JayB

I was expecting to feel super confident on rock after getting a lot of ice in during my first season, but I actually felt weaker and more tweaked out on my return to rock than I had at the tail end of the previous season of rock. While I knew that some of the ice that I had climbed was objectively more dangerous than the rock routes I was getting on, the physical differences between the two overwhelmed any sense of confidence or comfort I might have gained from this knowledge. My forearms were weaker, I hadn't had to trust tiny crimpers and edges in a long time, it was taking me two and three tries to grab the right gear, etc. Maybe if I had done both all winter it would have been different, but as things were having spent some time on ice just really didn't help my rock climbing at all.

Unclip the draw from the bolt end and leave it hanging from the crampon for the time being, then replace this quickdraw with another....?

The Xtreem sledder wasn't part of our group, but he seemed like a nice enough guy, so I was glad that he didn't end up skipping down the mountain like a wet bar of soap. Our sausage convoy parked across the lot from the blue Westfalia (green Blazer, red Ford truck w/canopy, Black Dodge truck w/canopy) and we came down the mountain on our boards en masse at about 1:00, just ahead of the aforementioned sledder.

I'm just glad that our sacrifices were not all in vain. I seem to be demonstrating much more natural talent in the realm of trampling down approaches than anything else lately, so maybe I'll just stick to that...

THANKS KING 5 NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard a blurb about hikers getting ripped off at the trailhead on KIRO 710 is that related to KING 5? Word.

Looks like you guys may have found the "High Point " that GregW, Bronco, my friend Scott and myself reached last week before calling it and turning around...

I was up there on Saturday as part of a 10 man sausage brigage. We crashed in the parking lot Friday night, started moving at about 7:15 and arrived at the crater rim at about 11:30 or so. I had a red snowboard sideways on my pack, wearing black pants and a blue T-shirt on the way up. My buddy Scott and I hung out at the crater rim until about 1:00 or so, then headed down with the rest of the crew when they showed up. Wasn't that an amazing day? I think that was one of my better days in the mountains - ever. The weather was perfect, the snow was firm enough to hike up in without too much pain but still plenty carveable enough to sink an edge in on the way down, and where else can you get the 6000 vertical foot, 4-mile run straight back down to the car with no objective hazards to worry about on the way down? We also got to witness the dude on the orange plastic sled go for what may have been a historic first descent!

- 1" of windpack powder atop a carveable crust all the way to the top. Ride anywhere you want, as it'd take explosives to make the 'pack slide right now. -Well formed boot-pack as of today. -Snow coverage starts at the parking lot (patchy for a couple of hundred feet, then solid thereafter). Get on it

Some Beta...

It pains me because I have often wished that he was a weak, fatassed has-been that would get his ass smoked on a 5.9 clip-up at Exit 38 - but I have it on good authority that this is not the case

Beta

I hear what people are saying - and agree that it is best to keep quiet about new areas unless you are prepared to share the information freely - but these guys didn't have to share any information with anyone, be it for the upcoming guidebook or any other occaision. They could have just as easily kept the area entirely to themselves and had their own private stash of ice for as long as they cared to. I suspect that when the guidebook comes out there won't be hordes of wankers like myself laying siege to every tottering heap of ice within 5 miles of a road, and this may have something to do with their decision to keep things quiet until the book comes out and diffuses the crowds a bit. Anyhow - I'm a firm believer in the "magic penny" philosophy when it comes to climbing areas - even though my personal FA list is limited to at most one 5.5 flaring chimney o' choss out in CO. I share my beta with you, you share your beta with me - and both of us end up having a better time and making better use of our limited time in the mountains as a result. If everyone kept their stuff secret, we'd all be sieging some weak-ass P.O.S. routes at Alpental and...well, never mind....

Dos Hombres Muy Macho. Way to go out there and get on it, amigos.

How come none of the guardians of the old-school ethic took issue with the following statement: It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that cpb could probably shut down just about anyone who posts on this board on any medium be it trad, sport, ice, mixed or what have you - does it? Just wondering.

As much as it pains me to say it, this is probably more true than false....

Sorry to hear about the break in - had my car broken into not long ago, albeit by some of the junky-ass-mofos on Capitol Hill rather than at a trailhead. I hung onto a cancelled credit card that I reported stolen after losing it momentarily on a trip to Utah, and now leave it in a dummy wallet for the next POS that breaks into my car. Not sure if anything will happen to them other than a "charge denied" message popping up the first place that they try to use it, but imagining them getting arressted or at least having their mug caught on tape at the Kwikee Mart while they're stocking up on unfiltered Camels, Schmidt Ice, Ho-Ho's and a fresh cache of porn en route to their next meth binge makes me feel better.

I for one was quite relieved to find that the skills I picked up leading outside transfered almost perfectly into the gym, and I was able to climb there without taking any undue risk. Seriously though - the two are virtually identical in physical terms. The only things that I stress to people contemplating their first leads outside are: 1) That they make sure that they know what to do when they make it to the anchor. 2. That they take a close look at the first few bolts and size up the grounder potential.

Story- Searchers locate missing hikers 02/27/2003 From KING 5 Staff Reports GRANITE FALLS, Wash. - A search and rescue team, searching the the Big Four area for two hikers missing since Wednesday, located them at the 4500-foot level just before 6 p.m. Thursday. Families of the two men said they failed to return Wednesday from a hike in the Big Four area - about 30 miles east of Granite Falls - and they were not prepared to stay out overnight. The pair are believed to be between these two peaks, about 5,600 feet up. On Thursday morning, 10 rescue climbers started searching for the men in an area where a helicopter saw lights and footprints in the snow. Searchers expected to take 8 to 10 hours to get to the area, as the terrain is steep, with hard snow. There's also the threat of avalanches in the area. Police said the two men are in their 20s and one is a very experienced climber, while the other is in good physical shape. But searchers did not know how well either of them could handle these types of conditions. The hikers were apparently unaware a search team was looking for them. They were not injured and in good condition.

Forget cams, this is the only piece you'll ever need....

Word. You can cover the smaller stuff with nuts, the bigger stuff with hexes.

I've seen lots of folks back-tying to gear loops and whatnot to keep the rope in place while preparing to rap, but not many tying off to something that will actually hold in a fall. Glad to hear that there are more folks out there using this technique than I thought.

My friends and I pretty much just picked up John Long's "How to Rock Climb," taught ourselves, and started leading after about a month as we didn't know anyone else who climbed and there wasn't much in the way of TRing available to us. Not recommended. It would have been much wiser and safer to get some instruction and/or head out with someone experienced first.

If you feel like you are ready and an experienced climber gives you the green light I'd say go for it, but practice clipping into and preparing to descend from a variety of anchors with the experienced person watching before you head up a real route. It may also be worth your while to read the article here Climbing's Sport Leading Primer One thing that I like to do right after clipping myself to the anchor (that I rarely see anyone else do ) is tie a figure-8 on a bight and clip that to my harness with a big locking biner before untying the primary figure eight that's attached to my harness and threading the rope through the anchors. See below. The odds that both hangers and/or the chain that you've clipped to will pop off and send you flying are pretty low, but there are quite a few other mistakes that you could make while playing with the rope up there that might have the same effect, so it's a prudent step to take IMO. And, I have heard of at least one instance in which the chains did fly off, or at least one of the nuts holding it in place did, so a little bit of redundancy doesn't hurt. "On November 10 my son Isaak and I were doing Monsters Under My Bed, at Skinny Man Wall (a 10a that angles up and right). Isaak led the route after we had both done it, and was pulling on the left anchor chain to clip a sling into his belay loop when the nut unscrewed from the bolt. He went flying off backwards riping the sling and chain, and I caught him below the 5th bolt. (unhurt :-o) The nut went south, and since we couldn't find it we left the 3 top washers and the chain at the base. the 3 spacers were still slid over the anchor bolt. We haven't been back, so a new nut is needed to reattach the chain. I felt pretty lame for not looking at the rig, since i was the one who should have known better. Let's check them nuts for tightness, EH?"

Philfort, Alex, and DBB should stash a prize at the base for the first person to discover the actual location of the routes to claim. Maybe some plush toys...

I hear that there's some sweet ice in Renton if anyone is willing to head out there and explore. Just turn left at the school and...