Blake

For routes in squamish where you'll top out, I think the best approach/descent shoe is the lightest pair of flip-flops you can find. The backside trail is a stair-stepping highway with hand rails!

Pilgrimage to Mecca - North Face of Amphitheater Mountain - Eastern North Cascades Julie's Roof at Index Even Steven @ the Pet Wall in Squamish

Yah, but I bet Dallas could climb it in the dark with no moon or headlamp.

Hey Gene, For two bodyweight exercises that you can do anywhere either to warm up (base of the crag on a cold morning), or get a workout, I really like one-legged squats and King Deadlifts. One Legged Squat -> King Deadlift -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOyqz1Tzils Too often when I am trying to do bodyweight-only workouts, I focus on stuff like pushups, situps, pullups, and ignore my legs. These are both good ways to counter that tendency. The one-legged squats, in particular, seem to translate very well to one's ability to high-step onto a small hold in climbing, and smoothly stand up on it. It teaches balance in addition to strength. Obviously you can use a wall or beam as support if it's hard to do one with full range at first.

Probably so, probably back when we had a thing called Napster!

Hey Bob, This is an interesting topic. I wonder if a lawyer who specializes in copyright cases or internet/tech related issues would shed some definitive light on it. I'd be curious to hear your take on the following scenario. Last fall I showed some photos and video clips on an evening down at Backcountry Essentials in Bellingham as a fundraiser for saving Index. A couple hundred folks showed up, and while video and pictures showed, I played some (copyrighted) music in the background off my computer's iTunes, never thinking twice about it, which may have been a mistake on my part. Although all the donations went to preserve Index, and there was no entry price, I'm sure that Backcountry Essentials, Cilogear, and Outdoor Research were mentioned or thanked for supporting the event (with free raffle prizes that night) or those climbing trips (with gear). I think if Toyota or General Motors were using a band's copyrighted song in their car commercial, that would clearly be wrong. Likewise, I think that if I made a song-and-picture slideshow and played it for some friends who came over for dinner, that would be clearly ok. It's interesting where the line is drawn somewhere in between the two.

Sol, cool idea for a thread. I think Darin is correct in mentioning that places like Colo, Calif, etc, with lots of accessible alpine granite and good weather still don't have heaps of 5.12 and 5.13 climbs on every other peak. It takes a certain rare combo of things to fall into place for that type of setting. Heck, all of the walls and peaks in Red Rocks only have a few trad pitches harder than 5.12- W, You should ask Forest about Pangaea... anyone climb it or know where it even is on the spire? Oh yeah, and Hyperspace is not Alpine but it is a great route! I can't believe all these people don't like it. I didn't do the original start, just the RPM to the base of the psychopath, but thought it was fun, physical, and safe. The South Face of Cathedral Peak has been free climbed, not sure if it is in the 5.11 range or what...

The top one has been climbed multiple times, but probably not in winter. Mostly 4th/low 5th and extremely loose/not-so-fun. I climbed a couple different (summer) route on the bottom one, and watched it spontaneously shed rocks 2,000' down the north face when standing at the base. Wayne, I started climbing when living in Stehekin and some of the most obvious-looking routes i'd see on a daily basis had not been climbed. (SE Ridge of Buckner, E ridge of Tupshin, Dark->Bonanza traverse, Megalodon Ridge on Goode) So I think doing new routes began as just a way to climb to the top of a cool-looking mountain via an interesting and logical line. Since then I have definitely grown in my appreciation for the unknown/exploration element to new routes. I like the feeling of starting up a wall and thinking that it's just me, my partner, our gear, and our resourcefullness to make it to the top. No topo, no guide, and maybe it wont be within our abilities. But there's only one way to find out... My favorite new routes have been ones that featured good teamwork and maybe a moment or two of doubt. IE doubting if the next pitch/headwall/moat crossing would "go" or not. I love it when there is just enough gear to be safe and just enough cracks or features to make an impossible/improbable looking section turn out to be doable. I contributed an article to the NorthWest Mountaineering Journal #5 about this general topic Link What were your thoughts after climbing Buck Mtn and reading that the north ridge had been climbed?

Faster_Than_You and others... Repairs to the Stehekin Road would not come with a decrease in the repair budget to area Forest Service Roads, which I agree would be used by more people. This is not a case of either/or, where we have to choose between roads This argument was raised 2 years ago on the Washington Climber Coalition Website and at a WCC Meeting during which I presented information on this topic. I had a very long and informative exchange with Daniel DeSantis, who is the the "Transportation Program manager" for the federal government overseeing the Western USA, and learned that this phantom competition of repair funds would not occur. Email Exchange with the guy in charge of federal roads Matt_P, the NPS estimates a repair would be $1.3million. That might have been when fuel prices were at their peak (the transport cost is a disproportionately high % of construction expenses in Stehekin). The bill currently in congress would allow the road to be re-routed along it's original course, which is currently a very wide trail that was once driveable. This course sits on a bench of land up from the Stehekin River and is not in flood danger. The road was first constructed and used along this road bed, and only later moved as part of a CCC project in the late 1930s to make this stretch of road more scenic/riparian. MountainSloth: The upper Stehekin Valley was far "less wild" 100 or even 80 years ago, than it is today or was eairlier this decade when the road was functioning. For much of the 20th century, a year-round community of several hundred people existed at Bridge Creek, vehicles were being driven into HorseShoe Basin, and miners and trappers used (now extinct) marked trails to places like Trapper Lake, Junction Mountain, the W. Fork of Agnes Creek and several other now-unvisited spots in the upper valley. One-lane dirt road does not make the upper valley "un wild". As an example, I was coming off Mt. Goode with a friend 2 years ago, and after 2 days of climbing, we came across the Stehekin Road/Park Creek Trail junction. My friend was amazed that a road existed, as he couldn't see it from the surrounding peaks, and he couldn't tell it was there until he literally stepped onto it.

I had an amazing year and was fortunate to climb with many great friends. Too much exciting stuff to remember... - First trip to South America, met great folks from across the globe, reached the "cumbre" of a couple Patagonian Spires - Had fun on classics of the Southwest/Rockies, like Cloud Tower, Levitation 29, Fine Jade, Naked Edge and Scenic Cruise - Won two grants from the American Alpine Club, couldn't ask for anything better! -Got a soltice tour of Rocky Mountain Park from a local, climbing Hallett Peak and Notchtop Peak, and made a new friend. - Completed a new route up Mt. Stuart with a great friend, and made one more in the intense bonding experience that ensued. - Hit Alaska (first visit there) during a freak heat-wave, and got to climb 4 routes in the Mendenhall Towers. Built some character on the return to civilization. - Explored more of the Cascades, backpacked into Stehekin with the wife, accompanied a friend on his first new alpine climb as he sent the crux pitches in good style, ticked off some local classics: The Passenger, Dragons of Eden, Acid Baby, The Scoop, The Tempest (but failed on the triple-scoop linkup), belayed co-worker on his first trad lead, on Prusik Peak. - Watched friend narrowly avoid death on Inspiration Peak as we did half of the Southern Pickett Traverse. - Led the first pitch of Japanese Gardens, maybe the best pitch anywhere -Local ice & Thailand Limestone ended the year, can't wait for the next one.

Salish Peak - Flight of the Falcon Long enough to feel like you climbed something, short enough to not require climbing with packs or boots. Beautiful area, shortish approach, and a peak you wouldn't otherwise bother with. And a cunning line up a steep aspect on the peak's stellar granite. Salish Peak above the Roan Wall Starting the route, 20' up pitch #1 due to snow. Darin having fun! Cant believe we left our beds in Bellingham this morning and are on pitch #14 already... Higher on the route:

Exactly, I used grade III+ to refer to just the amount of time it took Pete and I to make it up to the big NE Buttress ledge, where DOE joins the buttress. We easily rapped back to our packs from there, and I have never done the rest of the NEB. If Jens thinks the whole route is a grade V, I take his word for it. I think it was about 7 hours or something for the 7 pitches we did. It would be doable in 4 pitches though. The 58m overhanging headwall in one pitch would be something to see. Contrary to some, I agree with Jens that the commitment grades in the Cascades are actually comparatively stout. For a couple of examples: The Kor-Ingalls on Castleton Tower is a 3 or 4 pitch route with 5.7 and 5.8 climbing, and a bit of 5.9 on one pitch. There are no route-finding issues, and all belays are bolted. It is given a grade III, but I can't imagine it taking people "most of a day" and it would have probably taken us about 1/3 as long to climb as DOE did. The Scenic Cruise in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is another example. It's called a grade V (meaning most parties will bivy) but nobody bivies. The second ascent was done in 2 or 3 hours, free-solo. I don't think a bivy was EVER standard, and a friend and I recently climbed it faster than I've done several Cascade IV routes. And I'm only referencing the climbing, not the approach or descent. Anyway, the whole NCIS/commitment grade is a bit subjective, as it is based on the speed of an "average party". And since "average" has not been defined and varies from route to route, it's a bit like basing a rating on the speed at which the Easter Bunny would accomplish a given climb.

Pete was rocking not only the custom man-pris, but also a mosquito-proof authentic neon 80s jacket, and an old-school Joe Brown helmet borrowed from a local buddy. All that plus Sol's 'climbing map' and success was inevitable. It takes a village... After Backbone and Serpentine saw winter climbs, maybe DOE is all yours this season John.

Does Graham Climb? or just wade in short shorts?

Trip: Dragontail Pk. - Dragons of Eden - III+ Date: 7/26/2009 Trip Report: November seems like a pretty dreary month around the northwest, so why not post a 4-month-delayed trip report from a sunny summer climb? Sol and Jens posted their (understandably) enthusiastic reviews of the route last summer, but Wayne and partner really did find an inspiring line and I'm glad it's been re-sprayed/re-discovered. In July Pete H and I got lured to the Enchantments with stories about amazing climbing above Colchuck Lake. A milkshake stop at the 59er Diner yielded one awesome hand-drawn topo from Sol (or "climbing map" as his co-workers described it) featuring the newly-free-climbed 'Dragons of Eden'. The route follows amazing features up the West face of the lower NE buttress, joining that route to the summit. Pete had previously climbed the NE buttress via a nearby route. When offered a dinner of BBQ in Leavenworth, we planned to follow DOE to the NE buttress and descend from there to a greasy feast. The climb is easy to find, even without the excellent climbing map. Head up the trail from Colchuck lake, aiming for the waterfall (bottom left corner of photo) at the base of Dragontail Peak. The approach to this route is probably the shortest in the Stuart Range. On climber's right, there is an amorphous dark buttress of granite, which is the lowest "cliffy" section on Dragontail, and was climbed by the Wallace/McGown 1988 ascent. It's visible in the very bottom of the photo. However, it's possible to walk/scramble all the way around this buttress from either side and across the top, so its value as part of the route is up for interpretation. I don't think these initial three pitches have been climbed since 1988. Overall, we found the climb fun and physical, though still grainier than the perfectly-cleaned granite on some nearby peaks. It is steep from the get-go, and would be pretty easy to haul bags on most pitches. Additionally, there are continuous cracks the whole way. Good gear can be found throughout, and it's worth the climb even if scruffy alpine 5.11 or 5.12 isn't your thing. From the base of the waterfall, scramble up and right on decomposing 4th-class terrain, for the equivalent of one pitch. Shortly right of a small pine tree, find the obvious crack below a white overhang. P1 - 5.10a Hand and fist crack, through black rock, aiming for a large roof. Belay has one bolt. P2 - Maybe the best of the route. One of the best in the range. A 5.10 slab move leads left into splitter ringlocks and thin-hands crack, 5.11b. Eventually this crack becomes hand-sized and leads through an immaculate corner. Belay on the first obvious ledge. P3 - Original DOE goes directly up the yellow tips corner, above. We found a soft-man variation, avoiding rumors of 5.12R. However, a bomber green alien can protect the 5.12 crux move, so future climbers need not be scared off. Our pitch 3 was a short traverse rightward, ending below an obvious chimney, just right of the crux corner. 5.8 Here's Pete below the 5.12 corner, heading off to easier climbing. P4 - The variation. Pete said it was maybe his favorite pitch of the climb. Follow finger cracks, stemming, and the fingers lieback up to the long ledge shared with the Dragonfly Route. 5.10d From here, a 60m headwall leads to the NE Buttress. It overhangs the whole way. This ledge has no fewer than 6 splitter crack and corner systems running off it. They are all grainy, but might clean up well. Dragonfly goes off the far right, and DOE follows the second-to-the-left. P5 - Hand and finger cracks up the right-facing corner to a slot below the roof. 5.9 Almost done with pitch 5: P6 - Turn the roof at a big flake, and follow splitters to a piton. Belay here. Looking down and right from this belay, you can see a couple OLD and RUSTY fixed pieces. Some ancient aid ascent stayed in the corner until this point, and moved left around the roof here. P7 - Face and crack climbing leads to the topout on a flat expanse of the NE buttress. This pitch feels like sport climbing, with a roof, and continuous steepness. There is still a lot of good jamming though. From here, one 60m rappel got us back to the top of pitch4. We rappelled ~3 more times, generally down and skier's left (climber's right of the ascent), following Dragonfly. All raps were off good, pre-existing anchors, and we returned to backpacks and mosquito swarms in no time. We AOed through many of the harder bits, and still had a good time. Maybe with traffic the graininess will diminish, but either way, it's definitely a fun route! Gear Notes: Nuts and Cams, we took triples in .5, .75, 1, 2 and doubles for everything else. Approach Notes: Just past Colchuck Lake.

Maybe she was really just offering $100 for the dude to quit badgering her.

A pack designed specifically for climbing (technical ascents while wearing the pack) will often do just fine for backpacking or walking up snow (your Aconcagua trip). Packs meant for backpacking/mellow snow climbs/walking-only activities will often be a pain to climb technical terrain with.

I got a ticket from "republic parking" while in seattle. It was the lot near the Ballard Locks, where I was parked for a few minutes with a friend. I don't know how official these tickets are, given that they come from a private parking-lot operating company, not the city government. Does anyone have experience fighting or ignoring one of these? If you ignored it, what happened? Thanks

Cool, thanks Pete. If anyone has size 25 Intuition Liners for sale...

I'm looking to buy some new cookable liners for Scarpa Laser AT boots. I don't know much about the options, just that my liners are the OLD original ones, with laces, and they are getting pretty slim and not very warm or comfy. Can anyone offer a suggestion on specific models to check out (is there even a difference?) or good spots to buy them cheaply? Thanks!

you should write something about getting police interrogation for ice climbing. it could be called "maxwell silver's hammer (and pick)."

This is disingenuous Blake, and you know it. The issue is not the sharing but the motive for sharing. If Joe Blow does a cool climb and tells people about it, whether it be in Hot Flashes or the AAJ or a cc.com trip report or a SuperTopo posting, that is one thing. The medium doesn't matter. However if Joe is either sponsored (and has sponsors who demand that their athlete be visible and get himself noticed) or is TRYING to be sponsored and hence building the all important spray resume, then Joe isn't just simply sharing his experience but trying to be noticed. In this case, the medium DOES matter since more eyeballs equals more notice equals better advertising. And this is where resume padding, grade inflation, exaggeration, "Alpine style" ascents that were really sieges, outright lying and other BS come into the equation, all because of the desire to make a profit from the experience. I am not saying that people who are not sponsored never lie. I've run across tons of non-sponsoired liers, exaggerators, and shit talkers. But when you are trying to make money off your climbing the tendency to lie, hype, exaggerate, and overpromote has a financial incentive - and it is these egregious examples that Scott Semple is directly targeting. I think that's a good point Dru, and something I overlooked. But I guess since we can't know someone's motive, it's not really my place to judge them for their motive. I'd say that as long as you are telling the truth about what you did, then feel free to let a wide audience of folks read about it and see the photos. If I don't want to read your "Hot Flash", cc.com TR, or blog post, I just wont click the mouse. But honestly, who among hasn't been inspired by reading about the climbs of others?

A week late, but here's my take on the whole thing. Sinful Sponsorship? Seriously... Silly Semple rails against "undeserved" self promotion, but never defines his terms. We all share about our climbing experiences somehow, but one person's version of "This is Rad" is to tell their wife and dog Rex, then go to bed. Another person might write an online trip report on a public forum, post photos on their blog, submit their account of the climb to Alpinist or Climbing magazine, and send a report to the American Alpine Journal. In any of these cases, nobody has to read or be exposed to the information/pictures/evidence of the "rad" accomplishment without specifically choosing to do so. To say that posting on one's blog, is "fine" but deride posting the same report to a wider audience via Hot Flashes draws an arbitrary line of dubious significance. Either you tell nobody, or you tell people who choose to hear about it. And if you are complaining about published climbing stories (online or in print), then submit your own or stop reading them. I hate Cat Fancy Magazine. Absolutely can't stand it. Guess what I reach for on the magazine rack? Not Cat Fancy. Problem Solved.

I think that's a good choice, and I'd throw out the suggestion that if you can't fit the gear for a 2-3 day summer trip into a 40L pack, with lid, then you might have too much gear, rather than too little pack.

Yo! Thanks for the hitch-hike ride. I was up there this summer wondering if you guys would go back to finish up the project. Way to go.