billcoe

Come on dudes. More climbing pics. please.

Is that Elmo and Reeds' 5.11d line on the North end Steve?

It's further down towards Hood River Ivan, parking for Sunshine Dihedrals is unaffected. There is a traffic light where you can wait @ 5 min to get through but that's the only hindrance.

Yeah, been there done that. Not climbing - just carrying weight a long distance in each hand. I bet it seems pretty f** up but will get better. Let Chiropractic be your friend. Paging Dr Layon, paging Dr. Layton :-)

I was reminded this weekend that the name Pete wanted to call it was "Sunshine Dihedrals". The word "Pile" is a misnomer, there are some short 5 star moderate cracks there. Better than anything at Beacon in the range IMO. Just not enough of them. No bolted lines although there is plenty of other cliffs not too far away with plenty of bolts if that's your gig. Hope you got up there Gecko. the sun hits it @ 1pm, so on these hot days if you can get up before that, it's very pleasant. Take a full rack with lots of small pro, the cracks eat cams and nuts. I only have a single picture of the place, belaying Ujahn up to a stance. It was a while ago cause I still had all my hair and it was blond. LOL Add "not crowded" to the list of positive attributes the place has.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTSw8jAwgAykeaxcN4jhYG_h4eYX5hPgYwefy6w0H24dcPNgEHcDTQ9_PIz03VL8iNMMgycVQEAIzTHkw!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfME80MEkxVkFCOTBFMktTNTlIMjAwMDAwMDA!/?recid=52770&actid=37&cid=FSE_003711&navid=110150000000000&ss=110606&ttype=activity&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&pnavid=110000000000000&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&pname=Mt+Hood+National+Forest+-+Rock+Climbing Pete's would be USDA select. Beacon would be choice and Yosemite Prime. heh heh

Great (small) place. Solid rock and 5 star moderate 5.7-5.10 mostly shorter crack climbs. Basically do the 10 min trail, and as soon as you get to the base, pick a crack and climb it. Lots of small nuts and cams. Single rope. You can walk off if you do top out on something like Doug Hutchinson's 3 pitch route "Pumpin for the Man" towards the northern side and don't want to rap. A lot of the cracks can be done as a half pitch. usda? hmmmm

Nice start Erik! True dat, if you'd had the foresight to have it coiled up directly underneath you it would have cushioned your fall. That's why the old dads always had those phat 11 mils I'd bet.

Thanks for sharing that Pat, you think someone dropped a pack in a crevasse 30 years back and it's just popping out now?

In thinking over what the media reported, I wasn't there and didn't hear this from anyone who was, but the scenario must have been something like this: Dude one, who has climbed at Video Bluff at Rocky Butte previously, invites his gym climbing buddy out. Buddy is suppose to be watching his kid while his wife is at work, but figures it's like the climbing gym except no one wants to charge him and entrance fee, so the kids free and he's safe to bring him along. He's thinking he'll be standing at the base with his kid next to him, just like in the gym. They make the arduous (LOL) flat 30 step hike from the car and get to the top of Video Bluff, set up flakey old man, tell the lad(s) to not fall off the cliff and rap in. Dude 1, the experienced guy who had been there before, climbs the 30 foot 5.7 first and sends. Dude 2 trys, fails, and lowers. Dude 1 then climbs out, leaving dude 2 at the base. Maybe dude 2 trys and fails, lowers off. Probably is smart enough to learn not to trust dude one, as dude one is behind the anchors somewhere, might not even be tied in to an anchor at this point. As they are both new to the place, and the realization now sets in that although they are on a nice huge wide flat spot at the base of the cliff, in reality, this ledge at what they perceive as the base is in fact actually located 1/2 way up the cliff. Neither realizes that there are 3 ways to get off if you can't top out. 1st) There is the hidden walk off 20 paces (not 100% safe really, but doable for beginners) to the West. 2nd) There is an easy 15-20' 5.0 climb 30 steps to the East that Dude 1 could walk over and toss the rope down so as to belay his buddy up something that even an elderly cripple paraplegic could get up. 3rd) Dude one could tie the line off to a tree if he knew how and dude 1 could rap a single line to the base and walk out. Not knowing any of this, dude 2 stands there at the base while dude 1 frets at the top and the child starts to wail. Twilight falls and with the arrival of dusk comes fear and uncertainty. Neither has probably spent the night out alone with out a car, sleeping bag and tent before (even though this is as perfect as it gets for weather) like most of the rest of us have. So dude 1, instead of telling dude 2, "DUDE: I'll go home and get your sleeping bag, some food and water and lower it down": or just calls someone who would know what to do in this strange (to them) situation, calls for a rescue. The part which always confuses new people, and is why they are unsafe out there, is that in the gyms, you are at the base where it is safe, and head up. They teach you how to be safe in that scenario as that is all the gyms care about. Out here at Rocky Butte, you start at the top of a cliff, where it is inherently unsafe, then head down. No one has trained or even explained to them for this reverse idea, and it screws with their mind. So they are there, no one is telling them how to do it, or even NOT to do it, so they are confused but proceed anyway and then stuff like this occurs. There are hundreds, if not thousands of outdoor climbing enthusiasts who enjoy this area. For people who are siteing business's, outdoor recreation availability like this is one of the major draws to bring new companies to our city. Having an open and friendly environment is critical to that effort in the business community. Rocky Butte is a unique and awesome place to hang and climb, and lots of us do it safely on a regular basis. I've been climbing out there on and off for about 40 years now. With more people (especially untrained ones) comes more accidents. Almost all of the accidents are where the bolted climbs are too, as it where all of the beginners head when they step out of the gym and into the real rock. I see more folks as a good thing. Where people can enjoy some awesome climbing right after work, and the more climbers that show up the cleaner the routes will stay and the tighter the climbing community (theoretically) can be. Perhaps we might initiate some criteria that would qualify one to climb out there, like a gym card. Portland Rock Gym does something like that for Carver now, and I could see a future where volunteers or the Mazamas teach brief classes as it relates to the skill sets needed to be safe out there, and the graduates get gym cards to climb at the Butte. I would want to see it as an inclusive and a positive thing to upgrade the minimum skill levels needed, not as something that is elitist or reduces the amount of folks out there. If nothing else for call outs like this, I would think that a SAR call out, instead of full police and fire response, would be more appropriate. If I wasn't so damn lazy, I'd probably be the dude to start in on this project. Anyone else?

To me, Kevbone is honest and honorable.

Allen, try these guys: http://www.rerackpdx.com/ (503) 875-6055 Good luck.

When you figure out how to outlaw stupidity let me know will ya. As a minimum, they should be charged with child endangerment and charged for this bullshit rescue too. IMO.

You should see if he'll give you your hair back! Woot!

You don't understand? Not making sense? Well, short version is that I'll be dining with you Matt, but in my vision, a Bachman - Palin combo for desert would be less welcome than rectal cancer. It doesn't ignore the fact that I feel that the largest issue facing our country is our huge deficit, started by Bush and exacerbated by Obama. The Bush/Obama tax cuts for the rich would most likely continue and be the Bush/Obama/Bachman cuts for the rich. It would only be my deepest hope that we could balance the budget whomever takes office. I can't complain over some of the Obama issues. He has increased the CAFE standards, the MPG vehicles need, a good thing and a serious issue which will ultimately strengthen out country, and done some good here and there. Yet it is still hard to see the deficit continue to grow as if unstoppable, and our country's future go into hock as if it means nothing: it is our largest and most important issue IMO. There are trade offs either way no doubt. I can understand anyone who would lobby for either choice. So with that, you are asking if I'd prefer to be in a car wreck or fall into a vat of acid. Neither. Clinton wasn't perfect, far from it, big character flaws, but he was organized to face and tackle the big issues. Same with Harry Truman. We need that prioritizing and organizing capability now in the presidential suite but I don't know who could bring it to the table.

Why torture the man? I would say that most of us guys would do Bachman, some would do Palin, but most would not do Perry or Obama. Not that there is anything wrong with it.... If you made me hold my nose and choose between the 2, I'd go Obama. Nah. I'd write in a Disney character, can't go for big goverment dudes like Bush and Obama or right wing Christians who want to dictate where my (consenting and private) penis goes. Is that a better choice to you Matt? I truthfully answered the question, now please answer mine. Would you rather have a horrible car wreck or fall into a vat of acid? Please answer the question.

Hey Canada make with the 21st century! From my travels the french are generally insular and thats the major compliant about them. The women are hot, flexible, and put out. It's the loud drunk Brits (110% of them), the obnoxious Germans(err, all of them), and the rich Russians "spek Roooshian", and the Han Chinese who think they are "fah superior" that people really hate these days. From Quebecois the French and the Swiss don't think they are part of the same culture; some Quebecois (like these who'd moved to Switzerland) don't think of themselves as Canadian (and really, if you had money, would you want to be Canadian? It's pay for not gay) USA is still #1 here too boyz. That's right, I said it. Read it and weep gentlemen, we rule.

Seems like a common thing on Free For all's left side, I vaguely remember a similar story a while back. Hope they are OK.

As much as it yanks my crank to see them attempt to make a buck off of regressive fees that waste most of the revenue generated to simply pay for enforcement, I don't think this is the solution that we should utilizing to be sabotaging the attempt. There is a system in place at the ballot box, and via writing our elected representatives. For myself, I write them on occasion, and these kinds of things don't even hit my radar screen, but write to them you should if anyone is that outraged. I've found it easier to do that via proxy. So getting involved via this group or just getting updates would be worthwhile for folks as well. http://www.westernslopenofee.org/ They do a good job of tracking wins for users and giving good advice on counteracting this crap. My opinion only. Regards to all!

Awesome Jon! Reading your writing is a treat, not sure I can make it Thurs but look forward to this one.

It "wasn't immediately clear if he was rock climbing of if he simply fell". Seems clear to me when the phone call comes in 2 hours after darkness that he wasn't climbing, do folks really climb out there at night? I think that's past my bed time. I see people sitting at the top drinking with their buds on occasion, be a good time and a fair spot for that. In fact, haven't seen the Russians who down the Coronas and then smash the bottles onto the tops of the cliff for us to deal with the shards of glass in the fingertips out there lately. Haven't been out there a heck of a lot either. Maybe that 503-823-3333 police non-emergency line is getting used. Wonder what really happened to this 16 year old. Must have been a jarring fall, hope the kid pulls out. "PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - A 16-year-old boy fell 80 feet down the east side of Rocky Butte late Monday night, fire officials say. Portland firefighters say the fall at Rocky Butte Park was reported at 10:15 p.m. Crews responded to the lower area of Rocky Butte around Northeast 92nd Avenue and Skidmore Street. Firefighters found the 16-year-old boy unconscious at the bottom of a cliff. Paramedics and firefighters immediately gave medical attention to the boy, who suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. It appears the boy accidentally fell more than 80 feet, firefighters say. It wasn't immediately clear whether he was rock climbing or if he simply fell. The boy's injuries are considered life-threatening. Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Paul Corah says it's the third accident at Rocky Butte this year. In May, an Austrian man who was in town to visit friends died while climbing at the park. The two other incidents have resulted in serious injuries."

Idiots and unexplainable craziness abounds everywhere numnum. Sometimes it's just better not to respond to their stupidity and buy into their mental angst. AS IF ON CUE

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Climber-in-hospital-after-Mt-Adams-midnight-rescue/4XFbrjZgEkumjEngs6Im3g.cspx Sound like this is going to be OK (hopefully: swelling of the brain can still be a terrible after effect of these kinds of falls) after some painful recovery in the hospital. Wishing the best to the fella. Good on all of the crew who worked to get him out. Bet they slept extra long afterwards. "Climber in hospital after Mt Adams midnight rescue YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - A climber injured in a 100-foot fall on Mount Adams is in the hospital following a midnight rescue on the mountain. The Yakima County Sheriff's Office says it got a call at 6:30 p.m. Saturday that that 50-year-old from Eatonville had fallen into a boulder field while descending the 12,276-foot peak. He suffered a broken scapula, broken right arm, injured knee and a possible head injury. Other climbers and wilderness rangers moved him out of the boulder field, at about the 7,000-foot level on the southern climbing route, and awaited rescuers, who arrived just before midnight. A helicopter arrived about an hour later and flew him to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver. Twenty volunteers took part in the rescue."

Wasn't meant to be mean. My attempts at light hearted humor (bantering) sucks at times. This thread is Bens' and its about Bens awesome kids, and I wouldn't want to make it go all crazy. He happened to have them on that route is all.

This is the place to post it. Wheres Kevin and Miles?