Git-er-dun

Its time for Hell

Dane nice photos did you climb the hole thing? I did it in the 90's great climb.............

Kevin, There are some open anchors on Jigsaw, left side, shown in the guidebook. Anchors were added by Leland and then opened by him to anyone.

Not to mention all the hard work that is required to clean a route at Vantage that somebody would then want to climb and enjoy it - trad or sport it don't matter. How about a little thanks to the FAs who are doing all the hard work and spending their own money gearing the routes and/or buying cleaning tools when they could just be climbing the same old same old routes each Spring at one of the few crag areas that gets some sun so they can get into shape to do better stuff. Or should we all be like BERZERKER and bitch about FAs and their hard work. Where is your new routes BERZERKER? I've already put in 23 this Spring at various areas (trad and sport - I happen to like both) and it was a lot of work, time and money. But I get tired of the same old, same old routes and the complainers...

Project anchor was first installed by Mike Massey and later abandoned because the route was deemed too easy and not worth his time. Glad to see someone completed the unfinished project. There are more around if you want to know of others...

I didn't know there was ever a guidebook written for the Gun Club. Are you sure you didn't mean Fossil Rock? Any event, both areas are open. Fossil - mountain bike in up road 1000. The Gun Club - head to the private camp up the second gravel road and park at the first gate on the right (don't block the gate) and walk the rest of the way in.

OMG! Jens doesn't know about the new rock climbing area in Eatonville or the one going-in past Elbe or the most recent one going-in by Rainier (the town not the mountain) or Wilkeson? The climbing area near Eatonville is a five minute walk in. Right on the river so you can swim off the rock ledge on a warm day. There are currently 12 routes and 4 projects. Its fun, but really short The big Eatonville cliffs are not very steep and ledgey with a real live gun club at the bottem of the cliffs. There is an impressive cliff just past the big one that we worked on some - until we got side tracked at the Mitchele. Want more info shoot me an email and I may share a topo of the area.

The new Coulee guide hit the stores yesterday.

sickie GUIDE BOOK UPDATE-- The third edition of Frenchman Coulee will be delivered to our printing company next week (week of April 14th) and it will be camera ready as they say. It will then take the printing company about three weeks to print and bind. So that puts it in the stores in one month - say May 5th or May 12th, assuming stores have contacted us and placed their order. You might want to inquire at your favorite climbing store so they will place their order sooner verses later.... MF & JY

Actually we have the answers to questions #1 and #2. Not getting the FA information to new routes will not slow the third edition hitting the shelves this spring. The reader will get the route rating, its location, star rating, and gear info based on us climbing the route. The route name will be "unknown." But if you are an FA you might want to get us the information so your new route can be included in the guide - making it more complete.

Anyone know who put in the following climbs at the Coulee? #1 Sport climb located about 200-feet right of the Oral Office, Kotick Wall, has about five bolts on it with a chain anchor and feels like 5.9. #2 Sport climb located on the far right side of the Hen House has about four bolts with an anchor and feels like 5.10A #3 Crack and sport climb located on M&M Wall far left side, begins in a crack then onto a face with one bolt and anchor with rotten slings, feels like 5.8. FA information and route name with believed grade would be greatly appreciated for Frenchman Coulee guide, third edition.

With some reservation, I feel I need to provide some real information for this debate......... I'm the FA and creator of Go Cat Go not my husband Jim Yoder. I spent four entire days cleaning the route, placing the bolts then FAing it with supplement gear. I have led it several times since that first day and believe Go Cat Go is a great climb. Other climbers have mentioned to me that the crack is mank. We did it again recently and noticed that the crack has never cleaned-up and there was hardly any chalk on it, which might explain why I have never seen anyone climb it. I decided to add more bolts and an anchor hoping others would now want to lead this awesome climb. Jim was against my decision, but agreed to help. I selected locations for the bolts that made sense to me. For those of you who have never climbed it, I can give you an idea - after the roof you get a great finger jam to a jug below the crack that is filled with cemented rock that I could never clean. After a section of cemented rock you can place one piece of gear before you move into what is best described as a hole - big as a basket ball. From the hole you move into a crack with fractured blocks, but not really loose ones. If your opinion and ego motivates you to chop the route - I have a few requests. Please lead the route first and let me belay you. When you complete the lead, look me in the eye and tell me that you are still motivated to chop my route (assuming you still feel this way which I hope you won’t). Then I will remove the bolts. I know the kind of bolts we placed and the depth of the holes drilled. I will remove the bolts the best I can since I love this climb and don’t want it to be scarred like the other six chopped routes at the Coulee. If you think I do not have ethics based on my decision to change Go Cat Go that is your right. But I would ask that you not extend this opinion to JY because it would be a mistake. Just go lead the route to the right of Go Cat Go, Shot from the Sky, and tell me that it is over-protected with bolts. If you do lead it, you might be the second person ever to do so. Lucky, thanks for sticking up for us. Creating new routes is a lot of work and a lot of money. Publishing the guidebook is a lot of work and money too. We hope to have it out by March 2008 and are busy putting in new routes (sport and crack) and some more strategically located anchors. Thanks, Marlene Ford