Rad

Cool.

Good comments above. Your concerns are reasonable, but pressing too hard is more likely to lead to tension in your relationship than increased safety. Maybe you can reassure him that he can still climb after a baby comes. #3 sounds like a good suggestion. He might consider posting on this site to try to find a partner - there should be plenty of interested parties. Scope them out by climbing S Face Adams. This serves a second purpose, which is to get the team more experience on snow at altitude in a safer (no crevasses) environment.

As with much of life, the truth lies in the middle. People learning to climb cracks often rattle their hands around, slide them up and down, and don't set them properly. This leads to scrapes and bleeding. With practice, you'll get better at setting hand/finger jams right the first time and greatly reduce abrasion in the process. So there is some truth to what you say. However, even experts (witness the UKC video) tape under certain circumstances and for particularly abrasive rock because it can save your skin and reduce the pain factor. Different strokes for different folks: Dean Potter tapes. Alex Honnold (as far as I've seen) doesn't.

Taping article and video

fixed now

I am with you but I am not sure the above is entirely consistent ("ability comes in to play"). Although I don't remember the climb very well, Snake dike is R rated. You're right, Snakedike does have an R rating.

I suspect there are two separate issues here: R and X ratings and the perception of whether a route is runout. From a ratings standpoint, R (runout) usually means there is a high probability of some type of injury if you fall at the wrong spot. X is similar but there's a decent chance you'll die or be crippled if you screw up. A long clean fall may not be grounds for an R rating (e.g. Tuolumne slabs or an overhanging sport route). It depends on the consequences of the fall. Short falls can be dangerous too, such as a pendulum onto a sharp flake or a hard move with groundfall potential or a spot where the rope is likely to come taut over a sharp edge. These are fairly objective, though ability comes into play as well. Snakedike is a good example. The route is 5.7, the 5.7 cruxes are well protected, and the super runout terrain is on 5.2 or 5.easy ground where a solid 5.7 leader is very unlikely to fall. These all assume you know how to place solid protection and fall safely (slide without tumbling on a slab, that you won't flip due to having the rope behind your leg etc.). What most people above are talking about is the PERCEPTION of whether something is runout or not. That is highly subjective and can change from one person to the next and one day to the next with the same climber, as noted above.

Good news indeed!

Yep. Good work and a reasonable turnaround.

Thanks Gene. I am thankful. Sometimes I think we should have a day or moment of silence to remember, and perhaps even ask forgiveness from, all the souls we snuffed out in the name of (fill in your favorite cause). Today, I found myself explaining to my 8yo son that native americans who want to govern themselves live in small reservations because we killed most of their ancestors with disease and weapons and took away the land they watched over for thousands of years. Sorry doesn't seem strong enough.

Can't help but read this and think if that had been a climber EVERY comment would say "charge those reckless idiots!"

Bunch of new 11s at X38 Far Side. 4 11s and a 12 at Shangri La, 2 11s on the way to same, 1 11 at Gunshow on the far right. And a few harder things in the works.

Coach from the UW outdoor wall? Is that guy still around? He might be the reason earphones were invented.

When my youngest was 2.75 we put him in a ski lesson at Whistler. He bonked and fell asleep face down ON the magic carpet. A year later he was having fun and starting to wedge and turns and stops. The older two really didn't start weekly lessons until 4/5 and that seemed to work well. I snowboard and all three kids are starting out skiing. We ride together and it's fine. I agree with Gene and Curt that the recipe for success is to #1 make it fun for them and let them stop when it's not, and #2 get some professional instruction if you can afford it.

Great video. My only comment is that I don't like the Pretty Lights soundtrack choice because I associate it so strongly with the Siegrist NWO video, which ROCKS!

Wow, normally I'm pretty far on left on the tree-hugger scale, but I find myself bristling at some of the objections here. How many of the heli-haters have been to Waddington? Should we shut that down too? What about flying to Spain or Thailand or Chaimonix for climbing vacations? Best to bicycle to the gym and call it good, I guess. I'm contemplating a similar style and wrestle with all the carbon concerns mentioned. As much as I might like to spend a month schwacking through the brush and sitting in a tent on a rainy glacier drinking scotch with a bunch of stinky dudes hoping a weather window will open, it just doesn't square with my other obligations. So smash and grab sounds a hell of a lot better than sitting on the couch. And yes, maybe I should take extra steps before and after a trip to reduce my footprint in other ways. sickie Regarding the self-promotion, John is clearly stoked about his adventures and shares that energy. I think that's great. His trip sponsors may even require some degree of promotion. Either way, maybe he'll inspire others to push their own limits, or maybe take steps to reduce their carbon footprints. Surely that's better than going and not telling the world what an amazing wilderness we have in BC that should be protected. On a lighter note: So maybe he got the heli ride out for free then!

Like dissolves like. Petroleum-based liquids (e.g. motor oil) will dissolve most petroleum-based solids (nylon and all other -ons in ropes). At a minimum, I'd cut off the areas that got doused. If in doubt, throw it out.

Even Adam Ondra would be hard pressed to top out after being hit by a tranquilizer dart.

Regular dude climbs V15 His comments capture the essence of climbing stoke/obsession for me: choose an objective a little beyond your perceived limits and go for it! "I am well aware that this ascent is nothing 'special' for the world, not even for the climbing world. Boulder problems that hard are being flashed these days, but this ascent showed me again, no matter what grade you are climbing, that if you really, really want to do something hard or over your limit, then don't put your head in the sand. Stand up and go for it. You may you have to fight hard with yourself—to think, dream, and literally live it, but that experience is something you can't buy anywhere and there is no number to express it. Even if you are not a 'wonderkid,' even if you are not a climbing-pro and have to deal with daily work; you can climb pretty crazy stuff. "

Sounds like an excellent adventure, thanks for posting. The secret to great trip reports is... .... ..... ... great photos.

IMHO Overture deserves the four stars it gets. One can start from the trestle, lead to the top, and lower back to the trestle with a single 60. Unlike many other routes in the area, it's not soft for the grade and is intimidating to see and climb. The reward for pulling over the final roof is memorable, or was for me.

FF, Climbers are a big fraction of the Olallie Park users. Perhaps it's time to engage with the rangers in a meaningful way so they can serve our interests too. Disregarding voluntary closures is not likely to help the situation. BTW, the trail counter has been there for a number of years

Thanks for all your help. We drive through the gates at Bridge Creek. Shared a sprawling site with a variety of parties on Friday night, and left Saturday. No fee paid. It's lovely over there now. Enjoy.

Hoping to take the kids over for a dose of rock and sunshine. Thx. R