Rad

Great TR. Excellent descriptions of parts of the experience that rarely get covered. I haven't been in anything this serious, but like Doug it makes me remember not-so-glorious mountain experiences where getting past some obstacle or getting down safely felt like a significant victory. Thanks.

"No matter where you go, there you are" BB

I stopped by on Monday afternoon on the way back from Idaho to let the kids run around in the sunshine and scramble through the cleft. The stench of human urine was overpowering. People, please pee in the toilet too.

Sounds like the beacon activation may have saved one or both of their lives. Hope they both have a speedy and full recovery.

I interviewed Mike Libecki a few years back about what he does when on foreign adventures. Part of his safety net was https://globalrescue.com/

Very impressive. Time to move to Spain so he can have easy access to more hard routes? And the wine is good too!

Insurance companies make money by denying claims. No is almost always their first response. Persistence, sometimes including suing them, is often needed to get the a just and equitable result. Insurance companies are untouchable, when it comes to coverage outside of the US. My friend Marcus tried that. It was rejected by court, as the incident (emergency appendectomy) was not on US territory, so US court has no jurisdiction. He would have to sue them in Canada, and it was simply cost prohibitive. You would have to have very deep pockets, as no attorney will take a case like this without a hefty retainer. The only way to start addressing the issue is to raise the public awareness and start changing insurance regulation. But legal action is a no starter. The other thing your friend, and perhaps Josh, could consider is enticing someone in a reputable media source, like the NYTimes to do an expose on this. Brand is everything to these companies, so you can hurt them by tarnishing the brand.

I got diagnosed with Dupuytrens Contracture (DC) ~10 years ago by a hand surgeon. It hasn't progressed. I think perhaps climbers may get something that looks like DC but actually isn't. I wouldn't be surprised if we get tendon adhesions in response to overuse (my case) and these can look on exam like DC. As Sol said, ice and cross fiber massage and stretching may help prevent these things from forming. Once formed, they may not go away. The hand surgeon I talked with said people sometimes go in and cut them out, but that has its own problems and in a significant fraction of cases (~50%) the DT just comes back a few years later. So there's your dose of internet medical advice for the day. It's worth exactly what you paid for it!

Insurance companies make money by denying claims. No is almost always their first response. Persistence, sometimes including suing them, is often needed to get the a just and equitable result.

This belongs in the "Plastic climbing" folder. No rock here.

Similar thing happened a few years ago when Juli Wurm blew away the entire US field, including Puccio. But she was much better known and is a cute female and they interviewed her. Bottom line: US climbers other than Puccio don't hold a candle to the folks who compete in the World Cup comps.

THIS is absolutely the way to go IMHO. It's what us locals do too.

I can't pick 5 favorites because I've been stoked about many routes over the years. Here are a few worth putting on your wish list that are not over-represented above (and none are hard): Past highlights: First ascents on Sloan and 1-2 pitch lines at X38. Multi-pitch rock: Grand Wall, NE Butt Higher Cathedral, Snake Dike on Half Dome, Inverted Staircase on Fairview, Moby Grape on Cannon, Colores and Punsola Reniu in Spain, Alpine: Challenger, Slesse, Inspiration, Sahale, Forbidden, a 20k scramble peak near Kangchenjunga. Future highlights: Hopefully more first ascents. Bugaboos, desert towers, Red Rocks. Climbing adventures with my kids.

Did you watch the SB ads? God's cell phone battery died and the earth went to shit. The interception was just the beginning...

Tear apart the Packers. Check. Now on to the #DawnWall

Maybe I sounded snide in previous posts. Actually, I find this inspiring on several levels. Let's all get off the computer and go find our own personal Dawn Walls (minus the tweeting film crew) and grow our balls character to epic proportions! Or maybe just watch the Seahawks tear apart the Packers while we pray for enough snow in the mountains to go snowboarding!

Bizarre media circus around this thing. I wonder how long rock climbing will stay in the public consciousness when it's over. 10 minutes? 11?

Pay per view click

Yes.

Social media wants to know. Great success and frustrating failure and a partnership tested by adversity. It'll make for good film for Reelrock 2015 no matter what... Maybe Beth Rodden will return to form and belay Tommy on the last pitches "Go Tommy! You got this! Come on Tommy!"

SBP while the turkey is in the oven. Cheers to all. Go Seahawks!!!

It's not the President's place to tell Congress to do anything. In fact, the American people regularly gridlock govt at the midterm to check the executive branch. Works both ways. It's also worth noting, FYI, that bills are supposed to originate in the House. The fact that Harry Reid's Senate came up with an Obama rubber-stamp bill means jack. Then, of course, there is always the lack of action during the 2009-2011 Democrat-controlled Congress. Obama has played politics with the law, with the recent election he thought Democrats had a chance-in-hell of winning, and with the lives of the very immigrants he claims to champion. Hello, playing politics is exactly what all of these folks do for a living. What do you call the debt ceiling and guvmint shutdown game of chicken? Politics. At least when Yomama plays politics something gets done. Any sane human will use the powers at his (or her) command to do the best they can for their own self interest and for the world. O has made a move. Now time for the Rs to make a move or shut up. Let's see, threaten to shut down the guvmint? Impeach? Sue the Prez? Wow, those will really advance our nation. Rs are on the wrong side of history on many issues: gay rights, immigration rights, gun control, voting rights, environment, non-rich rights. Anything else I'm missing. Talk and whine all you want. ACTIONS speak louder than words.

Seems like in your cute video Obama should say, "Great, go and bring me an immigration bill". Two years pass. Boehner refuses to vote on a bill passed by the Senate. It's Boner who's kicked the bill down the stairs, not Obama. In fact, that's all Boner has done for YEARS is kick EVERY bill down the stairs while trying to blame other people for his ineptitude. What great leadership . Obama is using the powers lawfully vested in his office to actually DO something. Maybe Boner should try doing the same sometime.

Climbers should attend to show we are responsible and legitmate land users. Sadly, I'll be out of town and can't make it. Please go and be seen and heard. .......... TO: Interested Parties, FROM: Elizabeth L O’Neal, SEPA Center SUBJECT: SEPA LEAD AGENCY & DETERMINATION OF NONSIGNIFICANCE This is to advise you that pursuant to WAC 197-11-900 (922 through 948), the Department of Natural Resources; has determined that it is Lead Agency for the following: Snoqualmie Corridor Recreation Plan: A 10-15 year plan that provides guidance and strategy for public use/recreation on DNR managed lands. The plan continues previous efforts balancing forest management and conservation responsibilities, provides new goals and objectives for recreational opportunities and strategies for achieving he objectives and implementing projects. Located in: Sections 25, 34, 35 and 36, Township 24 North, Range 06 East, Sections 16 and 17, Township 24 North, Range 07 East, Sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, Township 24 North, Range 08 East, Sections 02, 12, 14, 22, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 36, Township 24 North, Range 09 East, Sections 01, 02, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 26 and 36, Township 23 North, Range 06 East, Sections 01, 03-28, 30, 31 and 36, Township 23 North, Range 07 East, Sections 01, 02, 03, 06, 07, 08, 11, 12, 16-21 and 28-32, Township 23 North, Range 08 East and Sections 01-17, 19-28, 30, 34, 35 and 36, Township 23 North, Range 09 East, W.M., King County Notice of Public Meeting: Date: December 10, 2014 Time: 6:30 PM- 9:30 PM Place: City of Snoqualmie Administration Building Council Chambers Room 38624 River Street Snoqualmie WA Information about this proposal including the Threshold Determination, SEPA Checklist and supporting documents can be accessed through DNR’s website at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/sepa/Pages/Home.aspx Pursuant to WAC 332-41-504, this proposal was filed in the department’s SEPA Center at the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington Street SE, P.O. Box 47015, Olympia, Washington, on November 19, 2014. We will consider comments on this proposed DNS received by 4:30 p.m. on December 19, 2014. Comments should be submitted to the SEPA Center at, sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov or P.O. Box 47015, Olympia, Washington 98504-7015 for distribution to the responsible official. Please include the file number listed above on all comments.