still_climbin

Mine are symetrical.

Actually I do have a few C4's. I've done a few alpine climbs with my son over the past several years using the old Camalots and Aliens and I admit I like them.

OPPS!. Post number 100. Can't believe it, just found this site last fall. I'll have to say that after a long time away from the mainstream of the Northwest climbing community I've really enjoyed this site. It brings back a lot of memories, reading about others climbing routes I did in the 60's-90's and it's inspired me to retool and do some more. Last week I enjoyed some sport rock to 5.9 (never did "sport" before and its a little wierd) at Frenchman and had a blast. Have plans in the oven to return to Washington Pass this summer and will be visiting my son to do some relatively new Sandia Mountain climbs out of Albuquerque in a few weeks.... By the way, I've got some of the oldest restrung Chouinard hexes and stoppers around and they I wouldn't trade them for any of the new stuff.

Very nice trip. Thanks for the photos.

Living in Eastern WA I did'nt join the Mountaineers when I began climbing in the 60's. I'll say, however, that they made a big difference in the sport whether you were a member or not. Just the book "Freedom of the Hills" was way beyond any other source for mountaineering technique in the Northwest. Out of their mandate to share the sport came equipment availability (spawning REI, a genuine coop back then), Northwest's mountaineering culture, and an organization that legitimized the sport and had influence with Park Service, etc. I'm not a joiner and would gag at having to be part of the leadership of a club, but I tip my hat (even though I occationally lower my lederhosen in an enthusiastic moon) to the Mounties.

Skiing near Stevens Pass with one binding I'd been having trouble with. The binding had released prematurely several times in the last coulpe weeks, but being my last ski outing of the season I justified to myself to shop the spring sales for new ones for next year. I entered the top of a steep (~50 degree on top)chute and hit bad ice. Being conservative I side slipped a bit to make room for a wide turn. As the skis chattered, sideslipping, the bad one released and I couldn't hold it on the one remaining edge on the ice. I cartwheeled about 1000 feet, down the chute and off a couple heavily forested cliffs. I broke 6 ribs, sternum twice, sprained both knees, crushed both rotator cuffs, etc, etc. Since I couldn't be seen by the others above I had to self rescue. All could have been prevented had I paid attention to my gear.

Lets all get together and do a hundred foot snowman on Rainier. That would pass up a bunch of those 14,000ers in Colorado. We could have prizes for first ascent, first ski decent and first one-dayer via Lib Ridge.

Its a very nice climb. Nice photos. Thanks.

Perfect balance between luck, skill, endurance and heart. Great job!

How about most of the climbs at Granite Point. Gravity's not much of an issue under water and nearly every route was flodded by Lower Granite Dam in the 70's.

Its a fun route. Did it in early June a number of years ago. Your photos bring back memories.

Must have been dog routes.

Dayl, I've been looking for an objectinve comparison like your reference. Thanks.

Looks like you hit it perfect. Great job.

Beanie Weenies and a Cliff Bar (peanut butter). They'll get ya up the mountain.

You're right on with this point. Be concerned with any friction application with Dyneema because melting will easily occure. Years ago while teaching climbing instructors in the military I saw an idiot trying to copy my team, who were using 1" nylon tubular web for rappelle harnesses, by purchasing look-alike polyethelyne webbing to make a harness. About 20 feet from the ground on a 120 ft. helicopter rappelle the binner he was using melted through his harness. Somehow he only broke his wrist. Dumb! Polyethelene (and Dyneema/Spectra) melts at about 300 F while other tech fibers like Technora (modified aramide) and aramide (Kevlar) melt at about 930F. Nylon melts in the 480 F range.

I take my son climbing. He leads the hard stuff and I clean. Of course, I get to offer sage advise throughout the process and he does't get to give me any shit because that would be cruel to a man of my age.

Do all you guys wear silk undies?

You might want to retrace some of your past travels, only this time summiting mountains you passed like Forbidden, Torment, Jo'berg. Another suggestion is the Ptarmigan Traverse collecting Formidable, Spire and others. Some of these peaks have a variety of routes where you can choose the level of difficulty and snow/rock mix to your liking (eg. Forbidded Standard vs. W. Ridge vs. N. Ridge).

Been brown nosing lately, eh?

Sensitive, Gary. Sensitive!

I saw them extract an injured climber and a body after a fatal crevass accident on Stuart Glacier in the 70's.

Can you say "BLOW ME DOWN" on the Internet?

AAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGhhhhhhaaaa..............................

Sorry guyz. Did Si last week. TR to follow in 2007.