shaoleung

That's right! Pussies I tell ya! When I started climbing, I used an original Samsonite without rollers and used my dad's RV awning for a tent. When it rained, I just carried a couple dozen name-brand baseball hats (they're all the same) and switched that shit out whenever it soaked through. Wipe the sand outta yer crack and buck up!

"Advances" in anchor systems can seem pretty gimmicky... or seem like a pissing contest anyway. Especially given the fact that most experienced climbers know that every anchor can be very different depending on what the circumstances are and what gear you have. Long's equalette though... damn I love that thing! I don't use it all the time, but it goes with me everywhere. You don't even have to buy new gear... just retie your cordulette once you yank it out of your clusterfuck-o-lette.

What next??? Will REI stop selling vacation baggage?

Moats are getting bigger quick. You could try direct, but make sure you have the Crystal route figured out too.

Index sucks. The rock is boring and the climbers all smell.

Roger that. While we're at it, z-clipping has made a come-back with all the over-bolted sport climbs.

While I wouldn't want to field test it, does anyone know of someone who had the rope come out of a biner as a result of backclipping?

In the interest of gender equity and addressing all the women who partake in discussions here on CC, someone should really post a pic of a hot guy hanging from the ceiling of a hotel in his underpants.

I think we've morphed into a new and important thread... managing marriage and climbing...

I guess the answer is to experiment and see what makes you feel good then... excuse me while I touch my helmet...

Ivan... dude! It's not about necessity! It's about looking good!

What a shot that was... I'm surprised that it didn't dart away the second you got to that point. I cruised a spot when i was in idaho and the little f&%ker couldn't get away from me fast enough. Did it stay there long or was it gone short after the pic was snapped? Yeah, this little guy wasn't too concerned about me. He wouldn't let me get too close to him, but I think he knew I wasn't in an attack position. I actually did my best to scare him away by yelling profanities at him interspersed with declarations of my status as an instructor with the mounties. I was worried he'd start chewing on my anchor. He darted around and the anchor was left unharmed.

Seriously - Check out the John Long book and the equalette. It's fast and often times you don't have to adjust anything in order to change positions/swing leads while maintaining beautiful equalization. I'm an anchor geek, but it can afford you more time to appreciate where you are or speed things up if you're on a long line.

My wife is hot. I hope she reads this. Unlikely...

Aside from the odd pebble, I've never come close to needing a helmet. I'm always making note of the jackasses around me and the potential for objective hazards. When I'm leading I watch the fall line and where the rope is in relation to my feet and last piece etc etc. But in the end I wear my helmet for the children.

I tell ya... you'd think even the rodents should know better. That's exactly why I didn't girth hitch the little squealer.

This evening I didn't get to any of the aforementioned exercises, but I got on the slackline. I don't remember it being so much of a workout before, but it got me sweatin'! If only I could stop cutting up my feet when I snap off the damn thing!

Like most folks here, I tend to approach different situations with different anchor set-ups, while almost always wearing my helmet. After reading John Long's new anchors book, I was skeptical of the equalette. I decided to give it a go on a couple of trad climbs 3 years ago and I haven't used a cordulette since. It's a great way to equalize anchors. Safety aside... I am pretty sure I could throw 3 pieces of gear in, equalize and be ready to belay my second in less time than tying in to one solid piece with my rope and then backing that up with a couple more in series. Then of course there's the marmot anchor. It takes a little longer, but it is by far preferable. In this one I had a solid anchor, then clipped the rope through and cloved to a locker on my harness so I could adjust my proximity to the marmot and scream obscenities at my second.

Hey there, Dechristo... got some coco buttah?

Inside my helmet I carry one of the keenest, rational and hard core beans known to the northwest, and that there bean simply looks hot in the helmet. Have we hit 5 pages yet?

Thong

I blame the Ercrin Roc helmet... there is no f'in' way you can look good in that thing. This helmet though... if it passes the UIAA ratings, I'm all over it!

Dude... you are a guru for sure. Seriously... I am motivated. quadrapedal it is! I just need to find someone else who's a sucker for punishment of this kind. Thanks.

John - thanks for the regime. I will try to get some of that in there... I was thinking of something a little more loosey goosey... one liners if you like. Obviously this is why I don't have a 6-pack and I'm not climbing 5.13. billcoe - no doubt! My usual partner in crime at the crags lives way north and I live a block short of burien in White Center. The folks I know near home are great for beers, but not so much for stairs etc. Anyone in White Center interested in Stair-climbing Tuesdays?

Since becoming a dad, I don't get out as often as I used to. Now I find out I have to plan for fun! Then my fun turns into sucking wind cuz I am so out of shape. To top it all off, I can't stand regular "work outs". So, I am trying to mix it up with stuff that doesn't involve paying for a gym membership and I don't have to do the same shit over and over. Anyone have good ideas about short workouts within Seattle that would add to the following ideas? 1. Stair climb 2. Jog around the neighborhood 3. Bike to work 4. Hang board workout 5. Core exercises 6. Open water swim 7. ?