Off_White

Here in our relative backwater, it is kind of rare to find a lot of folks who can climb a 5.13a, but I've heard that is not the case in Europe, and Tim's direct experience seems to bear this out. One can talk about who those rad sport climbers can't struggle up a 5.9 offwidth, but that's only because they haven't applied themselves to it, it's not something that appeals. I think the Huber brothers have pretty well proven that one can move from short really hard sport routes to hard long gear routes. A provincial bias against sport climbing, whether you think "it's neither" or you decry the relative lack of risk when it's compared to run out 5.8 choss, just holds back your own ultimate ability. Climbing splintered into a number of different disciplines quite awhile ago, but many top climbers will work across the spectrum, from ice/mixed to sport, cracks to runout slabs, bouldering to big alpine stuff. It's what being a well rounded climber is all about. There was a time when it was assumed that everyone who considered themselves a climber had aspirations to all that stuff, not just calling themselves a bolderer or a trad climber. I think a lot of moral outrage about sport climbing is just a face saving posture that avoids admitting you can't climb that hard. Any euro sport dog is going to have an easier time on a 5.9 offwidth than I will have on an overhanging 5.13a, I guarantee it. The saving grace about it all is that when your sort it all out, all climbing is personal. It matters much less to me how hard I climb compared to you than how hard I climb compared to own my past efforts. Grades are just numbers that let you make some relative comparisons, well, and provide something to argue about around the campfire.

try this or download a topo here .

Oh good, that's what I was hoping. I'm not into hassling people over typos, but every once in awhile they do make for ambiguous interpretation. So, got any pics? I've heard nothing but good stuff about this route.

Just in from our correspondent in Spain, eh? It's a good question coming from an international perspective, and not so much a troll since you haven't struck the requisite righteous posture. I think it's nothing that CrazyPolishBob hasn't been saying for years. I think I'm losing ground in my 36 year struggle to remain mediocre as a climber.

Fist Pitch or First Pitch? Stout 10d fist sounds like an excellent opportunity for a little bloodletting if one isn't oh-so-careful.

Yeah, I'll second the Antique and Museum of Glass. Spire Rock is worth a visit also, if for no other reason than it's historic old school nature, plus it's free, and its never occurred to me to go there after dark. Hells Kitchen if you wanna mosh to some punk rawk (good show on the 21st) or Jazzbones if you want something milder. Get your picture taken in front of the Poodle Dog restaurant. Check out the Java Jive. Johnny's at Fife used to make a killer hot fudge sundae back in the day. Watch out for the godforsaken road work on I-5 south of the Tacoma Dome.

I don't know how he pulled it off, but that damned Karl Rove made it rain on a Wednesday. Too wet for today for sure.

Hah, I had to wonder when Jared said he was from Bellingham, but it seems so gauche to ask "oh, what do you post as?" You gotta figure though that out of six other people there someone had to be cc connected. Did the guy from Stillaguamish send you any shots taken from the side of the undercling pitch?

Even with the bridge out we saw a good 30 people up there, but experienced no hand wringing, rangers or otherwise. I hadn't heard yet that the Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest had banned rock climbing and walking on snow. Maybe one should add Richard Noggin to your gear for this route, leave him to be your PR manager at the base.

Trip: Darrington - Dreamer Date: 7/15/2007 Trip Report: After playing around on The Mule at Big Four on Saturday afternoon, DJ Dirty Ernie and I made the late night drive to the (Vanagon version of the) end of the Clear Creek road. The merest patter of rain on the roof at 6am convinced us to sleep in another couple hours, ensuring that we'd be last in line of the four parties on this route on a gloriously overcast July day. A little foot dragging kept us out of the cluster zone and avoided sharing belays, but ensured we'd have to head down after pitch 6 so the DJ could make it home to PDX. There have been plenty of reports on this route, so I only have a couple things to add: >Double ropes and long slings rule, we experienced no rope drag at any point. >Considering that I first climbed at Darrington in 1978, it's remarkable to me that this was my first time up this swell chunk of stone. typical "blue crack" photo

Trip: Big Four - The Mule Date: 7/14/2007 Trip Report: The Mule is a 5 pitch route at the base of Big Four, just to the right of the Ice Caves. Late Saturday afternoon DJ Dirty Ernie and I wandered up to do this route, a perfect shady choice for a hot day. I'm going to be a little exhaustive in the description, since it's not posted elsewhere here and isn't in any guidebook. All belays are fixed. Expect well spaced bolts and moderate runouts on this ground up route. route photo courtesy of Mark Hanna Pitch 1 starts right of the huge corner, right on the stepped arete forming a smaller right arching corner. A bit of pine needle accumulation coupled with wet shoes from negotiating the (minimal) moat make the 5.10a crux an attention grabber. A mixture of five bolts and some gear lead up past an overlap to a belay in a depression. A tricam that's maybe a couple sizes larger than Mr. Red would handily protect the last step, a #2 Friend just didn't cut it in the pocket. pitch 1 start Pitch 2 heads more or less straight up, runout delicate face climbing with some pockets and such, passing 4 bolts, a couple TCU placements, and a fair sized overlap. The rock is a layered combination of conglomerate that has been sheared smooth by glacial action, sort of like a terrazzo floor, and a dense fine grained sandstone. A little bit of honest 5.9 gains a perfect square edged ledge, directly under the looming 20 foot roof. Pitch 3 finds you moving the belay to the right, easily heading out the cedar tree covered ledge. almost cave like with the roof above. Everything changes as you emerge from under the roof and out onto spacious white ledges. Set up a gear belay near the base of the 20' long left facing dihedral. The pitch wanders up, following discontinuous cracks and bulges. There are a lot of options, just follow your nose seeking the cleanest rock and best protection opportunities. As you get on up the pitch, keep an eye on the stacked series of bushy right facing dihedrals. Towards the top of them is a relatively obvious cleaned up set of blocky steps, these lead to the next anchor. We missed this of course, and went up a good 220' to a big ledge and had to backtrack to the correct anchor. This pitch is 5.7 or 5.8 on good rock. At this point the lateness of the day forced a retreat and we began rapping. The route description for the next two pitches comes courtesy of Mark Hanna: Descent Notes: Third anchor was two 3/8 bolts connected with a fat swaged wire, a thin bit of perlon with a small link provided a back up to the Rapide link on the bottom hanger. Second anchor is a pair of 3/8 rap hangers, no problems. First anchor is one rap hanger and one regular 3/8 bolt. We removed the parachute cord backup from the upper bolt and substituted a piece of tied 1" tube. A good Samaritan would bring up an 18" chain/rapide set up to make this anchor more permanent. This was a fun outing, and after maybe 15 feet of somewhat dirty climbing at the base (wet shoes were a bigger problem) the rock was all very clean and solid. More people should go do this route, it's a worthy destination. Yes, there are more possible lines here too. Gear Notes: Med rack, tiny tcus to 3", slings to reduce drag, 50 M ropes (2)(doubles useful) Approach Notes: Take the cush Ice Caves trail at Big Four. The washed out bridge has a plush log crossing right where the bridge used to be. Only a little more difficult than the approach to Index Lower Town Wall. A stick might aid your tennis shoe ascent of the snow cone at the base if the snow is hard.

guide=drummer?

I think you overstate the risks, even with the beta it's not like there are that many people driven to make an approach like that. How beat down is the Access Creek approach to the Pickets? It'll be a long time before the Agnes-Spruce Creek approach makes it into Best Hikes With Children Vol. XX. Yeah, I guess that puts me in the "information wants to be free" camp.

Yeah, and I've had my doubts about this incident too:

Lembert

Over on Supertopo, someone who lives on that island in Ireland where this happened says that the only way people survive getting washed off those cliffs is to swim out away from the rocks and wait for the lifeboat. After he was washed off a shelf at the base of the cliffs, it sounds like Reardon got sucked out by the current very rapidly, but when the boat got there (I think I'd heard it took about 15 minutes) he was nowhere to be seen. If you want more info, go check out the Reardon MIA thread on Supertopo, posters include Irish locals and at least one of the friends who was there with him, along with a stack of people who knew him personally. What a very sad thing.

If you click on the "gallery" up at the top, you can upload your pictures to this site. Try to keep the images at 800x600 so they fit on most screens. Then, in your TR thread, just click on the little camera icon you'll see when writing a reply, and it will give you thumbnails of pictures from your photos in the gallery, and you just click one to put it in the post. There are several ways to post photos, but that's probably the most simple.

Gonna get the ol' head dimple filled and spackled, eh?

And no Dead Moon either! Rolling Stone's just a bunch a tossers.

can't argue with that summation, you a lawyer or sumpthin?

That's cool, I just wanted to remind folks that while things can get all heated and pissy in some debates, it's best to keep those feelings separate from things like this.

C'mon ya'll, we're not in Spray here. Any alternatives to cable to check this out? I'd love to see it.

If you post about Infinite Bliss, Raindawg will come piss on your thread.

Regarding the NW corner: You can string that crux pitch out to a 60 meter rope stretcher and belay above that last little corner way up there, just a short scramble below the summit. I also think someone should take a knife up and cut all that tat off the block at the base of the offwidth. I think the block is a little dodgy, there's great gear for a belay, and it's the only "fixed" anchor on the route. If there's still a bail off sling on the little tree towards the bottom of the flake pitch, someone oughta take that out too. It's a pretty skinny offwidth, and I have biggish hands, I might have done one arm bar, but I think it was really nothing wider than fist. I think I gotta go do that SW rib, looks swell.