erden

Here is a way that I never had to practice: If there is no place to set pro, -weave the rope among the features of the ridge line as best possible -keep the line reasonably snug while simul climbing -be ready brace, or at worst to jump on the opposite side of the ridge line if partner drops down the other, then both find your way back up to the ridgeline (easier to manage for the follower - the follower is NEVER to fall anyway while simul climbing) erden.

If you buy a Fish and Wildlife Permit, be prepared to give your social security number, and more intrusive personal information for what amounts to a stamp to park at Vantage. A total overkill, and the person behind the counter at K-Mart sporting department will have everything they need for identity theft. Clearly a requirement for process change. Also, I am getting really fed up with the amenities that we get for the money that they collect for the passes, not to mention the outrageous tickets that they issue. There is not a self tending solar operated toilet facility, we have to get in that crap booth called the "Honey Bucket" and campers destroy the plants and make their own tracks each time they stay overnight. Campsites that are accessible, that are mildly improved and that are contained with clear demarcations would go a long way to maintain the havoc that our crowding causes. How does one spur the Fish & Wildlife to give us our money's worth besides paying the enforcement officer to come and write tickets? Erden.

Ah, weekly on Tuesdays! OK, that helps...

Darn, rayborbon, I did not see your response till now! When is the next gathering? is the pub club a weekly affair? biweekly, monthly ??? It has been hard for me to follow...

which date and what time will you be meeting at Ballard Grill and Ale House? Also can you hint at the routine? How frequent, etc...

After his slide show, Kevin explained that he chose the climbs in the Alpine Select book and the slides that he showed specifically to provide a subset of climbs to be accessible from Vancouver on a weekend jaunt, no more. If more details and farther climbs are what some of you had in mind, you should be willing to seek that information from additional sources. I believe Kevin was very approachable, well informed and certainly inspiring to hear. I have recently moved to the area, and the Alpine Select certainly provides me with a good starter list. Erden.

FYI -- Kevin McLane will be at the Seattle Mountaineers HQ, attending 'The Alpinists' meeting on April 11 (Thursday) at 07:00pm. He will present a slide show of climbs in Alpine Select and be available for Q&A. The Alpinists meeting is open to all climbers, member or not, and is meant to be a place to meet other climbers, to network, etc. [ 04-08-2002: Message edited by: erden ]

I thought it was a small world that we got to meet Caveman and MikeAdam in person on a climb. If I can figure out where these pubs that y'all meet are, I may navigate my way over there to meet the rest of you. Who knows, if you meet me in person, you may be inclined to qualify your Mountaineers spray with a smiley to make them more pallatable ;-) Actually the descent was not that bad. Perhaps you are referring to my comment that "the descent looks like the gully on climbers left" from where we met. We looked and did not like that, so went down the gully to climbers right, ending up at the base of the J-Y Crag. We did not feel that bad about the walk down, but did not see an obvious trail either. It was the first time on that cliff for our group. Would you care to post here the details of the correct descent from where we were?

He was climbing the "Tree Route" on Eight-Mile Buttress in Icicle Creek today...

quote: Originally posted by specialed: Yeah Mtneers aid practice. Talked to some dude with them who was practicing aid and big wall techniques at Vantage so he could go to the valley so maybe he could do the Prow and the Lost Arrow. Then maybe he'd be good enough to a route on El Cap. We were like, why waste your time? if you know how to stand in aiders and set up a ledge why deal with that BS just go get on the big stone!! So, specialed and dru, since I do not know you: - how many big walls did you do? - care to share if you ever set up your bivy ledge before you got on a wall, or ever stood in aiders before you got on a wall? but since both of you walk on water, you probably knew all that before you got on the walls... I say you bullies calm down and let the people learn the skills before committing themselves to something big. Not everyone will get on an expando flake and conquer A4-A5 on their first big wall. Contrary to some of your inuendo, big wall ain't = A5. Let them be, at least they were practicing on junk rock!!! [ 03-28-2002: Message edited by: erden ]

If you get a crack in the windshield, the insurance company will have a professional "doctor" the end of the crack for you for free. If the crack is large enough, you can have the windshield replaced at no additional cost in premiums to you. At least that is how State Farm operates. I would not try to score or damage the windshield otherwise -- think of warranties voided when one tinkers with electronic equipment...

You should be all right, it does not get that cold up in the Ravine, except for wind chill on top. Be ready for stiff winds when you clear the ravine and exit to reach the plateau.

I agree with Mike Adam. I was on the base of Chair NF on Sunday, 25th. Getting up to the ridge line was laborious with deep fresh snow over rock. I was sinking to my belly or worse if I did not use my snowshoes. Falling was out of the question, since I could not push myself up back on my snowshoes, quite a struggle. This may have settled by now though more snow has come down since Sunday. It had taken us longer than expected to reach the ridge line from the Alpental parking lot, arriving around 12:30pm. We had left Alpental around 06:15 am. The north face was not in condition yet. What we could see was a fresh veneer of snow on rock, and what appeared to be some verglas. On the NE ridge, there was some loose snow, a few icicles that would not have held a tool placement. We would have had to climb with cold fingers, or dry tool on rock. Given the late arrival on the ridge and the fact that the conditions on the face would have forced us to move slower than ice or hard snow, we turned back. The snow at the base of the NF probably was even deeper than on the ridge. We did not cross over under the face to test the idea. We had left the snowshoes just under the steep section under the ridge... Crossing high, closer to the NF probably would have allowed relatively safe access wrt avalanche hazard. My 2 cents. Erden.