rbwen

My wife and I got it but if our death is due to 'mountain climbing' we couldn't collect. Same for our disability, unless we wanted to pay through the roof for coverage. rbwen

The weather was actually pleasantly nice. We got spit on a couple of times at the campground and rarely at the crags but for the most part it was sunny or partly cloudy. It stayed about 60 degrees in the daytime and got down to the upper thirties at night. The wind was an annoyance at times but we were able to find places to climb out of the way. We went last year in July and it was super. Nice and warm, climbing without shirts, made the camping very comfortable. The nice thing about Skaha is there are places to climb for all types of conditions. There's even a cave route for when it really starts to pour. After we left our Seattle friends stuck around for a few more days and got rained on, came back to The Icicle and got rained on there too. Must be we're their lucky charms. ;o) We thought the seed issue was why the border agent was giving us the business but she seemed unclear about it too when she was 'scolding' us.

Climb: Skaha Bluffs-Moderates Galore Date of Climb: 4/8/2006 Trip Report: We headed to Skaha for Spring Break and had a ton of fun climbing the following: Day One - Daycare: There are six or seven routes here ranging from 5.6-5.9 and one around the corner that seems a bit harder with a roof. 1.We climbed the 5.6 (Cyopeck's Secret) on gear. It was not terribly well protected, a bit of a flaring crack, but the climbing was not too hard. A great warm up. 2. We moved over and led the 5.7 (Your Father Wears...), again on gear. It was a lot funner, had better protection, and reminded us that climbing outdoors on real rock is much better than the gym. We got attacked by some quail because we were too close to their roost or they wanted our sandwiches. We're not yet sure. 3. Next up was a 5.7 (Your Mother). About the same as the other 5.7. About the same amount of gear. Not terribly hard. There are some 5.8s you can toprope in the middle of the slab and I think we did one of those but they don't look very protectable and not worth leading. There are chains on top of almost all of the climbs here. There is also another intriguing wall just northwest of Daycare called Hangdog Hill with some TR-able 5.9s. You can walk off of or TR both of these cliffs. We continued up the loop trail to Garden of Eden. Here we climbed: 4. Another nice 5.5 gear route called Eve's Dropping. It starts out going up one of two pretty good cracks that take decent gear, over a bulge and then easy climbing up to the chains. The top is a bit of a reach if you're shorter than 5.8 (I'm 6', my wife didn't want to try to take down the anchor because it was awkward). 5. Next we led up the bolted 5.6 next to it called Taboo. It was pretty straightforward with seven bolts, or so, up to the chains. Very fun climbing on solid rock. There was another climb to the right up a somewhat dirty crack called Sinners in Paradise that didn't look too appealing. 6. The wife was getting tired so she belayed me up the 5.9 further to the right called Fig Leaf Frolic. It was a very fun route, a bit challenging in the middle section when I got off route (stay to the right of the bolt line) but not terribly taxing. I scrambled up the lower fifth class line to the right of this climb to the anchors to free our rope but these climbs are not downclimbable. There were two great looking climbs called Professional Belay Slaves and White Knuckle Express. They were both 5.8 bolted lines on the Grassy Glades wall right next to Garden of Eden that looked really nice and long and very consistent in their grade. There was a line for these so we filed them away for a later date. Day Two: We met our friends from Seattle and headed to Red Tail Lower to knock off some more moderates there. Those included: 1. A 5.7 bolt lead called Mother Superior. We had four climbers and one baby so we could only put up one rope today and this was our first. This is a great, fun 5.7 with nicely spaced bolts all the way up. It gets a bit thin up top but it is definitely 5.7. This is nice and long and a very good warm up. 2. We hopped over and did the 5.6 called Second Belay Jump. Very easy bolted line with a weird rap station in the middle of the first and only pitch. I guess if you were practicing your multi-pitch, bolted climbs this one would be a great place to start. You can easily climb the whole thing in one pitch. 3. We moved over to the next smallish crag to the north and climbed a couple of cracks on gear. These lines are about 12m long and take many good pieces so it was good practice for all us moderates. Both of these cracks went at 5.7 with the one on the right being slightly longer and thinner. There are also some climbs to top rope here that are harder, but short. We had our first encounter with a Mounties group on this crag practicing placing gear. 4. We moved back to Red Tail Lower and climbed a couple more sport routes that were 5.6 and 5.7. I don't have the book with me but they were the far right climbs of RTL. Fun and easy. 5. The wives and baby headed back to the car so the men climbed a very fun 5.8 Sport Climbing is Neither. The nice thing about this climb and this wall is most of the climbs are nice and long. This one had a couple of tricky moves up about 3/4 of the way up. Bolts and chains all the way up. Day Three: The rain continued to hold off and we were counting our blessings. It was a bit windy so we headed just south of RTL to Another Buttress. Here we met two or three Mounties groups at different times but we seemed to stay out of each other's way. They were practicing hanging belays and climbing some of the cracks in the area. They were doing a lot of talking and not much climbing though. 1. We started on a nice crack that went at 5.6. It wasn't Don't Worry or Be Happy and again I don't have the book and can't remember the climb name but it's the obvious crack to the left of the two 5.8 slabs. We ran up and down this, putting in plentiful gear. 2. We climbed the 5.8 called Lichen in My Panties. It was bolted and very fun. I think the author gave it three stars in the book (Howie Richardson) and it was probably worthy of that. These climbs are all top ropeable. 3. We moved the TR and did the 5.8 Like it in Her Panties. Another fun route, probably harder than the other 5.8. The first bolt was up pretty high and you really couldn't put any gear in down below so it didn't seem like the best first lead for someone, but it was fun. I did this one three or four times and it was probably harder than the 5.9 I did in Garden of Eden. It was time to head back to WA and also time for the baby to nap so we called it a day. Another great weekend of climbing at Skaha. Notes: All of the campgrounds were not yet open except for Wright's Beach, right on the corner when you come down 97 into town. It was loud because of all the passing traffic and jake brakes and we finally bought earplugs after the first night...but we were the only ones there. We normally like to stay at Skaha Lake Campground because it's close to the crags and the nice park on Skaha Lake. We were attacked by some quail and also saw a cool big horned sheep (Ram?). Weird thing happened to us on our way across the border into Canada. The border agent stopped us and told us that we couldn't bring our mt. bikes across because they had "delicate soil issues" in BC. Is this true?!?!?! She told us to hose off our bikes next time we tried to cross. We couldn't decide if she was just trying to catch us off guard and maintain the upper hand or were we actually transporting some undelicate dirt that would eventually ruin Beautiful British Columbia? Has anyone else encountered this? What about the mud on our shoes? Mud flaps? Didn't make a lot of sense, but then neither does vinegar on french fries. Sorry, no good pics but PM if you want any more info on easy to moderate Skaha climbs. Another great wall is Go Anywhere. Gear Notes: Clips and a standard rack Howie's book We used a 60m rope Approach Notes: Parking at Braeyside Farm was $3 per person. It isn't actually a parking fee but an access fee to get into the climbing area. Well worth it imho. There are two porta potties, a nice open-air shelter with a chalkboard for writin' stuff, and the trail up to the crags is nicely maintained.

I've been trading emails with Kevin Pogue this morning and he said basically the same thing. Don't make special trip to go there. He also said stay on route with the bolt line and most climbs should be somewhat clean (in other words, wear a helmet). We might make it a road trip this summer and circle on down through the south part of WA. rbwen

Not what you're thinking...different forum. Anyone climbed here? Is it worth the three hour drive from Central WA? Red Tail Arete looks like a ton of fun. Any new development there in the last few year? http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/listArea.php?AreaID=9603 Thanks! rbwen

Chatsworth Edge looks great! We'll bring the rack. Thanks! rbwen

Can't slip one by me. Making me try to climb something hard...sheesh! We really enjoyed Red Tail Lower and Go Anywhere walls last time we were up there so anything with a full day's climbing in the moderate range would be desireable (or multi pitch). rbwen

Thanks, but it's 10c and it's an off-width. I don't think my wife will enjoy that and doesn't quite fall into the category we're looking for. rbwen

Wife and I are headed to Skaha for Spring Break and we're looking for some fun moderate (5.4-5.9 sport) to do. Any recommendations? Thanks! rbwen

I'm sure you'll get the royalties either way...but I bought one from Mountain Goat Outfitters. Thanks for the offer! rbwen

Gov. Gregoire just signed the bill eliminating the $5 parking fee at state campgrounds because it was driving people away from parks. I think Pesashtin Pinnacles opened on March 15th. At least one reason to climb there, now that there's no payment! rbwen

Thanks! Just emailed them both and Mountain Goat has a copy. Just gotta call them with my digits and I'm good to go! rbwen

Anybody have a copy of this they want to part with? I've searched high and low and can't find a copy on the Internet (all out of print). Thanks! rbwen

Scraps are in downtown Wenatchee on the corner of Yakima and Columbia St. There's an apple bin half-full of them and a dumpster with some more right next to it. I can't remember the name of the shop but it's on a dead end street on the southeast side of the intersection. rbwen

Thanks for all the advice. A buddy of mine has loaned me a rotary hammer drill to do the task at hand. rbwen

I'm not. I'd never even really heard of one. Just Googled one up to see what you're talking about. Wonder if I can rent one? The guy I talked to at the shop said he could drill some holes for me so maybe I'll take some pieces back and see what he charges. He's a climber too so maybe he'll do it for cheap! Thanks! rbwen

Got your attention? I just stumbled across a masonry drilling company that has a bin full of old granite scraps of all sizes. They are perfectly flat, about 1" thick, shiny on one side and grainy/aggregate on the other with great edges for an indoor rock wall hold. Problem is I just spent 45 minutes drilling and only made it through 2/3 of one piece! Is there a quicker way of getting through granite? I started using my cordless Makita but then switched to the plug-in power drill until I couldn't hold it any longer. Ouch. I'm using a masonry bit right now. Tips? If anyone's interested in where the scraps are (my wife grabbed a bunch for her garden) it's downtown Wenatchee on the corner of Yakima and Columbia St. They had pieces as big as two feet long by one foot wide. Thanks! rbwen

I built a wall in my garage and have yet to find the best solution for ground padding. I have gone through three of those blow up mattresses but I'm sick of putting them in the trash when they get miniscule holes in them. The wife doesn't want old matresses because, well, they're old mattresses (see mice, smell, etc.). What do you use to pad the floor of your home gym? Does anyone know of a place to get a stronger rubber-like mattress? The best bet to me would be one of those pole vault pit pads. The gym I used to work at had about five of them and you could come off a wall twenty feet up with no worries. But where to get one or something similar and not pay big $$? Thanks! Flame on! rbwen

Amazing sidewalk art. http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

My wife and I got life insurance and disability but neither would cover us for 'mountain climbing' as the insurance company called it. For the policy we chose any injuries/death sustained would not be covered....unless we wanted to pay through the teeth.

Climb: Cragging Near Phoenix-McDowell & Camelback Mts. Date of Climb: 2/20/2006 Trip Report: Off to the sun for President's Day Weekend, Phoenix beckoned. We used Phoenix Rock II, by Opland, for route descriptions. Day One: We tried to climb at Camelback Mt. on the Sunday of a three-day weekend, big mistake. The line to get into the parking lot was like the line to climb Frogland on a weekend. Cars for miles and lots of retired people with fanny packs making their way to the trailhead. Time for Plan B. McDowell Mts.: We headed north and a bit east and ended up about 45 minutes from town at an area called Morell's Wall Parking Lot, aptly and beautifully named. After about ten minutes of hiking we found two nice moderates to warm up our cold Washington fingers on. The first one was a 5.7 called Seven-Up and it was pretty straightforward. Four bolts on a slabby face with consistent moves all the way to the top. The bolts were old but were secure. On top the anchor were three brand new, shiny anchor bolts but no chains. Hmmm...not very bright. We ran up and down that one to warm up and then moved around the corner to another 5.7 Back to the Wall. We top-roped this one by moving our anchors from the previous climb and I'm glad we did. (btw, there are three sets of anchors on top). This one had one or two hollow sounding flakes that would've taken some nice gear but probably not held it. It had two or three bolts on the face and three anchor bolts (again, no chains) on top. Pretty fun climbing up into a shallow cave, past an abandoned nest, topping out at about 60 feet. Pulling the rope after rapelling was painful because of the lack of chains. We headed back down to the road and across to the other side to climb a 5.6 called Phoenix. This one climbs a nice granite face and also utilizes the arete to gain the top. There's a nice two foot jump across to the belay. Only one bolt on top of this one but places to back it up with a piece or two. We walked off this one to the left. Although this one was rated 5.6 it seemed a bit harder if you just stayed on the face. I finally gave in and reached for the arete but it was a lot harder than some of the 5.6s I've done in the Icicle. Three or four bolts on this one and a nut or cam for the top. All three of these climbs were fun but they were not very aestetic and there weren't many great moves...but it was sunny and we weren't complaining. Some chains up top would make things much nicer. Monday we headed back to McDowell Mts. to Sven Slab. We had our eyes on a 5.5 called Quaker Oats. We met up with a buddy so we'd all three climb this two pitch route. You can do it in one pitch but we were both eager to get some early season easy leads in so we split it up. The first pitch went at 5.5 straight up the right side of the face for about 100' with 5 bolts to a big ol' eyebolt for belaying and rapelling. We backed it up with the somewhat stout tree there. After that is a shorter pitch of 60' up to one solitary bolt and not a whole heck of a lot else to back it up. There was one spot on the right where I sorta slotted a nut but it wasn't the best. The bolt did have a quick link for rapelling. The book said we could walk off right (Class 4) but it did not look safe so the last guy rapped off the solitary bolt back to the eye bolt. One rope got us from the eye bolt to the ground and also opened up some nice TR opportunities next to our route...but...we had to go back. Tuesday we met up with another friend and had our eyes on the Praying Monk that we got turned away from earlier because of the crowds. Today there was no problem and we got the front parking spot and headed toward the Headwall. There are a few ways to get up the Headwall to get to the Monk and we chose the 5.4 route up a water chute. This was pretty straightforward with six or seven bolts and another huge eye bolt and also two smaller eye bolts for rapping back down. The fire department was out practicing with their litter so we felt pretty safe if we were to have an accident today. Where were they when I'm climbing 5.11? So we headed up the Headwall and then another 100 yards to the Praying Monk. There are three or four routes up this but we chose the 5.7 route because we had an absolute beginner with us. The start is on the SE side, called the East Face, and has a variation. You can walk up into the cave, take off about 20 feet of the climb and it goes at 5.3 the rest of the way, or you can start at the bottom and climb 5.7. The route is very exposed and very fun with lots and lots of handholds and bolts just about every 8-10 feet. They used small eye bolts instead of the regular bolts you see scattered about most sport climbing places. Are they any better? Cheaper? I don't know. The route was nice and moderate and consistent and fairly long. I would guess over 100 feet. On top is a great view of Scottsdale and Camelback Mt. There was another large eye bolt for belay and then two more big ones for rapelling. It's a very fun free rappel off the south side. Your feet aren't on the wall for very long on this one. I would definitely recommend this one for a beginning leader or as a Phoenix classic, a very enjoyable climb. It was much more aestetic than the other stuff we did in McDowell. The rock is basically petrified mud and it took awhile to get used to but I didn't have any rock come away in my hands on Camelback. We only needed about 10 quickdraws on this one and used a 60m rope to get back to the ground. You have to rap back down the headwall to get to the trail to head back to the car. All in all it was a great weekend getaway. There was barely anybody out at the McDowell Mts. and it really reminded us of City of Rocks with sparse crowds and rocks and routes everywhere. Camelback was crowded on the weekend but nobody was there on the weekday. Can't wait to get back. Gear Notes: Mainly quickdraws and some cams and nuts scattered here and there to back up anchors and run out areas Approach Notes: Southwest Airlines was late on every connection by more than half an hour. Boo. Rental cars work very nice on dirty, bumpy roads out to McDowell Mts.

Thanks for all the beta. We had a great time in the sun. Almost forgot what that was like. TR to follow. rbwen

Mt. Lemmon is great that time of year. Well worth dragging a rope and rack (or just draws) for. just twenty minutes out of town to the northeast. Or Cochise Stronghold, but that's a bit farther of a drive. rbwen

I may be but I was sure there was a thread sometime in last summer that talked about a new book. Maybe it was an old thread that someone responded to. I tried to search for it but couldn't find it (the thread not the book). rbwen

I remember reading a couple of months ago about a new climbing guide in the works focusing on Inland Washington. Any new news on when it's supposed to come out? Thanks! rbwen