Rad

Maybe you just need a thinner rope.

I've been on skinny ropes a few times, and I've never worried about whether they'll hold a fall or not. What scares me most is lowering or working moves on a single line when the rope runs over an edge of any sort. Tension...SNAP! Aaaaahhhhh!!!!! Not sure if fatties are any better in those circumstances or if mantles are tough enough that I shouldn't worry about this too much.

8.9 would scare me too. I've been told 9.9 is too phat. I was wondering about 9.2 - 9.4. You're right that I should not blame the rope, but I want to have everything stacked in my favor. And ropes are supposed to stretch - that's why we call them dynamic. Another concern is whether thinner ropes will work in the belay devices my partners carry.

Looking to buy a lighter rope to save some weight on harder (for me) single pitch rock routes because I'm too lazy to train more. Recommendations? How thin is too thin? Some ropes out there are ex$pen$ive (>$230)! Thanks

That summit is one of the best I've been on in WA(still have Chianti on the list). If you boot ski down the scree it's wicked good fun. Just don't fall...

Nice. Perseverance plus shorts over polypro (last shot)!

OK, Ramuta-philes - please post his address or website. Tks.

Classic. This thread should get some stars.

True, but that can be said of most activities.

Good data Dberdinka - welcome to the darkside! It would be interesting to do your test with old school star drive or other bolts. The results might be quite shocking. I have been able to over-torque the KB3 with a 10" handle on a socket wrench, and I know you're stronger than me. 20ftlbs is not that hard. I did pony up for a torque wrench (found one for $50) to check. Like you said, though, once you know how hard is right the torque wrench becomes superfluous. I've borrowed a Yos hammer and that works great, but I find a standard claw is also useful for cleaning and is much lighter to carry around, and with a few more taps it gets the job done just fine. Yos might be the better choice for drilling by hand, but again, you have to carry its extra weight. I've tried KB3 and Rawl 5 piece. The latter are a pain in the arse because the fall apart in my bag or elsewhere. The KB3 are pretty idiot-proof, and since I'm an idiot that's what I use. MEC sells them pretty cheap so there's no reason to buy them at Home Depot and risk that they aren't tested to the same specs. Stainless is the way to go unless you want rust. Hopefully the routes you put up will become popular, so it's worth a little extra effort to do things right the first time. Poor bolt placement or sketchy bolts are annoying on any route.

Learn to be flexible but safe. No cute acronyms will save you if you don't set a solid anchor and attach to it properly. As long as the anchor is bomber, and you are tied into it, then you'll be fine. It may be uncomfortable if your fat friends hang directly on you, but unless you let go of your brakehand no one will die. Sitting off to the side is fine, but think about what will happen when the climber falls. You may get pulled off your perch and swing and dangle over the edge. You might get scraped legs (unless wearing shorts over polypro) but you should be fine as long as you don't let go of the brakehand and drop your climber. And if you have a grigri even that doesn't matter. I would recommend sitting rather than standing, but these are things to experiment with in the field.

Is there any? A buddy of mine was telling me stories of cliff diving there. http://www.mgrc.org/

Sounds great Jens. pm sent.

Depends on what your weakness is. Alpine rock is no harder than trad routes at your favorite cragging area, so if trad multipitch is your weak link work on it at these areas. Getting to alpine routes is often half the fun and half the work. If you haven't spent time in the hills go do a bunch of the routes in the scramble book before doing 5th class climbs in the hills. Then go for the routes mentioned above. Alternatively, just go for it.

bet you 5$ (us or canadian, yer call) that this one don't have the moxie to make it to 50+ pages like the last one! That's because this time the game is over before the thread started: no survivors. Last time we all (I like to think) kept hoping to see good news and hear the survivor's tale.

Have you tried to head straight into 80+mph winds and driving snow on steep, unfamilar, and unstable terrain? Me either. You can go a long way by learning to read and heed the weather forecast.

ru writing a book or something? If you want to get into the heads of the deceased climbers go find their former partners and gather some stories of their other climbing adventures. Your question seems a bit like asking experienced cube farm workers what they'd do (jump or wait) if they were on the 105th floor of Trade Tower 2 when a plane crashed into the 93rd and you knew from the news that the tower would fall and descent was impossible. Or what Scott Fisher would do high on '96 on Everest with a killer storm rising up to devour him. Actually, what all three did is call their loved ones.

I'd be interested in a similar shop in Seattle. Anyone know of one? web: interweb battery service

Not all storms are equal. This one had sustained winds in excess of 80mph up high with gusts over 90 mph for 6-7 days before the first break - then it slammed down hard again for the better part of another week. If you don't have resources (fuel, warm gear) to wait it out then it's die now or die later. That's a tough choice that may have lead to the split of their party. We will never know. And NO $!^%ing MLU is going to save your arse! Sad, sad, sad. RIP.

Thanks Mark. That needs to be fixed soon as that route sees a LOT of traffic. It would be best if the developer would fix them... Failing that, I'm working on a few routes in the area and could possible put in new Hilti KB3 3/8 stainless bolt(s) if needed, but I probably can't get out there until next week. Please update this thread when bolts are fixed. Otherwise, someone should put a note at the base of the route warning people of the bolt status. Thanks. And if you are philosophically opposed to bolts or maligned against x38 then feel free to post in one of the thousands of anti-bolt threads on this site.

Yikes. Rocketing backward over a cliff sure sounds scary. Glad you're ok. Sounds like you just got a bad break, but your skills and stamina helped get you out in one piece. Give yourself some credit for that. FWIW, bone breaks typically heal faster than soft tissue injuries and have fewer lingering bad affects. You'll be back at it someday if you want it enough. Thanks for sharing.

This is a fabulous shot. Thanks for posting.

I have the Hilti TE 6A and that thing is f'n heavy. I can't imagine shlepping it up the big E, but then the sherpas probably carried it 98% of the way. What gets me is not the polypro but the bare hands on the rock. Brr! Hey Rain, why don't you put your talk into action and go chop those things!

Great to see you getting out Daddy-Dinka. Mmmm - Primrose dihedrals look fabulous. thanks for the pics

been circulating on the interweb for a long time, but a fun read the first time through, if you've got lots and lots of time.