markwebster

Run outs *seem* longer if you are rusty, old or burned out. I'm all three right now, and my day at the Pinnacles Monday was horrible. I left at noon. On the trail out I kept looking back at people climbing run out routes that I normally love...but couldn't climb. I need to stop working so much OT. That should help with the burn out. Can't fix the old problem. Vacation coming up should help with the rusty problem.

The campgrounds will be full, but dirt roads around Leavenworth almost always lead to open forest service land where you can camp. Regarding crowded cliffs...I doubt it. There still aren't that many trad climbers around. Yeah, the sport routes get busy but trad, or old school areas like Castle and the Pinnacles should be fine. Any cliff with more than a half hour approach will be ok, Givler's being the exception.

I have the lumix ts3. The case is waterproof. I tested it. You do have to be careful when you shut it. The gaskets must be perfectly clean. They ship it with a brush to clean the gasket. But the image quality suffers in any kind of challenging light: burned out highlights, plugged shadows. Even in perfect lighting conditions, when you zoom in to 100 percent in Photoshop, the pixels are badly compressed with a lot of artifacting. So, if you can, get a P&S that shoots raw. That way *you* get to choose the jpg compression settings, afterward, in your image editor (Photoshop, etc). Small sensors suffer already, and if all they deliver is a jpg...well, it's like having a camera that only gives you prints, like a Polaroid: no negative. RAW is your negative. I'm glad I have the TS3 for sea kayaking, but if I had it to do over, I'd buy a Canon that could shoot raw. Meanwhile, my DSLR Canon 7D is my everyday shooter. I'll be packing it around Index Sunday. A great combination of DSLR and light plastic lens is the $130 Canon 50mm 1.8 prime.

I've been off facebook since September. I am getting a lot more work done. Instead of surfing Facebook on my breaks, I've been teaching myself to play the guitar. Or sometimes I talk to my co-workers. Real, face to face conversations. My wife was a facebook widow. We get along a lot better now. They ought to call that website "falsebook".

I don't know about Oregon, but in Washington there are programs to help people coming out of jail. The government will pay your tuition, and some, maybe even all, of your living expenses. I would recommend contacting some community colleges to see what is available in a field that interests your son. I am a teacher, and I see this working everyday. Say what you want about our government, but we as a society have come a long ways towards helping those who are less fortunate get back on their feet.

clee03 is right. Index is not a good area to take a bunch of kids. The easiest route there is the 5.5ish approach to the railroad bolts at the free area over on the left. But setting up a TR there for a bunch of kids would prevent people from rapping off. Why don't you leave earlier and drive to the Peshastin Pinnacles? No one ever goes there and there are a ton of slabs you could set up top ropes on. For the last couple springs I've seen a school bus full of kids show up there and set up a couple top ropes on Martian Diagonal. You could also do it at Sunset Slab. Kids love friction climbing. You won't anger other climbers...'cause no one is there...but there are a lot of fun climbs there. Oh...how about Spire Rock in Tacoma? It's another climbing area ideally suited for kids, and no one goes there, so you wouldn't have to fight with the "real" climbers.

love that stuff. Keep it reasonably far away from nylon though, and plastic. It melts plastic. Despite it's toxicity, I can verify that it will not hurt your unborn children either. The wife and I were climbing Silent Running...but that is a story for another day.

back before they invented 'the icicle', Castle Rock was all we had...and the Pinnacles. I'm still puzzled why my climbing friends always want to head up the icicle before we've climbed Castle out. I got spanked on Careno this last weekend because I hadn't put in my spring training on Castle. Castle has it all, from multipitch 5.3 up to yosemite style 5.9 offwidths and chimneys (Damnation). And when you get really good, meaning you've cruised all the Castle nines, you can start in on the 10's. Can you say "Brass Balls?" Merica on the top of pitch 3, regular route, Careno Crag:

the still photo was shot with a $130, 50 mm, 1.8 prime lens: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335312267&sr=8-1 It's an amazing lens, super cheap, all plastic housing, but awesome glass and very fast. The video was shot with my Sigma 10-20 wide zoom. It's the older 10-20, not the new one with the fast constant aperture: http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-10-20mm-4-5-6-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0007U00X0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335312346&sr=1-2 I'm saving up to replace my Sigma 18-250 zoom, which broke. I'm leaning towards the Canon 24-105...maybe even the "L" glass model. I'm tired of $500 lenses that break in a few years.

If I had to buy another small camera I would get one that could do RAW. All my JPEG point and shoots have been a disappointment compared to my DSLR cameras. Currently I am carrying my Canon 7D everywhere. I lead with it, but it cuts me down from 10a to 5.9, which is an ok sacrifice considering the fun I have when a photo (or video) opportunity appears. Nothing like seeing an awesome climber below you in great light, and knowing you can capture it, no problem, because you have a real camera. This is Craig Sunday at Index: And here is Craig leading Libra onsight, 10 minutes later. Vladimir is belaying: Craig leading Libra on Vimeo It was bad light (evening), but my 7D was able to capture it reasonably well. This is right out of the camera, no post edit, other than the compression Vimeo did on my compressed 280meg mp4. I'm brand new to video, but it's a lot of fun.

Kids and climbing is such a difficult subject. You spend the first decade holding their hand to keep them safe, while they watch you climb up cliffs. There weren't gyms nearby when our kids grew up so it was harder. But, to answer the question, my son first belayed me when he was 11. I gave him a stitch plate, which is very grabby, and led up an easy 5.4. His mom supervised. We tried to avoid ever forcing them to climb. They got to choose between following a route, and chasing lizards as they went from toddlers to teenagers. They usually chose the lizards. But they went everywhere with us, from Jtree to Squamish. Their friends thought we were the coolest parents, and still do. But the first time my 19 year old son chose to lead a dangerous sport route with a ledge fall potential, I was not happy. I was watching him maneuver through a dangerous chossy section of cliff, knowing that if he blew it he was going to break his back. And would that make me a good dad, or a bad dad? Thankfully, he backed away from climbing and got into his own dangerous sports...just blew his ACL skiing trees. Both my kids still climb, but I did not raise two climbing partners, as I thought I might. And I'm ok with that. When they join me, it's awesome, but when they don't, I beg the wife, or scratch around for partners at the gym, nothing has changed. This is my 24 year old daughter on a ledge at Smith 3 weeks ago, her boyfriend in the background. He had never climbed before. She goes with Sue and I more than my son. My son seems to be in a phase where he wants to be independent. Kids and climbing....what are you going to do when it's the family sport?

old testament is a really nice 5.7ish climb, and it's rarely busy. Has an exciting traverse. Make sure you don't cross lines with someone doing a sport route below. You can do all the crack climbs at Smith with passive pro. That's all we had back in 1977. And we climbed there for about 5 years before we started seeing cams. But my favorite cam is the 2 or 3 camalot (yellow, blue).

I'm going to guess that if you hiked up to the Royal Columns wall at Tieton (just outside Yakima) with a harness, a helmet and a big smile, you could hook up with some friendly climbers. We've been known to let single climbers join our party for a top rope or two, or more, if they are friendly. But you really need to join something more organized, like a climbing gym, or take a climbing class at a community college... something that lets you meet people with similar interests in a group setting. That way you can select your future climbing partners based on their integrity, rather than their availability. There are probably some bouldering hotspots up the Tieton, that can be a great way to meet other climbers.

Awesome, so cool to see Fred getting out! And Phil too! On the technical side, I am just getting into video, and Adobe Premiere, and I'm wondering what software or application you used to make the slideshow.

Has anyone heard more about this accident? How is the climber doing, possible causes, etc? We were also there when the runners were describing the accident to the sheriff, where the trail hits the pavement. There must have been 15 aid cars there, including firetrucks, ambulances, sheriff vehicles, search and rescue, incident command, etc. Kudos to the first responders for coming to help one of our own so quickly. It was very impressive. I wondered about a fall from the anchors. There are only a few things that can go wrong at anchors... I agree, there was some sketchy stuff going on up there. Saw a guy texting and belaying. One hand for the phone, one hand on the rope. He was actually one of the better belayers. I've been seeing a lot of people with sloppy belay hands lately, especially long time climbers, who learned the "pinch and slide" method. When you are taking up rope, please, please, don't open your brake hand! Good belay illustration here: http://www.climbing.com/print/techtips/ttsport225/

Spire Rock is not that bad. I was out there last summer with my wife and daughter and didn't see any syringes, nor did I get offered any drugs. I wouldn't go there at night necessarily... It's hard to beat free if you are on a budget in Tacoma. And it has cracks, something Edgeworks doesn't have. I've taken falls on stoppers placed in Spire Rock. In the spring and summer, it can be a lovely place to hang out after work. There is a video you can view on this page that shows the rock reasonably well. The video is of the guidebook I wrote about the rock. http://www.websterart.com/html/spire.php If you want the guidebook, buy it from the Tacoma Climbing gym, which is where we go when it rains in Tacoma: http://www.edgeworksclimbing.com/

Another classic example of thread drift. The one remaining thing to be examined is the sling/quickdraw failure. I have to wonder how a sewn sling could be sold and used when it was not sewn, but only glued? I've never heard of gluing being part of the bar tacking process. The bar tacks are the first thing I look at when I buy a new sewn sling. Be weird not to see them. Nothing has been said either about where the belayer was standing. I've led, and belayed that climb. I've belayed from three different spots there: The upper sloping ledge, the lower one, and the ground. None is ideal. But in hindsight, perhaps the ground would be safer. Getting pulled off a ledge while catching a fall is something we all watch out for. But back to the thread drift. The argument about auto locker versus ATC's reminds me of countless arguments in the past: sticky rubber versus EB's; pitons versus hexes; hexes versus friends, etc. Progress happens, get over it. And maybe this thread should be moved into a new post about atc versus grigri?

Great write up! Sorry I am late to the conversation, I was climbing at Smith. There is a good video about how to correctly use the Cinch here: http://www.trango.com/Cinch I'm a firm believer in my Cinch. While I am an excellent belayer with many years of experience going back to waist belays and everything in between, when I use my Cinch, there is an added layer of safety. I like to joke that "I might get distracted, but my Cinch never does" As was illustrated in this accident, things can happen that can cause even a good belayer to lose (or partially lose) control. An auto locking device like a Cinch, or a GriGri can make the difference, when the sh*t hits the fan. They are also awesome for hangdogging leaders. Keeps your hands from getting tired. I still use an ATC on multipitch because it is lighter, more versatile, and I am usually tied in to an anchor, and less likely to be pulled off my stance. I still teach beginners with an old Stitch plate: http://ferno.com.au/tabid/70/CategoryID/615/ProductID/17453/Default.aspx If you remove the spring, which everyone did back in the day, they are so grabby it's almost an auto locker. It requires constant management by the belayer to pull it up off the locker so rope can be fed out. This forces your belayer to pay attention, and *almost* guarantees a catch. My last trick is to tape the belayers brake hand shut over the rope with climbing tape. With their hand taped on, they can't let go, and more quickly master the pinch and slide method... while you lead up something easy. My daughters boyfriend learned to belay (and lead belay me) at Smith this weekend doing that. She was also pulling rope off the stack for him, and both of her hands were on the rope as a "firemans belay" in case he totally screwed up.

Hope the guy gets well. I feel like I might know him from what has been said. The climbing community, especially the Vantage winter climbing group is small. One of our own has gone down...it could have been any of us. But regarding lockers on draws. I've been know to do it at crux moves. Crillz has cleaned some of mine. I figure if I'm leading, it makes me feel safer, so be it. I don't do it all the time. I also sew up my trad leads with excessive pro, same difference. You have a top rope, stop whining :-) Any climb you walk away from is a good climb. Best wishes to the fallen climber, get well buddy.

Bat Crack, and Mikes books 5.6, Intersection rock Tip Toe, 5.7, and a bunch of others at Quail Springs picnic area Overhang bypass 7, and north overhang 9, Intersection Dog leg 8, double cross, 7, Old woman rock Popes crack and stick to what, echo rock, 5.9 Indian cove, La Reina 5.9, plus a dozen others that are easier. Bunch of closely bolted routes up in the draw left of Feudal wall, Indian cove. All in your price range. Hand Jive, 5.8, up at the far end of Hidden Valley campground. There are a couple 8 and 9's (trad) on the front and back of outhouse rock. This is my favorite Jtree guidebook: http://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Tree-Climbs-Robert-Miramontes/dp/0982615442/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332222566&sr=8-1 I have them all, going back to the seventies and it is the best by a landslide. Awesome collections of routes by type, grade, trad, sport, offwidth, etc. And it's in color. It's comparable to the new smith book in quality.

Excellent work! The logistics and knowledge that went into the filming, behind the scenes, is impressive. Amazing climber too. Seeing him on city park was stunning. I was there when Todd Skinner was working it. I'll bet Todd would have loved to have those skinny little fingers :-)

I have personally not fallen on my gear there, though I've done plenty of hanging. My friends have taken short falls on gear, like 8 feet on George and Martha at the crux, and the cams have held fine. I've watched people fall off Bob's your Uncle, gear has held. I think it's similar to Smith. Back up your gear. Don't trust any one cam or stopper to keep you off the deck. It's not index granite. But definitely wear a helmet. I've rained handholds on my belayers, and I've been rained on...stoned is a better description. I cringe when I watch people lead Red M&M's. A better question would be has anyone ever survived a whipper off that death route? The bottom line is this: in the winter, Vantage is the only dry, warm rock around. The cracks are simply too good to resist.

+1 for Toys in the Attic. It's scarier to follow than to lead. After leading it last time, my partner refused to clean it and I had to follow my own lead. Don't tell anyone, but Toys in the Attic stays completely dry in a rainstorm. And the bird droppings aren't that bad, though the smell can be interesting. Man up!

I'm selling my 3 year old Cannon 50D for $670 OBO It works perfectly. My boss asked me to learn how to shoot and edit video so I've upgraded to the 7D and don't need the 50D. This camera has the magnesium metal body, unlike the plastic of the 60D or Rebel T3i series. You can see the picture quality here. All of these pictures from Jtree were shot with my 50D: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1052866/Searchpage/1/Main/85473/Words/markwebster/Search/true/Re_Joshua_Tree_for_Xmas_2011_w#Post1052866 If you need a lens, I've just bought this $120 nifty fifty, amazing piece of glass, super light and small: amazon lens And here are detailed shots of the camera: http://www.websterart.com/html/canon50d.html I know this forum is for climbing gear, but to my way of thinking, this is climbing gear. What's climbing without good pictures?

Oh yeah, I forgot about zebra/zion...wow, that was so awesome last spring. Hearing all these classics has made me lonesome for some smiffy time. It's such a blast to be a trad climber and walk up to a crowded area like Bunny Face. Sportos on everything with waits on all the bolt routes. Unload the pack and gear up for the 3 empty trad lines there: Bookworm (5.9), Lycophydophyta (5.8) [do both pitches, awesome at top], and Lyco right. Back in the day, you had to climb trad at Smith, there were only a handful of bolt lines. All those trad lines are still there, waiting for some lovin'...oh, I've not heard anyone mention Fridays Jinx, and Pack Animal, second pitch is awesome 5.8 fingers, really spectacular lockers in an airy corner.