Maestro

Anatoly Boukreev's "The Climb" has been recommended several times, but I don't think anyone has mentioned his personal memoirs: "Above the Clouds." It gets you inside his head much better than "The Climb."

Hi Tazz! Nice porn. I've mostly lurked rather than posted here too, but maybe you will inspire me to join in more.

Likewise, KC, nice to "meet" you too. My avatar is Maestro because I before I joined the ranks of AARP, I was a school band director. I'm still an active composer and play my horn in a community band: you can thank CBS for that, he got me into it

You know why I took up climbing in general and rock climbing in particular? To get rid of my fear of heights! But you don't want to get rid of it entirely. In his autobiography, Lou Whittaker says that whenever someone tells him they are afraid of heights he replies "so am I, that's why I'm still alive."

I couldn't stand to watch that show as it aired. I had to tape it and watch it later so I could ff through the endless commercials. Has anyone timed the actual show time vs. the commercial time for that hour??

Oh, that happens to me too. You hit submit and it just sits there, so you do it again and it pops up twice! If you don't wait too long, you can get rid of the duplicates by clicking on edit post and then on delete post.

Elbert should still have plenty of snow in April, just not glacier. And it is not really very comparable to Rainier. Although Elbert is a few feet higher than Rainier, the trailhead is over 10K and there is about half the elevation gain that you get doing the Paradise routes on Rainier. Hot shots from Colorado come up here all the time to climb Rainier and get their butts kicked.

...and just about as real!

Climbing gyms: some people love 'em, some hate 'em, some tolerate 'em. But they do have their place. Lots of fine climbers started in gyms. Maestrette (spousal unit) is so hooked on rock climbing that she can't stand it until the next chance to climb. Know where she got that? Yeah, in the gym! You also meet potential climbing partners there. So I would suggest to hang out at the gym as much as you can squeeze in - at least in the winter when you can't get outside much.

And lets not forget all the drug-seekers who show up at medical clinics with fake "pain" trying to abuse the system to get their fix.

OK, I can be that someone else since I have recently finished off the Colorado 14ers and have lots of acquaintance with the Rockies. The mountains in the Rockies are nothing like Rainier unless you climb them in winter. They are fantastic in their own right, but if you want to prepare for Rainier, they won't do it as well as Baker or Hood. They do have the altitude, but even that doesn't compare because most trailheads to Colorado 14ers are above 10,000', so you don't have anything like the elevation gain that you will have on Rainier. Also if you are in Colorado for more than a couple of days, you get acclimatized to the altitude and then even that won't be anything like going up Rainier when you have been living at sea level. Plus if you are here, it's a long ways to Colorado just to train. If you want to go there to experience the Rockies, great; you won't be disappointed. But don't go there to train for Rainier.

I replied to her that different climbers have different levels of acceptable risk, pointing out how someone like Ed Viesturs, who certainly pursues a high-risk level of climbing, is famous for his mantra "getting to the summit is optional; getting down is mandatory," and how that has kept him alive by turning back many times within shouting distance of the summit. He has taken a lot of flaming for that attitude, but he is still alive while many of his critics are not. I told her that he is my role model and my level of acceptable risk is really pretty conservative.

Or maybe refraining from flaming someone on their very first post when they express an opinion which differs from yours. Welcome to cc.com!

Got this e-mail from my niece (east coast) last night: We've been glued to the TV watching the rescue operations on Mt. Hood, and of course that brings thoughts of you to mind... STAY HOME !!! NO MORE CLIMBING!! It's soooo sad, I can't imagine what those poor families are going through. Glad it's not us sitting out there while they are looking for you. I know you're experienced, but so were they... I'm sure we are all going through that same tired old crap with family and friends who think they are perfectly safe and sane, while we crazies have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Then one day they will go out and get shot on the street or t-boned by a drunk driver and...blah, blah, blah, you know the drill. So who of us would rather spend our last moment on the planet in a smelly hospital or a noisy dirty street than in the mountains anyway?

:lmao: :lmao: You are sooo right! Of course I've heard it before, but that doesn't take anything away from it!! A gem!! 8D

Troll means in the fishing sense, throwing out a line and seeing what bites, rather than the guys that live under bridges. Maestrette and I would be happy to go out climbing with you, and we are not hard-core types who are only interested in sending hard routes. We're in Everett. PM me if you want to hook up.

It's a little sad that if a real newbie does post here looking for partners/mentors, that the first hurdle which must be overcome is to convince the local cynics that he/she is for real and not a troll. Does that say anything about this community? Flame away...

I think he meant what the general public probably hasn't heard of. It's hard to find composers that other musicians haven't at least heard their names. Anyway, this thread has been popping up since last April and I haven't weighed in on it, which is disgraceful, considering my screen name and vocation, so here we go. Vincent Persichetti (1915-1986) one of the few "symphonic" composers who has contributed significantly to the literature for concert band. Carlisle Floyd (b. 1926) Maestro's teacher and a major player in American opera. His best-known work is Susannah (1955).

Drive? Who has that kind of time? You'd spend it all on the road, especially in winter.* BTW, that's my home turf and I would love to go, but sadly it isn't in the stars right now. *(Or is this a troll?? )

The spelling cops strike again!

Click on his user name and send him a pm.

I think Debbie may have lost a little of her clout since FZ wrote that. She has some aunts, uncles, and cousins who have a modicum of musical taste. Too bad more of the cigar-chompers haven't discovered them, but music for them is out there if you know where to look--it's just harder to find.

Don MacClean used to (still does?) perform with no band--no drummer--just him and his accoustic 6-string. It was exquisite! sickie

I just trusted that the doc knew what he was doing. Maestrette recommended him as a good sports medicine guy. It was the only steroid shot I've ever had or hope to have. Doesn't seem to have had any bad effect (at least not that has shown up yet).

Spelling cops! Grammar cops! That sentence gets C-! Correct answer: "too seriously." :lmao: