mike1

BOC Cultosaurus Erectus

I haven't been up there lately but found this info on Marble Mountain SP on the web site: Another route choice that's kinda cool is to skin up the 83 to the 830. Bail off the 830 at about 3,500' and follow a 345 bearing to the toe of the Swift Creek Flow. Pretty good camping in the trees there. Hop-skip-jump and you're above tree-line and heading up towards Monitor Ridge.

Linkin Park- One Step Closer

a life for a life I say. I wish these guys would take my converter. It started ratteling the other day!

There goes my plans...

does no play well with others.

Why are you still talking? Sell crazy someplace else.

I'm saving it for when the zombies attack.

Standard climbing protection

where Tibet asked to be invaded...

Ya right, we all know there was no such thing as propaganda back then...

In my experience, using this half rope system resulted in a much faster rescue (in practice) with only a couple hauls on a 3 to 1 system. The safety factor is probably equal. There are plenty of climbs you can plan for by knowing those things ahead of time. But, what I’m talking about is a trip that has everything. Actually, you don’t even know what it has because you’re making it up as you go along. 10 days in the North Cascades, anywhere. Two big points for me are double rope rappels and quick and safe crevasse rescue. You could take a 9.5 for lead climbing/glacier travel and a cord for doubling up on rappel...

If the weather is stable for the rest of the week, then it should be good. Watch the weather through the week. Might see you up there!

Mega light= 2 lbs. - 5oz

Climbing is the best training for climbing. Curious though... why do you hate running?

Isn't that just a regular NPR station? Looks like it. I love NPR!

I find this entertaining. Rue Morgue radio

it wasn't the grateful dead "The dead only know one thing, that it is better to be alive"

That’s good advice if you know you won’t be climbing anything that requires a belay.

What a beautiful place! someday...

That dude is the true zen master...

Think I'm gonna have Metallica play at my next birthday party.

Why did the climber cross the glacier? No need to assume I'm doing anything. I'm only posing this as a discussion... add to it as you like, make it up as you go along. If you are the climber with the entire other rope in your pack, then that’s your rescue system rope. If you’re the climber with the rest of the glacier rope in your pack or coiled, then that’s your rescue system rope. Kiwi coils aren’t too bad if you’re using an 8.5 half rope. That's what I was intending when I said double ropes. I practiced this last year with a friend where he arrested me, pulled his pack off, set an anchor, pulled the rope from his pack, and rigged for rescue! You are right about the stretch, but it does work. Additionally, I recommend each climber carry a second tool. Try and place anything as an anchor while your ax is stuck in the snow holding the fallen. It’s easy to cut corners by ignoring how difficult a crevasse rescue could be, but in a Cascades Traverse where you’re in deep, you may not see another soul so it’s critical to get this right. The question comes from my thinking of a rope system that covers most aspects of climbing and traversing in an alpine environment like a multi day North Cascades Traverse, specifically for a two person team. Rock climbing, steep snow and ice climbing, glacier travel, descending and repelling. I was looking at specifically using doubles in the crevasse rescue scenario in order to discover the benefits or problems with it. And talk about different ways of using them in that situation. This does bring up another common question though. How far apart do you travel on a glacier with a two person team? On a single 60 meter rope, tying in at 2/5ths and 3/5ths leaves about 30 to 35 feet between you and double that coiled on each climber - enough for each climber to drop a loop over the edge for the fallen climber to clip their pulley to for an instant 2:1. That’s a nice package deal, but not necessary. But let’s say that’s what you do and you coil a few in your hand. Now you’re only 10 to 15 feet apart. I’ve read where lengths between climbers as short as 10 feet or even less are suggested. Personally I prefer 40 to 50 feet, but that may be AFU. What do you think? Think about two climbers traversing the Chickamin from Dome to Gunsight where they'd be paralleling the cracks.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I thought I’d go ahead and post it to let you all shoot holes in it. What if I said that it's possible that carrying a double rope for a 2 person NC trav is the all around ‘safest’ practice. Now I’m talking a 2 person team only here. Okay, don't shoot me yet. If the follower ties into the end of one rope and carries the second and the lead climber ties in and coils the rest. That this will leave more than enough rope for each to quickly rig a mechanical advantage in a crevasse rescue scenario. If you haven't practiced your two person team crevasse rescue then you don't know how difficult it can be. Some obvious cons are the added weight of the second rope on the team and the extra rope management for any rock routes... Some obvious pros are full length rap’s, more dynamic rope system, less rope drag, more efficient crevasse rescue... So you tell me... what’s wrong with this picture? Okay, let me have it!

yashuryoubetcha!