Led_Hed

Butterbrickle-Peshastin Pinnacles (5.6 I think).

Got an Arc'Teryx Khamsin 38. Love it. Removable hip belt (great for sliming down for long steep day routes), removable frame sheet (though it provides tons of comfort on approaches), easy to attach crampons, hydration system compatible, excellent fit, awesome materials, awesome build, no bullshit, reasonably priced (buy it at mec in canada). If only mine were'nt munched by alpine rodents of unusual size in the Bugaboos. I like the idea above re: modifying one of the lower loops so it will quick release. If this is done instead of tool toobs some weight is saved.

That's my payday. I'd be down!

If you could do only one right now I would have to vote for Polar Circus. It's a fabulous route and reportedly in great shape at the moment. Murchinson is also classic and not far from the Rampart Hostel. Professors is a fun one to but very rambling. Weeping Wall also rocks. Wonder what the N. Face of Athabasca looks like right now?

If you're solidly leading 5.8 in the Northwest (on granite and the like) then you would have no problem on routes such as cat in the hat, olive oil, and tunnel vision. The thing about red rx is that the footholds are huge and every handhold is way positive. You often have the option of climbing cracks or faceholds because the cracks have all kinds of breaks and knobs in them. Have fun. There is loads of good climbing there. If you are feeling good and have a competent partner check out crimson crysalis. A little steeper and longer than the others but hugely classic. Just remember your warm clothing items hat/windbreaker etc (as you would in the NW). Even though it is usually sunny and warm it can get wicked cold when the wind picks up. PS-If you're van or canopy camping and you don't want to pay for the shitty campground there is a great bivi parking lot at the Costco on Charleston. It's near the end of Charleston as your headed out to the park.

1. Hitchhiking walkabout to the Southwest climbing in Jtree and Red Rocks, and a smidge in Yosemite totallying 1.5 months time. (Highlight was: Resolution Arete-Red Rx) Then driving Layton's broken body home to WA thru Death Valley (106 degrees!) 2. My first Alaskan expedition (Wrangells)- though not as succesful as I'd hoped but still fun. 3. A kickass trip to the Bugaboos (highlight was the Becky-Chouinard) but everything up there was amazing. Small side trip to hit N. Face of Athabasca before coming home. 3.5 First trip into the Southern Pickets-W. McMillan Spire. fun times.

It makes me sick to hear someone argue that if the law-abiding public had zero access to firearms we would be safer and better off. Who's worried about being shot by law-abiding armed home-owners? Answer: Burglars and other morons who are willing to gamble with their own lives and the lives of those behind a closed locked door. Every home intruder armed or not assumes a huge risk by entering anothers living space univited and places his/her potential victim in a position where it would probably be stupid (unless the burglar fled immediately after being warned) not to shoot the intruder. There's a lot of home invasions happening in the Seattle area as of recently. I'm dissapointed that the papers havn't covered it a little better. armed morons... legal guns in legal hands... Dru, What a retarded coment man. Come on. Violence is a huge subject, and we live in a huge country, far more populated than Canada. Blaming the whole issue on one factor is ridiculous.

Lockdowns are the only way to travel. I was battling my BD twist leashes on the N. Face of Athabasca last week and finally resorted to whipin' out my knife mid-pitch and cutting the shaft loop from around each tool. My rubber shafted Black Prophets were gripping the wet leashes and keeping me from getting a proper grip on my tools. My partner uses lockdowns and I've been wanting them for a while. Very secure and versatile.

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

The Lawgoddess knows what's up. Mammut pants are the ticket. No wonder so many Euros dig 'em. The velcro around the ankles also works well to convert the sporty trousers into knee highs. They've treated me well in the Cascades, Red Rocks, Alaska, and the Bugaboos alike. I'd been using a pair of original schoeller talus pants from Patagonia for years. I use them for everything except running in the afternoon Seattle summer heat.

My partner and I approached the NE Buttress early morning Saturday and heard 90% of the pocket glacier go sliding off in oblivion. We continued approaching the route and crossed to the notch between the pocket glacier and propeller cairn. The remaining 10% of the glacier threatened the slabs below so we choose to bail. There were also two big "fins" of snow guarding the ramp leading to the NE butt. so as far as we could tell the "complete" was the only way to go. Shouldn't take long to clear up completely though.

In the past year I've bivied on two routes. One bivi was planned, one was not. On the unplanned bivi (february 26th-N. Cascades) I was w/o a sleeping pad or bag of any kind. That sucked. The only pair of socks I had were the thick damp wool ones that I had been wearing all day. That sucked. I had no stove and couldn't get a fire lit. That sucked. I had food but not the fatty kind. That sucked. I had no shelter of any kind (only gore-tex bibs/jacket). That sucked. I had a balaclava, insulated hood and thin beanie. That saved my bacon. I had a Pat. DAS Parka. That rocked. I didn't sleep a wink. On the planned bivi (april 22nd-Red Rocks, NV) I had a down jacket. That rocked. I had fatty meat sticks. That rocked. I had a pad. That rocked. I had a balaclava but an uninsulated hood on my down jacket. That kinda sucked. I had an emergency space blanket which worked OK (get the biggest one you can find if you go that route). But the biggest discomfort factor was the place we stopped. It was a slanting ledge and no matter what you just couldn't get comfortable. I would really gun for a ledge that looks good on the topo and strongly consider stopping short at a good spot if you're unsure of bivi sites above and it's getting toward dark. On the planned bivi I still didn't sleep more than an hour or so. What ever happens I'm sure you'll do fine but think hard about the possible/likely conditions where you are climbing. My winter unplanned bivi was in the Cascades. My planned bivi was in the desert SW. So the ingredients will be much different if you're talking about a Rockies climb for instance. But I'm sure this is obvious to you. Good luck. You'll come away with lot's of good beta for future reference. Hopefully you'll look like this ->

I'm down for a little Bellingham area sting operation...

Ha! Good work Mike. I knew you could pull off the route. Have you seen any of the tentpoles for my lil' Mtn. Hardwear tent in any of your storage bins from Vegas? Gettin' ready to shove off for AK Monday...

What about Colonial and Big Four? They're winter routes but so are Chair and Index...