matt_warfield

Be a lean mean fighting machine. Don't scrimp on safety with hardware. The first time you are in serious trouble due to pro you will understand this principle. Be very sure about how necessary big pieces are. They will be heavy until the end of time. Thin web is great for weight as long as abrasion is not an issue. Climb with a small diameter rope unless you are a big waller or go alpine. Sometimes rock climbers need to strip down, hose off, and go lean but without risking their neck.

Then again, hell might freeze over too... I am not sure how many times hell has frozen over but it has happened enough times on the rock to make a glacier. Slab and off-hands and offwidths with no hand holds and bad weather are great equalizers for starters. Start with Pipeline free solo, go to Unfunished Symphony, then to left side of Split Pillar, then the locals can give more suggestions. Squamish can represent.

I will expect the locals to weigh in but your summertime nirvana takes on a whole new personality in winter: -The road will be closed way down Icicle extending the trip considerably. -This trip is not a "hike" in winter and likely would involve snowshoeing or skiing. -Aasgard Pass is dangerous in winter due to steep snow and avalanche potential. -Unless you are very experienced, going alone is not advised.

Obama will win, Biden will provide levity for 4 more years, Senate will remain Democrat, House Republican, and Congress will remain gridlocked, proving that they are just about as useless as the United Nations.

My prediction is it is an electoral tie. House selects the president, Romney, and the Senate selects the VP, Biden. I am so tired of political ads it is soothing to look for the smallest knothole to peek at something interesting.

Ha ha, just like the Eiger Sanction. The wise and treacherous watched that movie when they were younger and know what I am talking about.

Top line sportos might pucker on lines different than half pad crimps and one or two finger pockets on lifestone or tuff. Squamish's "soft" ratings have given pause to many not used to granite slab, subtle face, and crack of a variety of widths.

Not being completely in the know, can I assume Jess is John's son? Enjoyed your TR.

Never was a statement more true. I have socks older than some of these young climbers. Wisdom and treachery rule over youth until you get on the rock.

Good luck with that. Keep the legs and arms churning even if your peter gives out, or vice versa. But aging becomes a bitch one way or the other at some point. Youth is wasted on the young.

Turning 50 and still climbing seriously is a badge of honor. But those two statements back to back are priceless. For my 50th I eschewed climbing for a hot tub filled with drunken naked people. But I did go climbing a few days later.

We outdoor people are risk takers but keep in mind scrambling crappy rock is more dangerous than a high end sport climber climbing 5.14. Logistics (know your route, take necessary provisions, start early enough, have a drop dead turnaround time, etc.), fitness, and judgment keep you happy and safe. And almost everybody on this site appreciates a TR so don't be a stranger.

All areas have a conventional and sometimes changing method of identifying areas: whether Squamish, or Seattle. or Bishop, or Boulder, or Smith, or Yosemite, or Leavenworth, or Index, or etc. etc. etc. The main thing is for climbers as a community to know what that means and have fun. They generally know where they are despite the geographic signigance or GPS coordinates.

Ondra is firing on all cylinders at present so the media and locals (who are licking their wounds) want consensus since he is making things look easy. Woods is backing Ondra but he is also firing on all cylinders. Watch out if either one visits your local crag. Wonder what they would think about the grades at Squamish?

What happens in Patagonia stays in Patagonia.

Thanks. I have limited range of motion with my wrist and ankle but basic functions are satisfied. And many of us enjoy long TRs.

Gotta ask what R.O.M. means

i respect phd's - in my limited sampling of them, i've found the majority of them bigger drunks then meself I plead guilty. But I must ask you to define "sampling" and "limited" and "bigger drunks". Ph.D.s can bury you with analysis.

Yikes sorry to hear about this. Anyways, nice pics. Good pic. I have a similar one of my wrist with 11 pins and my ankle with pins and a titanium plate. We work hard to get such things. Great TR with an onslaught of pics.

I beg your pardon. Penn State 1987. And I never met Sandusky.

Practice spending days on end at camp waiting for good weather followed by a sprint to the summit when the weather turns.

tempest in a teapot meets tornado inside a hurricane. result: apathy

I was serious. Lots of opinions but the ones that count are from experts.

Grizz, Top to bottom comment was just in jest. But it was funny. I have done it twice, once alone, and once with my girlfriend. Sometimes alone is good because you are in your own world and can set your own pace but with the solo risk. On the other hand I did it with my girlfriend and we had sex on the summit stone to top off the experience. Live life large as you are doing. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is one of the best hikes I have ever done.