Fromage

Hey Bronco, I was at the Republic of Peshistan on Sat as well. Surprised to see so few people out there, last time I went the place was packed. Did my first 5.11a onsight (TR), those slabs are FUN!!! Then I soloed up a barstool at Gustav's. Fromage

Sounds like with that jacket you don't need a sleeping bag. I have worn one of those things ice climbing, they are furnaces.

It's 'cause all the serious people who want gear are coming here to find it. And really, who wants to buy a used rope on ebay?

This is one comfy and well-built harness, although I can't speak personally because my fat ass never fit into it. I bought it as a sport climbing harness thinking "precision fit is good" and since it never fit well I rarely used it. The harness has been stored carefully and is in absolutely perfect condition. It has 4 gear loops, a chalk bag tab, and the permanent doubled-back buckle. If your waist is 33" or more, forget about it. Email me if you are interested: nick@adventure-pro.com

Man you have waaay too much time. By the way, what was the name of that drug? Monsieur Fromage

Priapism...isn't that a symptom of neurological damage as a result of brain trauma? Trying to remember WFR stuf...

Sold.

Size 45 Euro. These shoes are in excellent condition because they are too painfully small for me to wear very often. Email njbratton@hotmail.com if you are interested. Yours for $50. They retail for $137. Fromage

Thank you for the info, gentlemen.

A superior device to the Reverso is the New Alp Magic. I bought this handy little belay plate in Chamonix (never seen it in this country, but check the Euro gear shops online- Barrabes, Telemark-Pyrenees, and 3S- it's cheap ~$12) and it is the most useful thing ever on multi-pitch climbs. I lead on doubles and belaying seconds off the anchor with this plate is the safest and most convenient thing I have ever tried. It is truly hands-free, so you CAN belay two seconds simultaneously and pick your nose. The only drawback is that it is function-specific. I have to carry a separate rap device and lowering climbers on the belay plate is a bit awkward, but the safety and simplicity of the whole setup is unbeatable. A la prochain- Fromage

My tall, tall friend is looking for a used Dana Arcflex pack size XL frame. If you have one that you would be willing to sell, please email him: seano@interfluve.com

Nice pics, it looks like a great time. How was the approach? F

I dig The Nuge. You gotta love any dude who shoots flaming arrows into his stacks of amplifiers. That fucking rocks. And he is from Michigan, climbing mecca of the, um, well, the hunting is good! KICK ASS

He was indeed Canadian and also very relaxed. And you should have seen the touk he was wearing, eh. "Super Rescue Man" was one of the three climbers that followed two of my teammates and I up the right side of the Rambles to reach the upper tier. I hung out with him at the belays and chatted for a bit before we split up. They were climbing the sick variations on the WI 4 pillar when we came back to climb that pitch to the left. Congrats to the Canuck ladies last night, but we'll see how things go with the men tonight. So...Fishstick, are you a frozen fishstick? Off to Rainier this weekend to practice crevasse rescue in the parking lot and dig snow caves. My ice climbing season, c'est fini pour l'instant. Au revoir mes copains. Fromage

Check how far the shocks on the rear wheel are compressed!

So I noticed today my "member status" had suddenly become "rope lead." How did this happen and why?

Ah, Monsieur Layton, it would not be so easy to put her back up. Her leg is so full of steel you would need a 3:1 just to lift her foot. If we are going on "no beer for kidz" then I am sure we could arrange a batch of other goodies. Believe me when I say she is a brownie chef par excellence. These babies get you up WI 4, guaranteed. Oh la la. Fromage

On the descent from Mt. Stuart a couple years ago I left my rope up at Ingalls Pass. Fortunately some Mountaineers out for a day trip with their 17,000,000 cubic inch packs (full) brought it back down with them and were wandering around in the parking lot with it. I vowed not to badmouth them for at least two weeks.

To answer your guys' questions... Specialed- I didn't use real names because I don't know if my friends want their superhero cover blown. Once word spreads on CC, it's all over. She refused the ambulance because 1. my truck was right there 2. my truck has tunes and the shocks are so soft that it's like a couch. Nobody- Correct, she was not roped in when she fell, but she was on practically level terrain, a traverse we had all made about ten times. It was the chute at the upper flow.

OK, since all you guys are asking, here is the condensed version of what happened at the Rambles this past Sunday. This info is reliable to the extent that I was ten feet away from the climber when she fell, I participated in the rescue, and I stayed with her almost continuously until she returned to Seattle. Names are changed. At 2:45 pm Sunday Feb 17, I was belaying my partner Reinhold while he was toproping a WI 3 route on the upper tier of ice above the 2 pitches on the right side at the Rambles. Adjacent to us on the WI 4 pillar were some acquaintances we met from Vancouver. Our friend Catherine was traversing the low angle ice tongue extending out from the bottom of the route which Reinhold was climbing. Her right crampon skated and she slid down the tongue and shot out into the gully. She bounced down the gully, stopping in a patch of snow about 40 feet from the edge of the upper pitch of vertical ice. Total fall was about 100 vertical feet. I lowered Reinhold while the Vancouver climbers, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, descended the gully to C. Reinhold and I soon joined them. Huey was a SAR instructor and took charge of the situation, delegating patient treatment to me as a WFR. Other members of our group arrived. Huey dispatched two of them to fetch the LilloSAR and the third stayed to help me treat C. Huey, Dewey, and Reinhold made a plan to evacuate C to the road. With the help of Louie and Alison I treated C. The extent of her injuries were multiple fractures of her lower left leg. I made a splint of what material we had on hand and considered her to be in good shape otherwise to participate in her own evac. Huey, Dewey, and Reinhold had set up anchors to lower C. Reinhold carried C on his back as Dewey lowered him. Very nifty SAR technique. We made three lowers to reach the base of the ice where other climbers, including the Western Washington University group, were waiting to assist. The two members of our group that had gone for help were returning with the RCMP and had a rescue litter. C slid on her butt down the trail with help from Reinhold and Huey dispatched rope teams to descend the hill and establish anchors for lowering the litter. When the litter arrived we had a continuous series of ropes ready to lower it, and downhill progress was smooth and rapid. At the road C declined treatment from the RCMP and declined the use of their ambulance. I drove her back to Lillooet in my vehicle and took her to the hospital. Later that night Reinhold drove her to UW Medical Center in Seattle where she underwent surgery. She left the hospital Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery. The entire rescue took six hours and could not have gone much smoother. My group extended our most sincere thanks to Huey who was instrumental in the success and safety of the evacuation. We are also grateful to the other groups that were on hand and assisted with the rescue. And of course people will speak for years of Reinhold's superhuman feats of sustained exertion and maturity and presence of mind throughout the entire rescue. CLIMB SAFE Fromage

There is this great place in New Mexico that has Aliens, I think it is called Area 51 or something. I'm not sure what kind of deal they will give you, so I would call first.

Cool, Lambone, maybe I'll see you up there. I'm headed up Friday afternoon with a couple friends. You can spot me easily, I'm the tall goofy guy with beat-up tools who keeps getting his truck stuck in the snow. No ice climbing at the Olympics. Fromage

512dude, tu ne sais rien du tout. Je te conseil d'en penser avant que tu dises des conneries. Monsieur le Fromage

Climbed the middle route of Hubba Hubba in Icicle Creek Canyon on Saturday (the first one right of the main line). It was thin but enjoyable. Our only pro was a couple of pitons, you may want to take some. Upper pitch rewarded creativity, there were a few drytooling moves and I got some nice sticks in frozen moss. This could be a new sport: Ice Gardening. Cheers- Monsieur le Fromage

favorite term: CHOP acronym for CHeapskate Objectivity Paralysis You suffer from CHOP if you are so concerned about leaving gear behind that you rappel off a #4 stopper/manky fixed piton/faded frayed webbing, etc.