matt_warfield

Many are the surprises that come from the information superhighway. On the other hand, many on this site have lots of experience. You just don't know unless you know them or know enough about climbing to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Or his girl's diaphragm.

This site not be the best way to go about this. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Go to the venue of your choice and meet people eye to eye.

Climbers will also do amazing things to avoid too much thinking

The skills and fitness for different climbing goals are quite different. Doing intense 15 foot boulder problems or 100 foot sport routes or 4 pitch crag routes or El Cap in a day or aloine routes where you start at 2:00 a.m. and hike 10 miles before climbing, or the Himalaya where it is an endurance fest at altitude is all different. It is like a swimmer choosing their stroke and distance or track and field athletes deciding whether they are sprinters, long distance runners, or field performers. We as humans most often choose our strengths and what makes us happy.

Call or go to North Cascades Mountain Guides in Mazama and get the straight scoop. They know the area very well.

I'm from Montana. Go to the Basecamp in Helena and they can get you informed. In Bozeman it is Northern Lights. Expect to climb near Butte, Missoula, or Bozeman for best results with rock climbing.

Dean Potter on the 5.13 in Utah: he couldn't screw around with pro and just ran it out and took some big falls in the process. Twilight Zone in Yosemite before big cams. Realization with Sharma with huge falls because clipping takes energy. There are many times when gear to slow you down means no gear at all at certain points.

I have a Ph.D. in engineering. Climbing presents numerous scenarios that can't be effectively analyzed. -John Yablonski falling off a free solo and grabbing a tree -Todd Skinner not knowing how old a harness can be before failing -Dan Osman not knowing how long ropes can hang while doing repeated huge jumps on them. Testing and experience are important as well as engineering and physics.

That's why God created headlamps. It extends the day on both ends as fitness, logistics, and conditions allow.

I agree. Steep in most areas, solid, and sucks up pro. Nobody wants to learn aid on less than 70 deg. or more than 110 deg. That spells Index. I will agree with G-spotter that you want an unoccupied or unpopular route. My first aid climb of 150' took half a day. Unlike other types of climbing, aid tends toward being half athlete and half mechanic and it takes a long time and the proper skill set to master it.

G-spotter is a Canuck. Eh? While I have spent plenty of time in Squamish I must point out that we have plenty of good rock in Washington to practice aid on. Granite is the best unless it is bolted. WA pass, Index, and Leavenworth have lots of options without leaving the country.

Colin's the man in the alpine and it is well worth the price. In music or sports you would pay much more, never get to ask questions or hang out, and pay additional money for beverages. Climbing is one of the rare sports where access to the best doesn't cost that much. Go support it.

And shit dude, people on this site love good TRs whether they were yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or years ago.

If we didn't have religious contention and crime and politics, we could all work half time. And devout Christians think it is a cult if it didn't come from the bible, which eliminates Mormons, Muslims, Native Americans, Hindus, Buddhists, and a whole bunch more. We are reverting to medieval times as Netanyahu said where cultural, ethnic, and religious differences keep everything in violence and chaos.

Pioneer Route on Monkey Face at Smith. 5.7 free climbing but a long bolt ladder to practice aid and a chance to get some major exposure as well including an overhanging rappel to get off.

for Raindawg, a move is to mark each bolt on a picture and then bitch from the comfort of his couch. Things that defy the definition of "move" -body position like backsteps and kneedrops -milking rests -clipping positions -technical stemming where you inch your way up -involved foot use like heel hooks or pulling with your toes -bumps with your hands or merely shifting your feet -slabs with many micro movements So again, I say the goal is achieving the route successfully.

Find a short, steep free climb and practice. Then go do City Park at Index.

You only have to walk one mile for a Camel.

Good TR. For further adventures at any grade level, head to the Squamish area sometime. It is like Yak times 100.

We should all defer to "Im a dinner jacket", president of Iran for firm facts.

Climb it at dawn or sunset and trundle the shit. No X required. Other things that require an X are the infinite amount of looseness on Serpentine on Stuart and most other alpine routes, avalanche and glacier dangers throughout the Cascades, and please put an X on every rattlesnake around Leavenworth and Tieton. The X only belongs on the videos you watch at home. In the field knowledge, judgment, and tolerance for some risk is what climbers do.

It requires a lot of logistics and capability that is rarely recognized. Kind of like filming lions in the wild or being a rigger for a Broadway show. And real men don't use use walking sticks to approach splitters.

Excellent story. And many a climber with a couple extra pounds has kicked the asses of the ripped in the alpine. And the longer the trip and higher the altitude the more important it is to have some reserves.

I think it counts hand movements only, but I understand the confusion. Is a bump with one hand by 6 inches the same as a 4 ft. lunge? The purpose of rock climbing is progress, which is indisputable.