markwebster

For fiction, anything by larry mcmurtry (lonesome dove, etc), Dick Francis, John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee series), Wilbur Smith or Louis LaMour. I have a big bookshelf of books dating back to the seventies. I wait a few years until I can't remember the plot, then I re-read them. A good book is a wonderful way to relax. I don't watch tv at all. Saw a great bumper sticker: Your living room is the factory, you are the product. Turn off the tube!

Driving in a car in heavy traffic in the rain in seattle at 65 is one of the scariest things I've done. If one person blows it, things go downhill fast. But you do have that steel body around you, airbags, etc. You will probably survive. Motorcyclists are another story. Dad was a newspaper reporter. He got called out to photograph one too many motorcycle wrecks involving fatalities and told me to never, ever ride a motorcycle. My daughters friend in high school lost a leg in a motorcycle wreck. My son wanted a motorcycle for a while. But now that he works as an ER room nurse at Tacoma General, he has changed his mind. He has seen some double fatalities on motorcycles. Dead on arrival. There is no safety cage like a car. Why do it? Back to climbing... At crags, flakes get pulled on a lot. They are usually lower elevation, so less freeze thaw action. In the mountains, less traffic, more ice in winter, avalanches, benighted, route finding, etc. Mountains are continually falling down, in small pieces, it's what they do. Sue and I had one too many close calls alpine climbing, we saw the writing on the wall, and went to a few funerals...he died doing what he loved, etc, etc. What a load of crap to tell your son who now doesn't have a father. I've known at least 8 people who died alpine climbing, starting with Devi Unsoeld and her father Willi. Carl Shneider, another pair who died on Liberty ridge, and recently Jonny Copp, pictured here on the left, last xmas new years eve, jtree, jamming with me on the harmonica, his girlfriend on the violin. She was very, very lovely, I can't imagine her pain. Gonna miss that guy at jtree. Is it worth the increased chance of not seeing your children grow up? But hey, it's a free country, I love looking at your pictures. For me, I love cragging, and it's enough to get my adrenaline fix while keeping the variables somewhat under control.

To put my money where my mouth is: I just bought the yellow linkcam. I too have been following these stories about the use/missuse of linkcams. I didn't buy it so much because I plan to take whippers on it. Call me a pussy, but I don't like to climb to the point of falling. I'll hangdog to rest, but rarely fall on gear. It just seems safer. I have a "u" stem yellow #2 chouinard camalot with a frayed main wire. It needed replacing and I also need another red camalot...I killed two birds with one stone on the yellow link cam. These are obviously not plug and run kind of cams. They need careful thought to direction of pull force and should not be placed carelessly. All you have to do is look at them to see they aren't going to spin on their axis to face a changing fall direction like a camalot or tcu. As has also been noted, it's probably not a good idea to place nothing but cams on any given pitch. I try to always place at least one passive piece in any crux section, even if the rest are cams. Think: Karate at smith. I simply feel safer looking down a pitch and thinking, even if most of those cams fail, I've got those bomber nuts on long slings, they are gonna keep me off the deck! We used to climb before cams existed, and it just means slowing down occasionally to fiddle in some passive gear. It's worth the time. I got some great advice from Arno Ilgner while leading the 5.7 crack left of bunny face at smith. I was 30 feet up and just had one piece in. Arno was guiding two chicks on bunny and I'd recently read his book. To tease Arno, I said, to my belayer: "Now, Arno would say, place your gear, examine the landing, and go for it." The real Arno, on the ground, said: "No, no no! Place gear like you vote, early and often." I loved him for that, and returned to my favorite habit of sewing the crap out of everything.

I feel for the guy and his family, and I love my big bros. The man was a talented gear designer. It's unavoidable accidents like this that reaffirms our decision 25 years ago to stop alpine climbing before having children. The wife and I miss the challenge, and the pictures from the summits, but not the danger. I'd like to think that cragging is safer, with fewer variables...but I'm probably wrong. Two anchors on a rap station just doesn't seem enough to this old has been. ) Flame on.

The problem with small run books is that the labor required to photograph, write, and design the book will never be offset by sales. I built my book in Adobe InDesign. If you can teach yourself the software, you can cut your costs down to zero...assuming you work for free. "adobe indesign classroom in a book-amazon" Then find someone who has one of these: http://www.xerox.com/digital-printing/printers/print-on-demand/docutech-6180/enus.html I went to http://www.jndprinting.com/ in Tacoma, and they sent my file out to someone who has a docutech. The file I sent them was an Adobe PDF. Because no printing press was involved (docutech = lazer printer) you can get a book published in quantities of 10 or less and still get a low production price per book. And if you know what small guidebooks cost, you'll know that the book has to be dirt cheap to produce. The stores by them from you for a little more than half the retail price...do the math. jnd is a great company, I worked there for 7 years. But I'm sure there are other good printers out there. printing them at home is not practical or cost effective. I tried it, though I have an inkjet. You can, and should print proof copies at home on double sided glossy. If you had a lazer printer, it might be more practical.

I just published the new spire rock guidebook. Here are a few sample pages: http://www.websterart.com/img/spire_rock_advertisement.pdf So far it is only for sale at www.edgeworksclimbing.com This is the second edition, it's been out of print for 15 years. I did all the work this time, including all the photography, design and prepress. It's twenty pages, all in color, and includes the 2 biggest boulder problems, neither of which were in the old book. I'm going to gradually get it out into a few more stores. If you don't know spire rock, it used to be the only place in Puget Sound where you could rope up, not counting that little boulder somewhere in Seattle. It went up before the uw rock, and vertical world. I'm hoping the book re-generates some interest in spire. It used to be, and still can be, a fun place to hang out. Those routes are actually quite hard to do. It's gotten polished over the years. This was a two year labor of love, chipped away at it in my spare time...Hopefully I beat Yoder to the market as he is also planning to include it in a new book.

I know this sounds dumb, but where do those goats go when the snow is 6 feet deep up there? Years ago (eighties) my friends Rick Powell and Will Greenough spent a month of weekends up on Orbit in January, fixed ropes, pitons and a few bolts, trying to nail the first winter ascent. Probably their bolts up there still. They didn't mention seeing goats.

I am the said partner. Here is the trip report: http://www.websterart.com/html/outer_space7-2009.html and no, if the cam is yours, you can't have it. Finders keepers. We each found a cam. The problem with the descent is there are cairns everywhere you look. If you go the wrong way, there are cairns. We did find a couple high traverses to skiers left, below what might have been orbit, but those gullies dead ended in space. We did find a big tree with two old 60 meter ropes tied around it, a fixed rappel. But the goats had been chewing the grapevine knot. We followed the streambed to the bottom of that rap anyway. after wasting time trying two dead end high traverses, we committed to the streambed, which at least didn't have death drop offs. I used to do that climb once a year back in the day, but my memory ain't so good 25 years on. I think Christine is right, the best plan is to wait on top for someone who knows the way, and follow them.

Just came from the valley and did some nines and 10a's. I think Karate would be 10a in the valley, but only because of that traverse. You get so pumped on karate, and then you have to fish around for pro for your follower at the traverse at the very end. Or maybe it's just this old bag of bones. If I could build up my pullup power I might change my mind on that.

My kids never really got into climbing either when they were young. They grew up hanging around me and Sue at cliffs all over the west coast. We'd offer them a top rope from time to time, but they were usually too busy chasing lizards. There were no gyms then in our town, so that wasn't an option. My son finally realized what a cool sport dad was into at about 19. He cut back on bmx (which dad couldn't-wouldn't do) and started seriously leading. He stopped for nursing school but now is working and is climbing quite a bit, often without me. In Yosemite a few weeks ago I ran into Ron Kauk (one of my climbing heroes) at sunnyside jamcrack. We got to talking about our kids who climb. I said that it worried me when my son led dangerous routes with ledgefall potential. His comment was that at least my son was headed toward something positive, rather than drugs or other dangerous and negative behaviors. He was learning a sport that was totally positive and life enhancing, as opposed to the many other directions a teenager can take. Admittedly, I'd rather he was in golfing from a safety standpoint, but my mom tried to make me do that, and there's no way. Give them love, and then give them wings. my son, the RN on After Six, Yosemite. my daughter on the Grack, Yosemite

I tape because I've got scars from 3 decades of thrashing up stuff over my head and don't want more. If it's easy, I don't tape, but who wants to climb easy stuff all the time? if you are gonna' tape, use the best. I found it in the Yosemite climbing store, better than Metolius tape. It has cool pinstripes in it that allow easy ripping long way, and super sticky. You can also buy it online here: http://www.allmed.net/catalog/item/2531

I agree, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel his pain. All the worlds most famous climbers are greiving and wrote back to that poor kid on that board. So many people knew John. I'm not judging either, it's a free country. But I will do everything I can to not put my kids through that. I've really enjoyed having my dad around as I've got older. He's not famous, will never make it on the cover of a magazine and I disagree with him on many things, but he has been a rock. Always willing to babysit or take us out to dinner, or out in his canoe...in his eighties now and still married to the love of his life.

Hey Don, thanks for picking my logic apart. Good points all. I think you and I were there together when we saw Bachar on Left Ski Track. He was an amazing climber, and an inspiration to many of us back then. Still, I think his son and his future grandchildren will have some days when they will wish he hadn't chosen to live, and die by the sword. It's great to have a famous and inspirational father, but a father who is alive is pretty cool too. I'm perfectly aware that this dangerous sport may kill me someday if I am careless, but using a rope is my way to stack the odds in my favor, and make it more likely I'll live to see my grandchildren. Life is good, could we all just be a little more careful?

On my first xmas in jtree back in 82 I watched John free solo left ski track on intersection rock. I would have felt safe on his shoulders, he looked that steady. Still, free soloing is a deadly sport. Perhaps this will serve as a warning to some of the solo artists out there and save some lives. I'm ashamed to admit I've done a bit of it myself, but back in my twenties when I thought I was invincible. I'd like to think I'm older and wiser now. I guess John thought he still had it going on. Too many good climbers have died lately. May he rest in peace.

Trip: yosemite moderates - Date: 6/18/2009 Trip Report: My wife Sue, my son Clint and his buddy Craig and I had a great trip to Yosemite last week. My favorite routes this trip were Harry Daley, Sunnyside Bench Jam crack and Reeds Pinnacle. My wife Sue following After Seven on Manure Pile buttress 29 years after we first climbed it together. My son Clint belaying his mom up After Seven. Clint following first pitch of Nutcracker. We didn't actually climb nutcracker. I backed off the 5.9 Nutcracker start and had to climb 2 pitches up Nutcracker to get above the 5.9 start so I could rap down and rescue my back off gear. Me and Sue, still climbing together after all these years. Crystal, a jtree friend, following Harry Daley 5.8 Crystal belaying Craig up Harry Daley Crystal and I at Harry Daley Belay. Gotta love women who climb in bikini's! Crystal Craig leading Son of Sam, 5.9 on the Yosemite Apron Crystal following Reed's Pinnacle Direct in a dress. John following second pitch of Reeds Direct. Reeds is a very lovely 10a climb. It's not technically hard, just so continuous and vertical that it wears you down. I had to hang twice when I simply ran out of power. I need to work on my pullup power so I'm stronger. Crystal following Sunnyside bench jamcrack 5.9. Sunbather at the swimming hole above the Awanee, below Serenity crack. The water pours 2000 feet down the cliffs and fills a couple natural "hot tubs" just below Serenity crack.

All I've got is my drivers license and a birth certificate. Should I forget about Squamish?

congrats pink! pictures?

We stayed at sweetwater campground the first night. It's 50 minutes from camp 4 west on 120. Very quiet and wide open campspots. Got in line at 6:30 Sunday morning at camp 4 and had no problem getting spot for the week. Every night though, we'd see people show up at 11 with a bivy sack to poach in our site. There are no midnight tag inspections, or at least not that I heard about, and I asked around. It appears that poaching and cheating on the rangers is a long standing tradition at camp 4. I'm thinking they may have had budget cuts, which means less rangers? It was very quiet, no loud parties at all in our end. The bathrooms are another story. For two days, there was vomit in one of the sinks, toothbrushes floating in the vomit. Definitely not the hilton. Another common trick is that one person pays, and the other is invisible (show up after dark). A week later, the invisible one pays, the partner goes cammo. We had an awesome trip...Trip report coming.

I used to study nude figure drawing. Never got very good at it, but loved to do it. The human figure is exceedingly beautiful and doesn't need improvement. Graffiti can look good on bridges and rail road cars, but not on skin. Flame on!

I think metolius rocks. I bought my tcu cams way the hell back in the early eighties from the guy who started the company. Met him at the base of el cap. He was selling them out of his backpack.

yes, it happened to my partner Christine. She bought one of the first generation mastercams and the string pulled out just like yours. It was a problem that has since been fixed, at least according to rei, or metolius, can't remember who told her that. I think she heard they are using better glue in the new ones? I've refrained from buying any so far because of that. I've got 25 year old metolius 3 cam units that are still working, original trigger wires. Bulletproof design on the tcu's...mastercams...maybe, if they've truly fixed the string problem.

the wire gates/wired stopper situation I was referring to was when you are desperately trying to grab the binier off your rack that has a bunch of wired stoppers on it. You are trying to get it off the rack so you can experiment with different stoppers in the crack. Because you racked 5 wired stoppers on a wire gate binier, as you rotate the binier around, the mass of the wires on the wired stoppers is approximately equal to the mass and resistance of the springy gate. I've dropped stoppers this way. They simply fall off the wired gate binier. I was not referring to whether wire gates are good or bad in general use, just in racking nuts. I now always rack on solid gate keylock carabiniers. But thank you for suggesting I smoke crack. I need a new vice and haven't tried that one yet. I'm going to miss this board. Perhaps I can log in from the cafeteria in Yosemite :-) Don't want to miss any abuse.

It's fun to walk 40 meters uphill into the dark meadow above camp 4 and hang out in the moonlight. If you are patient, you can see the bears ghosting down though the shadows and sneaking up on the noisy picnic tables. So funny when the bear grabs a loaf of bread and the table explodes with cries of bear, bear! We called it bear spotting. Great entertainment

great idea on the 6 pack. I did see a few bodies one morning in our site at camp 4. I'll bet I could also hike up to the base of a few unnamed climbs with gear, bivy, climb the next day and hike out in the evening...they would never know. Rangers can't be everywhere.

I've never bought into the quick draw revolution. Those things are short and rigid and led to the issue of backclipping. Since I primarily lead trad, I carry alpine slings only. When I am sport climbing, I triple up my alpine slings. It makes for a more flexible "quick draw" that is less prone to a "back clip" situation because it is not rigid. I also don't buy bent gate biniers, and I've stopped buying wire gates (wired nuts are prone to falling off wire gates do to the equal mass of the two wires). This is just my opinion, has not been tested, but it makes sense for a number of reasons to my simple mind. That said, I do pay careful attention to how my gates are pointed related to the direction of the rope travel as I move past them up the cliff. I try to keep the rope away from the gate. I also have stopped buying shoestring alpine slings. Those things tangle in a heartbeat. 9/16" sewn webbing is half the price and lasts twice as long...and it comes in colors!