Alpinfox

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Seems like a bitch when it's time to pull the rope! That was my response too, but he said, "nope. works fine." If I ever get around to trying this out, I plan to pull the rope back and forth a few times to smooth out the inside of the V, and then have the first rappeller do a test-pull before the second rappels.

One V-thread in good ice is fine as an anchor. I've always done it with 22cm screws, but 17cm would probably work in a pinch. I always back the V-thread up with at least one unweighted screw. Heavy guys go first. Last one to rap takes the backup off. I've used fishermans and overhand knots for tying the knot in the threaded cord. I've never used webbing, but a waterknot would be fine. I pretty much only use V-threads for rapping because they take too long to build to be used as pro. On a popular route you might be able to use pre-made V-threads as pro. However, I'd be leery of trusting a random piece of cord sticking out of the ice (it could be the tail of a V-thread with the floppy end just frozen an inch or so into the ice). Inspect a leftover V-thread VERY carefully and definitely back it up. A cool trick that I've never tried, but supposedly works: Thread your rope directly through the V-thread to avoid having to leave any cord. Steve House told me that one. Abalakov wikipedia link

Yeah. The trip report and gallery got kinda messed up in the move from the old cascadeclimbers.com. Just go to the gallery and search for "htgt"

Climbing clubs are not the only way to learn safe climbing. I'd wager Simonson didn't learn that way for example.

From the Mount Rainier Website:

Yeah, Keith and I walked right past that area on Monday and were really tempted to boulder around on it, but we had seen several cops that day and figured we'd get hassled or ticketed. You have any pictures of CYA Jens?

CONGRATS! How many did you use? That's a better idea than the tibloc trick. Sounds.... interesting. So when/where is the slideshow?

There were several large hanging icicles above the railroad grade in the vicinity of that drytooling area. I think these might be "CYA" in the Washington Ice guide? Not sure. The most interesting looking ice in the X38 area was located quite a bit up and right of the drytool area. It was around the corner to the right of what I think was "CYA" and was a broad slab that looked fully iced, but thin. My friend Keith said he climbed that a couple years ago. He said it was thin then and he got in pretty much no pro. This climb MIGHT be "Unnamed" in the Washington Ice book. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", a route that Ken4ord and I did a couple years ago, located about 0.5mi west of the Mt.Washington trailhead, looked rotten and falling down. Link to HTGT thread It's gotten much warmer in the last two days, so I'm sure a lot of stuff that was forming is now falling down or gone.

Wow, that's some good lookin' ice!

I've never tried it, but I'd be pretty leery of using a solo device for ice. I'd be worried about ice getting in there and jamming up the works. That said, I applaud this guys motivation. Time to find a partner though.

Thanks for the pix and conditions report. I was curious what the route might be like this weekend. Hopefully we'll get a report from the NE butt too.

I can TOTALLY hear Cappelini bein all like, "DAMN! I like that gorts and gaiters look....NOT!"

That's a sweet line. Good work guys!

Trip: Milemarker 40.5, I-90, Garcia? - Rambley Ice Thing Date: 1/15/2007 Trip Report: Keith D. and I climbed a rambley WI2ish thing on the north side of I90 today and I'm wondering if anyone else has been up there or knows anything about it. It's visible from the highway, especially from the eastbound lanes at ~milemarker 40.5. It's about 80m tall. There is a ~20m tall overhanging rock wall to the right of the base of the route that has some big hanging icicles. If they touched down, it would be fun. At the very top of the route there is another ~20m tall broad vertical wall that had thin chandeliered and very wet ice touching down. If it was colder, it could be cool. Anyway. Anybody seen this thing or climbed it before? Sorry no pictures. Camera is broken. Here is a topo of the area. The center of the topo is pretty much where we topped out. Link to topozone topo Gear Notes: We didn't use a rope. 'Pons and tools. Approach Notes: Park at the area for the X38 Far Side climbs. Walk up I-90 across the bridge over the snoqualamie, hike about 0.4 mile down the side of the westbound lanes of the highway, cut into the woods and get on an abandoned road/fiber optic cable tree cut line. Hike another ~0.4 mile. Turn left (north) and shwack up a forested rib on the right side of a small creek until you get to a talus field just below the ice.

Nice! Thanks for the report.

GO HAWKS!

I've never done the intermediate tibloc while simuling idea and don't think I ever will. In fact, I think it is a pretty dangerous idea. 1) I can imagine it very easily cutting or SEVERELY damaging the rope. I've seen a tibloc shread a rope sheath when somebody was trying to jug on it and it didn't engage all the way. Glad it wasn't my rope. Even with a small toproped fall with a bit of slack, that would be a lot of force going onto a tibloc. Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. 2) without someone there to mind it, I can easily imagine it somehow getting twisted around and locking up in some wierd way.

You're kidding right? I mean... HE CLIMBED DENALI!!!!

Sweet!

Hindsight is awesome isn't it?

I misunderstood your fear initially, but as you restated it I understand and agree. However, that has nothing to do with genetic engineering. Don't get me wrong, I think patents on living creatures is wrong and genetic engineering of agricultural stocks for profit is a bad idea; just not for the same reasons that you do apparently. People in SE Asia and Africa have already been screwed by Monsanto and other large scale Western agribusiness companies and it will continue to happen, but it's not necessarily genetic engineering that is to blame.

I think that's an unreasonable fear and an oversimplification of the problem Sobo. The real danger is from overdependence upon one variety of a particular crop, followed by a wave of pestilince resulting in the decimation of that entire crop. For example, if 70% of American soy, corn, and cotton was Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" variety and a mutation in a weed or other parasite made it resistant to Roundup, that weed or parasite could quickly decimate a significant portion of American agriculture. Not to mention that widespread over-application of herbicides like Roundup is extremely bad for the environment. Chemical pollution of land and water systems from agricultural fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides is a MUCH MUCH MUCH bigger danger to human health and the global ecosystem than genetic engineering.