el jefe

funny "haha" or funny "strange"? yes, it is pretty funny the way some of the people on this website twist every forum into a tiresome antibolting tirade... it's also "funny" that everyone here seems to assume this meaningless little route was soloed in the past, although i'm sure no one knows who this mythical soloist was. the "solo ascent" is presumed to have occurred because it bolsters an otherwise specious argument.

ondra is clearly a super talent and someone who will be pushing new standards before long. i don't think the fact that he hasn't/doesn't trad climb will hold him back much. placing pro isn't that big a deal and doesn't take that long to figure out. alex huber lead every pitch free on the salathe weeks after placing his first cam.

pm sent

pm sent.

pm sent.

kudos to joe healey, a first-class guy.

payne's ford and milford sound for sure. awesome spots.

as billcoe noted, the PRG was the second rock gym in the country, and even though it has undergone a number of transformations since it first opened, it has nevetheless remained at a sort of late 80s level of sophistication as far as climbing gyms go. i'm a member at the circuit gym because the 'cool beanie hats' don't seem to intimidate me even though i'm a few years older thann most of the people who climb there.

where is this 'talisman' route?

i met jim last summer at area 51. he showed us around, recommending routes, etc. he was a true climbing enthusiast and a class act. my condolences to the family and all who knew him.

thanks for the info, i'll check it out this fall.

by the way, waht is the "secret spot"? i'm guessing it isn't really secret if you mentioned it here.

many thanks, drater. i'll check these spots out sometime this fall since pdx is now fully into its rainy season.

drater, could you give more specific info on how to find the boulders at rowena crest? thanks.

heat, this website was hijacked by a bunch of knuckleheads a long time ago and has turned into a forum for cranks and malcontents. i think a lot of these people rarely if ever climb but nevertheless don't see that as an obstacle to "bashing and tearing down" or pontificating about climbing ethics, etc. some of the trip reports posted here are useful but otherwise this site is of little benefit when it comes to getting information about climbs.

i broke the talus (bone that forms the bottom half of the ankle joint) in 1990 and spent 14 weeks on crutches with strict orders to avoid weighting my injured leg. the muscles atrophied but came back after a time, and best of all my ankle healed perfectly. i haven't had any problems with it since the injury, which is good as i was told at the time that i would probably end up needing to have it fused.

I climbed this route about a month ago. We had a 70m rope and our experience was similar to fern's: we downscrambled off the ends to large ledges twice, I believe. It was a fun day and a route with interesting climbing.

so much sanctimonious posturing! you people don't seem to get the idea that if someone wants to shut you down, they'll do it no matter what style you use for climbing. the loss of a climbing area is a loss for all climbers, and your self-described 'pure' style is no protection.

yes, i had a chance to try out the new guide on saturday and thought it was very well done with excellent descriptions of how to find the various bouldering areas, etc. one of the better guidebooks i've seen in a long time and well worth the wait. i suspect i'll be using it a great deal this fall once the temps cool down a bit. thanks for your hard work on this.

there is no such thing as central washington, just eastern washington and western washington. oregon, on the other hand, has west, central, and eastern parts. anyone who has lived in the nw for 20 minutes knows this.