Cobra_Commander

BOO!

MWAWAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

I don't live in the area anymore, but last time I was out there I couldn't believe the overgrown nature of many excellent climbs compared to just a few years ago. JH&co did a nice job cleaning a lot of those up. And they got climbed regularly, for a time, because of that effort. If I'm not mistaken it was several beacon climbers working -gasp- together to make that happen! Thanks JH&co! It's amazing what can happen when you can set aside the ego-fueled male mating dances at a climbing area. The closure has a bit to do with it but a lot of them clearly don't see traffic regularly. There's no reason S. Breathless or Bluebird shouldn't see daily traffic for their quality, grade, and ease of access. Does the regular beacon-going crew just suck now and burn all their energy figuring out who is better buddies with the rangers? I have fallen a few feet on at least one of those pins on SB and I'm not a small guy, so there's a bit of anecdotal evidence. I'm sure the old pins on BS&S were friggen ancient, just like the old ones on Fear of Flying. The FoF ones were horrific but the new ones Joe put in were very inspiring last time I was on it (a few seasons back). Fear of Flying would probably feel like a sport climb at the start if those were bolts. Not sure why the pins make it feel more "real" but they do for me. Good pins seem totally solid for a few years and are easier to check than a bolt. I think they are particularly good in the rock at Beacon if set well. I'm never one to spit on a shiny new bolt though :kisss: baa and since I'm not contributing to the work it's not my place to spew about it. There seems to be plenty of spewing already to go around at Beacon. Who won the "I heard about the opening first" popularity contest this season?

The softness of the traverse and the bowling alley ice can vary widely, even day to day. It's west-facing though, so you get a bit more time before it really softens up. I'd expect some soft traversing, and there's usually some rockfall to keep you moving. A lot of people put in that traverse really high, which I think can be more difficult for newer climbers even if it's less exposed. I would absolutely bail if the Mazamas have any N. Sister climb scheduled. They are a junk show on anything with exposure or requiring even basic technical ability beyond snow hiking. I topped out on the east side many years back to an 8-pack of them on the NE shoulder after they climbed Early Morning Couloir. The looks in their eyes was abject terror and their "leader" was having trouble getting them to do anything, never mind climb the last pinnacle. I'm not sure what ended up happening. Maybe they're still up there.

reasonable richard fucking sucks. 1 star.

Still skiing primetime up high, plenty of snow. Cascade Lakes Highway remains closed, but plowed from the south and open up to Elk Lake from south for what that's worth. It has been very wintery not very long ago. Probably will see some action on steep NE aspects as the temps blast upwards. Pole Creek TH snow-free and dry a good ways down the trail. Pole Pedal Paddle is this weekend, you have been warned.

Subject suggests someone opened up a bong shop by the highway turnout. Not a bad business opportunity really.

extreme vertikale Schneeschuhwandern

Heads-up! http://www.armyjeeps.net/armor1.htm

Fuck it, I'm buying this: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=379287110

Well, it’s just too bad that some dumb-asses insist on taking a collector’s hobby too far, costing us all a fat load of time, money, and agony to deal with as a nation. Don’t have strong opinions about guns in general. I’m perfectly happy owning a shotgun and rifle, and it’s probably a smart move if you’re a little far from police response and are willing to fucking kill somebody with limited time to think about it. But I’m happy to give up the option to go plinking with an AR-15 or whatever. If anyone argues they can’t adequately defend their family and home with a Remington 870 or the like, they shouldn't be using a gun. Fuck gun “patriots” twisting law to suit their stupid collector's hobby of "tactical gear". No one’s going to take all guns away from you, ever. Even worse are those single-issue voters who don’t give a shit if the country goes to hell, as long as #2 remains obscenely mis-interpreted. As far as I'm concerned, the 2nd says you can have whatever was available at the time the law was drafted. Have fun with that. I'm going to put two frigate cannons in front of my house.

Perhaps the archetype of internet climbing discussion? On-topic question with irresistible adjective. Helpful response with suggestions. Response suggesting ignorance/egotism, Europe mentioned. Response to response saying responder is same. Shit-talk about sport climbing. Twight quote. Playful banter dismissing quote due to mathematical inaccuracy.

I'm pretty sure you could hand Fairweather a gold bar and he'd complain about how heavy it was.

Every single bicyclist you see is just a tax-evading parasite! In fact, they don't even have houses to go home to, or taxable income, or cars of their own. They just bike around in circles perpetually, pissing us off and sucking on the city's teat!

I think a lot of single speed usage came from the original bike messengers who wanted something that didn't need a lot of maintenance or complicated stuff that wore down or broke. As probably many here know commuting every day in the rain and road grime wears stuff like derailleur pulleys, rims, and brake pads down fast.

The most important fashion accessory to have walking around Cham when browsing the Rolex shops is a monster over-stuffed shiny down jacket with various German logos on it. Bonus points for the matching husband/wife combo. The more you look like a scarab beetle, the better. A skittles puke inspired color combo of loose-fitting ski gear and pom-pom hat, and some black crows skis will suffice for the Aiguille du Midi tram line. Nothing says "I rip the shit out the Mer de Glace" like the above.

These things are everywhere at Smith now!

Yep, those are college kids. They know everything... until they realize they don't 10 years later.

Muir was skiing nicely last Monday... light powder and not too blasted. Scrubby down low and I accidentally rail-slided a staircase into the parking lot. Gate opened bright and early at 11am after a light storm... I can't believe people put up with that on a regular basis!

It's hard to believe a climbing club is interested in "fostering good relations" or following LNT principles if: They bring double-digit piles of new climbers to Smith Rock in primetime mid-October and dump them all on the most popular routes. They repeatedly flirt with the wilderness group size limit of 12, sometimes splitting into "smaller" giant groups to work around it. They let climb leaders lead trips that are barely below their own skill level, often with same group sizes. Their climb leaders fix ropes along entire ridge lines of popular climbs, sometimes w/o any tangible improvement in safety, and stick scared climbers on them, effectively shutting the mountain down for the day.

TeleRoss has steadily maintained the highest level of awesomeness/posts ratios over the years. No B.S. just drops in with some killer photos and stories on sweet routes. Bonus points for a rare skykilo guest appearance.

Plenty of bad laws out there but the grownup solution is not to just ignore them and do whatever you want because you think you've got it all figured out. Smith Rock burnt to the ground back in 96 from a few sparks. Would be nice to avoid that again. The fire ban isn't there to make people's lives miserable, and it's not really too much to ask. Also comparing the 80s drug war to smoking at Smith is pretty f'ing humorous.