JayB

I've always understood the I-VII grades to be a measure of the overall seriousness of the route that factored in just about everything from the time it takes to complete the route, to its remoteness, difficulty of retreat, presence of objective hazards, and the like. I suppose that there's a bit of play in this system, but I suppose I'm like some of the other posters here in that I have been out on enough routes graded in this manner to have a pretty good feel for what's in my range and/or how serious an outing it will be. I'm sure the French system has its merits but I hope it never supplants the one I'm used to as it'll make climbing sort of like driving in Canada (how fast am I going again???)

I'm still kinda partial to the I-VII system myself....

Nice Work! I'd definitely be interested in reading a longer TR if either of you guys feels like putting the effort into it.

I think I heard that the second skier on the trip was named "Steve" while watching the story on the news... I remember James mentioning that traverse on the board a few days ago, and I figured that they were probably just hunkering down and waiting out the weather for a couple of days. Great to hear that everyone's okay and that they made it out on their own power.

I have BD Express screws and Grivel 360s, but would convert to all 360s if I could afford it. As things stand now its about a 50/50 split on my rack. I try to place the BD's from easy stances where I can hang out for a while without getting too pumped, and save the express screws for those situations when I need to sink a screw right away. The floating handle makes is possible to place the screw in corners and grooves without cleaning, I get more leverage with the floating handle (this was especially nice when the temps were in the single digits), and I can just generally crank the thing in more quickly than an Express scres. In my experience its also been easier to clean the ice cores on the 360s.

Always appreciated

As long as you keep moving Schoeller is the answer. Throw on the down when you stop. This combo rules for winter stuff - I stay way warmer, drier, and more comfortable with this setup than I ever did in shell gear. The only times I've worn a hard-shell top since getting Schoeller gear three years ago has been while resort skiing (lots of time sitting on the lift in high winds) in the winter and in the midst of full on downpours.

Nice!

Any group of people will play on the sympathies of those around them in order to secure a material or political advantage for themselves if given the chance to do so. I'm not saying that the Tribes are unique in this respect, but it would be naive to think that they never succumb to the temptation to milk sufferings in their past for advantages in the present, just as any other group of people would if given the chance to do so. So as far as being tired is concerned, yeah - I'm tired of being told that because I'm white I can't make principled objections to, or critical commentary of, anything the tribes wish to do without being told that I'm a racist or that I am somehow visiting an injustice on the Indians in the present that is analagous to the depridations they suffered in the past. Specific instances where this has happened: -Objecting to native whaling in WA. -Raising questions about the manner in which the Goshute Tribe in Skull Valley, Utah proposes to store high level nuclear waste on land that they own.

Maybe the dudes at Augusta should try the "Spiritual Heritage" angle out with the ladies from the N.O.W....

Winter: FWIW I worked with two full-blood Indians in CO who grew up on their respective reservations (Navajo and Ojibwa) who would make comments about the way things were back on the 'Rez that are consistent with the comments that GregW and others have made. Were they racist too? I know Greg personally and the guy's no racist. He is not, however, someone that's capable of imbibing PC tripe that says the Indians have no responsibility whatsoever for their lives. I can't put words in their mouths, but from what I can recall the fellows I worked with didn't seem to appreciate condescending white paternalism any more than out and out racism. If someone came out and said that they flat-out just didn't like Indians, they'd never want to work with an Indian, or that they'd never hire an Indian no matter what kind of person he or she was, how talented they were, or how hard they would work for him than use of the term "racist" would be warranted. Calling someone a racist simply because they have a viewpoint that differs from your own isn't.

If there are cave dwellings, remains, petroglyphs, pictograms and the like at a site I'm all for restricting access to those sites in a manner that will insure their preservation. Natural features of the landscape are different. If all that's required to restrict public acess to Federal lands is a local tribe's claim that it's sacred, what's to stop them from attempting to restrict access to Mt. Ranier in such a fashion? If water in the Puget Sound is sacred to them do we outlaw boating there? You clearly have to draw the line somewhere and the criteria I mentioned above seem to be a sensible way to do that in a way that everyone can live with.

I've tried to pack on weight before long outings before as well. Works pretty well, as I can never seem to eat enough to replace the calories that I burn when I'm outside for any length of time. As far as putting on weight in a hurry is concerned, in my experience the only thing that matters is consuming way more calories than you expend every single day. It doesn't seem to make any difference where they come from (sorta what you'd expect unless humans are exempt from the laws of thermodynamics), except that when you're putting down 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day eating stuff that you actually like and/or is easy on your constitution makes the process easier. I'm 5'10" and usually weigh between 165 and 175lbs at any given time, and have found that if I want to pack on the pounds in a short time I have to put away like 2,000 calories above what I eat to maintain my normal weight. For me, the "BeefChub4000" type calorie shakes they sell at supplement stores are usually the easiest was to add that many calories in a given day - otherwise I'd be spending all of my time cooking. But there's always everyone's favorite:

Interesting post, Freeclimb. I've been wondering how the folks who are currently siding with the Indians on this one would react if it was the Mormons declaring that a cliff on public lands in Utah posessed special religious significance for them and launched a campaign to restrict the public's access to the site. Something tells me that if they applied the same logic, and made use of the very same arguments, most folks defending the Indians most vehemently in this case would be attacking the Mormons the most vigorously, and ringing the alarm bells the most loudly concerning the dangers that such a precedent would present for public access to natural features found on all public lands. I would love to believe that there's a race of people out there who dwell on a moral plateau perched so high above the rest of humanity that they would never stoop so low as to cynically manipulate the either the suffering in their past or their spiritual heritage to secure material gains in the present - but have yet to find any evidence suggesting that such a people exists. Most Indian tribes seem to know the sensibilities of the white population well enough to play them like a harp, and do so whenever it is in their avantage - just like anyone else in their shoes would if given the opportunity. What happened to the Indians is tragic, but it does not entitle them to the exclusive use of public lands, IMO. Wasn't Mt. Ranier a sacred landmark to just about every Indian tribe within sight of it?

Pretty much up for anything. Local stuff, alpine stuff, driving over to the dry side, you name it. Anyone? Anyone? Usually get up the following without falling or hanging: Sport - low 11s. Trad - 9s and the occaisional low 10. Ice - 3s and easy 4s.

Cool. Hope your trip goes well/good luck on the job-hunt.

I knew it was just a matter of time....

Nice going! I did a variation of that thing in September (veered left in the middle of the face above Broadway and finished in on of those notches to the left of the Summit) and was very happy to have nothing but bone-dry rock to contend with. Short days+a few inches of snow over the rock+staggering cold, winds, and the ever-present avy hazard on the Lamb's Slide Couloir definitely make your ascent pretty impressive in my book. I wanted to get out there and climb the Notch Couloir before I left the state but could never line up the right partner with the right conditions. Anyway, if you get some time you should post a TR or something as I'd be interested in reading more about your experience up there.

I like Mtn. Goat's posts, and am thankful to have folks that take the time to post intelligent, well-considered responses around. I'd rather read something that's long and well-written than yet another one-sentence retort that seems to have no purpose other than to serve as a vehicle for the words "Snafflehound" or "Horsecock." Is there a "Colossally Played-Out" icon anywhere?

For most folks breaking into the 11s in the sport realm requires little more than access to a gym or other climbing structure and putting in the time to develop the necessary strength and endurance. The balance and footwork necessary to climb at that level will come along for the ride if you get in enough. Climbing trad 11s looks like another story entirely. I only know one or two people who consistently lead trad routes in the 11s, and the recipe that they seemed to use to get there combined natural ability with a hell of a lot of climbing for many years, and most of the time they're still gripped out of their minds while leading routes at that grade. I'll personally be happy when I can confidently lead most trad routes in the 5.10 to 5.10- range, as that will open up just about all of the classic routes that I want to get on. I've logged a bunch of time on 9s and have half a dozen onsights of 5.10a routes plus one almighty thrashing, so I think that the key for me will be getting out and forcing myself to log as much time as possible on routes at that grade. Problem is that normally after one trade route at my limit my lead-head is spent and all that I want to do is climb cruiser routes the rest of the day...

1. Taking a good friend of mine on Dreamer for his second trade outing. Never lead that many pitches back-to-back before. Had major mental fatigue going on by the end of the day. 2. Finally climbing Outer Space with the girlfriend with the Remorse start. The final pitches were definitely worthy of the praise heaped on them. 3. Checking out Mt. Ranier up-close after spending so many years wondering what it would be like to climb the thing as a kid. Someone in our party was having a hard time that day and we ultimately had to turn around at 13,800' or so, but the experience of being up there was great. Looking forward to climbing less popular routes in the future. 4. Days spent on fat, reliable-ice relatively close to my house in Colorado. 5. Checking out Boston Basin and taking a look at all of the peaks up there. Looking forward to getting back up there often 5.5. Being close enough to hit the UW wall whenever I want. Five Biggest Spankings 1. Second attempt on Libra Crack. Climbed it with one slip/fall the first time and was confident I'd cruise the thing on my next trip out there. Flailed shamelessly on the route for an eternity in front of fellow cc.comers after saying I just wanted to stop by and "knock-off" the route real quick. Eventually got to the easy jams and completed the climb, but it wasn't pretty. 2. Getting hit by a torrential downpour on the second pitch of Dreamer, getting flushed down the approach gully by a full-on water-fall from all of the H20 funnelled into it by the slabs above, following the creek-bed instead of looking for the trail and thrutching like a madman through copious amounts of devils club, slide-alder, and blueberry-thickets on the way back to the car. 3. Most of the classic probhlems at UW Wall.

Take three or four trips to Lillooet to climb 3's and easy 4's. Go exploring for ice elsewhere. Alpine: Cool routes on Baker and Ranier, Stuart N. Ridge, E. Ridge Direct on Forbidden, something on Prusik, something in the EWS area, one or two of the winter routes on the pass. Trad: a few routes in the mid - 10's, a couple of weekends at Squamish, Orbit. Sport: a few routes in the 11+ range anywhere. Bouldering: a V3 problem somewhere. Giving Back: At least one day of trail work, one day of anchor/bolt restoration, and dealing with that one bolt on Black Fly (anyone know if the road to Static Point is still open/). Try to take advantage of GregW's handiwork and lead American Pie while I'm out there. Make it to the rope-up and drink alot.

At the risk of getting back on topic, here's an interesting paper that deals with some aspects of the connection between Islam and political violence. His thesis was highly controversial in '93, but events seem to be bearing out his predictions. "THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS Samuel P. Huntington Foreign Affairs. Summer 1993, v72, n3, p22(28) from the Academic Index (database on UTCAT system) COPYRIGHT Council on Foreign Relations Inc. 1993 THE NEXT PATTERN OF CONFLICT World politics is entering a new phase, and intellectuals have not hesitated to proliferate visions of what it will be--the end of history, the return of traditional rivalries between nation states, and the decline of the nation state from the conflicting pulls of tribalism and globalism, among others. Each of these visions catches aspects of the emerging reality. Yet they all miss a crucial, indeed a central, aspect of what global politics is likely to be in the coming years. It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future..." The rest is here: http://www.alamut.com/subj/economics/misc/clash.html

quote: Originally posted by JGowans:

Seems like it's been extensively researched to me, and that no one has found any evidence whatsoever that proves, or even suggests that the US government was engaged in a deliberate effort to exterminate the Native population by deliberate use of smallpox virus.