kurthicks

it should be mentioned that all tools are on sale. Nomics - $199, Fusions $149, aztars $149, etc.

Belay options in order of the most force put on anchor to least: 1. "top rope" style redirected belay--follower weight plus equal & opposite braking force (never a best option) 2. direct belay off anchor (munter, autoblock)--follower weight only (best option for bomber anchors) 3. indirect belay off body --follower weight minus whatever force the belayer can absorb (plus/minus the belayer's weight depending on the stance/terrain) (best option for mank anchors)

Although Blake is correct about not developing too many rules, there is one rule that I believe in...simplicity. Daisy chains, although useful for some applications such as aid climbing, are not suited for multipitch climbing. I have simply seen too many leaders get to the belay, clip off with the daisy, and belay off their body. Daisy chains are designed for body weight only, not you and your partner, or for catching a fall. http://www.bdel.com/videos/daisy.html nine times out of ten, my system is as follows: build anchor clove off to master point with lead rope. pull up slack direct belay off anchor (assuming a good anchor) using a munter or autoblocking device (atc-guide, reverso, etc) OR do an indirect belay off your body to reduce forces on the anchor (device, munter, hip, etc) bring partner up flip or restack rope continue

or the Early Winters Couloir or the Liberty Bell E. Face couloir or Cutthroat East Face or Silverstar or Whistler Mtn East Couloir or...get the idea that rock isn't the only thing around Wa Pass.

why aren't you out climbing in this beautiful weather? I would be if I didn't have to work today.

I got an e-mail saying that the road was washed out about 1.5 miles before the Boston Basin TH. Supposedly there will be parking at that location and we can walk from there until the damage is repaired.

Lee, feel free to shoot me a PM about what I did last summer. I'm guessing that I will see you around. I found a storage unit to be a very reasonable option when combined with a few other connections. Kurt

is that any good?

We've been using them as a demo product for the last year or so. The bladder system is actually pretty good. They are relatively easy to field replace and have a blow off valve if the pressure gets too high (from the sun or pumping it up too much). They don't stand up to the wind at all, however. They can also be blown up the old fashioned way, but I haven't tried that. I think their best product is the Tenshi, but I don't know if they're still making it out of eVent.

The Outdoor Recreation Center from WSU is coming up on April 21 to do an informal crag cleanup and climb. We'd love to see some support from the Spokane crowd. PM me for more info.

If they bail on those deals, I'll take all of the stuff they wanted.

you giving up the game or what Matt?

Without looking it up, I believe that Washington does, in fact, produce more potatoes than Idaho. perhaps we should have "famous potatoes" on our license plates?

here's a crappy laptop touchpad overview topo.

The temps and weather were great for sending this weekend. w00t.

yea, it was. Here's a webpage for it. If anyone has any more beta, I'll add it there. http://cub.wsu.edu/wsualpine/mirabeau.asp

Beta warning. This is the same place as the "Zoo" or "Dinosaur Canyon"...I suggest we call it "Mirabeau" since it is the name of the park it is in and because it sounds cool. Here is the main wall. As mentioned, it's about 40-50'. the routes seemed to start around 5.10a and go up. I only did 3 routes on it, but they were about .10a (far right), .10c (middle black streak in photo), .10d/.11a up the golden streak (left of the black streak). It gets sun in the afternoon as it faces SW, but in the late afternoon it was getting shady again. Note the girlfriend at the bottom of the pic for scale. the central boulder/outcrop has 2 routes on it. the arete on the left goes at 5.7 (right side) or 5.9 (on arete/left side). the slab on the right goes at about 5.9. All told, I counted 11 bolted sport routes, 1 non-bolted TR route, and 1 mixed route...(7 on the main wall, bigbro's roof project (in background of above photo), 1 left of the roof (an inside corner), 2 on the central boulder, and 2 on the southwestern boulder). My guess is that most are in the 9+/.10/11 range. The routes are closely spaced, but do offer a way to get a good workout in without a lot of messing around. The rock is good, much more like Post Falls than Minnehaha, and has pretty good friction. The setting and approach are pretty good too (park at Mirabeau Park). We didn't see another climber all day which is unusual when cragging in Spokane on a nice spring day!

I spent the afternoon cragging at this place today. shoot me a PM if you have rating beta for the routes... Kurt

everything is still available. taking best offers.

Yea Bug! I'm going stand behind my assertion...$2 polyester pants are great since if it's raining or if you're getting soaked, you're going home anyways. It sucks to trash expensive gear when it's not even remotely necessary to use said gear.

this depends on where you park and how far you get off the road.

owner found. it's being used as a lowering anchor for a hard redpoint attempt. now i just have to see him send the 5.13c!

pub club? :brew:

didn't get it. I'll shoot you an e-mail.

I should be around up there climbing both days, pending the weather. PM me if you want.