Rad

Any recent pics? Comments on this year's snowpack in the area? Thanks.

You'll find lots of opinions about the Mtneers and other orgs. Ultimately, you need to take responsibility for your own safety in the mountains no matter who else is on your trip. Veteran climbers can make mistakes and should welcome someone checking their knots, systems, weather decisions, avalanche assessments, etc. If you trust someone else completely and aren't thinking for yourself you're setting yourself up for trouble down the road. If you find an organization where inexperienced climbers are actively or subtly discouraged from questioning the decisions of the "elders" you should run away as fast as you can. Learn to think for yourself and assess risk and manage it for you and your team. And you can find some solid partners on this site. Have fun!

Yikes. C2 fracture can turn you into a quadriplegic for life if it's bad enough. Climbing is serious business. Please check the system and your partners, no matter how much experience they have, every single time you tie into the rope. It just takes one mistake to change your life and those of everyone in your circle. I'm glad it didn't turn out worse and hope he gains a full recovery.

Thanks Lucky! A few winters ago two large trees fell across the main trail at the Far Side. People went around them creating more erosion than ever until someone brought a buddy w a chainsaw to cut up the trees and clear the trail...

Joe, Some people provided advice. Others gave you a hard time. Absorb the former and ignore the latter, just like you would on any other anonymous internet forum. And when you find yourself in a hole, like now, stop digging. Have fun! Rad ps. And post a TR when you get back. Welcome to CC.COM!

A fun exercise is to have find a spot with cracks at ground level and have him place every piece on the rack. This doesn't even have to be a climbing area. Then go around with him to each one and evaluate the placements. This way you get to place lots of gear and get immediate feedback on it without the time sink of rope management, belaying, and climbing.

Having the good judgment to turn around when conditions aren't right might be more important on your resume than successful ascents you've listed. It may save your life one day. Good luck.

Shit. RIP. Cue Ivan...

Bump. Blade Runner and Skullduggery are still unrepeated. Anyone want a catch? Kurt is working on a new SnoQ guide with these and many, many other routes. A few new lines have gone up since this TR: Under Pressure: 11b. Truck Town Cave. May, 2014. Side Step: 10c. Truck Town Cave. May, 2014. Matchstick: 11c/d. Right of Tea Time at the Gun Show. September, 2013. Franklin's Tower: 12a. Clean rock on a small crag above the Gun Show. September, 2013. Snaggletooth: 11b. Left of Third Stone from the Sun. July, 2013. Rail Road: 10c. Right of Third Stone from the Sun. August, 2013. ...

Touching the Void in the modern era

Ditto. Thanks for posting

Are you "Master of your own world"?

A friend did Colchuck last weekend via the Glacier and said conditions were good. Plus the permit season for overnighting hasn't started yet. Good place to look look around at bigger challenges for next time too I assumed, perhaps mistakenly, that he was looking for rock routes.

Those will be covered in snow. Snow Creek Wall should be fine, but it will be CROWDED. Icicle Creek had more climbers than ticks last weekend! (And I saw plenty of ticks)

The art and science of route setting at the Feathers? Naah, not here Art: Deciding which piles of choss could be good routes if cleaned and which ones should remain undeveloped choss. Science: Placing bolts and anchors so that climbers will be safe.

Folks, the reality is that route development is not consensus activity. No route developer I've ever met polls climbers to ask if a line would be worth developing. They have a vision and inject passion, hard work, and their own money to try to make it happen. Sometimes the results are great. Sometimes they're horrible. You can't please all the people all of the time. Personally, I try to think about what the near-term and long-term impact of developing a line will be. There are a lot of elements that go into the science and art of route development. There are a lot of mistakes to avoid, and there is usually not any training or mentoring for these people. I'm not an expert, but if you have questions feel free to send me a PM and if I can't answer your questions I can at least connect you with smart, experienced and thoughtful people. I would at least hope that anyone embarking on this understands that climber access to public lands depends on being good citizens and resources users. One or two bad acts can quickly undo a lot of good work by climbers working with land managers. Climb on, brothers and sisters.

I was disappointed in the NYTimes piece. The events of this year need to be viewed in the context of the Steck incident last year and a long history of wealth disparities and tensions across the client/guide/sherpa caste system. The best article I've seen on the Everest mess is the interview in R&I: http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/enough-of-misinformation-the-truth-of-everest The last question and its answer say it all: "Do you think any teams will climb the South Col route without Sherpa support this season? No, highly unlikely unless they are true climbers. Certainly not a commercial expedition."

Beautiful

Maybe a big plastic owl on ledges for popular climbs would encourage birds to choose another spot on the wall to nest...

Matt, Can you post it here when it comes out. Thanks, Rad

Thanks. Maybe someone should post this at the trailhead by the Country so it will be seen before people hike up the hill. R

Ben's blog suggests parts of the UTW are closed due to nesting falcons. Anyone know what routes are affected? Thx

Awesome Ben! Congrats on Hazel, school, being healthy, and your route. What could be better!

My 2 cents: The world is rapidly shifting away from laptops and PCs to mobile devices. Probably the biggest single thing you could do is to improve the UI on mobile devices. The NYTimes and Facebook have done this nicely. Granted, they are large players. Mountainproject has also gone over. Don't get left at the desk when people go out and climb!