selkirk

Thanks to all the Vets We owe every one of you a debt of graditude for your ser vice. For this we need to thank the politicians and the people who elected them.

Somebody's envious

Crystal Opens Wed. I think... Is it me, or do the openings seem earlier this year than is usual?

As expected Timmy put on a great show! Props to the BoeAlps for hosting!

Another for the dromedary. My 2L is going on 5 or 6 years and works like a champ every time. That and a supplemental 1L bottle of some sort is quite flexible and gets me through just about anything I'm interested in doing in 1 day.

I'll be there Assuming Mrs. Selkirk doesn't go into labor Either way it'll be a good night!

Bill, you're my hero!

I would second Smoke Bluffs in Squamish. (though I don't have kids yet. Ask me again next week.) The "Burger"s and Fry's" area and the continuation of the wall to the climbers right would be great for little kids. Flat belay area's, some bushes and whatnot but very safe. And some good single pitch stuff from 5.5 up to 5.11, with a nice mixture of trad, sport, and toproping possibilities.

There should be a door prize given to the person who show's up in the most stereotypical alpine gear! It's not Halloween but I think it's close enough!

So hows the auction being handled? I didn't see a link or address on the website?

I'm so envious! Sounds like it's going to be a killer show!

It's actually pretty fun It's all climbing and hanging out watching the cuties boulder except for the 20 min circuit! I've just found that if I add that circuit right at the end, I'm already warmed up and pumped from bouldering, and I go from pumped to totally trashed in 20 minutes so I seem to get a lot of bang for my buck I don't have enough time to get to the climbing gym all that regularly (once a week if i'm lucky) so I try and maximize the benefit while I'm there.

Not sure about Portland, but there are a couple of dirty little dry tooling crags around Seattle with routes in the M3/4/5 range, and I actually started on those before I got on real ice. It really helped learning to move delicately and in-balance, you know all those rock climbing techniques that sometimes get forgotten when people get on ice It was also easier to find partners for an evening dry tooling by headlamp on toprope than finding ice for the first time! I'll second a trip to Ouray though. That was stellar and you'll climb more ice there in 3 day then you will in an month or two around Seattle / Portland. A buddy and I went down and both had some ice experience (a handful of days TR'ice and some easy leads each) and didn't feel like we needed a guide. The anchors are clearly set out for TR's, and if you want to lead the ice is big and fat Lot's of good stuff in the WI2/3 range (less than vertical, or short stretchs of vertical with benchs and good rests).

I'll second a few - Traverse Start working vertical V2's, and project each and every V1 that give you problems. Mileage: at V1 and V2 you can get by with good technique and not too much strength. Try some top roping, and learn how to move smoothly, precisely, good body control etc. My bouldering work outs end up looking something like this (and I'm not really a boulderer ) For me it's been moderately effective. I can see some strength gains going once or twice a week using this. Traverse: 10 min for a warm up Bouldering: 60 minutes. My standing rule is that I have to have done all the lower grade bouldering problems in the room before I can start working harder ones. (i.e. if there's a new V0 and new V1 I do those first before moving on. If I haven't been in a month or two, then I do ever V0, V1, and V2 in the room before I try anything harder). Movement: 5 or 10 min. Up and down a vertical juggy wall never setting foot on the ground. Resting on the wall as needed. Traverse: 10 min (usually fall off once or twice) Workout: (20 min) I rotate through the following circuit 3 times, trying to adjust the reps so that by the end I'm at failure and need a brief rest or two to get through the last set of each activity. Chin-ups: 10-12 Dips: 15 Back Extensions: 25 Inclined Sit ups: 25 Pushups: 15 Stretch: Very thoroughly, focusing on the legs, hips, and core. (15 min) By the end of that I'm utterly trashed and sore for the next two or three days.

I suppose on what the level of weather risk tolerance is and the length of your planned trips. For me, if it's a 1 day thing where I can bail if need be then I always go softshell with the thought that if the weathers that bad I'm not going to be climbing anyway. But if i'm looking at higher commitment or multi-day sorts of things then I start thinking waterproof/breathable. Though I typically take about a 6oz Go-lite shell instead of the full gore-tex. and of course winter in the northwest is a different beast entirely.

I think someone's kid recently freed it on TR as well. Not sure who that might be though

The little stool with glass legs that said something "sit on me in case of a lightning storm" was a little concerning! Is that thing still there?

You can also by gore-tex socks. I would imagine they have similar benefits to a VBL but may keep your feet a bit dryer? Every time I've tried them I sweat so bad it doesn't help, but I also haven't used them in ice climbing temps. I'll second the anti-persperant on your feet though

There are some great Rappels down at Smith but it's a bit of a drive. You can climb Cinammon Slab (5.6) up to the top and then walk over to chains on top of Crossfire. It's an awkward start but is probably a 40m completely free hanging rappel.

It actually requires a little more delicacy and finesse than easy ice does, seemed good for training technique and footwork to me

So who's gonna be there

Is it safe to assume that spectators are welcome to come any buy raffle tickets (but don't need to pay the $30 entry fee, or the usual Stone Gardens entry fee?) Thanks!

I'll second a lot of Dave's but.... Feeding the Rat (fantastic book!) Eiger Dreams Ascent - The Biography of Willi Unsoeld The Climb up to Hell Freedom of the Hills The White Spider K2 the Savage Mountain I'll look again when I get home.

If you do have to arrest in those conditions be sure you get off your toes and onto your knees. Catching a crampon on the ice during a slide is a great way to break an ankle. It's a bit counter intuitive but in some conditions unroping can be safer than roping up. If you are roping up and can't arrest a fall then you should really be putting in ice screws for a running belay. There were a couple of accidents three or four years ago on Liberty Ridge and Mt. Hood that were exacerbated by people being roped up on terrain where they could not self arrest and also not placing any gear for a running belay. Eventually somebody slipped and took the rest of the rope team with them. Good Luck and be safe!

Ice screws would have been a better option for an anchor but you have to careful with direction of pull and all sorts of other things. You could also use a V thread if the ice is solid enough. Probably a more important question would be, if you're buddy had fallen into a crevasse do you think you would have been able to go into self arrest and stop the fall in those conditions?