builder206

a key takeaway here

Before we go off on political rants, I'd like the thread to deliver on the hookers and drugs title.

Before mattp went to the Gunks last week, someone told me about some sort of overhanging 5.2 there as a joke to illustrate how hardcore their grades are. Now he comes back with his TR and by God, there IS overhanging 5.easy!

Oh great, now it's a .9. I'll take my SPOT beacon.

In the last 4 weeks, two Mounties have given me dire warnings about Midway and Saber. Supposedly they are "old school" grades, really more like 5.8 under a fair & rational grading system.

May 8 looking S from top of R&D May 8 looking N from top of R&D

I will pay for fuel and Hobbs time if you will bomb Liberty Bell with de-icer.

man, talk about stoke! thanks a ton for the pics

Trip: - R & D Date: 5/8/2011 Trip Report: My 1st lead after a year off for torn rotator cuffs. We broke it into 5 pitches. I led 3 of them. Felt terrific to be back in action. Nice day, sunny and blue sky most of the morning. Weather came in after noon but we were back to the cars by then. After my rope topped out and we were waiting for the second rope to come up, it started snowing high on the crest to the south. Mother's Day and a poor forecast kept everyone away; we were the only ones on route and there was hardly any traffic up or down the road. Everything went smooth and safe. There's a cam buried in a short vertical crack in the blocks just below the chimney and one of the guys on the other rope found a Helium.

What make & model of harness has these superpowers?

Sorry but for all my years of living in Ellensburg I used vantage as a training ground - for both climbing and drinking. No big, I was laughing when I wrote it. I was off >18 months with rotator cuff tears so now anything about climbing puts a big grin on my face. It's all good.

Great, my group hug for higher ideals turns into a sinkhole for drunks. The cc.com leveling effect.

It does feel like I'm seeing more glass shards there.

Saturday I left my camera by the path at Tomato Wall. 4 hours later, I realized it was gone. Walked back – there it was – someone had picked it up and put it on a rock out in the open by the trail so it would be easy for me to find. I bet *at least* 100 people walked by it and left it alone, knowing (of course) that eventually the guy who left it would be back. I had 3 days’ worth of photos on it that I had not yet downloaded. Very nice.

Saturday I left my camera by the path at Tomato Wall. 4 hours later, I realized it was gone. Walked back – there it was – someone had picked it up and put it on a rock out in the open by the trail so it would be easy for me to find. I bet *at least* 100 people walked by it and left it alone, knowing (of course) that eventually the guy who left it would be back. I had 3 days’ worth of photos on it that I had not yet downloaded. Very nice.

Thanks. Someone with Mountain Madness was there twice last week. He said it was "dry enough."

Is it drying out? Anyone been on route there in the last week or so?

Terrific photos, thanks a lot!

rad “An unwritten Seattle Climbing position on mountaineering boots has been changed. Rock shoes are now allowed on Basic & Intermediate Climbs by default unless the climb leader specifies differently in the trip leader notes. Boots are encouraged on Basic Rock Climbs.” FWIW, students wearing rock shoes were OK with Everett leaders. The boots requirement was a Seattle thing.

It doesn't look like those can take a step-in crampon. Do you know one way or another?

second that

This thread reminds me of growing up in Dallas reading Haston & Bonington, trying to imagine what it was like, age 15-16 taking a a Greyhound to southern Colorado to walk up some of the 13ers, no farking idea what I should carry or not carry, how far I could get in a day etc. I need to remind myself how lucky I am to live here & how much I owe the people who I have climbed with.

bump cool, got a PM, moving the right direction

I climb at Seattle Vertical World to condition for the climbing season (rock and sport) and I'm looking for one partner or some combination of partners so I can rack up 2 or 3 sessions per week – some combo of weeknights and weekends. I started a 10 week program similar to How to Climb 5.12 with the goal of redpointing a 10 at Vantage in May. I'm climbing .8 right now so it isn't high grade stuff. I'm looking for someone who is around my level or above. thanks

They're going to dive in. Palin/Bachmann to unify the base.