DonnieK

If you were hot, why were you wearing all those clothes? And the zippers work both ways - to close the sleeping bag, and conversely, to open it. Open = cooler.

Nice work Billy. You get three beer-drinkers for this:

fyi to all - don't rely on the beta that you can get down Ingalls with a single 60m rope. You'll be downclimbing the bottom of the second pitch. good to meet you guys Friday. Donnie

Anyone have any recent info on the state of the road and/or snow levels on the road? Thanks in advance Donnie

I don’t. And from what I saw this weekend I wouldn’t recommend it to you either….. Organizations like the Mountaineers in Washington and the Mazamas in Oregon provide valuable services to the climbing community and the outdoor community at large in terms of supporting access, trail maintenance, teaching outdoor skills, etc. While at times these groups may end up as the butt of jokes for their “unique” climbing style, I have always respected them because they ultimately provide direct and indirect benefits to those of us in the climbing community. However, after this weekend my vision of the Mountaineers, aka “Mounties”, is no longer so rosy. As a starting point, I want to quote the “[p]urposes and mission” of the Mounties. According to their website, the Mounties seek to preserve by example and teaching the beauty of the natural environment and to “encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life.” http://www.mountaineers.org//scriptcontent/default.cfm?insert=abo_about While the Mounties undoubtedly have the best of intentions, the method of teaching, encouraging and leading by example I saw this weekend does nothing of the sort. My experience was one of selfishness, and holding a self-centered view of the outdoors and access to it. No one has any greater right or entitlement to access than anyone else. First, let me say that I fully support teaching people the necessary skills to climb and to do it safely, and obviously it involves taking people outdoors for hands-on training. But there is a right way to do that and a wrong way to do that. The Mounties showed me a glaringly obvious wrong way. Here’s a photo of the Mounties from this weekend (problems posting it right now…will edit/add later). It was taken Saturday afternoon at the Royal Columns in Tieton. As you can see, the Mounties took over a large section of the crag all day on both Saturday and Sunday. At one point we counted at least 6 anchor stations being permanently occupied and they had many more routes/ropes set up, as many routes share anchors. At any given time, about half of the ropes were not in use and the ropes and their anchors were left up overnight, preventing anyone from beating them to it the following day. If you asked about an unused rope on a route, you were given the standard “someone is just about to climb that” routine. One rope in particular never saw any use as far as I could tell; it sat there for two days preventing anyone else from enjoying the route. One of the great things about Tieton in particular is the concentration and quality of the easy and moderate routes. It’s a place to come and cut your teeth leading trad on real cracks. For that reason, many of us flock to Tieton so we can improve our skill set and take those skills into the broader environment. For the same reason the Mounties teach classes at Tieton. However, when the Mountie crew basically hogs the entire beginner area for an entire weekend, they stop living up to their stated mission. Those of us who showed up this weekend to cut our respective teeth were completely prevented from accessing many of the routes we specifically came to climb. Here are the points I would like to make to the Mounties and I encourage them to rethink the way they use and impact not only the natural environment, but how they interact with the climbing community at large. Because in the end, the Mounties are part of a much larger community and they need to respect that if they truly aim to “encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life.” • Taking up a substantial part of any crag for one or more days is selfish and self centered. • Teaching your students (by example, if not overtly) that it is appropriate in the outdoors to take control of routes or whole sections of crags solely for your own use for a day or more is selfish and self-centered. • No individual, group or organization has any greater entitlement or right to access than anyone else. • Teaching in large groups that have an adverse impact on the environment and the climbing community at large (and small) does not “encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life”. It angered pretty much every other climber that showed up to climb this weekend. • Providing advance warning that your organization will essentially “own” a crag for a weekend does not make your actions any less selfish or self-centered. To put it crassly, warning you that I’m going to be an asshole doesn’t make me any less of an asshole. If the Mounties want to live true to their stated goals and really teach people about communing with nature and interacting fairly with those of us who share that environment, they need to teach their students how to properly share use and access to those resources. Otherwise, they set their students up to act in similar manner when they graduate from these programs and go climbing on their own. I toss out the following, non-exhaustive list of suggestions: • Minimize group size. There are many obvious reasons why, and you all know what they are but here are a couple thoughts: o Having large groups that “hog” routes all day (or multiple days in this instance), pisses off the non-Mounties and essentially splits climbers into two camps – the Mounties and everyone who now hates the Mounties. This cannot possibly foster “good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life”. o While I don’t support taking up a route or routes all day, minimizing the total number of routes being used at any given time decreases the impact on other users who have the same access and use rights as the Mounties. o As an example of the height of ridiculousness I saw this weekend, someone was being taught how to set up an all gear, hanging belay (see above photo). There were 7 or 8 people literally “hanging out” assisting. Excessive? Clearly. Those 7 or 8 other people were on routes that could have been used by others who drove to Tieton specifically to climb them. • Teach your students that they don’t “own” the crag by example - show them how to properly access busy routes, wait their turn, and be respective of others seeking access to the same climbs. • Restrict use of routes to times when people are actually using them. If the route is not in use and someone (i.e. non-Mountie) asks to use it, show by example, and step aside and allow access. No one “owns” these routes and no Mountie has any more entitlement to use a route than anyone else. Ultimately, there will always be climbers who act selfishly and cannot or will not show respect for others and share access to our limited resources. I cannot change that. However, when I see a supposedly respected, large, regional organization that takes on the responsibility of teaching new members of our climbing community those exact traits of entitlement and ownership that damage our community, I take exception to it. It is irresponsible to say the least. Donnie Kolb Ps.……While I might have preferred to rant and rave about the “fucking Mounties”, hopefully this is a more appropriate way to foster change in the way they act and present themselves to the community at large. Until they do, I cannot not in good conscience ever recommend anyone become a Mountie.

Nice work John

I did AAI's 6 day north cascades trip back in 1999. Part of it was having excellent instructors (which could vary even within the same company), but it was a very valuable experience and made me feel comfortable going into the mountains, crossing glaciers, etc. - the nuts and bolts you need to start doing more technical routes. I always recommend doing one of these courses for the beginners.

I was stopped in Vancouver BC airport with a rope and set of draws after flying with them several legs. I was told anything that can be used as a restraint would not be allowed on the airplane. Angrily telling the security guy that I could tie someone up with my belt if I wanted to didn't help my situation. The airline was actually super helpful - they pulled my checked bag and let me add it even though I was clearly over the weight limit. I no longer take the chance, but I can see why you'd try.

They aren't always easy to find, but the BD Verglas glove is a great middle-of-the-road option and my favorite all-around ice glove. Not as warm as the Ice Glove, and a little bulkier than the dry tool glove. But they have removable fleece insides that dry easily, the texture they put on the index finger is great for holding onto gear and they are svelte enough that the bulk isn't too bad. I find them warm enough for everything but the coldest days in Canada when I'll use my Ice Gloves. The only downside is no padding, so if you're a knuckle basher, they won't help.

Yeah, it's not quite as exciting as Smith or Yosemite or wherever, but my regular PRG partner bailed and I'm looking for consistent partner/s for some plastic pulling. Prefer weekday evenings, anytime between 6 and 11, 2-3 times a week. It doesn't really matter how hard you climb, as long as you know how to belay. If it matters, I typically TR 10's and 11's and lead 10's. PM me if you're interested. Donnie

Thanks guys for the photos. Yeah - conditions don't look great in those photos, but really its dependent on having decent ice in the cracks. May head up there soon for some winter-mixed action.

Yo, Frieh, Not to dwell on your second whipper - but was the screw you fell on above or below the large fracture line on that right-hand column? And because I love giving people @@@@ for it - would either fall have happened if you were wearing leashes??? Nice work getting out so much. I think this winter will go down as a bust for me - too much work, not enough time.

Got any photos of the shady side of I-rock? I can kinda see it in the background of one of your photos. Wondering what conditions are like. Thanks! Donnie

Anyone get out today (Thursday)? Apparently I'm a pessimist, but I suspect everything is toast after the rain and overnight-above-freezing temps. I'm tired of the NW ice tease.

Yes, around the other side, follow the railroad tracks. Should be an epic week - enjoy

Looking for advice on a descent of the north ridge back the mountaineers creek way. It looks like in early season the sherpa glacier in the preferred descent. And some parties did so a couple weeks ago - but its been pretty warm since then, and expected to get hot as hell this weekend (we'll be up there likely monday and/or tuesday). Wondering what another alternative is? I read something about continuing on the ridge to a notch by Sherpa peak and rapping from there? Any alternatives or details would be appreciated. Thanks donnie