thanks! John

It was a beautiful day out, with a bit of a biting breeze.

Trip: Snow Creek Wall - Outer Space & Iconoclast Date: 4/27/2014 Trip Report: My buddy Loren Foss and I couldn't decide on a rematch with a ski tour of Mt. Cashmere vs. a day of sunny cragging on Snow Creek Wall. It's the classic WA springtime dilemma: Ski or Climb? Or both? You saw the title of this TR, so you know what we chose. And why go all that way up there for just one route? Iconoclast is always a good challenge early season and usually shows me my relative climbing shape. We started climbing Outer Space by 9:30am up the RPM roof, easily one one of the best of the 3 options to 2-Tree Ledge. The climbing up to and over the small roof is challenging and sustained. Looking down after just pulling the small roof. We zoomed on up after RPM, with the blessings of a nice couple who let us pass. And how can you ever get tired of 300' of perfect handcrack! We got to the top after 2 hrs 50 mns of climbing, lounging in the sun and leaving a two course meal of electrolytes for the SCW locals on top. We zipped on down, had a brief break, then had to cajole sore toes and legs back into action for Iconoclast. The route is kinda like Hyperspace Lite with three very, very good pitches of memorable climbing: Psychopath, Yellow Wall and the traverse pitch out onto the shield chickenheads. Loren following Psychopath. The slightly overhanging Yellow Wall pitch is probably the highlight of Iconoclast, and always has me coming back for more each year. And the runout climbing on the shield after the traverse is equally as engaging. Once again we caught a break when a couple on Library Ledge allowed us to climb by them. All said and done, with not a lot of downtime, we topped out after 3 1/2 hours of climbing. As for ticks, there were a couple but certainly not in the number Cfire and I encountered two weeks ago. I pulled one off the back of my neck. Their numbers are tolerable now and should not deter anyone from heading up SCW.

I wonder if that plug of rock (granite?) just a few hundred yards south, sitting above the rock quarry, is also on private land.

Is there a story with Fred and pickles? When we picked him up he kept talking about a big bag of candy he had in his rucksack. He mentioned the bag of candy again when we got to the trailhead. He finally pulled it out when we got to Clamshell... and it was just a huge bag of raisins! Wtf, worst candy ever, and I thought my grandmother's butterscotch was bad! This is funny!

If Peregrines can survive in New York City then I'm pretty sure they can survive in Sanctuary Cave at Vantage without a voluntary closure, no? Not doing too bad in San Francisco either.