Rad

We are all, it seems, just seeds cast into the wind, searching for the right meadow in which to take root, grow, and bloom, before we too are folded back into the earth when our summer finally draws to a close. Life is what we make it, each day precious.

Crap. I hate this part of climbing. They were all inspiring in their own ways. RIP.

Counterpoint: I find that dry treated ropes are more supple and easier to handle than non-dry ropes. They run smoother over edges and rough rock and leave less of themselves behind on these features. The dry treatment permeates the entire sheath, not just its exposed exterior, so they will retain water repellant qualities even after they have been used a lot and become worn. If you climb in the mountains, your rope is going to get wet sooner or later, and if it's not dry treated it's going to get a lot heavier a lot faster and stay wet longer. Have you ever rappelled down a wet rope? Imagine if you could cut the amount of water in it by 75% or more in that scenario. Yes, dry treatment costs more, but it has many benefits too. Moreover, like "Gortex" jackets, not all dry treatments are equal. Some lose their effectiveness relatively quickly. Others seemingly last forever. Dry ropes have their uses. Non-dry ropes have a narrower set of uses. The best rope is the one you have with you when you need one! Have fun!

THIS. The OTHER THING to remember is to WEIGHT YOUR RAPPEL SYSTEM TO TEST IT BEFORE YOU DISCONNECT FROM THE ANCHOR. You'll catch all kinds of rigging errors that way. Wasn't there an ALL CAPS avatar around here somewhere? Days gone by...

@OlympicMtnBoy Great! I'm a Gaia user so I'll look for it and PM you if I can't find it. Thx!

As I daydream about summer alpine rock in Canada I'm hoping to find a useful tool/site/resource to gauge damage from the many BC fires in recent years. I'm particularly interested in the valley heading toward the Grimface/Deacon and the Cathedral area of Pasayten, but am hoping there's a way to learn about other areas too. Thx much Rad

Yep. If you're young, ambitious and broke just get a single fat 70 and take it everywhere. At worst, it'll be training weight.

Wow! Congrats! Looks like your detailed homework paid off in a big way.

You're on the right track. Comments above are all sound. You'll probably want something beefy for rock cragging - go w a 70 meter rope in the 9.7 to 10.2 range for better durability. Skinnier if you're trying to redpoint longer routes at your limit. For the alpine, a long, skinny cord, either 60m or 70m is a good way to go for reasons mentioned above. 7.8 to 8.9 that can be doubled if needed. That'll cover a lot of scenarios, and through experience you'll learn what you prefer in each situation. I also have a 30m skinny cord that is handy for times when you'll be on class 4 and a partner might want a short belay, or you need to make a short rappel when downclimbing seems to scary. I also have twin 7.8s for alpine rock where I want both length and light weight and am in terrain where rockfall or something might cut one rope. Managing twin skinny cords is a pain, though. Look for deals. Rope prices vary from $100 to $300+. Aim for something with good ratings that's on sale. Dry is helpful in many situations, but super dry (or some other wording) is often overkill. In fact, I have a cragging rope that is so dry-treated it slips through belay devices even when they are locked off. Rather disconcerting. Be safe, have fun!

Thanks for sharing the stoke! There are still plenty of adventures out there for those that seek them.

Wow, what a great thread!!! Thanks for some awesome ideas! I especially like the river trip comments. As I age I'd like to think about adventures that dont involve me humping heavy ropes and rack into mountains to climb alpine routes. @montypiton were the mosquitoes atrocious? What did you do for a boat?

They didn't extend the road, they just paved it. So instead of bouncing an hour in potholes you drive smoothly in 15 minutes. There are a variety of trails, but they mostly run along the canyon floors. Not sure there will be any new tours to be had, but then I'm not an expert in tours in that area. Maybe someone will give you ideas - and I'll take note. Finally, if I were you, I'd post the same question on Turns All Year. More skiers there.

Wow. Thanks for such a detailed set of images, overlays, and beta for the area. This will be helpful for anyone heading up there.

Shit, I'm old enough to know that joke. @JD: Great jorb dudes. Pain is soon forgotten and new plans are made. Climb on!

Thanks all. Naive question: when a slab cuts loose and the weak layer rides down the harder layer underneath it does the harder layer have some melting due to friction? If so, does it re-freeze and actually increase its hardness, thus increasing the chance of future slides down to that base level? Or is the hard base layer somehow perturbed in such a way that new slides down to it are unlikely? In any case, it sounds like this could be a very dangerous year in the PNW both in bounds and out of bounds. Bummer.