threeladsdad

I've drilled through rocks too, it works great but don't try it unless you have a rotohammer. I've tried a half inch drill with masonry bits but without a lot of success. I also have a bunch of real rock holds that I epoxied to thin plywood and then screw to the 3/4" plywood climbing wall. That way you can move things around a bit. A good epoxy is PC-8. You can buy it at almost any hardware store, home despot or wally world. I've used river rocks for slopers, paving stones for crimpers and edges, granite counter top chips, sand stone, granite from the front yard, rocks off the beach, etc...You name it and I've used it. I have also made "cracks" by taking real rock paving stones (2-3 inches thick), fracturing across the plane and using epoxy (PC8) to mount to plywood substrate and the screw it to the wall. I've only had one hold fail and that is was the result of the plywood mounting board delaminating.

Isn't there some saying about how 5% of the people cause 95% of the problems. Posting a question like this puts you in the 5% club. Congrats!!

I "shortened" a cassin superflash ax about 15 years ago, cutting it down from 65 to around 55cm. I reset the spike with a decent epoxy and ground down the head to make it more comfortable to drive in to the snow. Creatively modifying your gear in the garage is part of the fine tradition of alpine climbing. After all didn't chouinard make pitons with a portable forge out the back of his van? Go for it.

Count me on the list opposed to mandatory beacons/locator devices. I don't see how a beacon would help in recovery of my corpse if I am not alive to turn the beacon on. I don't agree with PMR's statement that requiring beacons creates a sense of false security or an expectation of rescue. The bigger risk of a creating sense of false security is the continuing mass marketing approach of certain outdoor equipment retailers. Combined with the print media's need to sell advertising, the corporate world sponsors and promotes products, through sponsored climbers and media reports, with an every man approach to getting into the mountains. Who hasn't seen some sap wearing the latest NF jacket with a credit card getting outfitted with a new rope, rack, the latest funky ice tool and a guide book after reading an article about how be safe lead climbing. Every one needs a chance to learn through experience to be safe in the woods but those who are taught through the media that all you need to be safe is the latest piece of gear or electronics put themselves and those who volunteer to rescue them at risk. There is no doubt the gear available today is better than it was twenty years ago and undoubtedly helps us all come home to the kids with all of our fingers and toes. But the idea that better gear alone will keep you safe is fallacious. I would be in favor of a permit system that charged a per climber fee to offset the cost of rescue efforts but don't make me carry some useless electronic gadget if the only reason is to help alleviate the concerns of the lemming masses influenced by the fair and balanced corporate media.

Fiddler is an great little line. Up and over the roof and than it gets hard. There are a couple of good easy moderate clip ups higher to the right on what I think is Pigeon Stool wall, the face just right of gruesome gully. You can get to them from the top but it always freaks me out to step down to the chains because you can't see them from the edge. Besides its more fun to lead Fiddler. The new millenium wall has some great 4 bolt routes that are all under under 5.8. There are two nice, albeit short, cracks on the right side of the wall as well.

I haven't been up there this year but some of the best climbs I have ever done have been at WA Pass in late October.

Check out the new millenium wall at the base of Mt. Erie. A couple of short 4 bolt routes with a safe area at the base and an easy walk in from the road. I had my 8, 7 and 6 year old boys up there 2 weeks ago and had a great time. There is a picture in my member gallery.

Sorry in advance if this topic is a repeat I discovered this week what the rest of the world thinks about nutballs who like to play in the vertical world. We are evidently an incredible bunch of risk takers. Or atleast that is what the actuaries at the life insurance companies seem to think. I recently got a quote from a company that started out at $70/month for an $800k policy and skyrocketed to more than $530/month after I turned in my recent climbing history. I haven't been doing that much climbing lately (the last long climb I did was the NF of Vesper which was hardly life threatening) and didn't think much of it when I filled out the inevitable questionnaire. I was honest in my replies to the questions and knew the cost was going to be high. I was frankly expecting a doubling of the premium because of my high risk lifestyle but I was not expecting to get a $5/1000 add on to the basic rate! Evidently the bean counters think we are a high risk population. I am sure I am not the first person to run up against this and I am also sure that there is a company out there who has a more practical approach to insuring climbers. Does anybody have an insurance broker/company that they like and who doesn't put climbers on the same risk level as alcoholic smokers suffering from complications related to pancreatic cancer? Any help would be appreciated.

Anybody have any sage advice on anticipated conditions of the Mt. Maude North face route describe in Nelson/Potterfield for late september this year? Will there be any of the snow/ice left or would it be gullies full of ball bearing and bowling balls?

We did the full NF route on the 22nd. Getting across the moat was the trickiest part. My partner threw his ice axe to a small ledge and jumped, crampons and all, from the top of the ice to the rock. I followed and after making it across found myself looking down to about 50 ft of air. No going back after that leap of faith. We opted out of the corner on the upper section that looked full of weeds and stuck with the cracks that go directly up from the ledges on the upper face. Its a great moderate. I'd post pictures but I haven't figure that out yet.