Ireneo_Funes

Is this a conference or a trade show that you're talking about? If it is, I'm pretty sure attendance at those types of things dropped off pretty substantially after 9/11, so it wouldn't be totally irrelevant to make the comparison. That's not to say that you don't hear a lot of spurious stuff attributed to 9/11 or the pre/post-9/11 "world." In my business (magazine publishing), I heard ad sales people using 9/11 as an excuse for not meeting their sales goals for more than 2 years afterwards. At first it sounded reasonable, then it sounded lame, and finally it started sounding a little blasphemous.

to ...in only 15 posts! Way to go team!!! Welcome to cc.com.

Nimrod's Nemesis is the hardest 5.5 I've ever climbed. For Smith: Super Slab, Moscow. Lots of shorter stuff in the 5.6-5.8 range at Northern Point and the Student Wall, and on Staender Ridge.

Best marmot picture ever!

A while ago I picked this book up and read about half of it before chucking it. Usually I'll follow through to the bitter end but the writing style was tedious, plus I just thought this guy's story wasn't credible. It seemed more like propaganda than anything else. For a much better escaping-from-prison read, my money's on "Papillon."

What's for lunch?

LOL!

Alan should move to Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

TR: Ireneo is spoiled for life after his first visit to the climber's fantasyland known as Yosemite. After climbing granite under bluebird skies for a week, he'll never look at mossy basalt or tuff nubbins the same way again. Also he now uses the 3rd person a la DFA. Seriously, it was the laziest climbing trip of my life -- toured the moderate/easy classics but didn't feel like I had done 1/100th of what I wanted to do. Glacier Point apron & the Manure Pile were where I had the most fun. Drank way too much beer and slept in every day. I'll see if I have any good pictures.

Thanks for not spelling out the word "sex." That would have pushed it over the line.

Seriously, it is a good way to stretch, even if it does look a little, you know....gay. We used to do it right before track and cross-country races when I was in school.

Sorry I missed the action this evening. Anyone want to get out there this weekend?

The ideal speed conditions must have finally arrived! TJD, I'd say it sounds like you're in pretty good shape.

Is that the same as "uncaging the soul"?

I bailed off a route last week using 1/2" webbing and a rap ring. It worked just fine.

Nice, have fun! I might be asking you for beta on the Arrowhead for my trip later this summer. I'm trying to imagine where an 18-pitch route near Redfish Lake would be exactly. There's some big stuff in that area, but I thought the Perch had the longest routes.

What's on the list for the Sawtooths, NOLSe?

Ducknut taught me the plastic bag anchor method a couple of years ago on Rainier and I've used it ever since. If you don't trust the handles, fill them with snow and tie your guyline around the bag. Or, if there's rocks handy, tie your guyline around a rock & bury it. Works just as well. The only problem I have is not wrecking the cord when I'm digging out. But cord's replaceable.

This picture's pretty cool.

Couloir, holding the ropes from the bottom is called a fireman's belay. For someone's first rappel, I think it makes sense to give them a belay from above.

Go have a Wink, eh.

Nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills... girls only want boyfriends who have good skills!

Thanks. That sounds like it'd make a fun extra loop sometime.

They'd have to be impeached simultaneously for the speaker of the house to take over, I think.

Actually, 3 years ago. Just thought it was time for our yearly chat about the fun hikes near Portland. Barjor, I've wondered if there was a trail coming North off the top of Table Mtn. I came at it from the other side one time in November (from the saddle to the North of Table), and I ended up bushwhacking. I must have missed the trail.