chris

Columnar basalt. Same as Vantage, but much more solid and a way more cool place. The Tieton rocks!

NOLS teaches an excellent communication method that I think they spell out in "Wilderness Mountaineering." Check it out. I learned it back in 1999 and I still use it and teach much of it to my friends. It's a chuckle to hear everyone say "Thank you" in response to "On belay." If I have more time later today, I'll try to write more.

I've always thought that "DNR" means Department of Natural Resources, a state agency. If so, Static Point has plenty of bolts placed on it as well, so why would a "DNR" designation cause conflict? The rumor I've heard is that the NFS is most disturbed about the trail that the FA team constructed to the base (largely through brush cutting). As a policy, the NPS and the NFS are against private individuals cutting trail or even improving existing trail without supervision. I wish a procedure for authorizing the establishment of climber's trails and the maintenance of existing trails on a case by case basis by the responsible land agency would be created. As it stands if a climber wanted to improve a climber's trail to Forbidden (NPS land) or Cutthroat (NFS land), then they are actually violating regulations. For Infinite Bliss, the trail was built (as I understand it) in order to prevent multiple "social" trails forming by wandering climbers searching for the base of the walls. Infinite Bliss could not have existed without placing bolts - which is what bolts are used for, to protect a compelling climb. It is not overbolted, in fact just the opposite, and I plan on taking a small rack as well. If climbers erroneously assume that 23 run-out pitches are easy to climb, they are no less guilty then by assuming that climbing the Dissapointment Cleaver is without life-threatening objective hazard!

You could go the Sharma route and refuse to grade. Some might call this a sandbag, but perhaps a grade should be established in consensus from the first, second, and third ascent parties. There been some wicked V and VI activity in Valley in the past few years where the FA will only tell you where the route starts, no topo, precise route description, or rating. Makes following ascents as spicy as the first (except you know that the route MUST go somewhere).

I just spoke to the North Bend Ranger Station front desk. The meeting is in 10 minutes, at 10am, at the Station. The NFS rep and contact for this issue is Bill Sobieralski, who can be emailed at bsobieralski@fs.ed.us Send in your 2 cents before we get ! Special thanks to the NFS lady who answered the call. She wasn't aware of the meeting when I called but very helpful - found out the specifics and gave me Mr. Sobieralski's email.

Actually, Stefan is a permanent, LE climbing ranger. It just happened this winter so congrats to Stefan for his promotion to permanent status!

Completely worth every penny. I stopped subscribing to Climbing and R & I years ago. This is the first and only magazine that I've bought the maximum subscription for. The large format photos are awesome, and if you go online you can easily find their criteria for submissions. As for advertising, Alpinist claims and has made a commitment that only 10% of the magazine is advertising (including the covers), and each and every add is full page. So I sat down and counted. Issues 1-3 had nine adds in 100 pages, while issues 4-7 had 10 adds in 100. There was also an additional page of self-advertising for Alpinist in each issue. All of the adds are split between the first twenty pages and the last twenty pages, leaving 60 consecutive pages with no advertising -try finding that on Climbing or R&I, which average over 40% in adds. In #7, adds are on the inside of the front cover, pgs 2, 3, 7, 11, 17, 83, 93, inside of the back cover, and outside of the back cover. This magazine is worth everyone's support - even dirt bags like me. Discounts are given to American Alpine Club and AMGA members.

I have a pair that I took out of the box and climbed Eldorado with a beginner in tow. These have got to be the most comfortable boots I've ever owned. I've been told that this is the last model of La Sportiva boots completely made by hand in Italy. I've used them to climb Rainier, Ixta & Orizaba in Mexico, and Illiniza Norte, Illiniza Sur, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo in Ecuador. They have become my primary mountaineering boot, and I save my Alpha's for multi-day climbs where keeping my boots dry is imperative.

Feathered Friends are happy to make their merlin bag with as little down as you want, and with the lightest fabric possible. The weight given on the website is using Epic/Pertx fabric and is rated to 30 degrees. I was told that 1 oz. of down roughly equals 2.5 degrees of warmth. This means you could get a 40 degree merlin with quantum fabric and it'll weigh less than 20 oz. If you call the company and not the store, talk to Patsy or Tony.

SSSSWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Thaquitz and Suicide rocks definitely count as alpine - altitude, approach, and commitment all exist there. A great resource is Nomad Ventures - they have a store in Solana Beach (North San Diego County.

Kautz Glacier will be in great condition, and its a good step up in commitment and difficulty after the DC.

Last summer, I broke my left lower leg, and had to have surgery, an eight-inch plate, and 5 pins. I seem to be OK, though, since I'm climbing and skiing back at my old levels. My concern is running - before my accident, I was able to run 50-75km trails. Now I can't. Usually, around 6km I develope a sharp pain on the outside lower aspect of my right knee. The pain actually gets worse as I try to walk it away. It persists into the next day, especially walking down stairs. Usually by the second recovery day its an ignorable ache. What could be wrong, and what can I do?

Is there a website that monitors the plowing in the park? I've been waiting to here that White River is open.

Thanks for the beta - you guys rock!

Bronco, once you're on the glacier or above 10,000' you're allowed to camp anywhere you want.

Some friends are wanting us to go up to SR20 this weekend and do some ski tours and/or good descents. But no one has any ideas what's possible. Sugestions?

Are the twin tracks on the map representative of the construction? In regards to the traffic, couldn't some sort of mandatory shuttle service be used from Leaveworth? And how does a staff of 60 people after construction add 1100 cars a day to the road?

I agree with Lambone. If climbers followed the warnings posted by the State Department, most of Asia and South America would be off-limits.

The trail to Mt. Index and McClellan Butte are also really fun trail runs, especially if you only have a half-day.

Oh, and AAC insurance is through World Wide Outfitters. The WWO simply confirms that you have had an accident and sufficient billing, then sends you the check (leaving the responsibility of paying your bill to you). I broke my leg last June, and WWO sent me a check directly for my helicopter bill, which I then had to deposit and re-write.

Another source is the Diver's Alert Network, DAN, which offers medical insurance and evacuation insurance to members - and being a diver is not a requirement for membership! The AAC/DAN Memberships are a good way to go because the AAC covers you till you hit pavement, and DAN can covers from there...

Good rigging, Dustin! I'm actually looking forward to the project of putting the new tails on tomorrow afternoon.

Fair enough

The skins in question are the ClipFix, purple with metal tail system. Glidelite models feature a cow skin pattern and a similar tail system to G3. My new tail attachments came in the mail two days ago, and I'm psyched to try them out later this week!