chalkball

Maple Canyon is great for sport climbing, but I would think it would be pretty damn cold. Someone can correct me, but I think it is high up enough that you may freeze your ass off in March. I was there 2 Augusts ago and it was comfortable, even though it was 108 degrees in Moab.

Went to the new Elliot Bay Sculpture Garden in Seattle on Monday - lots of nice 1-1/2" cracks, from 70 degrees to slightly overhanging...first ascents available! Watch out for Seattle's finest, tho.

Thanks!

Hey - I was wondering if I could get a basic overview of Portland area rock gyms. I climb at Stone Gardens in Seattle and recently showed 2 different Portland couples around SG and they want to start climbing back home. One of the couples lives in Camas, the other is more centrally located in Portland. What are the closest gyms for each and is there a particular focus (bouldering, tr, leading) at each? Thanks

I DH skied for about 7 years, switched to snowboarding and have been doing that for 15 years. I picked up tele skiing about 4 years ago and now switch back and forth between tele and the board. The first switch came from boredom. I think it is pretty easy to pick snowboarding up, there is a fast learning curve, but just like anything - it takes a loong time to really rip. I picked up tele to try something new in the backcountry - I love it for the challenge and the feel of the body mechanics, but I feel like it is going to be a long time until I am an expert. As far as comparisons - yes, you definitely can get the same feelings from boarding as from skiing. In my opinion (take it for what its worth) I like the flow of boarding more - feels a lot more natural and is far superior to skiing in the deep powder. You get more float, esp. in broken powder. The disadvantages to boarding are mobility in the backcountry, and difficulty in the flats. My advice to anyone learning to board is to stay OFF the bunny hill - you will only learn when you have an actual mid-angle slope. That and do NOT lean back. Your weight should always be forward or centered. Most common learning mistake. IMHO, of course.

I must have been smoking crack. I looked all over the place for anchors, and could only see a rap station way up above (I already had about 45m of rope out). And I did bring slings to leave for the rap, but didn't see any blocks I would trust. wierd. Will have to try again.

Actually, let me correct that - we could get to the next anchor just fine, but the rap was not possible with one rope.

I was up there a few weeks ago and can confirm...I had heard you could rap with one rope, so we only took one. Got a pitch and a half up before I realized there was no way to get to the next anchor.

I am sure you have heard of this, but Angels of Light is a fictionalized version of the events. Pretty out there, but a lot closer than Cliffhanger. Written by Jeff Long, out of print. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ks&n=507846

I can't believe he didn't mention grappling hooks!

Anyone been up there in the last week or so? Is the trail clear or is there a ton of snow still to Ingalls Pass?

crap - looks like those links may not work. Oh well...

I was just playing with this - super fun - think this is half dome - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=yosemite,c...p;t=k&hl=en the squamish chief - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=squamish,b...p;t=k&hl=en frenchman's coulee - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=vantage,wa...p;t=k&hl=en washington pass - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington...p;t=k&hl=en And you can get a LOT closer in the city - here's the space needle and EMP - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4th+ave+and+broad+seattle&spn=0.005836,0.009549&t=k&hl=en tried to fix your links, the auto generation script for links always seems to break them if there is a comma in them...

We were out there a few years ago to bike - didn't run into them much on rides, just in the campgrounds and on the roads.

Excellent, thank you everyone. Mountaineers Route looks like it will go just fine, according to beta. Also will check out the F of Fate. Chad

I am heading down to Ketchum for a couple of weeks this summer - I was wondering if anyone has climbed at Elephant's Perch on Redfish Lake? What I found on the 'net was limited to the Mountaineers route and the Becky route...Any ideas of other routes and their difficulties? The mountie route sounds OK, but anything harder would be a bit much, as I am taking a fairly newish 2nd. Any good routes that are fairly casual? Thanks

And for overnights the Guide (biggest DaKine pack) is great. Also works well as a cragging bag in the summer.

Has someone tried this with a Barryvox yet? I have to replace my Zipka and if this is a problem I guess I will get the old model. I can't tell what the results mentioned above are...

I snowboarded in a pair of arctic pants (thin shell with snap-in manmade insulation) for about 5 years - super warm, impact resistant (for the butt) and made me look like a little punk. Nice purchase for $30 as opposed to $150 for something from a ski store. Alas - the waterproofing on the shell finally wore off, so I cut em off and used them for bike shorts for a couple of years. Now there are about 4 threads left.

I second Tunnel Vision - better in warm weather than in cold. Very unique route, and fun.

You know, I am a big fan of climbing literature and I put that one down after a couple of chapters. The writing was terrible and dry and I put it down pretty fast. Luckily I got it for free from someone cleaning out their bookshelf. Worth every penny.

I know I have seen a list somewhere of markers that are "safe" to use on ropes...I tried a couple of searches here and couldn't find anything. Is the issue that there is a chemical (in some markers) that degrades the sheath? I am a big fan of the bi-pattern, myself - but I have a friend who wants to mark their rope. Thanks!

Split Beaver

I have the Casio Exilim Z4u - comparable size and price to the Optio S4. it has a 2" LCD and fast shot-to-shot time, and is a miser for batteries. my 2c.

Thanks!