miller

Long story, nothing too exciting. The end detail and most important part is that I had to leave my set of double ropes on Hubba Hubba. They were left Monday night (12/19) and you will find them "interestingly stuck" on the lower part of the climb. DO NOT jug the rope that is still on the ground - just a jammed knot is holding it in place. If you are up there and bring these ropes down , I would GREATLY appreciate it. I promise that a swell reward and years of good karma not getting your own gear stuck will follow. Please respond here if you get 'em. Thanks! -Todd

Hello, A longshot but...I need a place to live. I'm kinda picky about neighborhoods and am limiting myself to the Ballard/Fremont/Phinney/Wallingford areas. Please reply here. Thanks!

I'm livin' in these parts nowadays. I gots wunna dem "e-mail" accounts too if you wanna git aholda me... Anyway, would love to meet up with you and Mayday...(or Calamity or whatever you've decided on). I'm a loser and do nothing except climb shit anyway, so let's go climbing! -Jamel LaRon Williams I

What up???? You have foot isssues too? You and Seth... -Todd

When you comin' out, hippie?

I guess I feel rather strongly about this, but forget Cham for ice climbing if the Briancon region is an option - doesn't even compare. Plus Cham can be pretty annoying in the winter... You'll find some useful information and links here www.ice-fall.com Have fun!

Hey Tim! I've spent a bunch of time in all of those places. Norway is superb, but I don't think I'd want to go back in January again - it was too cold and the days are too short so the ice is very brittle and there is very little temperature variation to get it nice and right. All of my Norwegian friends seemed disappointed for me and kept telling me I had to come back in March. Also, Norway is insanely expensive - if I didn't have people to stay with, there is no way I could have afforded it. Chamonix has a bit of ice climbing - actually a fair amount, but I say a bit because if you're looking for waterfall ice climbing there are much better regions in France to consider. The Aoste region in Italy is great and is just through the tunnel, but the tunnel is expensive and you'd be better off just staying over there. The areas around Briancon in the southern Alps offer much better ice climbing, and there is a TON of stuff to do down there. That is the only place I've been to that I would say is on par with the Canadian Rockies. There are several guidebooks available for the area, and there is a shop in Briancon (I think it is called "Alpimat") where you can get them. Lots of gites in the area too. Excellent ice, beautiful area, all kinds of routes to do. Some areas ,like La Grave, get fairly crowded because there are beautiful 300 meter routes a few hundred feet from the road (one in particular actually starts ON the road). Other areas like Fournel tend to be a bit more peaceful because there is a bit of an approach - a few hours for the stuff farther back in the valley. If you are based near Briancon, you could expect to drive anywhere from a few minutes to 2+ hours to have access to all of the areas. It might even make sense, if you have the time, to base out of the Oisans area for a few days then head over to the other side of Briancon near Fournel for a few days. Yah yah - just go - you'll be psyched. Have fun! -Todd

MisterMo, We showed up just after the action and talked to the guys who saw the thieves from the top of Godzilla. They said it was a blue sedan with a really loud/blown muffler. Hope someone finds 'em.

Come on, you know you want to skip out of work early and get a good start to your weekend! Im game to leave Seattle anytime up until 4pm. But if its anytime after 2:30, it'll have to be Exit 38 - dont want to sit in traffic on 522. Reply here.

Where/When/How are folks planning on meeting?

Thanks for the invite, but I only have Friday and Sunday off this weekend - gotta work Saturday. Anyone else have tomorrow free?

Have the day off and dont have anyone to play with. What do you feel like doing?

I might be down for Sunday...I have tentative plans with another friend but I haven't heard back from him yet...

Archenemy, Just "Silent Running". Started around 3:30 - 4:00 to avoid the sun and it worked out well - slept in late, climbed in the shade, plenty of time to get up and down...but not enough time time to get on another route.

I went to Darrington for the 1st time last weekend - definitely a nice spot and I'll definitely be back. Just wanted to say "thanks" to MattP and others who may have helped with the effort to maintain access to the area. Your efforts are certainly appreciated. -Todd

Thanks for your reply. Are things that close together - i.e. could I start off on Exfoliation Dome in the morning and then just wander over to the North Buttress later in the day, or is there a bit of hiking involved? Thanks again!

OK...I hate to ruin the fun, but when I first saw this thread it really pissed me off because I love Clean Crack and I actually believed that it had been shortcreted. So for the rest of you who may be as stressed as I was about it...well, I just dont know if I'd believe it just yet... Rumors?

Aint never been... I assume that the "North Buttress" is north facing and therefore may be a bit more out of the sun... Anybody who has climbed there this time of year care to fill me in - am I going to fry up there? AM or PM sun exposure? Thanks a lot!

Hello, Because I have to work Saturday afternoon, I cant find a partner for this weekend. Pretty much everyone I know is doing a 3 day thing... So, if youre into leaving early Saturday evening and heading to Squampton, please respond to this message. I'd prefer that you'd be able to follow routes in the 10 range and have a little experience, but I'm not too picky - drop me a line. Please dont PM me because I'm almost never logged in - just respond here and we'll take it from there. -Todd

I have found the exact same thing with my new Evo's. They get soaked. I still love them - they climb well and are super light - but I have to admit I am a bit disappointed. Also, I understand that lightweight boots like these won't last forever, but I still think the Evo's fall a little short. I had a very similar pair of boots made by Millet that were made of basically the same materials (synthetic, gore-tex liner, even the same ugly red color...) and these were far more durable and they kept my feet totally dry even after 2 years of thorough beatings. I'll still use my Evo's for day trips and longer trips where the forecast is decent and I think I'll be able to dry them out. But for those looking for a truly waterproof boot, this isnt it.

Found an orange hat Sunday 6/12. I grabbed it b/c Alpinfox has the exact same hat and I thought for sure it was his. Reply here if you want it back.

Oops - well somebody lost a hat up there - the exact same hat and exact same color and relative amount of wear as the hat you were wearing on Saturday. Cant imagine too many people are kickin' around in those hats... Maybe someone stole it and ditched it up there??? Anyway, if anyone lost an orange baseball cap on the Colchuck Lake trail, i have it. Reply here - i guess ill post this in Lost and Found too. Pax - if nobody claims it, do you want two of the same hats in case you actually do lose one some day?

Hey Pax, I saw your hat on the way up to Colchuck today - saw it on the way down too and figured you may have missed it so I grabbed it for you. Ill bring it in to the shop tomorrow if you want to pick it up. If you'd prefer to pick it up some other place/time, just reply to this post and we'll figure something out. -Todd

Anyone available to do anything? I was thinking a day trip in the mountains somewhere - Index will probably be a little damp.

hey hey! were you able to fly in and out? do you know anything about the hike out if they cant land? thanks!