miller

Sorry, I just don't feel OK with sharing his name, etc. If he decides to make it public, that is his decision to make, not mine. Hope you understand

Bummer. Just found out it was a buddy of mine. And for those who don't know him, he is definitely not "some sporto" or gumby or whatever...(not that I think anyone implied that he was - just for the record). Super strong, experienced, level-headed guy (and a hell of a nice guy to boot)and it is scary to think of accidents like this happening to people like him. I guess thats why they're called accidents... Apparently his injuries are not life threatening.

...hey Evan, I forgot to mention that you can rap that route with one 60m rope (you mentioned double rope raps in your original post).

Don't throw your ropes at all when others are below. Just lower the ends down hand over hand. Nobody gets bombed, and your ropes won't end up in a granny knot. Also be aware of when you pull your ropes - them suckers can hurt! But a little communication with the other party usually solves that one. You may have to wait a little, they may have to wait a little - but the sooner you're out of each others way, the better for everyone, so base your decisions as to who is going to wait accordingly. Clustered belays/rappels happen on routes like that - just try to be accomodating whether you're the descending party or the ascending party, and pay extra attention when unclipping from the anchors and when others unclip from the anchor - don't unclip them and don't let them unclip you. It can happen when people are tired and uncomfortable and every single locker at the station happens to be a shiny gold Petzl Attache, for example. Also, if you're the ascending party and can see that others ahead will be rapping down before you top out, be considerate (among other things) and dont set your anchor off of the bottom chain links. This will just further the cluster. Word. Happy climbing!

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=189883&f=0&b=0 Poop a loop.

Exactly. Have you done this? Care to fill us in on how this went? My question about these courses is how much you can get out of a class in such a short period of time, and whether it is worth the cost. Whether or not these courses are worth the cost is wide open to debate - there seem to be quite a few satisfied clients out there. I think spending 6 days with an experienced guide can be very rewarding. Nothing against the folks at the Mountaineers, but I believe you will find an entirely different caliber of climber as your guide/instructor with Mountain Madness or the AAI's. However, a lot of what people take away from such courses depends on the level of fitness/experience they show up with. For example, I think if someone shows up in pretty poor shape they could be too tired to really focus on and absorb a lot of the technical information that is presented. Someone who is reasonably fit and eager to learn could learn quite a bit in those 6 days, and through hanging out with an experienced guide/climber for a week, learn tricks and tips that could take years to learn on their own.

Exactly.

That's right, only $60. Pretty much brand new - used 'em once, decided they don't fit, now I'm offering them to you. Retail for $130 Respond here if interested.

I'm heading down either May 11 or May 12 and I'm looking for someone who needs a ride down there. There is room for a bike in the back of my truck and I'll drop you off right in Camp 4. I head back up this way around May 30 and I'd be happy to give you a ride back then. Respond here because I don't often check PM's. -Todd

Great job to the folks involved, and glad to hear that everyone is still kickin'. Scary stuff. Does anyone have any information about the accident(s) themselves? What happened?

Anyone been back there lately (Circus)? Still snowy?

You down? Respond here - me no check PM's. -todd

With all of the bad press CCH has gotten recently, I thought I'd mention that I ordered some cams a few weeks ago, they came a few days after I ordered them, and they're are already tried and true and bomber. Still my favorite small cams out there.

Got Monday off?

The guy I was going to climb with - he calls himself "Figger Eight" around here - is a total chump and bailed on me. If you know him and see him around, feel free to remind him of that. So anyone wanna climb Monday? Forecast is going back and forth, but Leavenworth might be good...

I've heard good things about climbing with Utilikilts. Has anyone tried one? Should I spend the extra money, or can I just go to JCPenney and get a cheap skirt to wear? I like how much venting my nether regions would get. Should I get some matching nylons to wear, too? Thanks for your feedback.

bump

My vote is early to mid July for conditions/weather. And I think you'll get a lot out of your experience going with guides, and Mountain Madness (like most of the major guide services around here) is a great outfit. Have fun!

Blues Riff!

What was dry? Thinking about heading out tomorrow... Thanks!

yeah, but jim donini is the 9th. and jim donini no love you long time.

It looks like I'll be making the drive back to Seattle alone on May 30th or so. Would love to have someone along for company and to share gas expense! If you're going to be in the Valley and need a ride back, drop me a line.

mike layton love you long time.

Basically brand new Trango Cinch, only used a few times. Nothing wrong with it, I guess I'm just too used to the GriGri. $30 (Retail price is $60) Please respond to this message with a post because I rarely log in and therefore don't see PM's. -Todd

Live the dream Mike - be a mowntin guyd.