Rad

In choosing an image, remember to think about where the text will go. Perhaps Berdinka could write the two kids and a wife chapter and Ivan can write the 'how to epic' chapter. What about the 'teaching the girlfriend' chapter, or the 'hanging a dead pig carcass on the route' chapter, or the 'spray with style' chapter? High res versions available for all of these. PM for more info if interested.

Thanks guys. Very helpful. The conference is the last week of January, so we'll probably have to decide about going before really knowing what the snow will be like. However, since one plane ticket and lodging will be covered by her work I bet we'll go. If the snow is sparse I may be pining for Whistler, but I'll spend more time with the kids and use alcohol and hottubs to soothe any remaining pain. Thanks again.

Lawnmower man. Jaws. Alien. Moving Over Stone. The Wizard of Oz.

My wife has a conference there so we're thinking about taking our kids and going. If you've been there in recent years can you answer a few questions? 1 - Looks like there are a lot of double black diamond runs, several of which require hiking at 11000+ feet elevation to access. True? How good and hard are these runs compared with runs at Whistler and resorts in WA? Are the hikes snowboard friendly (not a lot of ups and downs)? 2 - Kid lessons and terrain any good? 3 - Favorite places to eat/drink in the village? 4 - Other comments/suggestions? Thanks. Rad

Problem with threatening to go the attorney route is that attorneys cost $$$. They make money coming and going. That doesn't mean some aren't worth it, but litigation costs would make your head spin. For these reasons, I like the I'm filing a grievance/complaint (or whatever it is) with the insurance commissioner threat better.

And, why would "alternate methods for drying the fingers" be preferable, if water has "no significant effect on friction?" Oil (aka grease) is the problem, not water. Perhaps that's why liquid chalk has a lot of isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).

Actually, the 38 trad lines Alex mentions should be mostly dry (or as dry as anything on the W side of the range) given eastern and somewhat southern exposure. The trad lines so far go about (based on some feedback) 8, 8, 9+, 10b, 10+ (mixed bolts and trad). The routes you mention at 32 are probably the ones in the Repo 1 area. There is a 5.6 crack that takes gear. A 10b crack (mambo jambo) that is fun but short and would get 5.8 at Index. Kinder gentler carpet bombing (5.9) is bolted but supposedly will go trad. A 10a left of Goddess looks 3inchish and decent if you want that. There is a 5.8 corner left of Street Cleaner. A 10c something on a wall that needs more traffic. In sort, there are a smattering of trad lines. Except for the RepoI climbs, which attract newbies like the Great Northern Slab, most trad lines at 32 see little traffic as people mostly go there for sport routes and don't bring the rack. Does that start to answer your question?

No one is advocating buying 'weak' stocks. And Mr F&G, your username precisely captures the Republican campaign and governing strategy for the past decade. America is tired of this and the GOP is going to get in a few weeks

Most people do the opposite. Opportunity knocks... ................... • THE INTELLIGENT INVESTOR • OCTOBER 4, 2008 • By JASON ZWEIG Summon Your Courage and Buy Stocks Investors Who Conquer Stock-Phobia Have an Edge Over Those Too Focused on Their Rearview Mirror During the Great Depression, an entire generation became convinced that owning stocks was dangerous. But if you were among the courageous few who bought and held stocks during and after the Depression, you earned spectacular returns. Depression-level stock phobia might be making a comeback. Will you suffer from it or conquer it? This past Monday, a team of researchers conducted an online survey of nearly 600 people nationwide. The results constitute a unique real-time recording of what was running through people's minds from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time on the day the Dow was shedding nearly 778 points in a ragged panic. First and foremost, Americans are afraid. Asked whether "the financial challenges the country is facing now pose a greater threat to the quality of my life" than major natural disasters, 87% agreed; 83% were more worried about the financial crisis than a terrorist attack. Psychologist Paul Slovic of the University of Oregon, who led the study, had investors estimate the performance of their stocks and stock funds over the next 12 months and the decade to come. When Dr. Slovic last asked this question, in early 2001, only 6.7% of investors expected a zero or negative return during the coming year and a mere 1.3% thought they would have no gains over the next 10 years. This past Monday, however, 36% foresaw no profits in the next 12 months and fully 5% predicted that their portfolios would go absolutely nowhere for a decade. Investors seem riveted by what is happening, as if they were the witnesses to a fatal accident unspooling in slow motion before their eyes. The closeness with which Americans say they have tracked events "is really kind of astounding," says Dr. Slovic's collaborator at the University of Oregon, psychologist Ellen Peters. Asked how long they had watched the financial news on television each day in the past week, 74% said at least one hour and 15% said four hours or more. In short, investors' view of the decade to come is being shaped by the events of the last few days. Peering into the future, all they can see is the immediate past, which is full of anger, pain and distrust. As finance professor Meir Statman of Santa Clara University says, "Fear increases pessimism." Add it all up, and it is hard not to be bullish. As an intelligent investor, you must always ask: What is my edge? What information or skill do I possess that the people on the other side of the trade don't? In normal times, that is a high hurdle. Today, however, you need only two things in order to have an automatic edge: cash and courage. This past Thursday, Columbia Business School held a conference on value investing to commemorate the publication of the revised edition of Benjamin Graham's classic volume, "Security Analysis." Seth Klarman of Baupost Group in Boston is an editor of the book and one of the leading value investors in the country. "Normally, as a buyer you have to compete with a lot of very, very smart competitors," said Mr. Klarman. "But many of the smartest people are on the sidelines now because of redemptions, margin calls or panicked-out-of-their-mind selling. So you don't have to be as smart as you did before. You just have to be in the game." The day Mr. Klarman spoke, the Dow fell an additional 348 points, and 658 stocks, or more than 15% of the total, hit new 52-week lows on the New York Stock Exchange. Yet the word Mr. Klarman and several other speakers kept using was "excited." That is because investments everywhere are priced as if the whole solar system were going out of business. U.S. stocks have lost 24% since Jan. 1; foreign stocks are off 32%; emerging markets, nearly 40%; junk bonds are down 13%; even municipal bonds have fallen almost 10%. Money is pouring into U.S. Treasury debt -- so much so that stocks now offer more income than bonds do. The dividend yield on the Dow Jones Industrial Average is currently at 3.14%, higher than the 2.68% yield on the five-year Treasury note. With so many professional money managers afraid to act, with most of the public in the grip of fear and anger, you should put your cash and your courage to work. If you have no cash, use your courage: Rebalance by selling a little of anything that's gone up and buying more of whatever's gone down. If you have both cash and courage, make a list of 10 stocks you've always wanted to own at "the right price." Chances are, they are cheap. Better yet, think of an investment category you've long wanted to venture into, like emerging markets. Chances are, it is on sale. Just about everything is. ..................... What the Best Money Managers Are Doing Now By Tim Hanson September 23, 2008 The stock market is tanking, the government is intervening, financial and political uncertainty abounds, and respected money managers -- thanks to redemptions -- are suddenly seeing less and less money to manage. Things are looking a bit grim. But if you stand back and take stock of the letters these same money managers recently sent to shareholders, you get a very different perspective. For example ... Third Avenue's Marty Whitman revealed in his Aug. 11 letter that he recently purchased $1.5 million worth of Third Avenue Value (TAVFX) shares, and noted that he's "especially enthusiastic" about the fund's prospects. According to Whitman, the securities Third Avenue specializes in buying are "trading at ultra-attractive prices" -- such as the yet-to-be-unlocked value at Sears Holding (Nasdaq: SHLD). Bruce Berkowitz told his Fairholme (FAIRX) shareholders that "We continue to ignore the [panicking] crowd." Using sales, new inflows, and "cash held for stressful times," the fund is buying shares of dirt cheap health-care stocks such as UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH), Forest Labs (NYSE: FRX), and Wellcare (NYSE: WCG). And then there was Bill Miller, who told his shareholders about a conversation he had with Warren Buffett recently, where they both agreed they were optimistic about the future. Moreover, Miller pointed out that the best time to buy his fund was after its performance had been dismal. By that logic, there has never been a better time to buy Legg Mason Value Trust (LMVTX). The best money managers are optimistic -- and they're buying. Now then ... Don't assume that these money managers are ignoring the current financial calamity. There's no escaping it. But there's also not much any of us can do about it, other than taking advantage of currently depressed stock prices to buy shares of companies that: 1. Will be in business 10 years from now. 2. Will be bigger 10 years from now. 3. Will generate significant amounts of cash in each of the next 10 years. Take a company like Nike (NYSE: NKE), for example. With $2.8 billion in cash and just $625 million in total debt, it's in no danger of becoming insolvent. And with consumers worldwide stressed by nearly unprecedented food and energy costs, the company is still solidly profitable. While this holiday season will likely be tough, holiday seasons 2009 through 2018 will likely be healthier. Yet at 17 times earnings, the stock looks cheap, and given the announcement that the company will be buying back $5 billion worth of stock, it seems that Nike management agrees. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is another big brand name that’s in the bargain bin, and management there has committed to buying back $40 billion worth of stock over the next five years. The question to ask yourself is not how these companies will hold up in the fourth quarter of 2008 -- it's how they will hold up over the next decade. If they have a durable brand, cash on the balance sheet, and a verifiable track record as a quality operator, then I believe they will hold up quite well. That's the easy money If you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty, however, you can find even better bargains among the unknown stocks that professional analysts and investors simply aren't paying attention to. As Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote in a recent New York Times column, "t is hard to find good research on small companies. All the focus has moved to large companies where the big money is sloshing around."

Yes. From the Swamp creek trailhead/parking you cross Swamp creek and go straight up a timbered rib to the Southwest slope of Hardy, traverse ad nauseam, and follow an open ridge to Methow Pass East of Hardy. Access to this route and the NE face is via a notch on the SE corner of the mountain. You can easily get there by hiking the PCT East for about a mile and then ascending the best looking gully you can find (there are many). You might check with the map. We didn't bring either map or compass and I don't have one handy now. That NE face is a worthy objective, in my humble opinion.

Trip: Tower Mountain - Southeast Ridge Date: 9/28/2008 Trip Report: A fabulous weather window opened up so Blake and I headed for the hills, hoping to climb a new line on the NE face of Tower Mountain. Whoever says everything has been climbed out needs to pore over Scurlock photos and do some homework, as Blake did. This face has only been climbed once, as far as we can tell, by Doorish and Cudkowicz twenty years ago. Their route is on the far right side of the face. The sheer E side, including this giant cave, is terra incognita. We parked at the Swamp Creek pull-out, crossed the creek, and headed up the shoulder of Hardy. There was essentially no bushwhacking, but sidehilling on pea-sized scree over hard dirt and rock was mildly annoying. We traversed through fabulous alpine meadows to the PCT and found a lovely campsite under the West face of Tower. With time on our hands, we opted for a lazy afternoon of bouldering in the sunshine. There were oodles of people camped up by the little lakes, but we found a good site down by the PCT. Several parties did the scramble route on Tower on Saturday. We met other groups on the cusp of completing their PCT traverse. Spirits were high. Night brought sleep and an amazing array of stars. In the morning we headed down the trail and ascended one of many gullies to the E ridge. We peeked over the edge to get our first look of the NE face. We weighed our options. Hmmm. We got a late start, Beckey reports the face is shattered rock, there might be ice and snow in cracks and crevices due to a cold storm a few days earlier, the approach ledge is snowy and downsloping over a deadly drop, the lower reaches of the face have roofs with no signs of crack lines, and (let's be honest here) the vertical sweep of uncharted rock with no evidence of continuous protectable lines was a tad intimidating. There is no doubt that this face will hold one or more great lines, but we weren't psyched for the challenge today. So it was off to climb the SE ridge (red line in photo above). It seems like an obvious route, but we're not aware of anyone having climbed it except for Steve House and Scott Johnston who bailed off during a winter attempt. So off we went. There was one airy scrambling moment down low. Then I headed up the first steep band. The rock was great, cracks were solid, and lichen could be mostly avoided. Perhaps 5.7ish. Views toward the PCT, WA pass, and the top of Swamp Creek were lovely. More scrambling. Then Blake lead a lovely handcrack that was too short. 5.7ish. Blake picked out a cool line through the upper headwall and started up. About 5.9+ I suggested Blake stop and belay at a stance so he wouldn't get caught at the end of the rope in a hard section up higher. He brought me up. Despite my insistence that he should lead on because this was still his pitch, Blake handed over the sharp end to me. What a gentleman. I was glad to oblige. This is one of the best pitches I've lead in the mountains. The rock was solid and clean, the line followed a vertical dihedral with a thin crack that opened up to finger slots or wider from time to time, some technical stemming allowed just enough rests, gear was always solid, and there were multiple little cruxes to surprise and entertain. 5.10ish. The pitch ended a few feet from the summit. Unfortunately, we were turned back by a stack of teetering blocks guarding the last 7 feet, so I guess we didn't complete the route... We descended our route and hiked out on the PCT instead of retracing our cross country approach. In the choice between long, easy mileage versus shorter but rougher terrain we chose the path we had not yet traveled. It made for a lovely alpine circuit. After about ten miles, we hit the road at Rainy Pass and still had to get back down to the car. Cars whizzed by Blake's extended thumb in the twilight. Still feeling guilty after poaching the best pitch on the route, I volunteered to run to get the car (6% downhill grade for the first mile). I got two miles before Blake got picked up and spared me the final mile. Well, it certainly wasn't the NE face, but we had a fun time on the SE ridge. We saw no evidence anyone has climbed any of these pitches before, but people have clearly gone down nearby, as evidenced by old and new slings. Was it a FA? Maybe, maybe not. It was new to us. Was it even a route? You be the judge. It goes like this: 3rd and 4th class scrambling, 60m 5.7, 3rd class scrambling, 20m 5.7, 2nd class scrambling, 55m 5.10, summit. Was it fun? Certainly. Would we recommend it to others? Yes, if you combine it with something else in the area to make the approach worthwhile. It's a bit far to go for the amount of climbing, but every pitch was high quality. Blake is moving on to adventures in other corners of the globe, and I have limited time to explore backcountry routes. Thus, we urge YOU to put up a new line on the amazing NE face of Tower Mountain. If, as we expect, the rock is great and an 800 ft line of 5.10-5.11ish steep and sustained climbing is found, it will be one of the finest routes in the Cascades. Blake and I will gladly follow in your chalk prints. Go get it! Gear Notes: Standard rack. Approach Notes: Park at Swamp Creek, cross creek, ascend Mt Hardy shoulder, traverse to the PCT, camp, hike PCT to SE shoulder of Tower, ascend a friendly gully. We hiked out the PCT. You could hike in this way if you choose. The loop would be better if you stashed a bike at Rainy Pass.

Wow, I think I agree with every word from Pope. Well said.

I hear lots of reasons for low numbers of people in the alpine, but none of the arguments address why this supposed shift away from alpine climbing is happening now as opposed to ten or more years ago. Cams and fancy gear has always been expensive. Gyms and sport climbers have been around for 20+ years. People picking up other sports is not new, nor is the transition from carefree youth to responsible parenthood. In fact, I'll suggest that CC is making it EASIER for people to get into the alpine than ever before. Here's how: 1 - Increased beta on routes, from classics to new FAs. 2 - Detailed condition reports on same. 3 - Forums for ride shares and finding partners of all sorts. 4 - Yard sales where one can buy gear on the cheap. 5 - Copious advice (good, bad and ugly) about how to do everything, including transition from the gym to climbing outdoors. For me, the lack of skilled partners kept me out of the alpine when I first moved here. Thanks to CC I have a pretty good network now. If you think newbies are not interested in getting into the alpine go to the newbies forum and see how many hits the 'alpine tips for newbies' has gotten. Look up the 'alpine camping/climbing tips thread' and you'll see the same thing. In the past year I've climbed with partners who are in their early to mid-20s who are into alpine climbing, and I've found a few beautiful unclimbed lines waiting for FAs. If you want to rationalize your own shift away from climbing using one of the arguments above that's fine. If you are passionate about climbing you will find a way to do it. If not, then happy trails on the golf course or whatever floats your (sail) boat.

As a one-time editor of NWMJ, I can say that the leads for the short reports come straight from CC TRs plus those that the editors know about. Mr. Monkey, if you know people who are doing FAs that would be a good fit for the journal I am sure Lowell would be glad to hear about them and would take them seriously. For those of you who claim large numbers of FAs that are not reported on CC, what evidence to you have to back up your claim (Mr. Monkey claims new slings)? I was just having a conversation yesterday with someone about how many WA people climb >=5.10 in the back country/mountains (let's say >3 miles from the nearest road). 50? 500? 5000? What fraction of these people are doing FAs? How many of them post on CC? It would be interesting to know. If climbers were perceived as a significant user group for park/wilderness/forest resources, and they were organized, they might stand a better chance of getting their voices heard at policy time. MattP can certainly comment on that.

Follow the sun and you should be fine. WAZ518-519-252315- WEST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES AND PASSES- WEST SLOPES CENTRAL CASCADES AND PASSES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DARRINGTON...MARBLEMOUNT...CONCRETE... INDEX...SNOQUALMIE PASS...RANDLE...PACKWOOD...ASHFORD...MORTON 400 AM PDT THU SEP 25 2008 .TODAY...SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 6000 FEET. AFTERNOON PASS TEMPERATURES AROUND 50. LIGHT WIND BECOMING WEST AROUND 10 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. .TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 7500 FEET. WEST WIND IN THE PASSES 10 TO 15 MPH DECREASING TO 10 MPH OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. .FRIDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 10000 FEET. AFTERNOON PASS TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. LIGHT WIND. .FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL 10000 FEET. LIGHT WIND. .SATURDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 8000 FEET. AFTERNOON PASS TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 50S. WEST WIND IN THE PASSES 10 TO 15 MPH. .SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL 11000 FEET. .SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 13000 FEET. .MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL 13000 FEET. .TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN. SNOW LEVEL 11500 FEET. .TUESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN. SNOW LEVEL 10500 FEET. .WEDNESDAY...RAIN LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL 8000 FEET.

I disagree. It is longish but that's about it. Slab moves are cheatable with holds, it would only be rated 5.7-5.8 at Darrington, is over-bolted, is often occupied, and freeway noise is LOUD. I will refrain from rattling off a long list of better (IMHO) X38 climbs as this thread is about wasps. I am with Dru: wasps are not bees. One key difference is that bees have barbs on the end of the stingers so they can only sting once, their bodies are torn apart after they sting you, and they die shortly thereafter. Wasps have barbless stingers, can sting more than once, and tend to have meaner dispositions, perhaps relating to the low cost of stinging you. Still, you have my sympathy. My wife and I stumbled on a nest above little Si and were chased down the trail hundreds of yards. We each got four stings that hurt for days.

Please write a guide in haiku using only pictures with lines because Google and CC are aid.

There is a big difference between key nubbins that pop and make routes harder and large belayer slayers that can ruin your day/life. I guess you climb what you've got. Have fun and be careful and keep posting cool pics for us.

I recently did Rock and Resole in CO and was pleased with speed, price, and quality.

I understand, first hand, how much hard, dirty work it takes to clean a route on a chossy cliff, and I respect your efforts. Congrats on the new area! That said, and this will probably not be well-received, I certainly wouldn't send the general public out to climb routes I'd developed if I thought they might get badly hurt or killed because I didn't finish cleaning out the dangerous choss. If people are well aware of the risks then that's another story. Hopefully the guidebook has a LARGE warning about potential hazards, perhaps route by route.

Climb on!

caffeine is aid

nevermind

Tigers are carnivores and hunters, as are all cats. Bears are omnivores and opportunists that mostly scavenge. I feel much safer in bear territory than tiger territory. Very few bear attacks result from bears hunting people. Not true for tigers. Interesting you chose bears in Alaska. There are probably as about the same number of brown bears on Admiralty Island as wild tigers in the entire world. Much scarier, in my mind, are crocodiles, which are big, smart, predators that steathily hunt, kill, and eat people when given a chance. crocodile eats harborview doc

What about their joker in the plastic bag? Seriously, though, this is probably the best FA of the year so far. Nice work!