Crackbolter

Jon-How is the slideshow going to be presented? Will it be a collective set or individuals doing small sets?

Hey! I have the complete huck doll set!!! The owner got a pro deal from me last fall and sent the complete set as a thank you. No Glenn Plake though dammit.

I skied the Nunyo last year for about 3 days. I wish I was able to use them for ski mountaineering but I was only able to "test" them in prowder and crud. The bindings attached were O2's and the combination was the best I have ever used. If I can afford the combo, I will try and buy the Rainey HH's and the Nunyo's. I think this combo will be hard to beat.

Tua 110, Titan or Black Diamond Nunyo are my 3 picks. All perform great in crud and snow below elevations of 5000'. Above 5000', I'd pick the Nunyo. For weight and the best touring performance I'd pick the 110. For all mountian, it is a toss up between the Nunyo and the Titan.

I am sure all of the local retailers and manufacturers are willing to contribute for either advertising or to join as elite (highest paying) members to help cover the cost of publishing. I think the idea of having a local journal is great considering what little exposure F/A's recieve in the AAJ for the PNW.

Who cares about keeping record of your on-sights. Talk about chestbeating!

Beck, What routes did you do at Puzzle Palace and Nuthouse? Also, where was the route located that was not listed in the book? It could be one of the routes Viktor is refering to. It would be useful to desribe the routes so others can reference this discussion in the future. Care to give a complete report?

I don't know about 8-mile lake and it's history but I know why the pipe was installed at the gap between Nada and Snow Lakes. It was used to pipe cool water to the Wenatchee River Fish Hatchery in Leavenworth. In it's day, it was the largest hatchery is the western US and possibly the entire country. After the Boneville Dam was built, it took a huge toll on all of the migrating Salmon and Steelhead up the Columbia River. None of the fish were able to swim up the Columbia River and the populations diminished to very few. After efforts were made to help the salmon continue up the Columbia by trucking the fish above the dam, it still was not enough. The first attempt to restore the fish population was to start a hatchery using water from the Icicle River. In the peak high temperatures of summer, the hatchery suffered trumendous loss due to warm water diseases. It was then when the hatchery decided to obtin water from the upper reaches of snow creek and pipe the cool water all the way down to Leavenworth. Now that we have electric refrigerators to cool water for the hatcheries, we no longer need the piped water from Snow Lake. Does anyone know if any efforts have been made to remove the scrap metal and debris from the talus field or should we expect it to continue to rust and contaminate Nada Lake?

Maybe a zero cam equalized with a piton.

Erik, it is tough to determine how a route was established sometimes. For instance, the F/A party could have placed multiple pitons to protect areas where cams or chocks did not fit. The pitons were cleaned as they climbed up and anyone who repeats the route must do the same. If someone places a bolt next to one of the piton placements, they are only using more advanced fixed anchors that will remain in place for a greater period of time. I don't see this as any problem, only a solution to constantly degrading the rock. If you want to go adventure climbing and not tell anyone to repeat your routes, sounds good. There are no rules that say you must report back to Viktor or Beckey or the AAJ. If you think your route is worthy of a repeat, you better hope whoever you tell enjoys dirt in their eyes and possibly hammering pins and trundling blocks. "no where in washington i can think of is there a strong "local" community for any crag. personally i think it is a statewide epidemic and i dont see it ever changing. " I know of some crags with a strong "local" community bonded by guidebook authors and first ascentionists. Oh yes, they exist alright.

No Dru, it is an expanding flake.

Yes, Stone's Throw.

Sorry for pulling my last post. My point was moot. I climbed there last year and loved it. I think there are only 4 bolts though. I didn't notice a bolted crack.

Bringing it back around again, I see Index as quite a standard in bolting ethics There are a few good points regarding bolting aid lines and how necessary it is to "fix" the route after it has been established as a free climbing route. I believe this is standard procedure. Swept away under the rug are unconventional methods our pioneers used in order to achieve a first ascent in our beloved cascades. Many of these methods will be lost considering many of the routes rarely ever see a repeat let alone "classic" status in a climbing memoir from a local writer. As technologies have changed, so have ascent methods. How many climbers are willing to set fourth the effort to scrub a route for days on end just so their friends can have the fortune of repeating it without all of the dirt? Is cleaning cracks unethical or should it be the amount of traffic that determines "classic" status and routes should naturally exfoliate vegetation and dirt? These are ethics questions that need to be addressed along with bolting. They impact our climbing areas and as a result could change the way some of the route cleaners address the community with ascent information. The result could be that routes will continue to be developed but will be kept to only a select few so criticism will occur long after the route has been established. A result will be areas with routes and no ratings, no names, no F/A history and no guidebooks for climbers to enjoy new areas. Is this what the climbing community wants? I ask everyone to state their own opinion because this question could determine the fate of future ascents.

Jumpoff

If you would have taken my advise you could have saved an hour on the approach. Approaching the slabs below the S face is much faster than hiking all the way to Prussik pass. Too bad there were inexperienced folks heeding poor advise at Vivian.

Where did you climb WI 3 for ski mountaineering descents?

Was that with Tom, Bob or cute daughter?

Can you climb dirt?

Of course! tony@featheredfriends.com Come on in if you want to see samples

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