eternalX

I'll tell you why it blows: Let's say you've never been climbing before and you're sitting around on a rainy saturday thinking "Hrm. I want to try this rock climbing thing. I'll check out Stone Gardens." So you grab your shite, a friend, and head down to the gym. You ask what you need to do and the reply is, take a class. So great, those classes are only available at 7pm M-S and it's now 2pm. On top of that, it's 45 bucks. So much for an inexpensive way to spend the day. So you leave. Will you ever come back? Maybe. I bet a lot of people don't though. And that's a shame because until you climb a few routes, you won't understand the joy of climbing. I would think as a business owner, you'd want to get as many people in your gym as possible.

yea...you have to get instruction on how to belay, which they won't do for free, and then take a test 24 hours later. This was at Stone Gardens. In phoenix, they make you watch a 15 min DVD and then supervise the first few climbs. Afterwards, you're good to go. Seems like that would be the way to go for newbies.

Why don't they use grigris? Seems like they could get more beginners involved if they did. The whole waiting 24 hours would turn a lot of people off. Or are they just trynig to get people to sign up for a class?

How is it that I can't afford that camera with a job when you can without?

I dig it the most

All of my witnesses live in the Niagara Falls area along with all the girls I've slept with and as such you'll not be able to contact them.

Whadda they got up there, a roadblock or just some state partrol directing you around the closure? Out of work Air Mashalls are leading everyone around and checking for weapons. Actually, I think they put a few wands X-over the boot path and then there is another boot path leading to the DC route. It all worked. I didn't ask questions.

heh. Actually i was at REI to get a belay device for my buddy and a pair of boxer briefs. No more gooch prooblems for me!

Glad we started on saturday. It calmed down on saturday afternoon. Heard about the wind at Shurman and talked to some people who lost a tent and gear. Sunday's weather was awesome!

TR for Emmons Route (2 people): Arrived on friday at white river at about 3am. Slept in the car. Woke up at 8 am and we're off on the trail by 10:00 (had to get permit pack our stuff up. other member had flown in that night from phoenix and his flight was delayed until 1am). We climbed up the middle of interglacier at the bottom. I 'd stay right of the rocks and on the snow next time. Too much ice in the middle. Probably the only part of the trip that had a littel rockfall danger as some guys broke some rock loose above us. Really minor though. Just stay to the side of the rocks (duh). Roped up about halfway up the glacier. If you went right off the rocks you'd probably want to rope up at the bottom. Couple snow bridges, one is pretty sketchy, but the crack is pretty small. the bridge will be gone in a few days though. Several holes in it already. Also a few sketchy bridges once you get off the moraine onto the home strecth to Shurman. Somebody fell through the other day with no rope and almost plunged to his death according to the ranger. Luckily, his pack made him just fat enough to get stuck. Use your common sense. Again, the cracks are usually pretty small. Arrived at Shurman by 4. Left at 4:30 am for the summit (after spilling about 2 liters of water! Only had a liter each for the hike up ), whereas everyone else left at like 1am. Sun broke at about 7 and it quickly got hot. Should've started at 1! I thought we were crawling up the mountain but we made the peak by 10:45. Actually passed a few groups on the way down that started at 12:45. Total slog all the way down. Thing to note: The Emmons route now joins up with the DC route at about 13000-13500 because the top of the Emmons route is closed for the season. I think this added some distance. Back at emmons flats by 1 and took a 20 minute nap and packed up the tent. Started down at 3:40 after talking to some people and dropping some weight and back at the car by 7. All in all a great trip, but learned some good tips. 1. Start earlier from Emmons Flats (you all know this i'm sure) 2. There is water at Shurman. Don't need to melt snow. 3. You do stupid things badly when tired. I took a little digger on some ice towards the end of Interglacier. 4. Work sucks Cheers

Ya know, sometimes the purpose of asking questions is not so much to hear a formal "this is the correct answer", but rather start a debate and hear what falls out. Having asked what might seem be a very basic question (not saying it isn't) in the NEWBIE forum, I've learned about a few things I've never heard of (multiple knots in the rope AND Lone Rescuer) and what people think of them. As far as GPRS is concerned, it does no good to bring a cell phone that only supports GPRS if there is no GPRS service. Will I find that out once I'm there? Yea. Is it a horrible question to ask? Maybe. Is it hard question to answer "yes" or "no"? Apparently. Not having lived in the PNW for many years nor having many people to ask the silly questions that might be normally brought up over beers at the Wedgewood, I come here. Having said that, I will answer your question. I do not have a ton of experience. I have spent a week on the Kahani (sp?) ridge in the winter, jumping off little ridges and setting up pulleys, along with trying to climb Whitney in Dec. My only previous glacier travel was part of a 4 man team last July when we climbed Olympus. At this point I feel comfortable enough to try a mountain like Rainier with the same people. Don't hate. Spray.

heh. Actually, the reason I was asking about GPRS service was because i was debating bringing this camera phone with me that i got from AT&T FREE! Service and all. Just curious. I'm slammed at work, but for some reason I can't seem to get any work done. I'm more asking a lot of questions because I'm curious about things, not because i'm nervous about the trip. But thanks for your concern.

Anybody know if you can get ATT GPRS service on the mountan?

Well hell, now i'm going to get the extra weight.

So what you're saying is, you'll set my country music award on fire?

But doesn't the leader need two pickets for crossing unstable snow bridges? one before and one after? Or do you figure that if the leader doesn't fall then the tail should be fine? We'll make sure to put the fatter one up front!

Is there anything extra that might be nice to have around if your rope team is only two members? I was thinking that it might be nice for both members to have two pickets, whereas right now we have it that the lead has two and the tail has one. We're bringing the talkabouts too, which we wouldn't normally bring.

sweet! We gots everything then. By crevasse rescue rig you just mean a cell phone and lots of chocolate bars, right?

ok, he's out. It's just the two of us then. Any need for a helmet on this route? I hear it's a lot more stable then Disappointment Cleaver.

Looks like a couple of us are going to climb the Emmons route this weekend, but i have a question. One of the guys is on the fence right now on whether or not he will try to get past Shurman. If he doesn't plan on going past Shurman, does he need an axe or crampons? I think there is some glacier travel on the way to shurman, but i left my "selected climbs..." book at home. This is all happening last minute so if you con respond, thanks.

Elite?

Wash Post article THe upside is we'll finally be able to buy a house here once it does blow.

nah. my buddy has never spent a night that high and he wants to see how is body will react.

well there's no doubt that's fucked up as well, but i guess i just don't have a problem paying for the work that the rangers do.

I agree. why pull them out? Seems like you're doing more damage to the rock them leaving them in