skyclimb

It was a great suprise to see all you guys out there . Shit Oleg, you know it was all those pranh wearing babes on the front side, that was getting you turned on. It musta been 75 out there on sunday.

Evidently those mormons are really chapping your ass these days. We tried to warn you!

Thank for the link, that is exactley what I needed.

I am embarking on a new project, which could possibly entail, removing old bolts from their holes, widening the hole, and then replacing with 3/8 bolts and new stainless hangers. Is this possible. What are the best methods of removing old bolts from their holes, so new holes don't need to be drilled? Thanks, Nick

I just saw a recent photo in the gallery of Hydrotube. Only 3 short years ago, this thing was bolted conservatively. I remember writing up a TR about it here, as rain fell on the slabs, making the somwhat run-out 5.8 very scary. In fact, one of my first sport climbing partners in Oregon, had this route as his nemesis for awhile. According to him, he took a 20 footer on the first pitch, ripping off copious amounts of skin on the slabs. These were the stories that made hydrotube a "fearsome" 5.8 slab lead for intro climbers, and kept people coming back to a classic line. Now it has been dumbed-down to the level of someone who can't see beyond their drill and the power that brings.

So as a reader, let me see if I understand: Chris and Aaron allow Ben to tag along on the ice cliff glacier route. Ben understands the level of difficulty, and the skills required, and admits to himself and his partners that he might be lacking technically. They say okay, and take him along. The approach goes fine, albeit with some advice from Aaron on how to save weight. Ben refuses said beta. Ben drops his shelter for the night, at the bivy site. Chris gives his warm sleeping bag to Ben as a kind gesture among partners. Chris and Aaron proceed to rope-gun Ben up the ice cliff glacier the following day teaching him quick tricks for moving fast in the mountains. Ben feels these "tricks" are un-safe. They return un-hurt. Ben rips his partners/guides/rope-guns a new one, on a university climbing board. So am I understanding this correctly?

I use BD cams passively, occasionally. I always use sizes 1 and up, and I make sure to slot them in cracks like large hexes, really getting them to bite. Often times it reassures me to know that the passively slotted cam could save my ass in a fall. I wouln't want to worry about the cam blowing out on a fall. I guess this question just comes back to how much your life is worth? Often times your biggest cam will become fully tipped out in a OW, and then it is very reassuring to yank that fucker into the rock, till the time when you can slide it higher to another constriction. I recently did a route in the alabama hills of california, that was 130 of OW. I needed two or three 3.5's, a few #4's, 3's, and 1 or two smaller pieces. Unfortunatly I had only one 3.5, and two # 3's(new route, no beta). I felt very good about being able to thrash my way up a few moves with the 3.5 or 3 severly tipped out deep in the crack, till i could walk it higher to a better spot. Without this reassurance, I very well might have bailed, leaving gear behind, where possible. my two cents

Can anyone recommend a good spot to camp around lee vining this time of year? We are heading down there tomorrow to climb ICCCCEEEE, and need some digs close to the action. Thanks, Nick

Rooster(5.6)Then the southest corner on the hen(5.9), amazing moves, and a cool slab finish,well protected! Overhanging is chicken- rawhide(5.8). Really fun and exposed. Like owl rock-desert southwest, super classic. More obscure stuff, whereby caught in the dark. Tyler pulled aid off an old 1/4 inch stub, to reach the top and rap anchor-old rusted out I-bolt. Don't go there, oregon has no adventure climbing.

Hey Minx, I attained a private pilots license from Utah State University about 4 years ago. I think the biggest thing about finding a instructor, is your compatibility wiht that person. A part 41, or 161 school will require a minimum of 35-40 hours of flight time, and ground school, plus the exams. For me it took 71 hours of flight time, including the exams. This took 1 and a half years flying about 2 times a week. Obviously this can be done much quicker, but the point is, find a instructor who will be with you for the whole training, and who is good for you. Check with schools and private instructors. Private instructors are generally older, and care more about flying, then achieving flight hours for the Airline transport Liscence(1500 hours). Hope this helps, and have fun its a blast Nick

Hey! We are also heading to the blanca this season for a little snow, ice and rock...plus all the cool stuff that comes with it. Did you find anywhere significantly cheaper for tix? Thanks for the heads up, Nick

1995-Castlewood Canyon State Park, Colorado. Danny Parker and I would have our moms drop us off in the canyon on weekends and afternoons, where we learned the ropes. At first, we were repellers...but slowely that gave way to climbing in our tennies. As such, we went from rapping off blue tubular webbing, that we would buy by the 100' segment, to an actual 60 meter dry bluewater rope After the first few years, our figure 8's became warn through, from the water falls we would descend and ascend, the cliffs we would squirm up, and the falls we would take. It was great adventure down there in castlewood canyon

That is some SICK climbing to be sure... nice eye for the line and way to execute

There is a great chimney at smith called Strung Out.... Its on the west side, and starts in a good sized cave... Ask Layton about what gear you will need for the lead but I suspect a few #5's #4's and 3.5's It is a good bombay to offwidth.

to post climbing depression.... Sometimes it is the most surreal thing to drive home with the setting sun in the rear view mirror. The feeling of wholeness envelopes as the song on the radio makes perfect sense, and for once this little life is complete. Sometimes it is tension and anxiety as the music just isn't right, and the fucking commentary is annoying the fucking shit out of me...fuck. The fog has rolled in and the views that were wipped out in the storm have all but cast into shadow as the soft fog has erased all memory of the failure. Sometimes it is just dark, and the lights of on-coming traffic are the only real things that exist. Even they seem insignificant in this huge place, as all feeling has been taken or lost, and emptyness replaces it. Life always seems to go on, sometimes it takes a few days, and sometimes it takes a bit longer. But life always goes on.... Nick

Yeah, I think I have read the whole thing through already...It is one hellova issue, and one hellova magazine. It has substance and integrity

be wary of the k2 short skiies. We were doing a winter approach a few months back to mt. theilson(4 miles) when my friends bindings came loose( the screws loosened). Luckily with some handy work I could fix the complex, conveluted, and poorly design piece of shit. Later on the decent, the other binding completly shitted out, and she had to post hole the remaining two miles to the road in the dark. The k2 short skiies are by far one of the most poorly designed pieces of shit I have ever seen, for both function and fixing...Don't buy them.

That first pitch looks SWEET! big ole' blobs of rock. Nice job

We came down right of the gully through the trees. It was really easy, just a little painful at times.

We did the belmore gully this weekend, and had a blast! We found a bomber log jam across the river about .3 miles before bridge 4. The traverse to the gully from there was cruiser. I can't believe you guys forded that river, she was running pretty good. We also climbed in the "beyond hope" area-sumallo bluffs, were we did a thin 300m WI3+. The wade across the river that night on the way out was VERY cold, making me think this area is very much "beyond hope" right now

Thats cool You took about the same line I did. I broke left where you broke left, but then stopped the leftward traverse somewhere past the 14a variation, and then took a tight-steep rime gully to the top of the crater rim as it was starting to get warm, and the rime shower began to commence. You must have traversed left in a different spot than I did, because I was chopping platforms every 500-700 feet. How were conditions on this trip compared with conditions you have seen in the past?

Rockies???

Right on!