mtngrrrl

I just started aiding. On my last climb, I made an effort to lengthen the Easy Daisies before testing the next piece so that if I fell, it would be onto the rope. Working that movement into the order of things just took some process refining. For me as an aid newbie, the benefit of the Easy Daisies is pretty clear. Maybe I'll work on other systems at some point. I had not heard about Easy Daisies snapping. I knew it was bad to take a daisy fall, but that's scary. Thanks for the cross-post, Peter_Puget, but shouldn't this go into the new Aid Climbing Forum ?

I've climbed the classic Durrance Route 3 times. Old school 5.6 (I think). The crux pitch (pitch 2) felt more like 5.8, IMO. Great climb though. Lots of fun with good belays. If you do the Durrance Route, you will want a big cam or two for the second pitch. We had a number 4 Camalot that I kept shoving up the crack as I climbed. The Conn Traverse variation at the top will give a new leader some gulps, but it's worth mustering the courage. Good hand holds are just beyond the corner and down low. I've never done the Jump Traverse or any other variation. This is easily the most popular route on the tower. A pre-dawn start *might* get you first in line. Keep in mind that there is a voluntary climbing closure during the month of June.

ivan, i haven't used the adjustable aiders, but i do use the daisies regularly. i saw someone use them incorrectly once and have a similar thing happen. they didn't connect the biner to the narrow inner loop, but instead connected it directly to the larger release loop. check to make sure that you've connected the biner through the much smaller loop which will be very snug around the biner. if you've loaded them correctly, i'm at a loss without seeing it firsthand.

Thanks for the last two posts. tshimko, wow. Cosmic hugs to you, stranger.

Thanks to all the responses. The items are not usable. It's the clothing worn by the person during the accident. I appreciate the supportive comments. Yes, it's cathartic and ceremonial, and I suppose somehow preferable to putting a small pile of blood-stained clothing in the trash. Sorry to be graphic, but those are the facts. I'm finally able to deal with it, and I'm not sure what to do. Some of the clothing is natural fiber, but most is synthetic. Sucks. Anyway, thanks because I at least know a fire might not even work. I was hoping it would be like accidentally catching your tent on fire: there one minute, then poof, gone the next. The cement idea is intriguing, though I've never worked with cement. Maybe I'll bury it.

OK, this is a really strange question, and I'm going out on a limb here, but I figured all of you who have lived here for a long time could help me out. I need to burn some stuff. No, not evidence of a crime or a pile of racy love letters. They're the effects of a recently-deceased loved one. I don't have a fireplace, nor do I have a barrel in my back yard. It's mostly a few articles of clothing. I live in the city of Seattle, and I thought that if I even tried to burn the stuff in my back yard, it would make a bunch of attention-grabbing smoke. If I have a bonfire at the beach, is it unlawful to burn synthetic clothing? Will anyone notice and/or care?

Well now we're all curious. Did the shop do something bad like give unsafe advice or do you just want to grouse about bad service?

Yeah, I keep thinking I could use my VF stuff for something when aid climbing, but I don't think they're very practical in the long run. Plus, they don't start ripping the way a Screamer would. The two I have decrease force through friction, not ripping stitches. They're pretty long, too.

Ew, yuck! Spent half my energy yesterday worrying about ticks, but partner and I didn't pick up any free-loaders. There was a horrible, shrieking moment on I-90 when I was sure there was a tick in my hair. A hasty pull-off yielded no ticks. Sounds like the beasts feasted all weekend though. Crap, I'm all itchy now. What's that by my sock??!! ARgh!!

In addition to Via Ferrata, you can do lots of sport climbing in the area. Take the teleferique up to the Cinque Torre for a full day of fun climbing. Well, this supposes you have a partner and it sounds like you might not. The Via Ferrata book I have is in French, but I don't think you can go wrong with any English language guide. It's not like new routes get put up. When are you going? In my book, routes are not listed as in-season until July. That's the earliest I have been to the area, and I've seen snow. Also, the lifts probably won't be running in between ski and hiking season. Another option is to hire a guide in Cortina. It's not terribly expensive, and if you're looking to climb something, but you're alone, this is an easy and fast way to do it. If you're a competent climber, most guides will be happy about that because it's more fun for them, too. Have fun!

I don't really care if there is a forum like that or not. I'll go elsewhere for female bonding if I need it. One reason I don't post much anymore is because I don't have anything I want to contribute, and I've finally been reading this board long enough to see the reruns. I'm going to try some new stuff this year (aid, big wall, longer routes in general) so I'll have more questions to ask and info to contribute later. I also agree with Fern that people can control their attitudes. I posted a serious question a while back and one of the earliest responses immediately degenerated into a foul-mouthed accusation that I was trolling. I was glad for the people who seriously answered my question. (Thanks again.) But I get tired of loser postings, and I'm sure plenty of men feel the same way. If I wanted spray, I'd go there. I cuss and spit and all that stuff... when it's appropriate. Icegirl, if you're looking to make more connections with women climbers, maybe check out ChicksRock. I've been meaning to go to one of their "pub clubs", but my schedule hasn't matched. It's good of you to ask the entire everyone for feedback on a potential new forum to see how diverse the opinion pool is. That's nice to hear! So since you asked, here goes. The humor winner was taken in Switzerland. A group of us were TR ice climbing not too far from the road. On the hike out we spotted these amazing icecicles. Fun was had and one good shot was taken. I'm very happy with it since the light was low and the scene was impromptu. Oh, no one died in the making of this photo. The bouldering shot was taken on the trek into Mera Peak in Nepal. That's Mera in the background, though you can't see the summit from this angle. It sure looks bigger and more imposing from this side compared to the walk-up we actually did. The guy climbing was just getting into rock climbing, and he was glad to climb anything he could get his hands and boots on. The ski photos that didn't make the contest were all taken on various backcountry ski tours in Europe. Thanks for asking!

I was out of town and just checked in on the contest tonight. Thanks for the votes! It was fun to be inspired to share photos on the site. I'll be doing more of it. Cheers to everyone who added photos. I enjoyed the scenery.

Thanks for the posts. It's funny, I never hear anyone talk about cracks hurting, so I'm glad to hear others feel the pain, too. I'm fine with dime edging and steep slab smearing, but owie on the crack torquing. I don't think it's really a foot strength issue. Guess I'd better practice some more. Yeah, technique... Yeah... Uh, what's a "gobie"? Sounds like snot on your hands.

In practice scenarios, I have found it much easier, and faster, to pinpoint the final location with a probe than with the beacon. I used to not even own a probe, but after some practice with probe and beacon, I now carry one at all times. Plus, once you get a hit, you can leave the probe in and dig straight down to it. I agree it worked better for me in practice situations. And that's when we weren't totally panicked about a real person, a friend, dying. Imagine yourself in the situation when your pal is down there. Do you want to spend time futzing with your beacon once you've honed in? (Oh, we're in the null spot, oh now we're not. My beacon says 1.1 meters, your beacon says .9 meters.) Whip out the probe and do the fine search. You'll probably get a hit faster. Leave it in place and dig to that spot. I used to poo-pooh probes () until I experienced the difference it made during practice. Now I always carry it. I also say this as a non-guide and a non-rescue professional. Like most people on this board, I do the best that I can with my time and learn as many skills as I can. If someone in the guiding industry or SAR trains with a beacon multiple weeks per year for many years, they will probably be better.

I bought an Avalung last year, though I haven't used it yet. I wear a beacon, and I know how to do a search. So does my partner. I'm hesitant to go out with people who I don't trust to do a good job in a search. My partner might not find me in time or I may die from trauma, but I KNOW he will perform a good search without panicking and saying, "Uh, how does this thing work?" Like Fern, I expect to die if I go down in an avalanche. But that doesn't stop me from wearing a beacon and Avalung "just in case". It does keep me home more than I would like. One thing I learned from search drills is that a probe makes a big difference in the fine searches. You could dig right next to a body without realizing it and not get them out in time. Probing gives you the spot to aim for instead of guessing. That saves valuable energy if you're the only one digging. Yeah, people will say "be careful not to gouge their eye out or dig into someone's face." Well, if you're rescuing me, I'd rather be a little mangled and alive than a gently treated cadaver. And lastly, if my ski buddy shows up without a beacon for a BC trip, I won't go. They won't be able to find me; I probably won't be able to find them. Where would that leave us if something did happen? Guilt-wracked for years? No thanks. At least we can stack the deck a little.

Nice pics!

I like my shoes, but I've come to realize I should add a new shoe to my collection based on the following. First, if I want to climb 5.10+ alpine (or even alpine cragging a la WA Pass), I'm going to have to climb hand cracks. Second, I hate crack climbing pain. It seems like whenever I'm in a hand-sized crack my feet are killing me. My hands hurt, too, but I can handle that. My feet even hurt on Classic Crack to the point that I can't imagine climbing even 3 pitches like that. So, what should I look for in a good, all day crack shoe. Board lasted?? That sounds so old skool, but I did like the Boreal Zephyr's when I tried them on years ago. I have three pairs of shoes now, two sportier, softer shoes and one sorta straight-on, tube-shaped shoes that I wear with socks on long, cold routes. These work OK in cracks, but they're a little on the large side since the last resole. Since it's not always about the shoes, how do you cope with the pain of torquing your foot in cracks like that?

C'mon!

Hah! I never heard of hot or not, but I have now. Pretty funny. Which one are you? And are you hot or not, you teenaged heart-throb?

Anyone climbing in one of those "way old harnesses" should probably think about an upgrade. Harnesses don't last forever, especially if you're climbing outside a lot. I climbed in a bod for 10 years (stupidly) before finally getting a new-fangled belay-loop harness. FYI, the BD site has info on the tie-in & rap/belay setup for harnesses with and without belay loops. They say (you guessed it!) tie in to leg loop and waist belt; clip biner to belay/rappel loop. Petzl says the same. If you Google "belay loop" you find the debate goes on and on and on. The AMGA says use the loop. But even a BD harness designer says use either. Sheesh. I'm with Fern. RTFM. Use the loop if you've got it.

Humor category...

Ski porn category

No worries. I like bouldering, even though I'm stuck at v2 indoors. Great way to get strong fast and hone precision and technique. Yeah, I skimmed the prior unpleasantries ... don't let the negative stuff get you down.

Sorry if I offended you, D32. I was just adding a silly caption to a photo of a friend who was goofing around. No need to get nasty. I didn't pick on your photos, now did I? Lighten up. Why get bogged down in the mire? More photos!! More fun!!

A pleasant morning view from the tent flaps. Bouldering dudes don't need to go shirtless: Look closely... I'm spinning.