Thinker

so what do you and the frog SAY about my love life? [ 07-24-2002, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Thinker ]

I'll have to admit that I'm actually partial to sheep entrails, though.

but Madame, DO you have a crystal ball?

I like the one about the Free $5 Love Reading! what will Yahoo stoop to next?

We were on Dream On on Sat and my partner took one of those epic 30 foot slides. His approach has always been to slide down on his toes, burning rubber all the way. This time he tweaked a muscle/tendon in his calf and ended our day. Said it felt like a riding crop nailed him there when it happened. It was so bad he couldn't straighten out his leg or put much weight on it, even after a couple of beers at the Shady Tree. So I guess wearing out shoes isn't the only concern with that approach. I'm not sure there IS a good way to fall on a slab. I also think one should have several techniques for minimizing damage in the hip pocket. Different scenarios call for different reactions. For instance, starting the 'crux' 'crack' section on the 4th Pitch of Total Soul (Darrington) leaves you vulnerable to hitting a lower angle slab below if you peel there (kind of along the lines of hitting a ledge). It's still slabby, but I'd not care to push off there and try for a free fall, nor would I care to skid down the rock there. Thankfully that section isn't too sketchy and takes lots of little cams. My best rec is don't fall, don't lead run out slabs at or above your ability, and get your partner to lead all the scary sections. Now that my partner's out for awhile, maybe I should beg some of the gals from craghag.com to ropegun the slabs for me when they need a break from their tradleading adventures.

Watch out for the crazies on the peninsula now, too. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/78580_pighunt15ww.shtml

I frankly don't understand 'bike lanes'. They ARE clearly marked thru the middle of some blocks, but when it comes to an intersection, they mysteriously disappear, leaving a dangerous ambiguous zone. What's really supposed to happen there if a car needs to turn and unseen bicyclists are cruising along on the right? I consulted my WA drivers manual for a quick education on bike lanes....it's strangely silent. My other favorite is bicyclists who come SCREAMING through a cross walk while I'm trying to turn. If I'm in a particularly testy mood, I aim for them as the letter of the law says they should dismount and walk to have the right of way in a cross walk.

I looked, too. I even PM'd him for clarification...no reply. There is a granite boulder (3' diameter) in the area. Maybe Hex is a shrimp and it's just a matter of perspective. At least it was a cool place for a walk, even if my gf did keep telling me it was obviously a hoax. And it gave us an excuse to stop by and see Jimi while we were in the hood! [ 07-17-2002, 04:24 PM: Message edited by: Thinker ]

Found this last night after several combinations of search terms. http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/services/safety/harness.pdf The translation from Italian is not particularly good, but the conclusions are unmistakeable... "The Central School has decided that during all mountaineering courses and free climbing it is recommended that the combination harness be used. The use of the sit harness is recommended only when climbing without a backpack. In regards to movement on a glacier, the attachment of the rope to the harness has to be in a fashion as to only effect a pull on the sit harness." It appears that if a chest harness is rigged properly, it can provide additional safety, esp when wearing a pack. But, if rigged improperly, can cause more damage to the climber than not having one. I look forward to seeing what AMGA comes up with. [ 06-13-2002, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Thinker ]

Haireball- great ideas, I can tell you think about this, too. Let me reiterate your clove hitch solution to make sure I understand. "One solution to the problem of the 'folding spine' is to clove hitch the rope to the chest harness biner rather than letting it 'run thru'". Correct interpretation? Re crossloading: anytime I've tugged on the chest harness biner, both bights of webbing have moved easily to the end of the biner, avoiding crossloading potential. Does this indicate a chest harness that's too large (a potential tooth knocker?) Another troublesome fall scenario I see is a leader sliding on an icy slope head first, unable to self arrest. (Of course, any climber worth his grit would have running protection placed in that situation.) As the rope comes tight, the chest harness biner is pulled down to the tie in point on the seat harness, potentially crumpling the spine untill the body is turned around. Having a properly spaced clove hitch on the chest harness biner seems like it may reduce (but not eliminate) the risk to the spine. I'll toy with the 'pack as a chest harness' idea a bit, it sounds more reasonable. Thanks for your insight.

Great ideas and observations. I've always been a bit concerned about choking or being suffocated by the chest harness if knocked unconscious during a fall that leaves me hanging on the rope. I hadn't considered knocking out my teeth! While I don't plan to fall into a crevasse, sh*t happens when you're on the road less travelled.

Paul, I don't quite follow your logic on that one. How could the middle climber end up upside down as you described?

I love my Bibler Eldorado. I'm 6-2 and have plenty of room. With a little digging around you can usually find a used one somewhere. Make sure you get the one with the vents in the apex of the tent, not the tube vents pictured above, they make a world of difference. Keep an eye out on the Bibler/Black Diamond website for closeouts, whatever choice you make. fyi, the Bibler recently stood up to winds that snapped a pole in a Stevenson and inverted a SD. The NF next to me survived, though, damnit.......

A question for the forum: Can a chest harness cause spinal injury? The chest harness I use for glacier travel is 1" tubular webbing tied with a water knot, crossed across my back, biner at the sternum. My rope is tied or clipped to my tie-in points on my seat harness, and runs up thru the biner on the chest harness (look at Freedom of the Hills for a picture if you're not familiar with the set-up.) A friend pointed out today that this configuration could snap a climber's spine during a sideways or backward fall. Picture the rope pulling the chest harness biner down toward the tie in point on the seat harness as it comes tight and straighens out. I suspect the spine may be damaged or break if the fall were bad enough. Does this set-up give anyone else the willys??

Squamish http://www.cragx.com/articles/issue14/squamish/uni_wall.htm

Keep that kind of talk up and folks will think you're a sport climber. It actually sounds like good training.....

Anybody have any more info on the fatality at City of Rocks on 5/27. Seattle climber Kim Espino suffered severe head injuries in a leader fall and died a short time later. Does anybody know which route she was on or if she was wearing a helmet?