alpinemorg

Nice, thanks.

What a comedian...

Temps up and little precip. over the weekend. Any one have any advise on whether it's worth checking out on Monday? Any thoughts appreciated. Morgan

Though it's understandable that on the surface it appears that way, it is NOT in fact 'standard procedure' to give a gri-gri to a beginner. Every time belaying is taught (Intro to climbing classes, Junior Program age 10-16, Little Rockers age 6-9, college school groups, lead clinics, etc...) it is taught no different than most other climbing gyms/companies are teaching belaying...with a locking carabiner and an ATC, using the proper hand motion and the brake hand ALWAYS being on the line (the last part the MAJOR emphasis). Further, anyone new to the gym who chooses not to take the class and wishes to simply take a standard belay test must also demonstrate their proficiency first with the ATC method, and THEN with the VW fixed anchor/Gri-gri set-up. Hope that helps shed some light on the methods. Cheers.

He did say he liked using the "inter-NETS".

That's a good question/side that trad climbers don't always seem to factor in. I think one would have to evaluate what the local custom of the site was, i.e. if it's a sport climbing locale then you just have to respect that. But what if it's not a sport site, or what if bolts are only accepted if placed ground-up by hand?

Check out NECLIMBS.com...ongoing battles about this topic in New Hampshire given the large mix of sport v. traditional. You could certainly get a mix of answers (opinions) to your question.

PM Sent. Going to go to exit 38 Thursday AM if things stay dry. Anyone else?

It was nice to see neclimbs.com and neice.com in the list. Any other former New Englanders feeling the love?

PM Sent

Not so sure about leaving my car unlocked. I'm not always sure about that either...it just seems cheaper than replacing a smashed window. What about rocket-boxes on the top of cars, anybody have problems with those? I'm moving out from the NE in a week to Issaquah and was planning to do a lot of my local climbing around N. Bend...I'm glad to have this warning as I'm used to the back of my car being the gear shed. I'm going to need a new system! Damn you northwestern thieves!

So is it best to leave the vehicle un-locked to (i.e. so there is no window breakage)? Or if the car is empty I should be ok?