Rad

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

Welcome to WA. You might pm Sol and attend meetings/events of the Leavenworth Mountain Association. Sounds like a great place to meet some fun like-minded folks.

Fantastic that he broke through to a new grade. Cool that you're proud papa. Lame "so what did u do" comment.

Agree with Sol and Gene. Your post suggests you're just starting out. If so, ramp up gradually to avoid tendonitis and other maladies and avoid a hangboard for a couple of years. Stay healthy and you should have many years of good climbing ahead of you.

Approximate driving times from Seattle: X32 - 35 minutes X38 - 40 minutes Index - 75 minutes Erie - 100 minutes Nason - 100 minutes Leavenworth - 2 hrs. New Halem - 2.5 hrs Vantage - 2.5 hrs Fossil - 3 hrs? Mazama 3+ hours. Spokane - 5 hrs? Smith - 6 hrs? Finally, a big part of the fun is meeting local climbers and finding out what they like best. They can help you put together a tick list that will keep you busy and psyched. You can meet folks on this board, and even in this thread who are probably willing to take you on a tour of their favorite areas. Enjoy! And when you meet locals you can connect with those that have racks to do some of the great routes of the NW, including Davis Holland Loving Arms. Outer Space. The Grand Wall at Squamish. And many, many others in the mountains and elsewhere.

Fossil rock, Erie, Rosario Beach haven't been mentioned. Bottom line: there is TONS of sport climbing within a few hours of Seattle. Try as many areas as you can. Also, you didn't mention whether you're looking for 5.7, 5.10, or 5.13. This may substantially affect your decisions. Then you haven't found the great lines yet. There are hundreds of routes at a wide range of grades, and the best rival the best at any other WA area. X38 has many crags, each with a different character, so definitely don't extrapolate from one to others. Conversely, there are some crappy routes at every area.

Cool. Thanks. You're the main reason we do what we do.

-Several new crag route projects -Bust the Rhythm -An alpine FA -Make new friends and keep the old ones

I'm curious to see what John and other knowledgable people have to say. As a tip from a cyclist cousin, I started Whey supplements a few years ago and it over time it had an impact. I'm probably in the 1.3 to 1.5 range and am not keeping close tabs. As John mentioned, diet is only one of many factors affecting performance. Don't neglect the others. If rock is your preferred medium, I suggest you read Goddard and Neumann's Performance Rock Climbing. They do an excellent job of explaining and illustrating the principles about how to improve technique, mental/psychological elements, and strength (power, endurance, anaerobic, aerobic). Staying healthy and injury-free is an art and science as well.

Sad to hear. Hope all is well and that she heals quickly. Kudos to the response teams. Many far side crags have significant belayer/climber communication challenges due to wind and noise from the freeway. If it's the 10c I'm thinking of, you can't see your belayer either. Always agree on a plan before you leave the ground.

Amazonia seeps a lot if the soil is saturated, which it is. Peanacle, or whatever it's called, is a bit of a hike but generally dries fast. There are plenty of other X38 crags that should be mostly dry.

Matt, Super. Thanks for your hard work here. You should write a Titled Index FPPP (first poop in a porta-potty).