BillA

Howdy, I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said, they're useful for carrying when chances are you won't need an ice screw, but want to carry one just in case. Or for bailing. They're definitely crap for water ice climbing, but they're super light and increasingly hard to find. We've only got a few of the pins and screws left and once they're gone, they're gone for good. Check out this http://nwalpine.com/cascadeclimbers link for half off pitons and screws for CC.com members. Just include your username in the comments section when you're checking out. If you do order, they won't ship for about a week, as we're leaving to go on vacation today. Happy climbing! -Bill

And who pulled that tick out of your nipple? Good times! You'll get better soon, so much choss to climb!

Bumpy

Still lookin' for one Mini T if anyone has one they're willing to part with...

Awesome!!

Now that is an awesome trip report.

Haha, no, nothing illegal but work related so would rather not spray about it on the internets.

Hi, If anyone from Portland is going to Smith I have a huge (but really easy) favor to ask of you. It will literally only take about two minutes of your time. It's worth some beers (or even a bit of cash) to me to have it done, so if you could e-mail me at wbamosiii@gmail.com that would be awesome. Bill

Quit sprayin' in my thread Sean! Sounds good Paul, I'll PM you my e-mail address and we can work out details? Word.

Anyone have one or two lying around they're willing to part with? Thanks!

Does anyone have contact info for Paul? I would like to get in touch with him ASAP. If you have the info and are so inclined, PLEASE e-mail me at wbamosiii@gmail.com. Thanks!!

That's the last prototype you get to test! Just kidding, thanks for the review... As an aside the production model is going to have dual vertically oriented chest pockets for your enjoyment.

Nitrox- PM Sent Daniel- I like both of the suggestions you sent me and will be sending you a detailed e-mail sometime in the near future, I just haven't had time to write it yet. Thanks for taking the time to e-mail us!

Hi everyone, sorry I didn't get on here earlier, I've been working in central Oregon. I started NW Alpine because I was tired of buying clothes that were not designed specifically for climbing and I like the idea of clothing that's made domestically. I've gotten so many suggestions from people over the last year, some have been really good and some have been pretty bad. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that almost everyone has differing opinions when it comes to what's desirable in their climbing apparel. I've had to accept that I can't please all of the people all of the time but hope to please at least some of the people some of the time! We've really only got a couple of pieces out right now because we're working hard to refine patterns, find the right people to do the work, etc. I'm really stoked about the Black Spider Light hoody. They're super nice and the first run sold out in under two weeks. (Actually that's not true, we've got one XL left if anyone wants it). The people who have given me feedback about the piece have been really positive. I've used one a bunch myself and it's pretty much my favorite base/mid layer. We've got another production run in the works and they should be available in the next week or two. Enough people have expressed interest in them that they'll probably sell out quickly like the first run did. There's some lag time in our production, but that's something we're working on figuring out. As for the salopette, I'm really stoked about that as well. It's an awesome cold weather piece, especially when paired with the light hoody. You can see the size chart here. I'd like to clarify some earlier comments as well. The salopette is NOT a custom piece. That would start to get really expensive and it's not something that we can really do at this point. That being said, if you have a freakishly long inseam, or some other size irregularity, feel free to e-mail us and we may be able to work something out. Also, I know that buying clothing online is sometimes a difficult thing to do. That's why we offer an unconditional money back guarantee. If you receive the item and for whatever reason you don't want to keep it, you're free to return it in unused condition within 90 days. Also, if you're in the Portland area it's entirely possible that we can meet up and you can try stuff on. Just drop us a line. We're also working on some other cool stuff (including a women's version of the hoody). So follow us on Facebook or check the site occasionally to see what's up. Sorry this got to be so long, thanks for reading! Bill

Replacing bolts is hard work and arguably the most prolific fixer of fucked fixed gear in Oregon is...Tyler Adams! He deserves a magazine article for the 500+ bolts he's replaced over the last five years, restoring many a neglected classic. Three cheers for Tyler and the rest of those selfless folks who choose to make our sport less dangerous!

I have a 45L Predator for sale in S/M and a large Serratus (I believe it was called the superlight or something, it's really big) for sale. Both are in used condition but have plenty of life left in them. The Predator does not have a lid and the Serratus has a couple of tears, but they're just cosmetic. Predator: $20 Superlight: $30 I prefer local pickup in Portland, but will ship if I have to. You pay shipping.

I just spoke to Todd on the phone. Definitely seems legit to me. We had a nice chat about Gorge classics and he regaled me with tales of some of his ascents in the greater ranges. Pretty stoked to meet him in person and I think he'll be a great asset to this website.

Howdy Todd, good work! Would definitely be into seeing some pictures of that if you can figure out how to post them. Sent you a PM as well.

Spent time looking at it today. The top out is awfully thin. If anyone is planning on going for it they better be able to lead very steep, very thin, gorgified ice. It would be cool if it got climbed but highs of 36 and the fact that the thing gets full sun all day isn't very confidence inspiring. If someone does decide to get on it please be VERY careful and remember that discretion is the better part of valor.

I spent 15 days up there in 2007 floating the Koktuli river. It's a beautiful area, we saw 37 grizzly bear and countless Salmon. The beauty was only marred by the occasional helicopter flying to the mine site. I believe that, in one version of their plan at least, they were planning on drying up the Koktuli to keep shit from the mine from leaching into the rest of the river system. The thought makes me sick. My brother-in-laws photos of the trip here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronschmidt/sets/72157601063012908/

You can really see After Image well in this photo: http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/37930006.jpg

Howdy everyone! You may have noticed our ad on the sidebar. We're a new company based here in Portland dedicated to making apparel for climbing that's functional, light and made locally. Check out www.nwalpine.com. We're currently working on expanding the line and have some exciting stuff on the way. Friend us on Facebook to stay in the loop. Thanks for checking us out!

Most definitely, if you're going to climb it don't do it on a busy weekend. All the routes at the base are subject to rockfall from the climb and there's still some loose rock on it. When we did it another party followed us up and it turned out to be the dude that's on the cover of the new Smith guidebook, can't remember his name. Probably the only time there's ever been two parties on it at the same time. I personally wouldn't want to do the climb below another party. The four star guidebook rating is a little deceiving as it will probably be a four star climb after it sees a dozen or more ascents, but probably isn't now unless you're a choss lover. But more people should do it so it gets cleaned up, just be aware. Anyway, yeah, climbing is dangerous. Hanging out under large rock walls, especially chossy ones, is dangerous. Wear a helmet.

Cool, I thought they weren't in that obvious a spot and it took a little looking to find them. I find it pretty unlikely that they've been chopped given the relative infrequency that summit gets climbed.

I thought it was a great route, my buddy and I climbed it in April. It's really pretty chossy above the second pitch, we pulled off a whole bunch of loose rock. When we did it there were a couple of pretty large loose flakes that would not make your belayer happy if they were knocked off. Maybe they're gone now? The rap anchors at the top were still there when we did it. You head left from where you top out on the last pitch and do a little exposed fourth class move and you'll find them, that gets you down the second to last pitch and then you can rap the rest of the route.