Off_White

Good to see you cheated death again

I knew there was a reason I liked you.

Oh, right, it's Looking Glass that's closer, I've always wanted to check out those eyebrow features. I'm considerably older than sport climbing and experienced at playing with my nuts, so I'd love to check out a bunch of stuff in NC, it looks great.

Building gear anchors only, it's way too much goofy stuff for bolted anchors. As noted by others it's only a quasi-equalized anchor set up for gear belays, better for pieces horizontally spread rather than all in the same vertical crack, but it's fast compared to dinking around with several slings. It's an okay tool, but there are a lot of ways to accomplish the same thing. I rather like Bill's approach, but would prefer to use mine when we go climbing together...

Its a poor choice of sport for us big guys

aye, and a mighty mighty prominence it is!

I had a pretty wild conversation with a climber friend who does mineral collecting in abandoned mines, mostly in Arizona. He does all kinds of whack things (and recently bought the aforementioned diamond chainsaw) to extract specimens from the walls, including using his aid get to get to things 50' off the deck in the ceiling of big rooms and such. I'll wager he's one of the target markets. I don't think cavers engage in much cutting or blasting in natural caves, that stuff isn't any more widely accepted than chipping in the climbing world.

Gimme a break--and go back to your MSNBC pab. Given that the repeated "yes Ma'am" is the punchline of the whole schtick, I'd say getting it right would have been a big difference, but as has been noted, one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story. That sounds like Twain, but I'm not really sure of the pedigree on that homily.

Having once bailed on scary 1/2" cheap flat accessory webbing we brought for that eventuality, I've vowed to never really care about what I have to leave behind if I need to retreat safely. As selkirk noted, it's good to have a few tied 9/16" runners mixed into your quiver of dyneema dental floss runners. I've recently added a web-o-lette to my kit, inspired by the anchor building speed it allowed on some long routes in Red Rocks last fall, and I've liked it the few times I've used it. Still, that or a cordolette is still a bunch of new age gizmo gimcrackery to an old fart who's used to slings & clove hitches, so take my endorsement with a grain of salt.

That's funny, I was looking at that site yesterday and wondering the same thing. What's "micro" or "controlled" about an explosive charge in a variable medium? If you're looking to do a little hold sculpting you'd be better off with a compressor and an air chisel or perhaps a diamond chainsaw...

Hey Tony, put some lines on that thing!

Yes Bill, I was really struck by those two paragraphs as well. It sounds like Curt is pretty messed up but going to come out alright, best of luck to him. As I posted elsewhere, the four other climbers who came to the rescue deserve kudos for their quick response, I'm sure they tipped the balance towards a good outcome from a terrible accident.

Its looking like my daughter will be going to college in Asheville in fall 2010, I can see I'll want to time my visits to coincide with the optimum weather. Thanks for the pics & story.

All the info is in that link, one of the better written and most informative reports I've seen on an accident, complete with introspection on risk. I've always enjoyed Monte's posts, and Curt's name is familiar, I'm sure he's friends of friends and only one degree of separation away from me. Big props to the four climbers who provided immediate care and assistance. Good luck Curt.

When are you two going to meet in the middle for the big posedown in Tenino? I know we could sell tickets and raise some bucks for the Index purchase...

That's a kickass mother

How about when people call you "Chuck"? I remember that incident. It takes a special vintage poster here to roll with that chestnut.

Sorry Pete, but I don't agree.

Well, I figure Peter started it and was fully cognizant of where it would go, and this is really his forum, I'm more an adjunct mod, so I'll leave it to him to pull the plug. It's less rancorous than many a climbing related slugfest, and there are some good on topic points in here...

Yes indeed, and props to FF for putting this on.

Boxer doesn't have enough sense of humor, she should have said, "Dude, do me a favor..." I think the lack of a sense of humor is endemic to the trade, and not particularly partisan. While one can always cherry pick a few contradictions, most politicians take themselves too seriously. Elizabeth Becton, McDermott's aide who objected so strenuously to being called Liz, has a variant of that affliction. I've known a number of people who have insisted that others begin using the more formal version of their first name as they try and redefine themselves or work through issues around being more adult: Billy to William, Greg to Gregory, etc. My first encounter with the phenomena was perhaps the most entertaining, and he had the misfortune of becoming known within our social circle as Dick The Richard. I always find it faintly amusing when friends assume that since I'm now older and must surely have outgrown my 30 some year old nickname, they should now call me Doug instead of Off.

Right, because if you don't know Kimmo, he can't really be a climber.

Any details on this? Route? Climber's name? Outcome? Yikes.

Miriam got partway up Calvin & Hobbes, so I count 17 climbers plus one baby observer, definitely the Wed night record.

Sorry to hear this Rad, were you two still in contact?