JosephH

Ivan and Geoff, good going - looks like a cold day out there! I'm looking forward to giving it another free go this coming year now that you guys have done the hard work. But where exactly was it the rocks you cleaned out come from - above the ledge, below it, or where?

You know you're a bunch of losers when you control all three branches of government yet fail to accomplish anything of significance beyond tainting the Constitution and enriching corporations at the expense of the condition of the nation and its people...

It ain't no stinking 'obby when yer shivering in the howling wind prussiking up a stuck set of ropes without enough slings at dusk - it's a bloody disease, mate...

Dave - good job on getting out and grabbing Adam's gear, real nice of you. I'm guessing it's still pretty stout out there - name of the game is definitely keep moving. Bill, I think it's mainly because I've done absolutely nothing but sit in my office chair or lay on my office lounge for three months programming and not doing anything more physical than pounding keys. Got too far out of shape, soft, and weak I think. Let's put it this way, after doing the Corner friday I tried to do FFA p1 three times downclimbing from the fourth move each time and then decided I couldn't get up to the pod without pro so bailed for YW.

That was a wise choice, there was no escaping it anywhere at Beacon...

Anyone do the corner yesterday (Monday)? Adam and co. would love to buy you a beer in exchange for the gear they had to leave in bailing from the Tree Ledge (see the lost and found forum thread)...

Would love to hear it, we'll have to grab a beer sometime...

Hi Adam, Ben and I really appreciated you and your partners letting us play through on Sunday. And let me just say you guys should feel pretty damn good about making it to the Tree Ledge in those conditions - actually battling from the top of the p2 slab up to the Tree Ledge was an epic endeavor. But, just so you know in the future, at the top of the SE Corner's p2 slab, you'd be better off going straight ahead 20' or so to the Young Warriors' p2 anchor to rap instead of heading up the last bit to the Tree Ledge. However, if you do go on up to the Tree Ledge, then you'd be better off bravely soldiering on up to Grassy Ledges to do the 'standard' rap back to down to the Corner's start. Rapping the tree in the best of conditions sucks and the current state of the tree's root structure probably makes rapping it in that strong of a wind a dicey proposition at best. Hopefully you'll get your gear back, but either way, you guys had a first class day and epic out there, got yourselves down and out, and you'll remember and learn from the adventure. So good on you guys for getting out and after it regardless!

Cool, it wouldn't go free with that shrub in the pod, so glad you're after it - good eyes in getting on it. Jim also gave me a belay for a shot at the one to the left of it by continuing to traverse out left past the start of your line. Don't remember much about where I was headed with that one, but recall the traversing got pretty damn interesting.

A party of three were kind enough to let ranger Ben and I pass at the p2 anchor on the Corner yesterday. For one of them it was their first multi-pitch climb; not sure they knew what they were in for up at the top of the slab, but I do hope things went well for them either way. Ivan, if you have your back against the rap tree up on the ledge and are facing the rock, is the line you're talking about to the left or the right of you? If it's to the left then I'm glad you're cleaning it out and we should try for an ffa as well when it reopens.

All that, and I spasm my back getting out of my tights in the bathroom - there is no god, only demons who punish sloth and laziness..

Good on you Moof!!! It was goddamn stout out there today and I bet even more so yesterday. It was probably the highest sustained winds I've done the Corner in. 50-60kts sustained coming up to the Tree Ledge - just turning the corner at the top of the slab was desperate. Poor Ben waited for his moment to pull the corner and got hit by a gust that ripped his hood and helmet off which then proceeded to choke him as it buffeted in the wind like a scoop. I normally belay standing out on the face anchored off the big block you go around as you step up to the Tree Ledge; today I could barely maintain that stance and rope handling was equally problematic. Up on the corner ridge notch where you first come up it was like forcing your way through a wall - rock steady 50-60kts going up and over the notch and ridge ramp with massive gusts. I normally belay sitting on the saddle notch at the top of the last rock coming up from YW, but basically got blown ass over tea kettle down towards YW before I abandoned that idea and wedged myself low in the notch below the level of the piton up there. Even there I had to brace / wedge myself in place and sit on the rope as I took it in. The corner ridge ramp itself was a real challenge - hell, just getting started on it was hard and I had to set like five or so pieces of pro that would hold up-and-to-the-left to keep the rope from yarding over the edge and into the void of snags below. The 'climbing' was more like a scraping crawl between 'lulls' in the gusts and 'three-points-on-the-rock' really meant something today. Friday we did it car-to-car in about 1:20, today it took 2:20 and Ben was moving pretty damn good following. That's the first time I've roped up for the three pitches above the Corner Tree Ledge in I can't remember when - today a belay felt real nice, though.

Thanks Bill. But hell, I'm barely getting out compared to Ivan, Geoff, and Seann & co. Pretty much into the 'last hurrah' this week before the close...

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.