matt_warfield

Nobody would probably ever have known about Pearly Gates prior to the last fire. Its a bitch but part of nature's cycle.

Instead of a bumper sticker that says live and let live I'm going to settle for don't do this and don't do that

Ivan, Just remember it often is snot a cold.

I have the time and savvy to say good job and this team is for real

From tons of climbing I have nerve damage in my fingers and toes and 11 screws in my wrist, titanium plates in my ankle and Frankenstein scars to prove it. Living life large outdoors has its price. Every injury endured by an an outdoor athlete has been earned but is never appreciated.

It's only one of the 50 classic climbs of North America. Good work. And the gendarme should not be missed by those capable.

I did this as an endurance challege, meaning fast and furious. I started from Seattle in a drizzle and fog. I ended up breaking out of the fog at about 2000' on the hike. I ended up on the summit with my shirt off at 38 deg. and absolutely brilliant views. On another trip I had sex on the summit boulder. Anybody that has been to the summit of Pugh knows exactly about the coffin shaped boulder that is the alpine version of bedroom.

Think of climbing like track and field. We all have specialties and it is important to know what they are and how to train for them. 100m. race is bouldering. 10K is alpine. Triple jump, long jump, and javelin are cragging. These people spend endless hours preparing for their specialties and so should we.

And regarding Si, ask your insructor if they can do it in less than an hour from TH to the base of the wall. Fitness and not garb reigns. I did a speed hike of Mt. Pugh with my shirt off and in shorts and it was 38 deg. at the top. To each their own.

Or shirt because then you can't get served at the alpine banquet.

I will say that a couple of the ten essentials should be to not trip over your crampons on steep snow or think you can self arrest on any terrain. On rock, taking a 100 ft. fall on a steep wall is better than pulling a boulder down on you in the alpine.

The Middle East is a time bomb and time never ends. I agree with Ron Paul. We support people with money and people and get killed for it.

I'll be damned if I am going to contribute to anybody wanting to do Bananna Peel and Diedre in one day. Just kidding of course.

Ask Dan Osman and Todd Skinner about what time does to ropes and harnesses. Unfortunately they are both dead.

No, it is one inch webbing, shorts over polypro, and bigbros even if it is a fingercrack.

the spine of the biner and not the gate should always face the route but there are times when convenience reigns. Rock climbing involves risk. I would advise never backclipping on a volcano.

Thank you Wookie. I have learned so much from guides. And I'm not sure how you can sound cute but I appreciate the comment. And you may want to check my TR on Classic Crack for more opinions.

To continue the theme from a parallel thread, one trip with an experienced guide or equivalent will be more valuable than many trips bumbling about with people that think the "ten essentials" are more important than the three essentials of knowledge, judgment, and fitness.

I'll bet you are well above that.

That's because you live in Utah now. If you had stayed in Seattle you would still understand black, sarcastic humor.

Well, like a big brown trout with a grasshopper floating by I couldn't resist. It is kind of like the assumption that you can believe everything you read on the internet.

I agree if their name is something like Croft or McNamara or Burdo or Nelson or the like. Otherwise I would go with the extensive certification process guides go through to accomplish just about any situation on rock, snow, or ice without just writing about it.

I just noticed my posts are at 666 and I am too frightened to give any more advice at present.

Do the Cascadian Couloir on Mt. Stuart and you will experience a true sufferfest this time of year. Seriously, you are getting good advice. But I also favor non glaciated destinations this late in the season to avoid too much hunting and pecking. You may need a translation for that too which would be hunting/gathering. Stick with minimal glacier travel and embrace the rock or solid scrambling. If you go to Leavenworth and do Classic Crack, Givler's Crack, and Midway you will experience no snow but plenty of company. Google and Mountainproject.com are a climber's best friend in unknown locales.

The best thing is to talk to an AMGA certified guide because they know their shit better than 99.59% of the people on this site.