tradclimbguy

5'6" with a neg. ape index. So compared to alot of hard climbers I'm a giant even with a poor reach. But then again I'm also 270 lbs. which limits me to mostly easy 5.14's.

Hahaha. Thats hilarious. Maybe they should aid climb instead. Seems an overwhelming number of aid climbers are a bit pudgy [Troll]*. *Item in bracket so Rumr can understand the context of the message.

Just wait... I'll come out with a book called "Washington climbing Guide for short people" or... people who need an ego boost. It will basically contain routes which will be all upgraded one full number grade for that "short people" rating since obviously all climbs need to be re-rated for short people. It can also be used by those who have poor self esteem, the chest beaters here on CC.com and most sportos. And I'll even dumb the text down so you can understand it yourself. Maybe even include extra items in brackets like [sarcasm], [ironic], etc so you'll know when you read it. Baaaam! hahaha Think about it though. Not every climb fits my generalized statement. I'm not rerating climbs merely stating that for a grade I am very familiar with I find a handful of lower rated climbs which don't fit. Its no different than comparing a super thin crack to handsize and rating. Tommy Caldwell after freeing the great roof figured it was harder than Lynn Hills initial rating, why b/c maybe it seemed like the 13d or whatever she gave it since her fingers were so tiny. Either way some climbs will always be more difficult which could be because your fat, short, tall or spend too much time trolling on CC.com.

I think it was made pretty clear by Maestro that fat people dont climb ooooohhhhhhh

It seems in general that comparing height, not weight has more bearing on the climbing grades you can do. Obviously there are climbs suited to every body type but in general it seems many climbs, face climbs especially are height dependent. Adding weight is purely physical stamina and power. If two people, the same height were compared, one fat one skinny the skinny guy wouldn't have to hold up as much weight but it doesn't mean the fat guy couldn't build up more strength to compensate and match it. Obviously there will be a limit to this where bone and ligament will only get so strong at which point reducing weight is the only answer. As for height, somebody once told me that ratings were generally based on a person who was 5'10". I could actually see some truth in this. I can think of a few climbs that are rated say 11b, but the crux reach for me is definately not 11a and more like most 11+ or maybe 12- routes I've done. So I guess its the same difference. I have to be stronger to lock off lower to compensate for my height. I've always figured that for me to climb 5.11 I'd have to pull 5.12 moves to make up for my height b/c so many 11's are 11's b/c certain sequences become reachy. I definately know alot of climbs where I led them and thought that if my wife couldn't hit that reachy hold I could just barely grab its going to be a hell of alot harder than 5.10 for her. On another note I like the guide books that sometimes include short people ratings or say whether or not the crux is reach related. My climbing partner is really tall and I've definately watched him cruise some 11's that were probably 10's for him and 12's for me. He could reach through from one 5.11 hold to another whereas I had to climb off holds you'd only find on 5.12's or do another sequence to link it. Personally I think tall and skinny is probably the best climbing body, then again if we talk crack climbing it all goes out the window that is until you hit 12's where cruxes become possibly spread out face holds again.

Lynn Hill is 5'1" Beth Rodden is 5'1" Katie Brown is 5'2" All are about a 100 pounds though too. Just shows you can be short and climb hard or be like Dave Graham or Chris Sharma and be tall and climb hard. I think the key is just being skinny and maybe having super human grip strength helps too. Step Away From the Whopper!

I can't stop drooling, damn you all to hell. I want some freshies too. Could somebody package some up and ship them my way?

After you finish your descent, you should just grab the shoes, harness and chalk bag and just head over to the gym with or without a partner. Boulder, talk with people and you'll end up with somebody to hang out for sure.

Very nice. Most excellent!

Personally I'm 5'2" and have trimmed down to about 270 and now I climb 5.14 (previously I could only pull 13+). Here is a picture of my son and I on our fishing trip on the coast, that was back when I weighed 340, since then like I said I've really trimmed down and sometimes I even boulder now considering I finally weigh less than many of the boulders. I'd say height is the biggest disadvantage and not weight. I've been on a number of 5.14's with long reaches which definately made them around 5.15b/c, but you don't hear me tossin grades around or complaining b/c of my fat ass (Its genetics anyway, I don't have a choice). Nobodies making you shove whoppers into your mouth. Just become anorexic, nobodies stopping you. My advice: Just crank harder you sport climbing fatty gym wanker.

Oh no he di'nt. I'll stick to my slick holds and apparently crappy cracks and hopefully without a big overpass sending hundreds of cars honking and blasting past the wall. Still the best training location I've ever found in the city for climbing. Its by far an under-rated training ground, but then again it's nice that most of the plastic pullers stick to their gym even on nice sunny days.

Yeah, I'll switch to those. Just can't get enough of that last pitch on Heaven's gate, ooooh so good and ROTC is just crackaliscious! We need our top 5 or 10 single pitch climbs, 1 is just not enough.

Time to rack up some couch time...

Wa Gear: Thin Fingers (Full pitch, no 2 pitch crap) Wa Sport: Dana's Arch Or Gear: P4 Zebra/Zion Or Sport: Golgotha (It has 2 bolts ) or maybe Bad Moon Rising.

Yeah, I've seen that thing at REI as well. It's supposed to be a reverso knock off. Basically the same concept but the swivel portion is supposed to allow you to unlock the device easier when top belaying someone with the device tied to the anchor. Personally when my reverso is anchored in and my partner is climbing up, the key word in that is "up". My impressions: Large and bulky, possibly confusing for people to use if they aren't familiar with reverso style belay devices and I'm not sure about the swivel joint, seems like it could fail (probably not, but still...)

Wow, back and forth and back and forth on this thread. My head is spinning and I feel like I'll probably rap off the ends of my rope now! hahaha And not many even tried to answer the initial "How do I make the transition from indoor to outdoor climbing" question. I see no better way to make the migration outside than to find and attach yourself to an experienced climber, even if you said that was not an option. Books are good, CC.com has info between the spray, instructors and courses can work. Really all you need is to follow around some old fart like me and learn a few of the basics. some of my buddies have stories from when they first started climbing and its amazing they didn't die in those learning years With so many people on this forum and climbing gyms in the area I'm sure somebody would love to have a belay partner as well as someone they can teach a few things to. As for the knot in the end of the rope. Why is this such a controversial and complicated topic? They can be a safe practice and good for alot of situations but not always. Anyone who says they'd ALWAYS tie a knot in the line has never been in a situation where getting the rope stuck far outweighed the risks of having to mind the ends of the rope. First person down always risks a bit more whether knots exist or not. Blindly rapping the line assuming knots will stop you is what will kill you the first day you forget a single knot. Always minding the rope will always save you and that knot may also save you the day you forget to mind the rope but not the other way around. Now theres a circular reference!

counterfeitfake - Sorry for the name calling, I'm just a bit worked up and frustrated by this. I am glad however that it looks like you've really put some thought and done some reading on this. I think this is why Ziggy posted this, we need more people to take a part with our community. I also agree there are two issues, one may or may not affect the UW Rock, however you look at it, the other is the overall construction plan and its options. I disagree with you that there isn't a problem with the plan having a negative impact on the Rock. I never stated the plan will destroy the rock but even you found the section showing the huge sound wall by it. I guess I see having a big onramp and sound wall in place next to the rock as being negative and a problem, you don't, thats cool we have our own opinions. I do also worry though that the EIS doesn't specifically mention the UW Rock. It talks about building structures not being affected but I guess I just don't trust the WSDOT enough. What if they consider the UW Rock as nothing more than a curb??? I'm just saying, whether you like the 6-Lane plan or not that we shouldn't assume they'll leave the rock unharmed. Wouldn't it be nice to have a know what the plan for it is in writing? Heck, maybe they'd even move it back further from the off ramp into the "UW Open Space" section listed on the alternative and add some trees by it. As for the main issue, the plan itself. I prefer the 4-lane not just for the possible UW Rock impact but it appears from the plan to have less impact on the surrounding community. I worry that increasing traffic flow on the local streets will degrade those communities and the 4-lane give the same good benefits of HOV and bike lanes but will possibly affect the local streets less as it tries to increas traffic flow more on the highway and not by diverting more traffic through local streets to get there. Whether any of it works or not is another question. I think if we were more progressive we could get mass transit into place, but look at how its gone so far. The super "monorail" idea hasn't left anything but a bad taste in everyones mouth especially since we are paying off a debt from them doing what amounted to nothing! Please, read the issue. Make your voice heard. We are but one micro-community that should be heard. With each additional concern we voice (ie. The UW rock) the better.

I think that you and Jon are both right. I think they'll pay more attention to what we have to say if it's clear that we actually know what we are talking about, and if it's does look like the ramps would hose the rock, the best course of action would be to persuade them to move the structure, rather than trying to get them to radically alter a project of this size, scale, and importance that they've already sunk quite a bit of time and money into planning. I'm in the middle of what's going to be a long and busy day. Maybe someone with a day-off or otherwise endowed with some free time could try to get a definitive answer to the first question and we can take it from there. Yes, read it. Thats what I'm trying to say. Links are posted. Note there are multiple Alternatives to the plan. We don't need to know whether or not the 6-Lane in fact will dozer the rock to voice an opinion and most likely won't before the comment session ends Oct 31. My personal vote would be for the 4-lane option which has the least environmental impact and won't affect the Rock since no off ramp will be built. When building something like this special consideration must be taken regarding local environmental as well as business impact. The 6 lane alternative will result in some pretty severe impact to the UW and Arboretum areas during and after the construction. It looks as if some pretty significat areas within the university of washington area will be displaced or destroyed as a result of this alternative (whether the UW Rock is in it or not). The 4-lane will still have considerable impact on the environment and outlying areas but is shown to do less harm. I feel the option that impacts local businesses, residents, and the environment the least should be used in conjunction with programs that will help get drivers off the road using either mass transit or carpooling alternatives for the morning and afternoon commutes. The 6-Lane option does not promote this. Promoting an increase in the amount of people on freeways and local roads will only result in increased traffic, increased collisions, and increased frustration on part of the local and greater seattle community. Read a bit further and they state in the document that it will lead to more traffic on local roads because of the increased capacity at the interchange. The interchange itself will move faster, but local roads will probably move a little slower which isn't god for the locals who live on those streets.

Jon - I agree getting the rock moved is a good plan of action, but should be an alternative. Its also why me and others have commented to the WSDOT that the UW Rock needs to be included in the EIS whether a road gets built on top of it or not. It still doesn't mean you can't voice your opinion on the Pacific St Interchange and say you don't like the idea. counterfeitfake - YOU ARE AN IDIOT IF YOU DON'T THINK THE OFF RAMP WOULDN'T IMPACT THE ROCK. (Is that enough CAPS for ya?) Read the full EIS, there is no mention of the UW Rock Structure, but there should be. If you don't use the UW Rock or don't give a shit then go waste your time in the spray forums or at the gyms or on your hang board. I for one enjoy the rock and would hate to see it dissapear, which is why I'm posting. I hope more people get involved, you are acting as a TROLL and doing nothing but be counter productive. Why not try to help out the climbing community? Or would that take MORE CAPS. Raindawg - I should have said one of the first, but does it matter if its the first or not? Why not make a difference and read about the project and voice an opinion instead of arguing over it. This thread is mean to do good for the climbing community. Just think if next up somebody decides to rebuild the train tracks by "Exit 39" and they decide the cliffs should be cut back another 100 ft? Wouldn't you want some help and support for your cause? Thats all Ziggy is asking. I also agree that if they want to do the 6-Lane they will, its the American way. Bigger is better, more SUV's, More lanes, more traffic. More more more. I wouldn't be suprised if the 8-lane option was tossed in.

Instead of arguing over this estimated number or pointing out the RAMP IS NOT NECESSARY, why don't you log into WSDOT and voice you're concern over the off ramp and the 6-Lane alternative anyway. Did you look at the 4-Lane alternative? It too has a bike lane, so those "1700" bikers can use that option as well. The difference being the 4-Lane would have less impact on the environment, wouldn't hurt the UW and the UW ROCK WOULDN'T BE DESTROYED. Just think, if instead of slapping in more lanes so all the SUV's had more lanes to sit in at 5mph each day, they put in a light rail going from near the UW into Bellevue. Its not an option but it should be. Not only would the 1700 bikers benefit from something like that but probably many more people could benefit. You can only fit so many cars on the freeway and Seattle is only going to continue to grow. We need to tell the WSDOT that more lanes is not an option. We need more bike lanes and other mass transit options and its up to us to tell them that. Just think if we had something like the BART going from Bellevue to Down town. More people could live in Bellevue and commute easily to the UW or Seattle. Instead if you don't drive you take a long bus ride, but where, right inline with all the other people stuck in rush hour traffic. Gee, what would I want to do. Sit on the bus for 45 minutes or drive my own car and get there in 25? Why do you think its so conjested. We need other options and destroying the UW Rock and cutting down the trees and slamming in another off ramp and more lanes isn't the solution.

Adventurewagen is right. I began my climbing career right there on that rock. Many of us have. Its a historic monument, the first in the nation! Don't let the WSDOT push through another useless plan. Does I-5 or I-90 get any less conjested just because it has more lane? The WSDOT at a minimum needs to include more UW provisions and information in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this issue. What they truly need is a better plan to solve the problem instead of making another stop gap solution. 6 lanes will just mean you'll be sitting next to 5 cars in stop and go traffic each day. We need a real solution like mass transit instead of more lanes.

Anybody tried this stuff at Vantage before on graffiti? http://www.biowash.com/products/product.php?pid=43 The guys over at ST have been working on clean up and this stuff is supposed to be the business.

They are rated at 22Kn. Good enough for me, then again the dimpled aliens are good enough for me Every placement of gear used in climbing has a relative safety rating to it anyway. A bomber cam that would never blow doesn't keep you off the ledge your climbing above or the 7mm sling you just bought doesn't help if the pin you've run it through snaps at the head. Rock breaks, gear fails, placements fail. A micro cam tested to 6Kn doesn't matter if it pulls at 1Kn b/c of your placement. Everything is only going to be as strong as the weakest link, right? I just thought the slings were pretty cool and worked well considering I used them on just a fewwww pitches lately. I trust them just as much for regular placements and taking a fall on as I would any other sling. The only thing I wouldn't trust them on as much is wear. I'm going to go out on a limb and bet they would wear through faster than a thick 1" chunk of similar webbing and the strength is obviosly reduced with it threaded through an old angle but which is better. Your new 7mm sling through an old angle or the sun bleached mank webbing you find on nearly every pitch of half dome, tied and retied to the old angle? I'll stick with my new sling

Or spend eternity, empty, sad, and ignorant of the pleasure that is, Vantage Rockclimbing actually climbing I'm one of those people though that has never bothered to remember a single route name at Vantage, but I am the guy who can tell a person there standing next to a 5.9 with a 5.7, 5.9, 10b, 9, 7, 9 to the right and in that order I guess my brain just has to determine which routes are worthy of remembering and only punch card those into my old archaic computer brain.

It should be... "like OMG" in a valley girl voice. To bump this and keep it going. These new 7mm thin slings from edelweiss really kick ass. I didn't like them when my buddy first got them because they were so thin but after taking a lap on Half Dome and the Nose with them I became a beleiver. The thin slings were not only nice because they were so light (which is good for long routes) but they fed nicely through old pins and bolts. If you've ever done the "sling trick" where you lower from a pendulum or unweight yourself with a sling these really work great. They are so thin you can fit them in most bolts even with a few other pieces of webbing. I would say the only downside I do see is that they probably won't last as long as a thicker sling, but heck slings don't last forever anyway. I think when I get some new ones I'll upgrade to these for my next set.