jlag

It will cool down after 5 pm. Would love to take a lap up the buttress, if you live in Bend area and wanna get a few pitches pm me. I'll lead it all if necessary. JL

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090715/NEWS0107/907159997/1086/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

Just a FYI The sport route just right of Dances With Clams(Red Wall area)needs a 70M rope to get back to the ground. Or fire the 2nd pitch to the top and Rap down Super Slab. It's called Bay of Pigs, an ok route but not sure if it's worth the hassle to get back down. On Smithrock.com under "new routes" the first pitch is listed at 80ft, ummm..... i beg to differ. We had to rap over to the ledge behind the Dances block and downclimb from there. Fun. JL

Sounds like a group of 2 with stuck ropes around 9 pm last night. S&R folks mentioned dehyration as an issue, must of been up there for a while. Tons of S&R folks hiking up Misery with back packs and big ropes. Felt bad as we drank beers and watched the sunset. Thanks all S&R for efforts. JL

Nice work Radek and Shirley, way to get after it!!!!! JL

Can meet anyone out there after 4 pm, once it cools down a bit. Not looking to kill it, just climb moderate sport/trad. hangdoggers need not apply. JL

Not sure if Off White is talking about the same place, but the usual place we camp for free next to the river is now gated and closed. It's the turn right there next to the bridge, basically across the canyon from the The Cave climbing area. It used to be THE free place to camp, with spots right on the river. But i guess i understand why they closed it up, it was getting trashed down there. Now just roll up the road higher and camp up there. JL

Only one other group of two out there. You left your soft shell on the ground as you left, said you were from Portland? describe color and what funny item was in the pocket and i'll send it off. JL

Not sure if this still stands, but the water at the pumps in the park is pretty gnarly. They had problems with it before and were working on it. It's pink and tastes like crap. None of the locals drink it. Not sure about that BLM spot your talking about Kevbone, they closed down access to the few free camping spots not too long ago. But i don't know for sure what's what. JL

Currently you can get within 1 mile of the TH, basically right before the 10 mile marker. The snow is super soft, i wouldn't even try to go past that. Looks like somebody got in there on a sled just recently, saw the tracks through the gravel. One track in, and one out. Anybody on here? Not a good weekend to get on anything big back there, shit's gonna warm slide for sure. JL

can anyone vouch for this guy? Chris, pm me. JL

Wimsey Take your holier than thou attitude and shove it up your ass. First you said you knew "many" who have climbed it in under 2 hours. Next you changed it to "a handful"? And now i'm supposed to believe your a statistics guy? Go guide some more clients up Bunnyface, hang at Bellatazza with your laptop and climb Magic Light in your approach shoes. Do i believe you did it in 3 hours? sure, your probably really fit. Do you need to act like it's normal? And that others are below your if they don't? Show some respect dude. It might be one of us "normal" summit in 7 hour climbers that hauls your broken body out of there someday. JL

Frequently done from TH to summit in 3 hours? My ass. Of course it's been done, but not frequently. You would have to be in really, really good shape to get up that in that amount of time. And if you were going for all 3, that pace would destroy the average person. That is unless you live in Bend and are a marathon runner or some sort of uber athlete. JL

As far as "best time of the year" to climb the traverse, it really depends on being able to ski out. While Rocky Joe is correct about it being quite a feet without ski's, he's not if you have ski's/splitboard. Skinning in will save lots of time/energy, plus you get to ride down the SE ridge of Middle(will save you at least 1 hour) and down the S. side of S. Sister which will save you a ton of time. I couldn't imagine being back there without flotation devices right now. Road to Pole Creek TH should be melted out within 1-2 miles after all the rain. Sounds like there will be a lot ofus out there next weekend. Maybe we should team up for a safety meeting? JL

No on the bridge. I'll go talk to Julian myself as you obviously have no idea what the hell your doing out there. Putting in a bridge because of the accident is absurd. How about a mandatory prussik back-up on all rappells? This guy having anything to do with park input or representing local Smith Rock climbers is scaring me. JL

RodJ I appreciate any efforts on anyone putting together some sort of publication to provide beta on new routes. I haven't looked at this new supplement, so it's hard for me to judge. But i would say do some research before calling out Corvallisclimb on what efforts he provides to Smith Rock. He is a valuable asset out there, doing a good part of the shitty anchor replacements out there, and then some. The answer to most of your questions would make you feel silly. but thanks for all your lost wages. JL

People have been sleeping in that cave for a long, long time. I doubt any ranger would give you a hard time for it. The day pass has more to do with parking your car overnight, and to deter climbing bums from sleeping in the lot. Last weekend there was 8 folks that base-jumped off the Monkey, now that pissed off the rangers. Julian is the new ranger, and he's a welcomed addition to the staff there. It's been a while since Smith has had a ranger that would actually walk the backside and talk face to face with hikers/climbers, not just ride the 4-wheeler around. Some do think he's a bit aggro, giving out dog tickets and actually enforcing basic rules. But in the long run it may help reduce user conflicts and help things run smoothly at the park. He takes his job very seriously, which i personally respect. JL

Access is coming from Pole Creek TH, just outside of Sisters. Currently the last 3 miles are snowed in to TH, but should be melting out quickly. From there(depending on which route you want to climb) you go up the SE ridge and then traverse the W. side to the summit. Pretty airy traverse and can be quite dangerous conditions depending. THen up/over Middle via N. ridge, ski the SE ridge of middle(really good descent) and then pick a ridge up the N. side of South Sister. Depending on your fitness, North and Middle in one day. Bivy at Camp Lake and then up/over S. Sister. when you plan on going in? JL

NICE WORK SHAPPY!! It doesn't see much traffic but is a really cool over-all climb. Your right, that little 5.8 thin crack(more like 5.9 but short) inbetween is a bit spicey. The upper pitch is really fun and gets wide up top. The other variation is to go up Caffeine Free(just left of Phone), go past those anchors. Clip the first 4/5 bolts of the 11a(easy 5.8 moves), move right up a crack and then up to the ledge all in one pitch. Then you avoid the thin spicey crack. That way you can go up in just 2 pitches. JL

Work in Redmond, can be at the park by 2:30/3 pm. Climb till dark, haven't been out in a while so somewhat mellow. But i'm up for anything. PM me if your interested. JL

gee, i feel so important. Went and checked it out today. Road is impassable the last 3 miles, basically the last turn left to go to the TH. It's shady down there so it's always snow late. But it looks like snow the rest of the way. It was so firm i could of basically drove quite a ways(i went up about 100 feet), but all who know me also know my track record out there. JL

You can access Casaval from Helen Lake, but it may be more trouble than it's worth, A steep snow hike probably needing cramps/tool to gain the ridge. Might be easier to just go up lower Casaval to the flat spot and camp there. As soon as the W. face starts corning up..... IT'S ON!!!! JL

Both "run-out" and " a lot" are subjective. JL

Red Rocks photos are Crimson C. Let's keep it in Oregon eh. JL

fighting? are you crazy? That shit hurts my hands, which i need to climb rocks. rock-paper-scissors yo!!! JL