tomtom

Cascade Alpine Guide Vol. 1 Cascade Alpine Guide Vol. 2 Cascade Alpine Guide Vol. 3

Zzzzzzz ... .

I started WI climbing this past year with a pair of Grivel Alp Wings with the Easy-G leashes and G-12 crampons with strap-on (New Classic) bindings on stiff boots (Solomon SM Lites or Koflach Verticals). By the end of the season I was leading WI 3/4 and followed a few WI 5 pitches. I never felt that my selection of gear was holding me back. YMMV.

I look at the altimeter for altitude and the watch for time.

Ummm ... 4 day weekend Fri - Pulled on choss in the sunshine at Vantage. Sat - Hiked up Snow Lakes Trail to Lake Vivian Sun - Hiked up to Prusik Pass, looked at the West Ridge, & felt the sideways blowing snow. Brrr. Descended to camp and spent the afternoon in the tent with the gf. Sun - Hiked out for burgers at Gustav's.

Gorditos is filling, but rather bland.

Post a trip report describing ideal conditions and there will be a herd of cc.com'ers following your route.

huh? Avoid the Aztecas and try some of the smaller taquerias (sp?). Well, folks, let's start seeing some names and addresses. The closest place to me is Agua Verde at UW. Not bad.

There's really not any good Mexican restaurants in the PNW.

Why think 'conceptually' when we can address REALITY. A half-rope system allows us to reduce rope drag over a single rope system. Period. And, no CBS, as engineers/designers, Rumr and I aren't really "conceptual thinkers". Actually the relevant factor is the ratio of the diameter of the rope over the radius of the inside rope bearing curve of the biner. Smaller ropes or bigger biners reduce this. That's why using multiple biners on a top rope anchor makes it easier. Duh. Sanitation engineer?

Lots of gear listed, little available. A great deal if you're looking for stoppers #1-4. Otherwise

Here's a super secret spy photo of the ideal new Costalot

$6.38 ea.

Yup, fodder for THE NEW AID CLIMBING FORUM . On my first time up, I used a small cam and a tricam to get to the bolt ladder, nuts up the crack (Trango Brassies rock), and another small cam as the last placement to the bolts. 2 hrs up, 1/2 hr of futzing at the belay and cleaning on the way down. Bring a small hammer to help with nut extraction.

The red and blue one at Stone Gardens.

Performance Bike Shop over in Bellevue usually has this stuff on sale. They have more sales than REI.

"Just before the accident Saturday morning, the two climbers were walking atop the narrow ridge between the ice walls. Cooley was climbing on the east side of the ridge, while Richards was on the west side. Cooley was about 50 feet ahead of Richards, and they were connected by a climbing rope. Cooley, Gottlieb said, tripped on a crampon, slipped off the cliff to his left and fell about 30 feet. He was swinging like a pendulum when he hit his head on a rock. Cooley's fall yanked Richards forward, and he found himself holding Cooley's limp body at the other end of the rope. Richards wasn't pulled over the ridge because the rope was tied to a harness in a way that absorbed much of Cooley's weight."

not a good one either. i actually had to rap off anchors this weekend where taped crabiners attached chains to the hangers. fukin gay as a three dollar bill. screwlinks are better and less pricey and lighter and smarter and better looking. Why didn't you replace the carabiner with a screwlink? Are you a three dollar bill?

Or go to the map making kiosk at REI and get a map printed on waterproof paper showing the south side. Probably cheaper than buying two regular maps.

My condolences to the family, friends, and rescuers. A sad day. - Tom

The Mounties have it covered.

How about this. Remove the bottom and it's essentially a Polarguard quilt.

Ballnutz 1 and 2 are only rated to 4.5 kN, so I don't know how far you would want to fall on them. My trick to get them out is to tap on the base, not the ball, with the nut tool and hammer. Therefore I don't shove them all the way in placements. I've only aided on them, not fallen on them, though.

Big nuts. Feels great when I can squeeze them into a tight crack.

Northern Mountain Supply Join their club (free) and you'll get 10% off. Also for us Washington types, you'll save an additional 8.8% on the sales tax. $1.99 shipping is cheap.