ryanb

Google cache as of dec 5th: http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:5X1a4XYJWJoJ:twitter.com/libertyloop+twitter+libertyloop&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Think it is only missing one twit from when I checked it last night ("I am plaidman" if i recall correctly).

I'm sure you could get on something there but I think the established bouldering is pretty far up a fs road that would be snowed in. You will have better luck in leavenworth. Kelly Sheridan's guide even lists some suggested winter projects (stuff that is steep enough to stay dryish and gets sun or is sheltered from the wind). I have had some great days post holing through the snow to get to the forest lands and other south facing areas and finding most of it dry and snow free. The snow even improves some landings, though I would suggest a crash pad or at least a carpet scrap to keep your feet dry. There are some wide cracks at swiftwater north including a heel toe roof.

You need a 1/2 and possibly a rand patch or two. (depending on how worn the rubber under the sole/around the edge of the shoe is). Onyx is more durable then c4 but c4 is softer which most people find more reassuring on crystalline granite. Ramuta ( http://www.ramutasresoles.com/aboutus.htm ) does a great job with mocs though a broken in pair will never edge as well as a new pair do to continued stretching of the leather.

The thing that annoys me about the "belay knife" is that they claim it is the lightest belay knife out there ignoring the fact that no other manufacture uses this term (google it...the only other mentions of "belay knife" are old jokes on rec.climbing) AND that the very similar trango "alpine knife" is half the weight. I'm sure some of their gear is fine and it is cool that they have a r1 hoodie style thin hooded fleece and a simple patagonia ascentionist style hooded soft shell and MH compresor synth hooded belay coat. BUT the prices on those pieces is not that good and seem worse then similar pieces available from mec, montbell, OR or the deals on last years colors annually available on the web or at second ascent. More competition in the market is usally a good thing but EB is bringing no new ideas to the table. The one vaguely novel thing i saw in their line was the hooded paradise base layer but it is only available in women's.

Eddie bower parka doesn't list a fill weight so no way to tell how warm it is pretty much ruling it out for technical use in my book. Also there are no rules for down fill power numbers... manufactures can pretty much make them up if they want so you have to trust your down provider. Parka's i would rather spend that kind of money on: http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Garments/Lt/HoodedHelios.html http://www.campsaver.com/itemmatrix.asp?GroupCode=rab0008&MatrixType=1&avad=1768_e6ebe4d http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=70&p_id=2301315 If none of these tickle your fancy use spadout to watch for end of winter sales: http://www.spadout.com/c/mens-down-jackets/ I have never heard the term "belay knife" before and think it is some marketing bs. (though i do carry a small key chain knife to cut webbing etc if needed).

Seems like they ripped off clothing designs from patagonia and a couple of other places in the hopes people would pay patagonia prices...if this stuff goes on super clearance it might be worth it but better deals on better gear can be found elsewhere. That "Belay Knife" looks sweet for the next time I need to cut the rope while belaying though.

What Twight does at Gym Jones is not crossfit. It may have been at one point but he has realized the limitations of the crossfit approach and adapted his program to include some distinctly not crossfit activities: from the cs point of view: http://journal.crossfit.com/2009/08/inside-gym-jones.tpl (pdf link on right) from the twight point of view: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=44 Twight is a former elite alpine/ice climber dedicating himself to developing effective training techniques for similar, crossfit is a bunch of gym rats trying to sell 45 minutes of weighted aerobics as key to a hard core life style. Mountain Athlete is another deal altogether but I believe it is run by a non climber and gets a lot wrong as such. From what little I've seen of it ( http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08x/wfeature-mountain-athlete-training ) it seems like they use a cross between their own version of 80's style system wall training and crossfit style stuff. The thing is, they get the climbing stuff pretty wrong in terms of how really good climbers train on system walls...in the video's i've seen their system wall is not steep enough to provide much core benefit and their using ice tools which are just plain easy to hold on to and hugh foot holds. System wall training is awesome (look at the hubers) but you will get more bang for your training time if you do it "right". Reading up on the modern climbing specific training techniques employed by people who are actually good climbers. Sonnie Trotter, Dave Macleod, the Beastmaker Crew and Will Gadd all of whom write excellent blogs with lots of training tips. I think the biggest thing your average free climber can take from that whole crew is motivation though. "Take what works and train like you fucking mean it." For me this means doing workouts where I alternate hang board sets and lock offs with push ups, yoga, core stuff and opposition with timed recovery (i count breaths cause i dislike stop watches) and a gym jones style work ethic after gym sessions or when I can't get to the gym/ real rock. I doubt this is the best way to train and i'm always eager to figure out ways to improve on my routine but it seems to what I do now is definitely helping me get up more and more stuff at index and WA pass and I just don't see people who stick to crossfit making similar gains.

That Caldwell video is inspiring particularly that he says he is starting to add in crossfit work outs to days where he is spending up to 8 hours training on boulders and sport climbs, running and weight lifting... the dude probably uses the WOD's to cool down at the end of a day of real training simulating hauling shit up the wall after a day of free climbing 5.14 slab. Will Gadd also crossfits and wrote up a great piece on what he see as its pluses and minuses: http://gravsports.blogspot.com/2009/11/congrats-to-gm-crossfit-training-from.html Best quote is in the comments: "Take what works, move on, but train like you fucking meant it." Crossfit definitely has some pluses (alternating sets of opposed exercises is a great idea) but most of the climbers I've known who rely on it as their main training routine seem to plateau HARD. I'm with you on the plastic though I've read that Croft trained in Yosemite by running up hills in the morning, walking down and then running laps on 5.11's all day...

I think the real reason so many people are drawn to cross fit is laziness. The truth is your body adapts to the stress you put on it it and if you think adapting to 45 minutes of activity on the way home from work is going to help you much you are fooling yourself. In my limited experience, it takes 45 minutes to even get your fingers warm to the point you can't start to safely train for climbing. Cross fit style work outs seem to be good for going from off-the-couch to marginally-in-shape; they may even help an advanced climber prepare for some real training. But, in terms of how much they seem to help your average climber improve, I would rank them slightly better then jazzercise and significantly worse then hot yoga. Have any of you cross fitters actually seen a significant and ongoing increase in how hard you climb in the real world or how many hard moves/pitches you can do in a row? Most people i've know who dedicate themselves to climbing specific training are able to improve by at least a number grade a year into the index 5.11's, and alpine grade V's with progress slowing somewhat beyond that as the climbing gets truly hard...if you are not improving at something like that rate you should change what you are doing.

It is a little known fact that virtually every hard pitch in the REAL MOUNTAINS has 21 hard moves, then a ledge then 15 hard moves then a ledge and then 9 hard moves. This is why cross fitters are able to climb so hard in the mountains where no one can see them but flail at crag climbing where the moves come in other denominations and routes require odd techniques like resting.

Good thing?...not my feet! Bad thing? 4 to 6 weeks, more likely 6 totally off his feet in a wheel chair. By six weeks the dead tissue will have hopefully detached itself or at least shown itself enough to be cut away. Then 6 months or more before you get back into climbing boots let alone rock shoes. Serious sheeeet. Yikes! But if those feet belong to who I think he will easily campus harder then most of us climb without ever needing to touch feet to rock.

the Passenger SEWS I am not the most well traveled alpine climber but this thing was awesome. Lots of this:

Kimmo, I'm curious what your thoughts on volume/rest as one tries to experment with a more intense schedule are? In particular how you determine how much rest and how much volume you can handle. I like the idea of high volume training but, In practice I find that I am pretty useless the day after a hangboarding work out (usually repeaters/encores for me) or intense bouldering session at the gym...like weak to the point that I can't really feel like I am getting a decent work out so I end up doing the one day on one day off thing. Have you found that it is possible to adapt to multiple days on and do you have any advice for upping the volume in this way? Lots of lower intensity stuff (4x4's, traversing, running)? Vary the drills you do? Or just keep pushing through until your body adapts?

How to deal with your fear of bears? Easy, show some self control and stop acting like you're a five years old who needs his favorite toy to feel safe. People run those trails with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I'd worry more about getting rid of that homophobia you got going there, ain't nothing wrong with the village people.

A friend and I were talking about Freedom of the Hills awhile back and concluded it is an awful book for a beginner to learn from...exhaustive in its coverage of certain minutia, it puts the emphasis on the wrong things and makes it hard for the young outdoors person to develop the skills to live well in the mountains. My buddy, who has since climbed some major alpine routes and index 5.12 on gear, described setting off on his first gear lead based solely on information from FOTH hills with a bunch of webbing and not enough carbiners and trying to run the rope through slings etc... Better, in my mind, are the shorter books by experts in their respective crafts...people like Peter Croft, John Long, Mark Twight, Ray Jardine, Craig Luben, John Midendorf...these expert climbers present the simple practical systems they have learned through years of experience...though they are all masters of things like self rescue, they stress the importance of dressing and eating well and getting by with minimal gear. It is amazing to me how any instructional material can attempt to teach leading by teaching gear placement but ignore the art of finding a good stance from which to place, fail to describe how to keep rope drag down and not even mention the single most important piece of staying safe on the sharp end : KEPP YOUR FOOT OUT FROM BEHIND THE ROPE. Climbing well does not come from memorizing knots and knowing how to place gear on the ground; those things are pretty trivial for some one with a reasonable amount of common sense. True climbing skill comes from mastering the fundamental aspects of living outside and moving over varying terrain. Hand jams, finger locks, rand jams, plunge steps, fig newtons, drop knees, gummy bears, water bottles, sun screen, headlamps, poofy coats, back steps, heel hooks... those are the climbing tools I break out the most.

I'd buy one or two

I learned on the things and carried the small and big ones for years as I worked my way from 5.6 to 5.8 and slowly bought cams. Then I got serious and decided it was time to cut the crap and concentrate on the stuff that worked well, was easy to use and fit in the the most placements. Now I lead 5.11 on nuts and cams. There is an art to the perfect tri cam placement, but it usually involves finding the perfect odd pod next to a good stance where you can hang out and fiddle one in and there is a high probability you will get them stuck or have them fall out entirely while you are learning...they are the MG's of climbing pro (fun only if you enjoy fiddling with them).

Most experienced climbers seem to choose one of the three options: 1) Leave the damn things at home. 2) Give the useless things away. 3) Never buy them in the first place. (PS go get some paint markers at your local art supply store and use those on the metal )

http://books.google.com/books?id=Tt0-o0IQopkC&lpg=PA170&ots=GTUdtjv0wk&dq=Russ%20mitrovich%20aid%20solo&pg=PA170#v=onepage&q=Russ%20mitrovich%20aid%20solo&f=false Russ Mitrovich daisy AID soloed most of zodiac but broke out the rope for the one bit of mandatory free climbing he did. I believe he also later backed down off a daisy solo of harder aid route after realizing he was asking for it. Dean potter free soloed most of the nose (no pieces) and only broke out the daisies for the aid sections. Attempting to daisy solo FREE as I believe the op wanted to do would be a hugh PITA on anything besides sinker jams with frequently spaced placements.

Spinner leashes are rated for like 2kn. Your system sounds like it would make you tired and more likely to fall...reaching up and down fucking with gear. Really strong people die soloing.

This is awesome! Keep up the exercise and you will find yourself getting hungry at the right times, good carbs before, after and during hikes are crucial to maintaining energy (granola bars work well). Don't just stop eating soda, replace it with something. You need liquids. Coffee, tea, sport drinks (the lower sugar/calorie the better...if you like the taste of nuun it is a great option). Mt Zion and Mt Townsen would both be good achievable goals in the Olympics. Mnt Eleanor is closer to home but slightly more technical depending on season/snow. Hiking some of the stuff from Hurricane ridge would give you a taste of getting up high and getting on top of something without having to hike all the way there. They also used to have awesome kid friendly winter snow shoe tours. Staying motivated through the winter months is definitely the crux of staying shape.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#3620t21/=3hk48t Aluminum chain links with a working load of 500lbs...I'd probably use two links to be safe.

I bought mine when they first came out used it for craging for a while and am letting it works its way to the bottom of the gear bin. For me, its been okay durability wise but handling is a bit reminiscent of a contractor grade extension cord. Not unmanageable, but usually leaves me wishing I had brought my monster 9.8 70 (that is a sweet rope bought off this thread for not that much more). If it wasn't so thin it would be retired to fixing/cleaning duty by now...I really only use it on alpine stuff any more and each trip swear i won't use it again. I do see hard people at index using what looks like this rope...the ugly teal color is somewhat unique... usually with a gri gri and ascender to top rope belay. You can definitely make it work but i'm not sure its worth it.

I have that rope, I wouldn't buy another for 94. It handles really poorly (stiff, tangle and jam prone).

All web developers etc need to test extensively in ie because it is such a piece of crap. It is also possible to run it "natively" under os x using darWINE but most use vmware or parallels. I buy my macs reconditioned and buy after market ram/monitors as others have suggested: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE3NjY