minx

chica checkin in!

my my my...it must be past trask's nap time.

1) Trask you're comments are so stunningly offensive I can't believe you posted them publicly 2) only 3) there can't be a simple answer to this question. A great topic to be sure. My guess is that has something to do with how a person is raised. My love of the moutains stems from my time w/my parents as a child. In a sense, what I'm saying is that it's passed on from generation to generation. If you're not exposed to it as a child there may be less of chance that you'll find it as an adult. I agree that the demographics of the PNW probably doesn't help the local numbers of minority climbers either!

I'd love to see what the ladies out there use. I have a horrible time w/boots. Any recommendations from the girls or any of you who are just knowledgeable gear junkies?

and i wish the creeps who stole all my stuff would at least bring back my CDs and maps! Can you tell that i'm bitter?

So i think what i'm getting from this is that a GPS is a nice addition but not a mandatory item? I'm pretty handy w/my compass and a good map. GT maps suck for anything off the beaten path.

My 7yr old son was crushed when we told him that even if he did talk us into climbing Mt. Rainier this summer he wouldn't be the youngest person to do it. He's turning into such a good hiker/backpacker/climber but he's not that good yet!

Chair was good climbing yesterday but I wouldn't go near that place on Saturday! There were quite a few people yesterday. Tomorrow will be a mad house!

I'm sure this has been rehashed many times but lets talk about navigation boys and girls! GPS or no GPS? If yes which one do you have? I'm inherently cheap and have balked at dropping the coin for GPS. I'm looking forward to a couple of extended trips this year the topic has come up: is it wort the money. I've always relied on my brain and my trusty compass. (one of the few valuable things that i learned in girl scouts) However i have to admit to straying off course this summer in the Rockies. We've got one ski trip planned and some time off for extended backpacking this summer.

Lets get back to what's really important mid-week climbing. Dot-com jobs should be thought of as gateway gigs. Gateway to more free time. All kidding aside, I'm surprised at how many of my friends who were bitten by the dot-com snake found new jobs relatively quickly. We won't discuss salaries...

i think trask watches too much TV

crust sucks (then again i think snowboarding suck )

Col. S. pardon my hostility. I wasn't planning on writing a trip report for a trip that never panned out. Figured i'd toss out some observations based on my recent presence in the area. We were a little slow in getting up and out the door this morning (too much ) so we didn't get up the route very far. I had to get back down the house (damn work!) Made it more of an exploratory trip in prep for an attempt tomorrow. What we did see was crusty stuff on top of softer snow. I wouldn't say the conditions are ideal for climbing or skiing. Just my opinion. I definitely wouldn't want to ski the crud and climbing it isn't ideal but i'll do it.

it's all a matter of opinion. perhaps i shouldn't have been so glib in my description. I should've stopped at crusty. soooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrry. If you want a detailed report you'll have to wait until i'm in the mood to type that much. I was just giving my general impressions. shoot!

Even in these conditions, Guye has been pretty fun. In fact, I think it's been a better climb lately than it was last fall w/o any snow. We climbed the west side south section last weekend...pretty decent given the weather we've been having. Can't wait until there's more snow! I heard a few folks out there on New Years Eve in the moonlight. Probably a better way to spend it than the hang over I earned!

It's crusty, icy and nasty as of this morning. Hopefully it will get warm enough today to soften things up. Not worth it imho. Still a fair bit of snow.

Gotta agree w/the Bellingham comments. Great community. Good sea kayaking up that way and you're just a stone's throw from the great paddling in BC.

Crystal's open Friday the 13th! Wahoo! My kharma has taken a turn! I get to pick up my skis from the shop tomorrow! It's either going to be a blown knee or the most fun I've had in a while!

I'm pretty sure I've been naughty enough to get my new trango ice boots and new crampons. Maybe? Pretty please?!? Maybe if I sit on Santa's lap again tonight that'll put me over the edge. As for us suburban climbing moms...get the kids their own harnesses and bring 'em along!

Maybe this should be a different thread but the makes me wonder how many of you own/use/would use anything less than a 50m rope? I've always viewed a shortened rope as an accessory but not my climbing rope. I've gotten in the habit of just dealing w/the extra length/weight of a 60m rope. As for tying into both ends of the rope, I don't always tie in when I'm belaying (depends on the route) but I always knot the free end. This was clearly a mistake set up by inexperience but none the less we all do stupid things from time to time. Thankfully they'll live to learn from their mistakes.

This is a good topic. I'm only just now getting back to where 5.10 anything is in the picture. I think most people have mental hurdles to jump before they can progress. That point is different for each of us. Definitely climb w/people who exceed your ability. You're more likely to push yourself. If it's not just leading that's giving you a hard time then find the opportunity to TR the type of route you're struggling with. Being able to practice moves is important and builds confidence. I think the strength vs. technique question is a good one. I wonder if it's different for the women than for the men. After not climbing for several years, I found that I was pretty weak this summer. I had to rely on technique to get up a lot of routes that I normally would've just powered up w/out thinking. Not that my technique wasn't rusty but it was my only hope. I didn't have the muscle to climb sloppy. Even some 5.9 routes weren't gimmes w/o some thoughtful footwork. Guess my strength v. technique grade is a little lower than 5.10. How about gals...anyone else? The strength

Get married? are you nuts?

2003- 1) win lottery 2) quit job 3) climb daily b/c of 1&2 4) remember to take medicin every day for delusions but seriously folks: 1) Get ISO to climb more 2) Get back to 5.10 form 3) Summer road trip to zion or joshua 4) Find some new (to me) hikes/climbs in the Olympics 5) A week of backpacking somewhere in Sept.

Now ed, there's your problem. You drink that piss called budweiser and think it's beer. In order to learn to drink a better beer you must gain experience by practicing. As many in this thread it's best to just jump right in and try something challenging. Next time order the Obsidian Stout.

The debate was somewhat more esoteric than a specific question relating to my actual ability/desire to lead difficult routes. My partner and I were recently in Leavenworth. He got himself into a bit of trouble on lead. We'd had the debate at the time about his ability to lead the route. Fortunately all's well that ends well and no one was hurt or anything like that. It did however lead to knocking back more than a few beers to soothe some nerves. We began to discuss our respective history of leading routes. It was just interesting to really think about how and why we each made or decisions. I'm not strong enough right now that I'd really choose to lead anything. I know exactly what I could lead now if I needed to. I tend to be very comfortable w/my abilities and which routes I will lead and when I won't. I'm not a particularly ambitious climber so I've got no sense of urgency about leading the tough stuff. I'll get there again but for now it's just nice to be back on the rocks.