Off_White

I trust you reciprocate and don't read TR's and use their beta either, or do you just use what the site offers without contributing? If this forum represents so few climbers, surely telling stories from your outings will have little impact on your privacy in the Cascades. I think you should post some trip reports, people who use the site consistently declare TR's the best thing we do, and you could help make this a better website. My subjective experience is entirely valid, for me at least. I climb less in the mountains than I used to and I see many more climbers. It hasn't been a problem, and I certainly know where to go in the range if I want to see fewer people, but that has been my personal observation and my membership at this website is irrelevant. Maybe backcountry climbing usage has declined in the last five years, but I believe it's still way up in the last thirty. Your experiences may not be congruent with mine, and both perspectives will be subjectively true. On a different tangent, I think climbers ought to use those silly registers, otherwise we're much less visible as a user group and our desires are not considered. I think the discussion of closure of the Middle Fork road had very little input from climbers, but lots from hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. If you don't stand up to be counted, then you don't count, and you can't complain about being disregarded.

I just wanted to post in this important thread I hear the Faith Tones are going to perform at Raindawg's event!

Agreed. Have you used the new smaller-than-pinkie TriCams yet?

Wise up STP, weren't you paying attention? The Democrats are forcing them to do that!

In other news... Did you know that the 9/11 attacks are possibly an inside job! [video:youtube]6kOS2alJcLc

That looks like splendid fun, great looking rock.

Good advice for those climbing at Fossil or Goose Egg too.

They've gone on strike. They've realized that when the chips are down, collective organization is the way to go.

I don't know that I agree about a decrease in total numbers of alpine climbers. I made five trips to Mt Stuart (Sherpa Couloir, Ice Cliff Glacier, Stuart Glacier Couloir, and complete N Ridge twice) between 1979 and 1989, and I never saw another party of climbers. I just did the West Ridge a few weeks ago and encountered two other parties of two on that route, that's a big increase. Up until 1999 I never shared an alpine route with another party and only occasionally encountered other climbers in the backcountry, and that only at nexus points like Colchuck Lake or Boston Basin. For the West Ridge I drew on route finding information from Beckey's 2nd brown edition and a number of trip reports here, resulting in a very casual first trip up a feature that many experience as confusing. There is a lot more information available now, both about the routes in particular and what people are climbing. There might be a lack of emerging young alpine climbers, I don't really have any anecdotal insights into that idea. I suspect that about the same number of people are taking it up as they ever did, but in terms of percentage of total young climbers who shift into alpine climbing, I could easily imagine that going down. I have nothing empirical to support my opinion though. It's worth pointing out to people that you can in fact climb just fine with a rack of hexes, stoppers, and shoulder length slings that you tie yourself. Most alpine routes do not demand a double set of cams.

I dunno, seems pretty straight forward to me. Whatever floats your boat: if you don't ask for what you want you're unlikely to get it.

You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you?

How do you know she is a witch? [video:youtube]zrzMhU_4m-g I suppose it would be funnier if it wasn't so close to true. I got better.

How about they just give 425,000 to me and fuck the rest of ya'll?

Dodge and weave. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was. FW, if you aren't satisfied with Bush's record, why do you support a third term featuring the same supporting staff and a candidate who voted with Bush 95% of the time? I suppose it's a rhetorical question, since I don't expect anything more than the standard dodge and weave in response.

Well, why is Rossi ashamed to admit he's Republican? He's listed his party as "prefers GOP" because he polls a number of points higher than when he lists "prefers Republican," that's why he wants to confuse the voters, and the King County Democrats want him to wear his affiliation clearly. Doesn't sound desperate or pathetic to me, it sounds like both sides trying to control the conversation to achieve their objective. You know, sort of like a political campaign.

My login saw something. Go on, ask it...

I'm pretty sure we're going to win him over with all our arguments, it's the only reasonable choice he could make, right?

Mike, your line is left of the NE Couloir, isn't it?

NE Buttress is somewhat confusing, and I'm pretty sure the info in the Beckey guide is wrong as well. Looks like you perhaps did the Nelson direct version? I climbed a line about two to the left, starting in a recess with another recess featuring a chimney between your start and ours. After about five pitches I found an excavated nut placement that convinced me we were on some line or other that someone had been on. I think those lower lines all converge at a notch that is a ways below the Beckey NE Buttress notch, was it a pretty easy downclimb to the diagonal ledges that lead up the easier upper face? Some twisty gargoyles on the ridge above? A good line that should get more traffic, but I think the Gerber/Sink on the N Face that starts at the lowest toe of the face is an overall longer line, at least in total elevation.

Wait 50 years.

Integrity.

I've had a good time every time I've been there, but yeah, it's probably too loose for most of you, better stay away. Buy a guide though, it's for a good cause.

Welcome back! Does this mean your Spray vacation is over now that it's officially Fall?

When you lose a tooth, do you still put it under your pillow?

Here you go, on topic and everything