Rad

I'm not sure I agree about tree pulling being a good long term solution. I was nearing the end of a pitch mid-way up a climb next to Springbok Arete (SCE) where the beta was "grab the branch". I did and it snapped, sending me on a 25 footer. I had to climb up and lead past that section sans branch.

Right. Apparently there are 31 designated wilderness areas in WA, as you can see on this interactive map.

There are large wilderness areas in Washington, including Alpine Lakes, Henry Jackson, and North Cascades. Washington wilderness expanded in 2014, the 50th aniversary of the Wilderness Act. At this point, much of the alpine terrain in the state is designated as wilderness. Power drills are prohibited in these areas, so new and old routes are done ground-up and bolt-free. Old school is here to stay.

We are fortunate that there are many types of rock and styles of climbing in Washington. Each has pros and cons, and we are entitled to our preferences. I love granite, except that friction climbing is so temperature dependent - my performance changes by a full number grade over a 40 degree range. X38 and X32 have at least two main rock textures: shattered and sometimes sharp or slippery (e.g. World Wall, We Did, Nevermind) and gritty and high friction with more slopers (Blackstone, most of the Far Side, Bob's Wall and above). These climb very differently. If you don't like one, seek out crags of the other type and give them a try. Personally, I like the grippy rock much better than the more shattered crags.

Squishy Bell has 4 routes and is easy to set up top ropes. For Sunshine Vista, just bring an extra rope, anchor it on a tree above the crag, and use it to get down to set up the anchor on your chosen line. Then use it to move the rope between anchors. It's low angle so pretty easy to do that. Be careful not to knock rocks down onto other climbers if there are other people there. You can probably do something similar at Off Ramp, though it's not quite as easy. Between those three crags you should have more enough routes to keep you occupied for the day.

Hi Gene, There are a few X38 top-rope crags, but for the most part they are short and unsatisfying. Gritscone is a scraggly lump in the forest that's like 15-20 feet high. You want to get out in the sun! One idea is to go to a popular area with a friendly attitude, no problem for you, and get others to put up your rope, share a rope, or belay you on lead. On a sunny spring weekend you can be confident you'll find people out there. If you don't want that uncertainty, bring along some folks from the dads thread who have kids of about the same age/ability. Or from your gym? I'd suggest the Interstate Park / Headlight Point Area as it has a high concentration of moderate routes of 50-90 feet. FWIW, Far Side rock is very grippy and generally not shattered, so it has a very different from the sharp yet slippery holds of We Did Rock or Nevermind. For true beginner routes, aim for Sunshine Vista. If you're just going once then hit up MP: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105797433/exit-38-far-side If you plan to keep going then def get Kurt's book. It's excellent. https://www.snoqualmierock.com/ Cheers, Rad Ps. Edit to add that the trail goes right past Gritscone, so you can look at it and decide for yourself.

I'd be a shameless adoring fan if I were there. He's clearly the best rock climber and has been for years. Seems odd that he would be on real rock in the US in the middle of the World Cup season.

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.

I'd echo Gene's comment. Do some homework, pick an objective that you think is within your grasp, and post a partner request along the lines of 'psyched to get out and do X in the coming weeks' and see if you get any hits. You'll get out and start the climbing partner dating process...

Updates: The sodo gym is open. Bouldering only. new holds, new walls, new gym. A good location if you work at Starbucks or live in West Seattle (not me). Word on the street is that development of the location next to SBP is on hold, perhaps indefinitely. It's easy to imagine a variety of factors in play, including proximity to SBP, the WS DOT project that seems to be using space behind the building in question as a staging area, parking challenges in the area, and homelessness in the area. I wouldn't hold your breath on this one...

She went missing August 1st. SAR flew their chopper over that area, and then a horde of wannabe heroes flew drones with cameras all over that area. Plenty of climbers went out to do the routes in the area over the following months. I haven't been up near the Vesper summit in a while, but I'm very confident that's not SS's body. The SS rescue crowd is really wacky (go read it on FB), so I bet some of them will hold out hope and try to 'rescue' that photoshopped red blob.