JosephH

Here's a new version of the 12/30/2006 post I did on my winter Beacon climbing setup for clothing. Some of the stuff isn't available anymore and I've updated web links where necessary. =================================================== I don't do alpine and hate being cold but don't freeze because I tape one of those small air-activated 'Little Hotties' heating packs on the underside of each wrist with sport tape (not tight at all). I then stick one of the thin shoe heating packs with the adhesive strip on the inside of each fingerless glove on the palm (sticky side on the glove, not your hand). If the temps are in the 20s-low 30s I'll throw one of their bigger packets in each main jacket pocket. If it's really freezing I'll augment all the heat packs with a 100mg's of Niacin which I take about 5 minutes before getting to Beacon. This forces blood out of your core and into your extremities (i.e. forces blood past your wrists to your hands). To keep my core temp up for the Niacin, I eat a decent breakfast so that I stay fueled. The layered clothing system I wear is this: - Roffe smooth-inside / fleece-outside tights worn fleece side in to minimize friction with the outer Scholler windpants. These don't look to be made anymore so substitute accordingly - something not too thick or too thin. - Sport Hill 'XC Cross' Scholler, windproof running pants which I guess aren't made any more and they're using the name for something different. Looks as though maybe the Symmetry II would be a close substitute. The original 'XC Cross' were a zipperless, loose fitting 'tight' - but extremely windproof. - UnderArmor 'Draft 2.0' Tee Shirt - UnderArmor 'COLDGEAR® MOCK' Tee which is almost like a very thin wetsuit on the outside and 'fuzzer' on the inside - it's THE real key piece. (from US Outdoor Store, REI, GI Joe's) - Northface Momentum Hybrid 1/4 zip Shirt [ The above three layers under the softshell are incredibly warm, yet very light and flexible, combined with the softshell I barely notice the whole four-layer combo when climbing. ] - Marmot Photon Softshell Jacket (2005-6) but they quit making the Photon after the 2007 model which I like less. A key deal with it is the big, stretchy hood which seals my Petzl Meteor III helmet real well. Not sure what I'd get these days, but it would have to be a very stretchable jacket with a longer waist (hard to find) to work for me for winter rock climbing. [ Edit - looks like a couple of the 2007 version of the Photon are still available out there in bad colors. I don't like it quite as well as the earlier years' version as they put a thin visor tab on the hood and made a few annoying changes - but I'd still take it over most others for my purposes. Also looks like there are some reasonable alternatives over in the Hoodys for climbing? thread. ] - Thin Turtle Fur 'Dryline Earbeanie' for under my helmet. The Drylines are down the page - the one on the left of the two. (from REI) - For shoes I wear fairly loose 5.10 Ascents or Sportiva Ventors that I can put one thin and one thick pair of socks comfortably in (from REI). And by 'comfortably' I mean I run the tourist trail down in them with no pain of any kind. Neither of these shoes is made anymore. Both had a climbing shoe frontend, a thin running shoe backend, and three velcro straps. Ebay here I come... This system works for me anyway and for folks I've outfitted for a day's climbing. That, and my main strategy of just moving fast and efficiently so you don't get bogged down anywhere too long getting cold. Also, I use a similar system for winter in Red Rocks, but all three inner top layers have 1/4 or 1/2 zips for better thermal regulation going in-and-out of the sun. Also, I don't wear this outfit on the drive out to Beacon - I change into it once I get there (the bathroom is heated these days), because it just seems to work out feeling a whole lot warmer somehow (I don't know why). And remember to hydrate well on the way to Beacon or prior to launching, don't forget the chapstick or equivalent, and consider running the trail down to the start to warm up (it really helps). P.S. Do something even burlier for aid climbing (belaying). I'm guessing probably just do the full alpine rig though Colin, Wayne, Ivan, Geoff, Seann, or Scott would be a better source on that front than me...

Did the Corner and the first pitch of YW yesterday with Tom from Seattle. It was definitely stout out there, but still moderate temp-wise compared to some conditions I've climbed in out there in winters past. I suspect today (sat.) was seriously burly out there - hopefully it eases off for tomorrows session. Some other folks with a little black car were out yesterday as well, but were really taking their time - hope they were well dressed. Also I saw a bail biner on Stone Rodeo. Curious who that might have been. It should be noted that the two small angles up under the roof on Stone Rodeo might not hold a fall given what I've seen of small angles elsewhere on Beacon when checking / replacing all the pins on the columns. Didn't get to them this year, but it's on next year's list.

Tom, you're on. Will send a pm...

Anyone available Friday?

Dave, would love to but I'm working out the other way in Hillsboro on Wed...

Beyond the initial detached panel underneath the first roof, it's just been a spot here and a loose scale there. By and large it goes fine as is at this point. This shot was, however, taken before the second roof was even attempted so it does show the state it was in for the FA. All the cleaning up to the high point on the big roof was done from stances free on lead. At the highpoint out by the lip of the big roof Shane did have to get on a piece to clean a microwave-size set of blocks which moved an inch when he first climbed through them. Hopefully that will remain the only point things haven't been done free on the route.

Got an email saying this was just put together by a friend of a friend... http://www.mtrainierincidents.com/map.php

Moof, sounds good. I'll be out with Ranger Ben on Sunday and so am mainly looking for thu-sat partners with a strong pref for fri or sat, so sat will probably work. Menopause is the new extension route above Bill's 'Rythmn Method', the bolted one-pitch just around to the right from YW. I harbor no illusions about my prospects for leading that second roof which is the in the foreground of this photo. The route follows the pink line to our (Shane & I) high point. A bunch of my gear is parked in the notch at the beginning of the pink line.

Looks like the old stone is going to dry out and warm up. Would like to get in a go or two up the Corner, YW, or FFA and possibly - depending on just how fat I've gotten - go retrieve my gear up on 'Menopause' (that last part is only if time, weather, and stamina were to all miraculously line up which is pretty doubtful...).

I still can't tell if that's the line I started to free three years ago or not. Is it just immediately left of the moves onto LoLP and has a pod that had a small shrub in the top of it? That one is a very nice line, but that shrub was definitely has/had to go before it could be freed.

Stout, good job Moof!

I would be stunned to disbelief if more than a dozen or so of the gitmo detainees were worth the effort or cost that has gone into them and they could have been dealt with in ways that did not sully the Constitution and our international standing in the world - ignorance heaped upon ignorance on the part of Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Yoo. And the 17 Uighurs? Just when did Walmart reduce the U.S. military to the status of a minion of the Chinese? Edit: Don't get me started again on the net-negative effects when ignorant, self-serving chickenhawks (with a fringe/fantasy agenda) start attempting to micro-manage the military and intelligence communities. Treason, on several fronts, has been the principle result if their 'policies' as far as I'm concerned.

Anyone up for one? Or YW if it's dry. Will want to move fairly fast on them if we do...

Keeping old anchors and bolts with any 'history' around them by placement or type has been done. But leaving more than one or two rusted SMC plated hangers or other entirely common junk around is just leaving trash - nothing historic about it. If the idea is anchors are only added, not replaced, regardless of the 'history' quality or content they represent then that's just f#cked up from my perspective. Bolting shouldn't be a one-way deal - they go in, but never come out. And also, it's about the rock and routes, not the metal.

"...don’t lead out more than 1/4 the belayed rope length." The world would be short a lot of good climbs if everyone follows all of Steve's advice to the letter...

There were a few accidents - what two years back - from folks doing exactly this sort of thing on CJ. I would have thought folks would have learned from that season...

6.5 ...and condition of the rope.

It seems to me that the persistent underlying themes of the scale of opium production, lack of infrastructure, and terrain-driven tribalism represent governance "anti-patterns", to borrow a phrase from the coding world. Providing 'Governance', such as it is (and ala Hamas), appears to be the Taliban's principal schtick as far as being tolerated is concerned. To what degree are we 'hunkered down' in Kabul, Kandahar, and a couple of outlying bases, and not competing on the 'governance' front? Have the PRTs been effective at all? If not, how should that charter be addressed? Overall, the entire effort still seems under-funded and under-manned by orders of magnitude and held hostage by the [continuing] legacy of BushCo's early 'domino-theory' priorities.

Should be a good run over the next week - you guys keep your wits about you up there this year...

By Saturday the Oregon side should be sporting some of the best ice it's seen in years I would suspect. Maybe even some of those epic long lines up by Weyth will be in.

Yeah, there is tons of natural pro. I was pretty much exclusively trad climbing while I was there and about half my pro was just slings. I was mainly climbing with a couple of locals who hadn't really seen much trad gear / climbing at that time and they loved all the natural placements. Hell, they'd laugh hysterically at about every placement they cleaned...

Good for you Bill. When I was there back in '92 Tonsai was completely wild with no development of any kind; can't imagine what it's like today and look forward to the pictures. I was there for about six weeks, but so fat I spent first three just swimming twice a day from Railay to the point between Tonsai and Ao nang. That and eating just rice soup/porridge until I lost enough weight and got some muscle tone back. I suspect that was also the last time there was a full trad rack in town as well. Have fun, you miserable wretch...

I used to live up in Francestown, NH for a couple of years - nice stuff all around. RC.com, NEIce.com, and NEClimbs.com should net you guys some partners and you can check out trad girl's NH index as well: http://www.tradgirl.com/areas/nh/

Joel Solomon up on the hill at the OHSU Hand Clinic. He wouldn't cut on me, saying I would have needed to come in at the time of my accident (I couldn't); the best he could offer was a joint replacement, but that it wouldn't hold up under climbing stresses. He could have gone poking around in there and I respect that he refused. FWIW, I found him by tracking down who the folks at the Oregon Symphony go to...

These are always interesting abstractions. It's clear no one cares how much of what type of ammo anyone buys - the only intent is to be able to trace ammo used to conduct a crime. As far as any requirement for people to turn in ammo, if the government wants it, it should be prepared to pay full replacement value for it or I'd vote against the legislation.