bwr

This at the Bend, just upriver from Royal Columns.

Take a look at these links - might be helpful: http://www.tradgirl.com/climbing_faq/home_walls.htm#crack http://www.climerware.com/wall4.htm http://homehandcrack.tripod.com/index.html I have a double crack in my garage that's kind of a combo of ideas - they're both adjustable in width but I can't change the angle - it's strictly vertical due to some structural constraints (now, if I could just get the wife to give up her half of the garage...).

Looks like the Oregon Scrambles book is already out (released March 1st): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...nce&s=books

Don't know what the deal is. At the registration booth there are three roads, and two of them were gated. The gated left one I think may be considered the continuation of the Sultan Basin Road (also FS6120?). The middle one (FS6129?) was open and is the one that heads towards Static Point. The rightmost one (Corona Mine Rd?) was also gated. We saw no cars on the way in after the gates but did pass one on the way out, so we weren't the only people back in there.

No snow at all on the road all the way to the trailhead.

The gate was open on Saturday (2/12/05) - you can drive almost to the parking area where the trail starts before you get stopped by downed trees. The hike in had some snow on the abandoned road, and none on the trail up into the woods. The rock itself was pretty wet and unclimbable with some snow at the base, but would have probably been great one day earlier after several nice days.

Has anyone been up to Challenger recently? I'm wondering about the condition of the Challenger glacier - if it's still passable given the hot weather. We're planning on going there in a couple of weeks. Thanks

Try here: http://wwwtest.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/fire/2004/icicle-fire/icicle-fire-location.html

The guidebook isn't out yet - hopefully it will be in a month or so. I'll bet the climbs will be in there - I know Dallas was working on finishing a number of climbs in June to get them in the guidebook. He's mentioned a few new climbs in the area you're talking about, and most of them go at between 5.8 and 5.10a.

I remembered the sport route on Baring and looked it up in the Beckey guide last night - the description goes something like "Grade VI, 5.12b, 18 pitches, almost all belays are hanging, expect to spend up to 3 days on route". I think the FA was done by Bryan Burdo and someone else whose name I can't remember.

Or my initials. I grew up not too far from Bristol, VA/TN - which is a major Winston Cup (err.. Nextel Cup) track. It was a madhouse there two weekends a year, but other than that the impact of NASCAR on the place wasn't too bad. And NASCAR fans spend lots of money - they're fanatical about the sport.

Story from the Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2001734255_nascar18.html NASCAR's truck series used to race in Monroe. Not sure why they don't anymore. If they couldn't make it in Monroe, not sure why Darrington would be any better.