Rad

Sounds like a great trip. Here are a few ideas for moderate climbs: NE Buttress higher Cathedral (not the spire). If you like crakcs this is a good one. 5.9 IV (Said by many to be the best grade IV in the valley). Plan on a full day for this. Longish approach and descent. Standard rack reqd. Several variations on the last pitches can cause confusion. pm if questions. Braille Book. 5.8 III. About the same approach and descent as above but the climb is a bit shorter and easier. Pro to 3". Central Pillar of Frenzy. Middle Cathedral. 5.9 II/III Very short approach, can be quite popular. Climb as high as you like and rap the route (people often rap after 5 pitches)(this is still on my to do list). E Buttress of Middle Cathedral. 5.10something. Popular, short approach. This is still on my list. Nutcracker 5.8 II. Manure pile buttress. Very popoular but still fun. Short approach. Many start variations allow you to leapfrog past slow parties, but there is a bottleneck around the crux pitch. Munginella and 6ish are easy (5.4-5.6) multipitch routes on the manure pile buttress left of nutcracker. I haven't been on them. Snake Dike on half dome. 5.7. I would avoid against selecting this climb because the approach is VERY long, likely will have snow, and the cables on half dome will probably still be down. Royal Arches. 5.6. III Good intro for newbies but I thought the climbing was not that interesting. The moves off the ground behind the hotel include the most polished, unprotected, '5.6' chimney you'll ever ascend. Crest Jewel on North Dome is excellent. 5.10a friction. ONLY QUICKDRAWS REQD! It looks like a lot of pitches but it goes quite quickly. Be prepared for long runouts. Best to approach from the Tuolumne road. Can also be approached via Royal Arches and then down the North Dome gully. There's lots, lots more but that should give you some ideas. Reed's Yosemite Select is a good guide to use/borrow. Have a great trip! (got any room in your luggage?)

The science of risk assessment This article suggests that sleep-deprived climbers are more likely to make high risk/high reward choices (e.g. run it out, descend unknown gully, untie prematurely) they would not make if well-rested. Does this reflect what you have seen?

This looks to me like a case of marketing sour grapes. The organizations you deride are being effective in generating revenues, and apparently you are not. My small suggestion: Brevity, recall, is the soul of wit. Rather than trying to poke holes in the practices of other operations, perhaps you might identify an un-met need or pent up demand and develop a product/company that addresses that opportunity. Then you might be better able to generate the revenues required to help you achieve your lofty goals. Good luck.

It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end. Tis true. (Warning: biologist attempting physics calculation - no warranties expressed or implied). The punch line: If a 100kg mass falls 5 meters it reaches a velocity of 10m/sec. If it is stopped in 0.1 seconds the force required to stop it is 10kN. Note that this assumes no energy is absorbed by the rope, the climber, the pieces, the sling, or friction. In practice, all of these things do contribute. Modeling them is beyond my meager capabilities. Also note that if you increase the time of stopping the mass you decrease the force required to stop it. This is why dynamic ropes put lower loads on pieces and climbers than static ropes, ditto dynamic belays. This is also the reason why bumpers are designed to crumple on impact and why airbags are effective. ................ So... Force is measured in newtons = kg(m)/sec-sec. Indeed, force = ma (where a is acceleration = m/sec-sec). Inspection of the units reveals that force is also equal to a change in momentum per unit time, sometimes called an impact force. In other words force = change in momentum/stopping time = MV/T Momentum is MV (v is velocity of the object, M its mass). Stopping time is T. Solve for V, the velocity of the falling mass: V = F*T/M Now plug in numbers: 230lbs is about 100kg. Let's say the stopping time is 100 miliseconds (0.1 seconds). Note, I have no idea if this is a good estimate for the stopping time. Force = 10kN (keep numbers simple for estimates). V = 10m/sec. Now, if a mass is dropped how far must it fall before it reaches 10m/sec? In that case, the gravitational potential energy (Mgh) is converted into (read equal to) the kinetic energy (mv*v/2). Note that mass cancels out. All objects accelerate at the same rate, g. Solve for h (height dropped) = v*v/2g g = 10m/sec-sec. v = 10m/sec (see above). Plug them in and you'll see that h = 5 meters. So, a 100kg mass that falls 5m will be moving at 10m/sec. A force of 10kN will be required to stop it in 0.1 seconds.

Thanks for the ideas. I am personally hoping it will be bomber so the line can go trad, but safety is my top priority. I like the crowbar/videocamera idea best. If any entertaining pics or video emerge we'll post them.

Thanks for the flake-chopper pic...is that my lost neutrino?! Please drop it in the mail. tks

Suppose you are putting up a new route on a granitic crag and encouter a sizeable flake. This thing is 10 ft wide, 7 feet high, about 6 inches thick, and the crack behind it is about 1-2 inches wide. One must use its lower and upper edges to climb past. After stomping on it on rappel it seems pretty solid. However, you are concerned that if someone were to place a cam near the far end of the flake a lead fall onto that cam would result in high forces at the end of the flake, which would apply a huge torque on the beast, potentially prying it loose. It must weigh a ton, and if it comes off it would almost certainly kill anyone in its path. To make matters worse, the flake is very sharp. The rope might get stuck and/or cut if it runs behind it. The route is really great otherwise, and definitely worth climbing. You want this route to be climbed safely by lots of people (it's Renton granite, after all). sickie Would you bolt the wall next to the flake to discourage cam placements behind it? What about bolting the flake itself (might help keep the rope out of danger)? How might you test the stability of the block without endangering anyone? How might you help prevent the rope from running behind or getting cut by the flake? You considered shotcreting the whole thing shut and bolting on plastic holds on to make it 5.6 instead of 5.10. However, you are hoping that some clever route setters on CC might have a better idea.

I am a simpleton who could stand to learn how to properly use a clove hitch, but this is pretty idiot-proof: Figure 8 = Knot to tie harness to rope. Figure 8 = Knot to tie rope to anchor at top of pitch. Figure 8 = Knot that ensures I don't rappel off the end(s) of the rope. Figure 8 = Knot to tie behind belay device so I can keep partner safe but free my hands for something (e.g. sort rack and flake rope at belay before partner leads next pitch). I keep a sling girth-hitched on my harness for clipping into anchors. When I rappel, this is the last thing I undo after I check the anchor, my harness buckle, and my rap device/locking carabiner. This sling is often the first thing I clip to the anchor, but I may undo it after a knot is in place if it is too short. In most cases I belay directly off my harness. In addition to reducing loads on the anchor, it is usually faster and requires less force. The times I belay off the anchor are when my partner (plus pack) is large and expected to fall/hang substantially.

Right you are. The force in top-roping is double that of rappelling, even if there is no fall distance. This assumes negligible rope friction at the anchor, which is what we strive for anyway. To see this see look at the first force diagram here or the first pulley diagram here

Counterpoint: (warning, plot spoilers below) There is some pretty mountain footage, but you guys got my hopes too high. Most of the climbing footage is of Harlin following moderate (if loose) ground, with the guide's wife next to him or just above him the whole way. I wanted to see the badass guide leading hard pitches with basically no pro at all. The very brief footage of him climbing was impressive, but we never saw more. Then at the top the guide's wife is feeling faint, so she calls in a chopper for a shortrope ride home. Great photo ops. Then they drop her off, still at the end of the shortrope, in her backyard, literally, where grandma and her daughter come running in for the victory hug. Puke-o-rama. Finally, coming down off the glacier, there is a gratuitous crevasse crawl crumble crash for dramatic effect. Whazzup? There were opportunities to film leading that were missed. There were better opportunities to talk about the technical parts of climbing (ice tools, rock pro, anchors, how leading works) and how they fit into the story, but they were missed. Maybe they ended up on the editting room floor. The human story is good, but Harlin's father was pioneering a bold, new, hard route up the face as part of true team effort when he died. Harlin got two guides to lead every pitch on a well-established route while he followed. There's nothing wrong with that approach; it's probably what I would do if I had the chance, but comparing the young Harlin's climb to his father's is like comparing apples and oranges. It is still a compelling vanquish-the-demons-of-dad's-death human story nonetheless. I'll still give it a big thumbs up. The Alps scenery footage is jaw dropping. The tangents on Alps climbing history and avalanche studies are excellent. The dialog and people are all very good. Go see it for these things, but don't expect great things from the climbing footage. - edit: limestone sporto clipping next to a waterfall was way cool.

Best to call the Leavenworth ranger station and ask about permits even if you think you don't need them. It would be a bummer to get a fat ticket on your car at the trailhead when you could have easily gotten a permit.

Thanks for another awesome event. As several have said this is the best event of the year, perhaps it should be done TWICE per year. One in April and one in October. Just a thought. Rad

Shorts over polypro, of course.

GET WELL SOON!!! CHANNELLING ALL CAPS NOW complete. I haven't met you yet, but I have enjoyed your energy here. Get out of danger so you can go out and get dangerous again this spring. Cheers, Rad ps. You're not missing much right now anyway...

I call BS. When the belay setup in the photo is loaded the belay device will shift upward (with rope coming out the top), assuming the first piece is above the belayer and not off to the side. Are you saying Dave Graham and Chris Sharma don't know how to belay? See Realization video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-200477265572892748 Perhaps I am confused. Please post photo of 'the wrong orientation' so I can be enlightened.

Taken w/your SD800 IS? Just got one myself. Let the good times roll. Rad

Infant diaper rash has some similar features to adult chaffing rash, and the products made for it can be useful once you've got irritation. Triple paste, though expensive, not only provides a barrier but helps promote healing. Your pediatrician can probably hook you up with free samples. Perhaps that's TMI. Tight, synthetic wicking layers are useful, as mentioned. Yep, shorts over polypro has its value!

Perfect. Thanks Oly!

I need a new digital camera for climbing. It should fit in a pocket and be light (probably not 35mm SLR). It should also be good for taking pics of kids (little or no shooting delay). Some of you take some great shots. What do you recommend? Thanks very much, Rad ps. Enjoy the fresh snow out there!

You might look here: http://www.nwac.noaa.gov/

The rock on the lower part of the route is great (very solid rock quality and some fun mid 5th moves) if you stay on the buttress instead of the gully. See thread: Vesper N Face thread Route: Looking down lower buttress Upper slab Enjoy. Rad ps. If you don't want to hike a ways to get to some lovely, moderate climbing then you might as well scratch 3/4 of Cascades Select off your to do list right now.

The science may be new, but the concept is not. With regard to climbing, the role of visualization in engram acquisition and reinforcement is covered at length in Goddard and Neumann's book Performance Rock Climbing. If you want a theoretical and analytical explanation of training for climbing this book is excellent. Daydreaming is not as useless as once thought

Timy, There is no shame in taking a rope and roping up when you feel being unroped is too dangerous. A thin, short (25m) rope can be light and effective. However, this will require some training. You have ample time so go do it. For most climbing routes, the descent route is different from the ascent route. In this case you should probably just hike down the trail. Lastly, Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 at just under 14,500ft. If you have not hiked or climbed at this altitude you will find it harder than you might think. Try some other high routes before Whtiney. You don't want to ruin your trip with the mother of all headaches or pulmonary edema. Good luck, Rad

In addition to ratings, guidebooks provide other clues to difficulty and quality within a grade. 1 - When was the route put up? (older routes are usually graded harder than newer routes). 2 - Who put up the route? Some routesetters are known for sandbags whereas others float the other way. 3 - Star ratings can sometimes give clues to difficulty too. 0-1 star routes may be one move wonders. Multiple star routes are more likely to be sustained or require multiple moves at the grade. I've found that the highest starred routes are often the ones that are hardest for the grade and on high-quality rock with the best moves. They are often the most memorable. Area with the highest star overload I've seen: Owen's River Gorge. Books that could use stars: Beckey guides.

The first photo looks like P1 Canary, but my head nearly came unscrewed trying to see it.