Kimmo

i believe it's a bit more serious than that. haven't you heard the call for jail time?

And, since this block will be bigger than kathy, a renaming of the crag in her honor. I nominate "Lucy's Crag" as the new name.

i would hope that at the very least, a full-blown forensic investigation by a qualified engineer.

Let's hope not. ??? I have some bottle jacks....

ok fine. get me some heronin.

actually it protects pretty well straight up. i didn't have the right size for the opening flake moves, so that was kinda yikes, but it protected well through the crux. above crux, no more gear so that was kinda run-out, albeit on significantly easier climbing.

Actually, it has happened. Probably quite a bit. The Country at Index is somewhat notorious for it: Angora Grotto Cunning Stunt Climax Control All these have been lead with just gear, rather safely, and Angora Grotto is a straight-up hand crack. I think it was all Collum's work, so that he wouldn't have to carry a rack. Are there more? Probably. But some form of precedent was set, and even though Cunning Stunt has been chopped, rightfully so, a few times, the bolts keep coming back. Anyone know about this?

Thanks for the haste, but let's not overlook the need to get the block back in place. PS: It's looking like Buckaroo will not be lending his engineering skills for this endeavor.

hey rob, i'm hoping you can test the rock-fall in the country. pm me for the exact location. this is all getting a little weird.

if buckaroo was worth his weight in engineering skillz, that's exactly what he'd be doing, instead of obsessing over whether bin laden or a jd root ball knocked it off. time to fess up mr. I know you gots some sweet bottle jacks. no way man. i've heard you can go to jail for that kind of thing.

i was out at index for the first time in a long time, and witnessed some rock-fall in the country. it seemed like we heard some sort of explosion just before it fell.

if buckaroo was worth his weight in engineering skillz, that's exactly what he'd be doing, instead of obsessing over whether bin laden or a jd root ball knocked it off.

11c.

yeah that sounds kinda bad. thanks for head's up.

the bolt is loose, but not the nut? usually it's the other way around. unless they used loctite, i don't see how the nut would remain tight with a loose bolt. regardless, tighten it down and see if it bites again. it's possible it wasn't tightened enough in the first place.

shit, it just depends on what "trad" you are doing. it's silly to generalize about "trad" vs "sport" vs "bouldering", since they are so damn similar in the technical end of the spectrum. hard "trad" is "bouldering", so if you're pushing your limits in "trad", wear your "bouldering" and "sport" shoes. if you're just cruising below your limits, wear something comfortable, like an old stretched out pair of whatever slippers. my most fun "trad" days have been spent in an old pair of ninjas.

MOMENTUM!

the description "crusty old slab dog" kinda grosses me out, but: i don't think the grades are that far apart, but the style might be a bit different; style can make grades seem way different. also, don't get all bummed out by one single "failure". don't expect an across-the-board instant jump in your climbing level; instead, understand that it takes time for you to incorporate your new-found strength etc. improvements into the climbing game. the more mentally and emotionally balanced you can stay in the face of "defeat", the more you can learn from these episodes. otherwise, you just get dejected and start to think "all that training for nuttin'". just get back on the horse, stay open to learning, and you'll keep improving (yes, even a little bit of wetness can fuck a climb up! don't discount it). another point: there might be 10a's you'll get shut down on and not be able to figure out, and 10c's you might even flash in the near future.

ahhh one of those "don't worry about the grades, just go climbing" types, as they emphatically tell you what the grade of a particular route isn't! i've climbed at quite a few areas over the years, and yeah, i think TF would be around 11b or c at many other places, only because of the boulder problem. if you skirt the boulder problem, i'd say 10d. but in conforming to index's ratings, 11a with slab crux is certainly consistent. and yeah, nason's pretty fun. the steeps are unfortunately a bit of a rarity for us seattlites.

I think a more accurate way to rate Thin Fingers is 5.10 V3. There's no doubt that without the slab crux, the climb would be 5.10, and, in my mind, the slab crux is V3. So, in classical terms, it would be a 5.11c(ish).

yeah i agree it's a bit complicated. what's worse though is that this agency seems to have zero accountability, protected by legal rights to what seems like an egregious degree. anyone know Dow Constantine? he's the only one (i think) who can tell the agency what to do....

Any attorneys here familiar with the government procurement process, and its attendant legal issues? Company owner (me) involved in legal dispute, weighing all options.

funny, tad still doin his thing. here's somehing that's caught my inerest: [video:youtube] check out the double bass [video:youtube]

I wandered upon Mastodon Roof in Leavenworth somewhat by accident once, or so I seem to remember. I also never had heard people talking about it, but man, what a fun little gem of a roof!

nice work, drew! must be the finn in ya.