mark1980

Check this out. YouTube- ‪SOAR Porteau Cove Squamish Yacht Race‬‎

In construction we say. WHEN IN DOUBT, SUB IT OUT.

I believe they are mine. It was hot Friday and we were rummy when we were packing up. I sent you a PM. You are RIGHTEOUS BenWA.

So which AT boots work best when you ditch the skis and start climbing? Are there any that fit wide feet better than others?

The Tacoma Mounties offer a level one course, $100 for members and $150 for non-members. http://www.tacomamountaineers.org/ It's in Feb. and has two lectures and two field trips. Check the Go Guide for more information at their site.

I saw her the other day, she still looks good. As for Mark....thankfuly his shorts are longer these days.

Nice,excellent pics, glad you hooked up for more climbing after your valley trip.

Heres a web site with reipes and ideas alternative to freeze dried. http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/

So do you carry prusiks or something to ascend a rope in an emergency, something for self rescue? If you ever took a climbing course, I’m sure you were taught how to prusik and to do a leader tie off with a cord sling and prusik knot. Do you still carry it when you are cragging or sport climbing? I carry two short slings, clipped to a carabiner on my harness, along with a whistle and a small pocket knife, and I’m glad I had it when I was on Castle Rock recently. My partner had led the second pitch of Canary, and from his belay spot, we could not communicate. I knew he had me on belay, after he had pulled up the remaining rope and given me three tugs. Three tugs on the rope, was the on belay signal we decided to use when we couldn’t hear each other. Self-assured that I was on belay, I untied the rope from the anchor, he took in the slack, and then I un-clipped my personal anchor and proceeded to climb. From the anchor you traverse a dozen feet or so along Saber Ledge, which is a relatively safe place. Then you have to make a commitment, to a step across from the ledge, to the corner of the route .Here the corner is above an overhanging roof, a very exposed, scarey move, with no turning back. Marty aced this and was on his way. He had placed a couple of pieces of pro before the move. The first one was bomber and in an awkward place to remove. I had to climb a few feet above the ledge, and hang on to a hold with my right hand, while trying to retrieve the gear with my left. Every time I’d move to the left, my partner would take up slack, thinking that I was moving forward. This pulled me off balance and out of position for removing the pro. It also tensioned the sling on the piece, making it impossible to loosen and get out. To take the tension off, I had to unclip it from the rope and after doing this I still couldn’t get it out with one hand. I needed two hands, and since it was a traverse, I wasn’t able to just hang on the end of the rope in my harness and work. His second piece of protection was at the end of the ledge traverse, so I down climbed and walked over and removed it, a number one TCU. With this with me I climbed back up to the first piece, found a crack to place it in, and then clipped my personal anchor to it. This allowed me to anchor myself and use both hands to remove the stuck pro. It also helped overcome the pull of the rope, which was pulling me to the left, away from where I wanted to be. So using the cam as aid, holding my weight, I went to work with two hands, trying to remove the stubborn, well placed tri-cam, a pink, it was in there good. I was about to give up on it and leave it when I heard the TCU that I was using for aid, pop, it came out and I fell backwards, feeling a thump as I bounced off the ledge below. It was a pop, thump, and then nothing but air, as I free fell to the end of the rope. When I stopped, I found myself hanging out of reach of the rock face. My head was at least ten feet below the roof of the first pitch of Canary and the rope was clipped to some pro on the corner above the roof. It was the first piece my partner placed after he made the scary move off the ledge on the second pitch of Canary. I tried pumping my legs and swinging, but I still couldn’t get close enough to the rock to touch it, let alone grab it to climb back up to Saber Ledge. I realized I was in a serious situation, I couldn’t be lowered because my partners lead was nearly 60 meters, and we couldn’t hear each other and there was know one else to help, as we were the only climbers on Castle at the time. I hung there, still a little dazed from the fall and thought, I’m in trouble, what am I going to do. Even if I could swing over to the rock, I’d have to use aid to overcome my top rope, which was coming off the outside edge of the roof, away from the rock, and it would have been pulling me away from the face I needed have to climb, to get back to Saber Ledge; and as the follower, I didn’t have any gear. My only choice was to climb the rope. That’s when the light came on; prusiks. I have two short 6mm rope slings, that I carry to use as leader tie offs, or for self rescue in emergencies. This I deemed was an emergency, so I tied the slings into prusiks, clipped my personal anchor to the short one, and my gear sling to the longer one for my feet and prusiked up the rope. Once I was above the roof and in contact with the rock, I was able to climb and finish following the pitch. Even as a follower, it was a very Scary Canary, I would of rather made the move off the ledge, than to do what I did. Well I’m glad I was taught to carry something for self rescue. Had I not had the 6mm cord slings to use as prusiks, I suppose I could of cut up my cordelette but that would of taken more time. James Bond used his shoe laces to prusik in a movie and I can’t imagine what MaGyver would of done. I guess I could have rigged a couple of standard webbing slings with kleimheist knots, but I didn’t have any, or anything like Tiblocs. So I’m glad I had my little slings on my “what if biner.” I guess that’s why their called hero loops. In the future I’ll do some things different, and pay closer attention to my cam placements. Even if you’re only a few feet above a sidewalk sized ledge and you’re going to use a cam, make sure it’s good and not a casual placement, test it as if it were a nut. It’s too easy to casually place those wonderful cams. Also in a traversing situation, if you can’t get the pro out, leave it, because if you fall trying to remove it, you are going to pendulum. Another thing to consider, when the crux is in the beginning of the route, is to maybe shorten the lead, so that you can communicate with your partner. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve been to Saber Ledge, this was certainly the most memorable. Just thought I’d share the experience, and I hope you have something on your harness to get you out of a jam. Even when you’re out for a day of sport climbing or cragging.