matt_warfield

Ok Tvash, I will admit that most climbers could compete fairly well. But I will shift to the MMA since Seagal is past his prime but where it would be lights out within a minute unless you have an ice axe and then it might be 1.5 minutes unless you are climbing, then the odds change dramatically.

Scary LLamas is a good pitch as are most others at Phoenix. ivan's comment was related to a recent TR he did on Picnic Lunch Wall. Check it out and pat yourself on the back for being on the other end of the wall doing a free climb with better weather.

Second the for ASCA and all local developers (including Smith) that REALLY understand their local rock. Some post, some don't, but go find them and listen carefully.

I've heard of people that went through the knickers and wool sweaters era. You know who you are! Big difference between the sunny side and the gullies or the back side. Climbers spend a lot of time managing the temperature through planning as well as garb.

Smith Rock is such an excellent visual feast. There is nothing like being at the parking lot and looking into the Park. I agree Gumby is a sandbag and also think White Wedding is scary. Kind of like Barbecue the Pope. Congrats on Magic Light and its always nice when there is a restaurant/bar and climbing shop nearby.

Hope it went well. I've only been there a few hundred times but loved every visit.

Okay I will try to impart some truth to this. Steven Seagal used to be a fierce mother f'er in Aikido and could have kicked the ass of 99% of the people on earth and of folks on this site. Age has had its toll as have choices. But give him some respect for his prime.

Not sure whether drones or trojans and hacking are doing more damage. I'd rather see something spying on me than have it in my computer. I'm sure jon could comment.

IMO, you have to prioritize. There are some out there who can hike 10 miles, go rock climbing, then run 10 more miles and then go the pub. Most of us are not like them. A marathon takes a lot out of you. I tried to run a half marathon then go rock climbing the next day and what I wanted to do was sit in the sun. Save your energy for climbing. Think of it this way: a hypothetical 10 mile round trip hike, 5000 feet of elevation gain, and maybe some climbing is the same as a marathon. It just takes longer.

I enjoyed your TR. But saying "We encountered a mix of conditions" is the reason I am mostly a rock climber. No offense, I just don't like the ephemeral conditions of snow and ice. I prefer suffering in heat or cold and maybe rain on solid rock. Of course pulling loose rock off or taking a bad fall isn't much fun either making me a hypocrite. On a good climb of any medium, there is white smoke. On a bad climb there is black smoke. Good for you guys.

I second City Park, but it may punish you. Clipping bolts or slapping in big cams is different than tiny cams or old school nuts. Monkey Face might blow your mind a bit much due to exposure. And the tyrolean or free rappel off the top. The problem with learning aid is overcoming pride. You need to go to the trad place of your choice, put a big smile on your face in front of a free climb, have an excellent belayer, use clean gear, and go for it. And derivative aid on vertical artificial walls doesn't teach you very much. There are many aiders in life; choose them carefully. Check out Chris McNamara's book and avoid many years of difficult learning.

They are not just Iranian kids. The new Top Gun sits in front of a computer from anywhere in the world. The world is changing and fast due partly to technology and partly to IT. Different first but linked forever now.

How hypocritical for Paul to blame Demos for drones when Repubs are advocating more military. And I would rather spend 12 hours on a ledge with any of you fuckers than sit on a chair in Congress during a filibuster!

Hike around. Good for you and good for the kids. A little effort is good for your health instead of trying to cheat nature.

The answer as always is "Don't do this and don't do that". Never going to happen.

Tvash, I agree with most of what you say but would like you to review the numbers in my post as compared to your tens of thousands. I am not in a ziplock but also not in a mass grave with thousands of others in another country. This is not a rant on gun ownership, just a reminder of what goes on around the world that is violence, not guns. Imagine the pilot of the Enola Gay dropping a nuke on Japan or Genghis Khan raping and pillaging. The good news: we have a new pope so all problems are solved.

Some examples of genocide (numbers are estimates since the dead are hard to interview). -4 million Jews in WWII -2.6 million Soviet sanctioned ethnic cleansing deaths -1 million Cambodians -500,000 in Rwanda -Who knows how many in the Middle East including honor killing of women. People just kind of suck sometimes and violence has been part of our history for a long time. We in the USA just talk about it more. No Americans with any gun involved. It is time to start paying attention to the global issues and not our relatively small situations numbers wise.

Pretorius? Just kidding. Sort of. Gun ownership is a big deal with major responsibility, but I will still say many serial killers like hands, knives, 9/11 box cutters that helped them kill thousands ,in addition to guns. Gary Ridgeway (Google it, include Spokane) is an example. Get off the gun issue and get on the people issue. Some people need to be avoided, some need help, and sometimes shit just happens. Weapons from hands and fists to feet to rocks to weapons of all kinds have been around for centuries. How about the honor killings in the Middle East? No weapons, just bloodshed. No guns. And of course 500,000 killed in Rwanda. No guns.

Good work and congrats.

Who could ever trust information on this topic from a person who's screen persona is "YocumRidge"?

Send many to do Supercrack at Indian Creek with hexes like Wiggins and many pants will have to be cleaned. Or do Everest in wool. But then we are dating ourselves.

The images are great. We must treasure aircraft, video, and advanced photography (meaning beyond Ansel Adams) for increasing our inspiration of the mountains.

I agree, my approach: 1) Check your ego and wear Goodwill downtown; nobody will try to take your wallet and nobody will ask you for anything and what are you expecting anyway downtown with NF on your back or Patagucci on the front? Getting laid? Getting respect? Stroking your ego? 2) Wear cheap outdoor gear when on a "reasonable" climb. 3) Wear good quality gear when the chips are down. 4) Recognize that most gear manufacuters make money not from elitists but from um... others.

I started with hiking boots, then RRs, then EBs, then Fires, then Ron Kauks, then Mythos, then Miuras. But I also like slippers and have more pairs of shoes (8) than a well dressed woman. But I am just a rock and alpine climber. If I lived in AK and did snow and ice I am sure I could add to the damage.

Good one, but I will still say that soft goods drive industry while hardware lasts forever. My niece got married last year and an El Cap first ascender gave her a wind chime made out of bongs and big pins that are no longer relevant. Soft goods wear out much more quickly and make a lot more money. And I can assure you that many climbers are scientific and engineering and not liberal arts, no offense.