Rad

I had five goals for this past year: 1 - Bolt and FA three sport routes in the 11a-c range at the crag I've been developing on near Seattle (Done). All three are 25-30m tall with multiple cruxes that are as fun as anything at the LTW at Index, IMHO. Skeptical? PM me and I'll take you out there in the spring! 2 - One good hard (for me) multipitch free route (done). Climbed the Passenger with good friends. 3 - Do an alpine FA (done). Got lucky and did a really great alpine rock FA/FFA on Sloan. 4 - Redpoint my first 12a. Didn't make this one...next year. It's all about motivation and discipline. 5 - Take my kids climbing a few times. (done) I was also fortunate to: - Climb my first V5s indoors. - Climb at several crags I'd never visited before, including climbing routes a buddy recently developed. - Stayed alive and healthy. Yes, that was a goal too. - Survive a major remodel where I managed the second half of the job (phew!).

Dehydration, tight boots, lack of foot mobility all boil down to reduced circulation, which seems to lead to unpleasant outcomes. Thanks for the data points.

Instead of NIMBY it's NIMCY (Not in my car, Yo!)

Sad. RIP. Do we know if the other two have a stove to melt water. Fingers and toes all crossed!

If it makes your wife sleep better and she's paying for it what do you have to lose? When she's happy you're happy, remember?!?

I played pool against that guy in a bar in Cle Elum...decided to let him win.

I'd say Grand Wall, but plenty of others will choose that. So instead I'll plug a route I was fortunate enough to do with Blake this year: Fire on the Mountain. Sloan SW Face. 5.10+, 8 pitches. A scenic and easy approach via Bedal Creek trailhead leads to a stunning alpine wilderness area. The climbing is really fun, solid, and protectable. The belays are comfy and the views are excellent. Notably, the route finishes at the top of a very prominent glaciated peak with 360 views. Finally, the descent is straightforward and the route should be dry and accessible for a pretty long window each year. For those seeking adventure, this wall holds more fun lines. Go get some! TR with all you need to know to do the route

(You can't always get what you want) x 3 But if you try sometimes you might find You get what you need

A lot skinnier anyway.

Time to eat the dog

I've never understood the whole idea that we can somehow claim credit for the actions and results of others (e/g/ we suck/rock because top american sport climbers suck/rock). Does the average spaniard get credit for the rippin spanish sportos? Do we get some credit for Chris Sharma? What if one of our team (Lynn Hill) moves to their side of the pond? Do we no longer get to feel a sense of pride in her accomplishments? Sounds silly to me. I admire many people for the things they do, regardless of whether I consider them part of my team or not. Perhaps this is why I'm not an avid sports fan - I'd rather be out doing it. Take pride in your own achievements. Push your own limits. Model those whom you admire, but don't pretend to take credit for their successes or failures unless you played some direct role in making them happen. Veni, Vidi, Ascendi.

I've only been in two bouldering comps, but I liked that all problems were new, they had points instead of ratings, and there was no indication of how points related to V grades. Each climb was like a puzzle to solve without annoying preconceptions of this 'should be easy' or 'no way I'll flash'. Add to that the positive energy and encouragement of fellow participants. Now that was fun.

I don't understand that because a route is supposed to be graded based on its hardest move, right? So if the crux is 10c and that move gets harder or easier then that changes the grade. Changing easier moves on the route doesn't affect the overall grade. Agreed. And I would extend this same comment to outdoor areas: it doesn't matter whether they are hard or soft as long as they are consistent within a single area.

Whatever logic would support the idea of circuit grades for bouldering would support the same thing for roped routes. 112, do you get upset about misgraded roped routes? Ratings always have been and always will be subjective. A single route might feel hard for the grade or easy for the grade to different climbers. I don't worry too much about grades. It just feels good to be challenged and improving and ratings is one way to see that. Maybe this VW thing is just a bid to be trendy/cool...

Went to the Everett VW this afternoon and was surprised to see that the bouldering routes aren't graded with the v scale. They are now in circuits. The v0-v1 are one circuit (blue?), the v2-v3 are in another (green), the V4-v5 are yellow, and v6 and up are pink. But of course the routes are taped all different colors and their tape color bears no relation to the circuit designation. This is perplexing. There's a pretty big difference between an easy v2 and a hard v3. Or an easy v4 and a hard v5. Why lump them together? Are you tired of people whining about grades? Sure some routes are reachy and others are scrunched. Some are crimpy and others slopey. Some folks will whine no matter what you do. It's not you, it's just who they are. Don't worry about it. Are you trying to mimic the Fontainbleu system? (I don't really know how that works anyway). Am I supposed to do all of the routes in a circuit? I am not fixated on grades, but I was curious to see how another gym's route grades compare to ours at UW. I still don't know. The curious thing is that roped routes still have letter grades (11a vs 11b). I feel that there's much less difference between 10b and 10c than between v2 and v3. At UW, we have the opposite: v grades on boulder problems, sometimes with + and - appended, while roped routes have no letters (5.10, 5.11, 5.12). MAybe this sounds like a rant, but it's not meant to be. While I don't particularly understand or like the new system, it doesn't detract from the climbing experience. Good routes are fun and bad ones are annoying regardless of how they're graded. I enjoyed all the routes we did today at VW everett. Good job setters.

Got my copy. Will read soon. Plenty of Mike images for you fans. I'm guessing >500. Maybe throw some into the Sausagefest raffle? Might give you more pr

“Everyone lives by selling something.” -Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Get used to it.

The film is not about his life, only about the prep for the tour, except for a few clips from past performances. He was the ultimate entertainer, so it seems fitting that he is still entertaining past his death. It's bittersweet for the performers who had a once in a lifetime experience to work with MJ, and then they never got to do a single show. The movie is their 15 minutes of fame.

They were filming the run-up to the comeback tour, intending it to be for his own private collection. So the film is around getting ready for the tour. After his death, his family decided to put it together and release it. If you don't have your toes tapping and legs jumping during the film then you probably need a defibrillator.

Say what you will about a man who clearly had his quirks, but this film was pretty interesting and inspiring. In preparation for his tour, MJ hired some of the best young dancers in the world, but he still shines brighter. Ditto singers and musicians. In the film, you get a glimpse into his character, at least at work. He was clearly in a class by himself and still had it going on when he met his untimely end. RIP.

The opinions expressed in the Seattle Times and PI on-line comment sections as well as Craigslist Rants and Raves, are as representative of the population as a whole as Spray is representative of climbers. Agreed. The comments are more juvenile than 99% of the posters here. I grew up in an era when movie bad guys went to jail. Then around the time I went to college the bad guys all got blown away in gory fashion. I still believe one is innocent until proven guilty.

How did Francis die? Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the Elizabethan champion of the scientific method, died in pursuit of a better way of preserving food. He had caught a severe cold while attempting to preserve a chicken by filling it with snow.

I am on AT&T and get good service from almost any summit around. That includes Rainier, Stuart, DT, Chair, Red mt, etc. I did not get reception on El Dorado. I find that the signal is cut off easily though. Like if a jet flys over or someone is using another cell phone nearby. ditto. iphone gps is great in civilization but does some pretty funny things in the sticks (mmkay, it looks like we're driving into the lake).

Well, I guess I should have to toss in my two cents. As has been said above, I wouldn't want my principles to cost someone their life. I often carry my cell even though the chance of it having reception in the mtns is low. Mainly, I call when I hit the first service area on the way out to let the wife know we're down fine and headed for food. She's not a worrier but does appreciate that. I will also use it as a time keeping piece. Txting is a good idea, and one that I will try to remember, because you can send a msg and it will get sent when reception kicks in again. MAybe someday I'll use it in an emergency, but I hope not. I doubt I'll get an MLU. I do find a phone quite useful at Index, 38, and 32. Apologies to the climbers I've belayed while taking business calls! Trango Cinch rocks! And lastly, I don't think a phone affects my decision-making at the crag or in the mtns.

Good point. Unfortunately, I can't change the survey at this point. At least we have your response. Feel free to start a survey on reasons to leave one at home if you feel inspired.