chris

I've also experienced jerk doctors, jerk lawyers, jerk bartenders, jerk baristas (especially snobby jerk baristas), jerk wait staff, and jerk flight attendants. And a jerk taxi that cut me off on I-405 as I was driving home from Index yesterday - why do they act like they own the road? There can be huge difference between a guide in their 20's who's only a year or two into the profession - and may be out in another year or two - and another guide in their 30's or 40's that has been at it for 10+ years. One has been around and has seen a lot - the other may think they've been around and seen a lot. To provide a bit of balance, I've also experienced jerk independent/non-guided climbers and climbing teams who thought they were more skilled, experienced, or entitled to be there than me and my guests. And for every story I've read here about jerk or unsafe guides, I have three for the weird, foolish, or unsafe practices I've seen of unguided climbers - likely because I spend +150 days/year in the field, not because unguided climbers are more likely to be weird, foolish, or unsafe. Folks, there's more than enough room for everyone to be be out here in the mountains. Sometimes I think that the land management practice of separately managing and permitting guided teams from non-guided teams only contributes to this "us versus them" attitude I've seen on countless occasions from both sides. But the guided public is equally valuable as the unguided - the more people who experience how fantastic this environment truly is, the more it will be valued for its intrinsic worth and not simply for its resource extraction opportunities. But of course that means sharing space with other folks - and some of those folks will be jerks. So I try - really hard. I make a point to say hi to my neighbors in camp, and let them know what our plans are - I've found that if I start by admitting what we're up to, you're more open about what you're up to. If we figure out that we may meet on the mountain/route, this makes it much easier to work together. It may take a bit of time and shenanigans - have you ever seen 5 people on one multi-pitch bolted anchor? - but it's always easier to deal with someone you know with a grin than a stranger with a curse. And all of you are more than welcome to PM or email me any sort of question, including the "WTF did they do that?" questions. I'm proud of my profession, its history, and of our shared mountain culture. This was my fourth draft of a response, and I hope it reads as thoughtful as I tried to be. Off the soapbox now. Your turn.

Matt, I'm interested in exploring - and I have week days off. Let me know!

So my first - and only - route to date in Darrington has been Dreamer on the Green Giant (which I'm embarrassed to admit I've done three times). I'm going to correct this gross oversight tomorrow, but everything looks SO GOOD. So I'm asking you - what's your favorite Darrington route? If you're favorite is something on the Giant, please tell me your second favorite. I'm trying to go somewhere new!

I'm not really surprised or alarmed. The implications (to me) is that helicopter rescues will be reserved for "life-or-limb" injuries more, and that non-life-threatening rescues will take more time to descend by litter or on foot.

I heard the same thing as Quarry - The only roads that could be financially justified to demolish/eradicate/eliminate are ones that could jeopardize water quality (and/or possible fish habitat) if allowed to erode into non-use. Otherwise, I think under current management practices the plan would be to gate and close. Several people advocated for the more Canadian approach to "close" but leave ungated, allowing 4WD and bikes to use the roads as much as they dared. I actually like this idea, even though I don't own either of those. Presumably, if a user breaks down / rolls over / get stuck, they're responsible to remove their vehicle, or the USFS will and will charge them for it - that's how its already managed through much of the Southwest without any fuss. Fairweather, I just finished looking at all the road maps and there doesn't seem to be any roads within the wilderness areas - there are roads that are carved out of wilderness areas, but its actual wilderness boundary, not a "buffer". Perhaps the Upper Stehekin example that you cited was a one-off? Presumably it would take an act of congress to get these roads (if closed), added to the wilderness areas surrounding them.

I sort-of agree with Coldfinger, minus the hyperbole. I just think the weight difference between the smaller diameter cords is so negligible that its dismissable, and I find twin lines to be more useful in more applications, but at 8mm or less (a new one just came out that's <7mm), they pack smaller, weigh less than my single ropes, and allow me to travel more freely. I mean, I know in theory I can rappel on 5mm cord, but in practice its a snarly pain in the ass, and I would be nervous about rappelling on 5mm over sharp edges though. I have a quiver of ski-mountaineering / glacier travel ropes (all twin certified), in 30, 40, and 60m lengths, which I think addresses almost any combination of team size and rappel length. The 30m Beal Rando (8mm) weighs in just under 2.5 lbs (1110 gm). My 40 and 60m lengths are Beal Ice Twins (7.7mm, one of my 60's had to get the chop). The weight difference to go any smaller is so negligible - and a smaller belay device like a Reversino almost mandatory, so I'm satisfied with that. EDIT: So you inspired me to go nosing around Sterling Ropes website, which has a full range of cords that might address your question. In theory, it looks like you could rappel on something as small as 4mm, which has a failure strength of +1,000 lbs (4.7kN). At 3mm, the cord strength sharply drops off to less than 472 lbs, or 2.1kNs. Sterling does make a pretty nice 6mm cord intended for rappelling, rated to 14kN, but cautions that you need special training for rappelling on such a thin line. I think this answers your direct question - but I certainly don't recommend it!

There are five more meetings: 6 August, 11am-1:30pm Enumclaw Public Library 21 August, 4:30-7pm Darrington Community Center 10 September, 5:30-8pm Bellingham Public Library 24 September, 1-3:30pm Monroe Public Library 9 October, 5:30-8pm Everett Public Library You can RSVP and reserve a seat by emailing sustainableroads@gmail.com Another option is to go online to make comments and tell them specifically which roads you value (a la Fairweather): http://www.mbssustainableroads.com

Its also a good reminder that you probably shouldn't be climbing below another team on routes that are known to have loose rock. One of the reasons The Tooth gets multiple parties is its slanted nature deflects rock fall to the side. That's not the case on the West or East Faces. I think the NE Buttress on Chair and the Improbable Traverse on Guye have this propensity as well.

One way you can get away with a smaller rack is by not climbing it in 2 pitches. Break it up into 4 pitches (just like you will on the rappels), and you need less gear, be less concerned with rope drag, have less miss-communication, and a lot more fun. Most of the problems I see on the Tooth are from leaders insisting on linking pitches.

Super basic, but clean and close to town center. At winter rates, it was 1/2 the cost of the Vagabond, which is much more hip but costs it.

Relax, Christoph - they're just taking the piss out of ya'. Seriously, proper footwear hasn't been the single leading cause of accidents/incidences in the Cascades, in my experience. It has been a contributing cause, but usually improper footwear is indicative of poor judgement in other facets as well (i.e., full-length-glacial-travel-technique-while-climbing-the-Pearly-Gates). The guide services tend to go with plastic boots because they have a longer use-life, and are appropriate in wider range of conditions. Especially stormier ones, where local climbers may choose to turn around and wait for a nicer summit day. That said, the only plastic boots I own today are my ski boots.

If you're looking for a single-quiver ski that can handle a mid-winter dump at Baker and a summer ski down the Muir snowfield, something 100mm underfoot is the best compromise. It has enough float for the deep, but is still relatively light enough for spring and summer missions, without being so wide that you have to work to put it on edge in hard conditions. If you are going to build a quiver, I'd recommend a different ski. I'm not a huge fan of the lightest skis on the market right now - they all seem to sacrifice performance for weight savings. And I'm insistent that the ski has to have a flat tail for anchor building, so that eliminates a lot of the market right now too. I like K2 because they perform consistently with a small weight penalty that I can tolerate. I'd rather have a heavier ski the performs well than a lighter ski that doesn't.

Seems like an easy fix would be to add an elastic strap to the slider that can be looped over the adze, holding the accessory near the head.

This thread hasn't convinced me that any sort of additional mechanical assistance - pulley, ascender, ropeman, traxion, etc. Is actually necessary. In fact all it does is add weight. So why bother?

Don't be so frustrated - with its proximity to Seattle/Tacoma, easy access, and low difficulties The Tooth is many people's first alpine climb. So you should be prepared for crowds and well-intentioned gumbies on the weekend. What we really need to do is develop alternative climbs nearby. I'm curious about traversing Denny Mountain along the ridge top from Pineapple Pass to the top of Chair 2, and finding more technical lines up Hemlock and Bryant. A friend told me that the traverse from Kaleetan to Roosevelt was a mini-Torment-Forbidden Traverse too.

Here's an article from Supertopo about this very question: LINK

My understanding is that Snoqualmie and Alpental allow uphill travel during the day, but ask that you respectfully stay near the boundary. If patrol thinks downhill traffic is too busy, they'll ask that you not skin. Alpental also asks that people check in with Patrol on Mondays and try to check in before / after hours in case they're doing control work. There's a phone number in the parking lot for a recorded message as well.

FANTASTIC!!!! That's the best news I've heard all day. Was he just abandoned?

You could get all of these questions answered much more quickly if you just called TMG and asked them these exact same questions.

I've gotten shoes resoled in Joshua Tree, Bishop, and Ramuta when he was here in Seattle. Everyone did the job, but the Rubber Room in Bishop won my loyalty. Their craftsmanship is excellent and the service is awesome. The cost of mailing my shoes and the wait is extremely worth it, and I'll recommend them to everyone.

The missus and I are taking a short trip to Hood River in mid-July. I've climbed and skied Mt Hood and Mt Adams, but I've never rock climbed in the area. If anyone is interested in showing me around, send me a message. Any recommended climbs, say up to 10a/b? And trail runs? -Chris

I think you're pretty on target. I normally recommend something in the low 10mm's for cragging, and something in the low 9mm's for alpine rock and ice, so something in between will give you a more durable rope for cragging with some weight savings for alpine. I'm convinced that double and twin rope handling is an advanced technique and situation-dependent, so I stick to single strands for most applications. Getting the water-proofed version actually increases durability and can improve handling, so consider spending a little extra for that. I used to be a big fan of Beal, but I started using Sterling a few years ago and I'm pretty satisfied with the cost vs. lifespan of the rope.

Ditto.

I thought it was really remarkable that the customer insisted that his harness hadn't come into contact with swimming pool-related acids, when the evidence seemed to conclusively indicate it had. And I really, really liked how thorough BD was.

Don't be cheap. You could get all the instruction you need and a summit for $260/person/day, with ice axe, crampons, and boots for rent (harnesses and helmets come with the program). And someone who knows how to use the rope appropriately on the route: Timberline Mountain Guides - Mt Hood