billcoe

Apparently a 9.4 Bluewater rope failed, ie, parted in 2 after a shorter fall, and this guy died. I know we have endlessly discussed the thinner stuff and the longevity of it, but this was suppose to be a new rope and from the sounds of it not one which although a few years old, needed to be retired. I own one of these in 70 meters which I save for light or where I need low gravity days. The last rope that failed on a light fall in a rock gym, the guy could only remember setting it down by the side of the road as he otherwise always used a rope bag, apparently right after a battery had been placed there as there was sulferic acid tested on the fibers. Use rope bags religiously I guess is the moral of the story: if there is one. Full thread link including folks who were there: http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=2171991;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Hey 5.12 dude, you might start here they've been discussing this very topic for a while: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=889501&tn=0&mr=0 Good luck

No, closest contender perhaps Old Larry and Lost Cam Kenny who might have flown for a bit had they slipped after heading out to the edge of the North Face unroped after the wedding to look at Old Larry's tat. Does that count? Here they are with Jim doing the vows.

Sounds like somethings never change.....

The secret place you made a guidebook for last year. Hello!!

They were just built like that, can't say why. I never saw any instructions, and as they are Swiss, they don't have to worry about getting sued if it goes bad I suppose. You can still buy the yellow ones, and people still climb on the grey ones to this day. Picture of Mark Hudons threaded at the base correctly but without the top webbing to back it up. Few stores carry the origonals as they seem to cost so much more than the stamped Petzls. http://store.everestgear.com/434400.html About $110 each.

' Pffft - that's what all the old "developers" say....

LOL!!! total agreement. I've been preaching this for a while. It amazes me how fast the 5 piece go bad, and you can't tell form just looking at them. Stainless is the only way to go unless you're at the coast, and then look at Titanium glueins. My fear is that there is a real, internal, non-visible rust at the 5 piece threads causing which will cause failure in some years while the outside of the bolt is still looking relatively good. Who can really say how the steel 5 piece will hold up long term- they start to rust where you can't see it and go to crap shockingly fast. And anyway, the other big issue is why make someone else deal with it and make them put in stainless later after you already used the best location/spot for the steel one?

Scott and Ronda Peterson were married on top of Beacon Rock yesterday, July 12th 2009. It was an intimate, heartfelt ceremony attended by a few family and friends. Happy to report that the weather co-operated and although it was a little damp, cloudy and blustery, the weatherman predicted thunderstorms and rain didn't attend the ceremony. Congrats to them and the kids. Pictures to follow.

OK, if you ever wondered why the handles on the Jumars break, it's because you are not threading them correctly. Although especially true of the Grey ones, the newer yellow ones should have webbing. Don't just clip the hole with a biner. I just learned this myself. Who knew? From Deuces site, the lower left hand device. See how the webbing is stuffed up into the hole?

B4 this turns into a anti-global warming thread, I'll just step up and say I don't understand what you are saying Fairweather. I clicked on the link 2 times and it's a story about some early and harsh cold in Peru. Looks to me like they need food and blankets. Full story quoted below: " Children die in harsh Peru winter By Dan Collyns BBC News, Lima Children in the remote southern highlands are often malnourished Almost 250 children under the age of five have died in a wave of intensely cold weather in Peru. Children die from pneumonia and other respiratory infections every year during the winter months particularly in Peru's southern Andes. But this year freezing temperatures arrived almost three months earlier than usual. Experts blame climate change for the early arrival of intense cold which began in March. Winter in the region does not usually begin until June. The extreme cold, which has brought snow, hail, freezing temperatures and strong winds, has killed more children than recorded annually for the past four years. A total of 246 under the age of five have died so far, only half way through the winter months. One third of the deaths were registered in the southern region of Puno, much of which is covered by a high plateau known as the altiplano which extends into neighbouring Bolivia. Aid workers say prolonged exposure to the cold is causing hypothermia and deadly respiratory infections such as pneumonia. Children, who are often malnourished, are more vulnerable to the extreme cold. Poverty is widespread in Peru's southern highlands and there is a lack of healthcare and basic services. The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas but critics say the cold snaps are predictable and the annual deaths preventable. Many have blamed government inefficiency for the deaths. But Peru's Health Minister, Oscar Ugarte, has said regional officials have not effectively distributed government resources. Meanwhile in the capital, Lima, it has become an annual ritual for businesses and ordinary citizens to donate blankets, clothes and food for the victims of the cold weather in the south of the country."

I know that there are no words that can do a magic trick and make it any better, but I hope peace can come to you after the loss of your wife Brian.

Thanks Jeff. I have more firepower too as my friend Keith Litchfield made me a custom pry bar @ 30 years ago that is still kicking ass and taking names, but as Steve Grossman pointed out....at some point, the rock could easily blow out into a large deep cone shape if one yanks too hard. For me, the original reason for removal would be to drill the hole deeper and stick in a bigger bolt. In this particular case, when I couldn't budge this one, I just put in a new one next to the existing stud @6" or so...so leaving the stud isn't an issue. I still am left wondering what kind of force would it take to destroy the rock permanently or if the stud would come out first? Perhaps, if this is going to be a learning experiencing so as to eventually replace other old rusty 3/8" steel wedge anchors, drilling the old out might be the first action. I'm leaning towards leaving it though. I was very pleasantly surprised at how strong that old bolt was, it is in theoretically the worst possible placement for longevity (on a dead flat table top so that water pools and will run right into hole and stay pooled inside right next to the bolt).

Thanks Jeff. I have more firepower too as my friend Keith Litchfield made me a custom pry bar @ 30 years ago that is still kicking ass and taking names, but as Steve Grossman pointed out....at some point, the rock could easily blow out into a large deep cone shape if one yanks too hard. For me, the original reason for removal would be to drill the hole deeper and stick in a bigger bolt. In this particular case, when I couldn't budge this one, I just put in a new one next to the existing stud @6" or so...so leaving the stud isn't an issue. I still am left wondering what kind of force would it take to destroy the rock permanently or if the stud would come out first? Perhaps, if this is going to be a learning experiencing so as to eventually replace other old rusty 3/8" steel wedge anchors, drilling the old out might be the first action. I'm leaning towards leaving it though. I was very pleasantly surprised at how strong that old bolt was, it is in theoretically the worst possible placement for longevity (on a dead flat table top so that water pools and will run right into hole and stay pooled inside right next to the bolt).

Rain Rain go away that's all I got to say today Just got off the phone from canceling today's plans.... goodbye (till tonight)

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2116811;#2116811 Top of Jack of Hearts/Silver Bullet Jeff. I'm actually considering it's best to just leave it there to share with others how f*ing durable and strong these old rusty things actually are. I was very surprised how much so. Now, any one who thinks they are shit can go try to pull this lone errant stud and see what they think. I beefed up the ones that had 2 old rusty bolts at video as the link details.....but I still wish folks would just tie into a tree before going to clip as they'd be less likely to slide off and then have a back up.

ps, couple of drops of blue or medium threadlocker (NOT Red or anything permanent) on the set screws and that issue would be moot anyway!

I just spit beer on my monitor! ROTFLMAO!!

LOL! Ho man, I pray nightly mine will someday grow to that length!!LOL!! 1/4 x 1-1/4 for granite FA'S is still de rigor these days if one mans up and isn't a *cough* cough* rap bolting *cough* pussy!!!! Jason, you might consider looking for a used A5 Hurricane drill (I got Neil Young on singing "like a Hurricane but I'm getting blown away" right now) or a Petzl Rocpec. I haven't used a Pika, but I "believe" both of these are better than the Pika based on 3rd hand info. Of course, when one believes, one is basically just talking out ones ass. I do this well. Middendorf thought that the Hurricane was the best drill ever invented, but the Petzl is now better. Not that anyone - especially me, is gonna tell Deuce that....I do have both of them though. Sure - I've been drinking.....but it's Friday and all. http://www.deuce4.net/web/HMWbrochure.pdf The Hurricane was an amazing drill for it's time as you could easily change bits and you could also stuff about any bit you found in your garage in it and it would work regardless of how stupid you were. This may not sound like much, but as I type this I have a dim (witted)memory of stuffing a tapered bit into my Rawl holder because I NEEDED a sharp bit (bad preplanning) that very weekend and thats the only rock bit I could find in my basement. Of course, now the F***ing thing I stuffed in there didn't go far enough to there the drift pin would pop it out so I was thereafter fucked for eternity. I have this useless drill and bit combo laying there to this day as an errant reminder of my shortsighted stupidity and miserly ways (a real man would have just tossed it out when he screwed that pooch, instead of thinking "Oh - someday, I'll take a torch to it and expand it and that stuck bit will just fall out like manna from heaven" blah blah blah) Anyway, I hear that the weakness of the Pika, is that you have to hold the bit on with set screws. Of course, you are hanging and wanging and the @%^%^%X&X*&** thing chooses to loosen up due to the vibration: always. When it chooses to do this to you, you'd damn well better have the correct tool to re-tighten it up as you are standing there with your calves burning looking at horribly splattering on a sharp outcropping 100 feet below, or you will be screwed. [/img] The Petzl has a knurled collet you just grab, squeeze and turn. It's that easy and it just works. This pic doesn't do the simplicity of this motion justice. TRY THIS ONE: Very sexy and soon your hole is drilled and filled and you will be laughing at the 100' death defying drop and laughing, I say laughing and not just a chuckle but deeply and robustly, for even in the face of death as the pee dribbles down your leg and the fear subsides, you have manned up, overcame AND SENT!!!!! Course, maybe that excites you, that you are in the middle of drilling and the bit is loose and you have no way in hell of making it work, and you still want a Pika. If that were truly the case and I had one I'd sell it quickly to you then.

Dudes been getting around in a huge way. Amazing stuff. http://climbing.about.com/b/2009/06/24/ueli-steck-nearly-on-sights-el-capitan.htm "In May the speedy Swiss climber Ueli Steck free-climbed Golden Gate (5.13b), a 41-pitch route up the west wall of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Ueli on-sighted or climbed the route for the first time and fell on only one pitch. Steck, 32 years old, did the route in four days on his honeymoon. His wife Nicole belayed him. Steck onsighted without falls three 5.13 pitches and five 5.12 pitches, but fell on a relatively easy 5.11 crack above El Cap Spire when he slipped on wet rock." _______________________________________________________________ this yesterday: "On July 9, 2009, Ueli Steck summitted Gasherbrum II (8035 m). Ueli returned safely to basecamp today, July 10, 2009. This is Ueli's second trip to Gasherbrum II. Three years ago, Ueli, Cédric Hählen and Hans Mitterer completed the first ascent of the East Summit of Gasherbrum II (7772 m), over the "Magic Line." For Ueli, this summer's Gasherbrum II expedition sets the stage for a fall attempt on Makalu."

LOL! The truth! I've been putting in 1/2" x 6-1/4" long stainless wedge anchors lately. I've been wondering how many weeks it would take to hand drill that.

appropo nothing:

One word for the graduate: Quitter BTW, shes #76 on the list http://stuffgodhates.com/full-list-of-stuff-god-hates/

The Porters are multiplying.

Homerun!!!! http://www.google.com/chrome Soon this will be morphed into a full blown operating system. Any of you working for Microsoft......might want to brush up on the resume. It's much faster than Firefox. I'll be putting it on my Windows 2000 machine at home later for sure.