montypiton

Yee-haw - back in the late eighties had a 12"+ diameter ponderosa pine come down at my place that crushed the roof of my subaru and punched a hole through the roof of my house! Had enough windfall in the fourteen years I lived there that I never had to stray more than 100' from my driveway for firewood, which was the house's primary heat source. Probably best to just stay above timberline...

WD40 might work, but Marvel Mystery Oil, if you can find it, has been known, on occasion, to free seized engines. Any "penetrating oil" is a reasonable bet if you can soak the fitting in it for a few hours. Oiling the next bolt you use, before installing it, should prevent a recurrance, as will products like locktite

Darn - if I didn't have to spend the day driving busloads of snow-train tourists around Der Worth, I'd be all over this...

Smith Rock had a good twenty-five years or so of climbing history before Alan drilled his first bolt there, and those folks never bothered with the gorge - that area wasn't developed before the late '70s. Zebra with the Zion traverse to the Lions Chair finish would be a classic anywhere. And for those who'd like to climb harder than 5.10 and still use traditional style, Sunshine Dihedral (heard a rumor its been downgraded to 5.11d) still didn't have any bolts when I thrashed my way up it, long after better, more imaginative and courageous folks pushed it free. A climber of normal ability could spend a lifetime at Smith and never clip a bolt. A number of old-timers did precisely that... Some might argue that Jeff Thomas, before Alan Watts, really began the bolting revolution at Smith, just by the quantity of bolts he installed, even though, as far as I knew, Jeff's bolts were always installed on the lead.

Sounds pretty typical, actually... The most ice I've ever seen on Dragontail's NW face was the weekend after Memorial day about nine years back. Early winter, that wall is usually pretty dry. Had a GREAT time on the Gerber-Sink the last weekend in April about four years ago -- pioneered an alternative start up a very tiny thread of ice that went at about WI5, meeting up with the G-S maybe 500'up. April to June most years offers loads of opportunities from Dragontail to Stuart. Pioneered one on Stuart that was easier (WI3-4)last Memorial Day, located between Stuart Glacier Couloir and the NW Buttress - climbed the right-most of three undocumented gullies on that wall, all three of which I've seen well-iced from April to June the last few years... plan on bein' up there again next spring... FWIW - verglas is thickening daily on Icicle Butt-Rest and the Candlestein Crags (a name from the old Beckey guide - I forget what Victor calls the cliffs between Rainbow Gully and Careno Crag) the Funnel is coming in rapidly -- much of this could be pretty entertaining by next week...

Alan - I'd be surprised if you remember me (used to bring groups from OSU to Skinner's Butte when you were in Eugene). I was pleasantly touched by that interview. I remember being saddened when Kent Benesch told me about your hands going bad on you. I was happy to hear you'd transitioned to a fulfilling family life. Although your "famous" climbs were made in a style that would never have occurred to me, I can't say I disapproved. Jeff Thomas's routes were plenty challenging - I never did solve Shoes of the Fisherman -(when Donini fell off of it, I didn't feel so bad...) and my only attempt on Chain Reaction never got as far as the second bolt. At any rate, I applaud your courage to respond to the horse-doo here. Just more proof that being famous is like having somebody paint a bulls-eye on your back - glad to see you're still the down-to-earth character I remember. Best of luck with your son - sounds like fun! Sounds a little like Tom Ettinger's boy (don't know if you remember Tom - from Bend, climbed a lot with Mike Putty) who recently won the U.S. Collegiate Mountain Bike Championship. My three sons are good strong climbing partners these days, and luckily have not reached the point yet where they lead stuff harder than the Old Fart can climb... Cheers! -Curt Haire

Bear in mind that there are precious few places in the Cascade backcountry where you are not either on, above, or below an active avalanche path... the Source Lake basin is infamous among Washington's professional avalanche workers... at least carry transceivers & shovels, & practice with them before you tour. The Scottish Lakes High Camp, on McCue Ridge, about midway between Stevens Pass & Leavenworth, offers a commercial version of the introductory tour you describe. Comfy tent-cabins, good food, & local, current information are plusses. If you want the lady to enjoy this intro, I'd at least check them out. They even have a snow-cat ride to the camp available if you don't want to ski in. Skyline/Heather Ridge, across highway 2 from the Stevens Pass Ski Area, usually has a cat-road up it all winter, which makes it an easy, attractive backcountry approach. Bear in mind that that cat-road is put in and maintained each winter by the Washington DOT to provide quick access to the ridgetop for their avalanche control workers, on their highway protection missions. Translation: not a place for the avalanche ignorant. There are lodges & B&Bs in the Winthrop/Mazama area that cater to backcountry skiers, but I'm not as well-informed about them as I am about the Scottish Lakes operation. I've heard lotsa good talk about the area...

Geez, if your partner's coming from Anchorage, and you're in the Bay Area, why not just meet in Canmore? Or would that be a case of "been there, done that"? Utah has Provo Canyon and Logan Canyon, both easily accessible from Salt Lake City. Colorado has Ouray (more than just the ice park), Rocky Mountain National Park, and the canyons around Boulder. Since ya gotta travel, I've also heard good things about New Hampshire and even upstate New York. The other night I had an old friend enthusiastically describing the ice-climbing in Delaware! (a new one for me...) For Bozeman or Cody, allow plenty of time. You'll burn the better part of a weekend just getting to either place, and return, from the Bay Area or Anchorage. Both destinations really deserve their own trip. I wouldn't try to do both unless you have a month or so... driving between Bozeman & Cody can be iffy any time during ice season. (Not to diss Mr. Frieh, but I grew up not far from there, and with nieces & nephews at MSU, the family still deals with the roads...) If you get desperate enough, there's ice in the Sierra, but after Valdez it will seem like visiting a local one-pitch sport crag after you've lived in Yosemite... Hope you got a generous vacation package...

Pete H - right on. Alan was a superb crack climber. I watched him climb 5.12 thin cracks protected by tiny wired stoppers (all there was, in those days, unless you wanted to hammer in pegs) back when the 5.12 standard was still mostly just an idea. He was not one to place a bolt next to a protectable crack. Yes, he hung sometimes. I've never climbed with anyone who doesn't, tho I once shook hands with Henry Barber (the only guy I was ever aware of who made a big deal of retreating rather than hang, and would always retreat after falling, since he regarded getting caught by belay as equal to taking a hang) And I agree, if Alan hadn't begun the bolting revolution in the US, someone else would have. Hell, in Colorado Springs, the Garden of the Gods, where I cut my rock climbing teeth, had ladders of bolts placed up blank faces by previous generations, that basically went nowhere, and will likely never have a hope of going free. They were placed, as nearly as I could tell, by climbers who just wanted to practice bolting... So much for the ground - up "ethic". Hell, I don't even approve of that use of the word "ethic". "Style" is a more appropriate term. Climbing doesn't really have an "ethical" dimension, except maybe when you're belaying, when there is arguably an "ethical" dimension to yanking your leader off his/her holds, or carelessly failing to catch a partner's fall. True, Alan's style of previewing and pre-bolting routes ran counter to my "ground - up" alpinist type preferences. But it had, and "sport" climbing still has, a great deal in common with what we old farts used to call "practice climbing" back in the '60s. Only differences I can see is the standard is higher now; some climbers are focusing on it exclusively; and the "name" has changed. Same process happened with skiing, when they started building rope tows. Ski lifts and bolted climbs are easy to avoid for those who choose, and they have legitimate purpose for those who use them. Salathe was right: "Vy cant ve chust climb?!?!?"

Dane- I could be up for stuff near der Worth, but would have a tuff time with anything longer/further than the Funnel or the slab that ices over on Pearly Gates, cuz my time window = from about 0830 to about 1400 (I drive a school bus to keep the bills paid). Not much available within reach, yet, but that could change by next week with the current forecast. PM me if yer interested. Icicle Butt-rest gets some fun mixed lines, but nothin' there at the moment 'cept hints of verglas...

Mark - I have a sixteen year old son who has been climbing grade IV waterfall ice with me since he was 11. We have a few locals his age that climb with us - you'd certainly be welcome to join us. We live in Leavenworth, and have amassed a selection of tools & crampons for you to try, provided you have appropriate boots & clothing. You can put your parents at ease by letting them know that the adults in question include some old guys who helped to create the guide certification curricula now used by the American Mountain Guides Association, and currently train volunteers for the Chelan County Mountain Rescue Association, or you could simply put them in touch with us. (PM me)

to clarify - the price I quoted above is for the current model Cobra, seen within the last 90 days. The pair I have were new stock, and why or how a liquidator acquired a batch of them so soon, I can't explain. But ya gotta admit, its one helluva deal! Best I've seen for a Viper is +- $175 for a single. Only thing I can imagine is maybe the Viper is an easier sale on that venue... doesn't HAVE to make sense, does it? and Dane's right - buying picks for my Rebels is not like breezing into your local BD dealer. I've found Mountain Tools, in Carmel, Ca, (mountaintools.com) to be my most reliable source. Now that I'm on my third pair, I'm able to make the new ones last a bit longer by switching to retuned old/worn picks for routes where I expect to be contacting much rock...

kurthicks makes a good point about the knotted rope under the sled for a brake. Pro ski-patrollers routinely solo first-aid sleds on black-diamond runs using a similar rig with a length of chain instead of knotted rope. with a rigid handle system and a knotted rope brake, steeper downhills can be downright fun. and contrary to his statement above, you may well enjoy dragging a sled. I know I do, now & then...

All three of my sons climbed at the Peshastin Pinnacles with me and their mom as soon as they could walk (about two+ years). At that age, each completed the chimney on the east side of Orchard Rock, tied in just far enough above the following adult that the kid could be spotted/coached, and if necessary evacuated. One of us would piggy-back them on rappel (tied to us, of course) until they matured enough to rappel alone. When a little one would tire or lose interest, We'd place a nut and hang him in his harness from a sling, (barely off the ground) and he would happily enjoy this "swingset" while we would do a more challenging climb within sight. This tactic works well at the Feathers, as well, keeps the kid safe. Just use a sling long enough so the kid can't reach the nut placement... Around age 7-10, I'd short-rope them on multi-pitch routes like Saber and R&D. The youngest, now sixteen, climbed Louise Falls at age 12, and last June, solo downclimbed the NE couloir on Colchuck Peak after I got swept from a belay near the top by a lightning-triggered avalanche that severed our belay rope and left me hospitalized for the remainder of the summer. Playground Point, in Icicle Canyon, was originally developed by guys like Gordon Briody & Doug Klewin when their kids were toddlers, and has numerous kid-friendly climbs. My sons did their first leads there.

A nice read. I liked Alan before he was famous (only knew him as an acquaintance). From the sound of this interview, I'd prob'ly still like him. Although his style wasn't my preferred style, his contribution to U.S. climbing is inarguable.

I keep sayin' it, but since the subject keeps coming up, I'll repeat it: DMM Rebel - does pretty much everything - comfortable leashless on steep/extreme, yet grip is low-profile enough to plunge effectively. Overall geometry is close to current model Cobra, but hooks more readily for me. Only disadvantage, if you can call it that, is they may be harder to find than BD or Petzl/Charlet. It's the only tool I've owned since the early '80s that I haven't modified... For what it's worth, I do like the Cobra, Viper, and Nomic, but find that none of their grip/shaft systems meet all my criteria as well as the Rebel. As far as price differential between Cobra and Viper, I've actually found Cobra less expensive than Viper among liquidators selling via Ebay. I own a pair of Cobras as "back-up" that mostly get used by my sons or poorly equipped colleagues - cost roughly $300 FOR THE PAIR. At that price, as much as two of my sons are climbing, it made sense... and I don't mind using them if/when the Rebels are out of commission for some reason. Aside from Rebel, Nomic, Cobra, & Viper, I'd as soon climb on my vintage '89 straight-shaft Cassin Antares - which I sometimes still do when I occasionally outfit my sons and their friends for a day...

having tried pulling with rope harnesses and with rigid handle systems, I cannot emphasize enough how much easier life is with rigid handles. either way works pulling straight level or straight uphill, but on sidehills, the sled you pull with rope will want to roll down hill, while a reinforced bow with rigid handles will help you control that, and on downhills, without rigid handles, your sled WILL overtake and pass you if you don't have a tailroper to hold it back. The side bungees for tying in gear look like a great addition!

back in the eighties, the "standard" in Denali National Park was a full-length closed-cell foam pad underneath a full-length thermarest. Obviously, there are lots more options, now. try contacting the NPS in Denali. They'll tell ya what the guides are currently pushing.

funny: when I was running competitively (forty years ago), I was routinely running miles under 5 minutes, and just barely lettered at my high-school. been climbing since that same time, and hardest I've ever pulled was 12a. gotta say I'm not really interested in 5.13 sport climbing. I'm much happier with the capacity to climb 5.10-11 trad in alpine boots and a pack. Too many guys my age have trouble walking even a mile. correct: my kidneys stopped working - Doctors at two different clinics told me that I had been metabolizing my own muscle tissue for fuel. They and two other MDs who are regular climbing partners suggested this might be less likely to occur if I carried a bit more bodyfat. that was when I cut "squat centuries" from my training regimen. I have yet to meet anyone else, anywhere, any age, who could step into the power cage in a weight room, put a load equal to their bodyweight on their shoulders, and perform a single set of 100 strict form squats, nonstop. At the time of my kidney-failure episode, I weighed about 190 lbs, and was doing my "squat century" with a 235 lb load at age 51. It had taken me six years of targeted training to achieve a "squat century" carrying a load equal to my bodyweight. re: the "easy test" mentioned above - I routinely used a nearly identical tactic to train for climbing at altitude. In the days before rock gyms existed in the US, I would attempt to repeat routes that had felt near my limit in rock shoes and no pack, while wearing mountaineering boots and carrying a pack. I climbed up to 5.11 in Galibier Superguides, and reached a point where I pretty much couldn't climb anything in rock shoes and no pack that I couldn't also climb in mountaineering boots with up to about a 30 lb pack. I'd heartily agree this is an excellent training practice for alpinists & expedition climbers. In January of 1990, my partners and I strayed off route on the French South Face Route on Aconcagua, and I comfortably led a corner pitch of 5.9 stemming @ 17000' wearing first-generation Kastinger double plastic boots and a pack weighing between thirty and forty lbs. My companions, both 5.11 trad climbers - one fell several times following, while the other followed the pitch on tension. Both routinely trained at a 5-minute-mile pace on runs of up to ten miles. I didn't run with them, because the best pace I have ever been able to carry on a run that long is about 7-minute-mile. And I agree, fasting on occasion is a great health maintenance tool. And on occasion, I will fast for up to a week. But I confirmed many years ago that I personally am physically incapable of fasting and training hard at the same time for a multi-day period.

oops - forgot Ricardo Cassin - but he was a euro, and therefore part of the problem, right? don't know about "protecting...laziness" but from study of bodybuilding, do know that those "professionals" will rip to below 5% for comps, but will not attempt to maintain that level for more than about 48 hours. First thing they do after comp is pig out. Also, personally was once HOSPITALIZED when I inadvertently failed to eat enough over the course of only a three day climbing trip. (Kyle Flick was there, knows the story) I typically maintain between 6% and 10%, but prefer to remain closer to 10%. world's best marathoners prefer to stay closer to 15% & they look pretty skinny. I've had friends who've looked downright emaciated at 18%! a lot depends on natural body type, & that's usually genetic. Whillans was one of the best free climbers in the world for his generation, and the guy LOOKED fat most times. do whatever works for ya.

I know what "graupel" is, but what's "groppel"?

Actually, I HAVE tried this for winter mountaineering - in the old days before polypropylene (1960s - 70s). In those days, if/when you couldn't get your hands on wool longies it beat hell out of cotton. Lots cheaper than the name-logo stuff for you poor folks... thanks for the heads-up!

Warthog is an absolute essential. I never go mixed without one. It's one of those rare pieces that works in ice OR rock (fits the same size crack as a 1/2" angle). Left one in rock for a rappel anchor coming off an FA in the Alaska Range in '82. I have plenty, so GO FOR IT.

I guess folks don't notice when Haston admits "it's NOT HEALTHY" (emphasis mine). I've got climbing partners in their seventies leading in the 5.10 range, and a couple in their sixties pulling 5.11/12. And how about that Shipman!?!? Guy's broken his neck THREE TIMES, yet at age 62 leads 5.10 trad and WI5! Improvements in technique and equipment allowed Fritz Weissner and Norman Clyde to climb rock at a similar standard in their nineties as they climbed in their thirties! "Jackrabbit" Johanssen broke his leg six weeks before his hundredth birthday yet celebrated that birthday by winning a nordic ski race. Personally, I prefer healthy...

As one who benefited from this very program in 1980, '81, and '82, I can highly recommend it! The application and post climb requirements were fairly minimal - and the grants I was awarded, along with more from the AAC, and "pro" deals from gear places, made my early expeditions in Canada & Alaska possible. And I've never been a Mazama member! GO FOR IT!!!