RRickerts

Count me in on any bike/climb adventure in Göran's honor -- my two specialties! I'm especially fond of the Liberty Bell proposal, although I've checked out Hwy. 20 for riding and there ain't much of a shoulder heading up. It's also 50 miles of UP, so make sure you're in shape! Any RAMRODers would know about the Rainier approach -- I got pulled out of that this year by family demands. Göran inspired me to conceive a "Sea-to-Sky" expedition here in Bellingham: bike from the Fairhaven ferry terminal up to the trailhead to Mt. Baker and start approach in one day, attain high camp and rest the next day, summit and return the third. It may not be fully "Göran-size", but its in the right spirit and could be a good warm-up for the Rainier attempt. I let that dream slide for this summer, and I never found any suckers to even encourage me, but now may be the prime opportunity to ring together some commitment for next summer! Keep me posted.

Okay, if anybody is still listening after all this quibbling, I'd like to blow my first official post reviving this dying topic. First of all, the climbing wall at the Y is for the kids and other budding climbers, not just for cheap hardcores who say they're going to volunteer so they can get some fair weather climbing in January then quit after two weeks. That's why the volunteers sometimes suck, because they're doing it for themselves. And if all you Bellingham critics want a real ripping lead wall (higher than the Seattle REI and as airy) realize that the funding is there to make it happen. Instead, spend your aggression down at the Up&Up pulling their thumbs out of their asses. If you want to do some good name-calling, call them greedy bastards for holding up the construction of the best climbing wall in Washington State! I'm from Coeur d'Alene, which has a great local crag out at Post Falls, but without the centralized access to big places like Squamish, Leavenworth, Washington Pass, Index, etc. Besides having to pick sand out of my nose after a day at Governor Lister and moss off the holds at the Power House in late May, I vote for Bellingham climbing hands down. When I think about the 200"+ up at Mt. Baker that I'll also be skiing in late May, it makes all that scrubbing worth it! Peace out, Ryan R.

Alright, Max. You caught me there. Yes, the Y is far from perfect. All your points are valid, but that includes the one earlier about the value. Cheap/free membership = crappy carpet & less-than-ideal facilities. Furthermore, quitting does not a better climbing wall make. I would venture a guess that most volunteers do not quit early on because they're fed up with the Y. I would call it "lack of commitment". The Y is a communal place, not a business. My philosophy: if I see something that needs improving, who better than me? If I don't have the time or resources to do more, than I can't complain if somebody else doesn't apply themselves either. My only criticism is of those who volunteer for the wrong reason. I did not start volunteering for the free membership, but because I went to climb one night and the volunteer who was scheduled didn't show up. I didn't bitch about it. I started volunteering and vowed to always show up and keep the wall open. That's the best I can do to solve the situation that bothered me. Now I do it to introduce young and old people to the sport of climbing, to teach them safe practices, and give them a good impression of experienced climbers. This makes the Y an absolute success every day. I don't know when you left, Max, but there are now new harnesses and locking biners, and new ropes go up every few months. That's pretty good for a low budget operation. As far as carpets and radiators, it makes sense to take care of that when the big construction finally happens. I don't know when the new wall is going up. I've heard the promises, too. But as far as my sources go (wall administrator), the number one obstacle right now is the Up&Up tavern, so that's why I encourage anyone who wants to make the situation better to give them hell!