summerprophet

Noah, If you can find a way to get there, I will climb it with you. Have rack, rope and wheels, but sadly I am on the east side of the tooth. Justin 925 577 7736

I am in Ellensburg,willing to drive up to an hour and a half. Leavenworth Vantage Tieton Snoqualmie Teaneway Outta shape but could lead 5.9 trad. Have rope rack and wheels. Up for anything. Alpine / Cragging / Mountaineering Justin

Hey all, Can anyone recommend someone with good skill in fitting snowbaord boots? In short I have terrible feet. Sized at 45.5 heel to ball, 46.5 heel to toe, narrow heels, dropped arches... blah blah blah. I am trying to find someone who can offer solutions as far as custom liners, inserts, new boots, voodoo magic, hell anything to fix foot cramps after an hour of hard riding. Again, I need a proper boot fitter, please don't respond with "I have brand X and they work great".... I typcally try on 30-40 pairs of boots before buying, and and even then it is a sacrifice. Thanks Oh, and this is in Seattle and/or surroundign area.

I have been on both sides of the coin. Not as a mounty (thank god), but as a climbing guide, and as a regular climber impacted by large groups. Personally I have always tried to make our impact minimal, firstly by avoiding the hugely popular areas, and secondly by minimizing group size AS REQUIRED IF PROFESSIONALLY GUIDING. Mounties are staffed by volenteers, and I am guessing group size is up to administration, and not up to the trip leaders. I am gratefull to the mounties for their publications. The guidebooks, how-to books, and certainly FOTH, are of good quality if not great, and very few out there can deny that FOTH is the veritable bible of mountaineering. My first hand experience with the mounties has been that THEY SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. I have been the witness of unroped people inside crevasses at midday, two young ladies hanging of a single loose ring angle piton THAT I HAD GONE TO REMOVE DUE TO THE HAZARD, and single cam as a multi-pitch anchor. My impression of the mounties is that the classroom demonstrates everything is what should be done per accepted textbooks, while the field instructors toss all that shit out the window, and do things as they see fit.

I have had 4 pairs done through Yosemite Bum. Always excellent work, far better than expected. From friends comments, I have avoided rubber room, (slow turn arounds, expensive, and one pair of lost shoes) Yosemite Bum is pretty good with turn around times, and really specific at trying to keep your costs low. (calls if rand repairs required, etc.) Proven his work in my eyes, I now just send him my shoes with a note that says "fix them like they're yours". I do miss the old italian guy in Canada who used to repair my shoes and send back nasty notes with them ("you walk to much in these", "I can only repair your shoes, not your feet" On a side note any reccomendations for MAJOR surgery on a pair of leather mountain boots (inside heel repair & enlarging toe box), as well as rebuilding Sportiva cirques into proper big wall shoes?

Pedro, I don't believe there are too many Squamish climbers around here. Try M.E.C.'s website for partners: http://www.mec.ca/Apps/outdoorGearSwap/gearswap_listing_TravelTripPartners.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302881594&bmUID=1243538017054 Or just poke around the campsite and hostel while you are there. Best of luck, Justin

Your resume may be impressive, but mine is better. Why? I have numerous friends I climb with, they are guides, engineers, doctors, rangers, students, and unemployed dirtbags. They may have written guidebooks, may have been guides, may even have criminal records, but that is really irrelivant. The fact is this, they are wonderful people whom I share pitches, pitchers and good times. You may think you have a great resume by association, but my resume is great because I enjoy climbing more than you do. I am just as happy instructing a fledgling climber up their first climb as I am finishing my first 5.11d (a first ascent by the way). I have friends all over north and south america who can offer up a rope, a rack and a place to sleep. I have both saved lives, and have had my life saved. I have seen incredible sights, and have shared wonderful stories around campstoves, campfires, and dark ales. I have learned that climbing is really not about what, how, or how hard you climb at all. There are always more lessons to be learned, never assume you are better. ________________________________________________________ "And the mountains shall bring them peace" - Conrad Kain "Oh the wonders I have seen" - Dr. Seuss

My stepfather claims all my old ropes for his sailboat..... those guys go through rope faster than most climbers. I always keep a few beater ropes around, they are great to donate to the trails for river crossings and the like. I guess "littering" 12 lbs of rope in the wilderness really isnt "green"..... but at best could save a life, and in the least prevent a roaring river from ruining someones day.

Good thing you are a dad sobo, else there would be serious questions....................

The best & cheapest option for you would be to rent skins and "alpine trekkers". That way you can still run your downhill gear, but atleast use it on the way up, and get some weight off your back.

Go with the passport. Passports are an internationally requignised form of identification suitable for all your travels. An enhanced ID is just an ID badge suitable for travel between Canada and the US (possibly mexico as well?), and may not be suitable for all forms of travel. And the whole RFID thing becomes more and more disturbing the deeper you look. Not real keen on the government broadcasting my personal data on radio frequencies. ..... although in reality, it is just a matter of time before that technolgy is in our passports as well, my Canadian passport is chipped with biometrics.

I have climbed in the Cordillera Blanca, and found that most nights you can just sleep in your sleeping bag. In the interest of cutting weight / maximizing heat, we used a Mountain hardware nightsky 2+ person for the three of us. Perfect for sleeping in, and in the Peruvian Andes the weather is so stable, that is all you are going to use the tent for. Trango 3's, and VE-25's were by far the most common seen down there. The Euros had a fair amount of floorless single vertical pole things.

For those flamenco / finger style lovers, here is a search for ya. Slash (of Guns and Roses fame) wrote this to recieve an honorary degree from Juliard School of Music. The track is "Obsession Confession". Positively incredible.

Hey all, So the wife is taking off and I have free playtime in April. Any suggestions for peaks where I can take up my dog? Preferably on the East side of the Cascades. OR.... good routes do-able with a dog where I could scope out real lines. Are dogs allowed into the Stuarts? Thanks

Allright, time to blow out the cobwebs a bit and use the old brain muscle. Any recomendations for a current Avalanche awareness book? Looking for something more advanced than Freedom of the Hills, something with more detail of technical snowpack analysis. Thanks in advance. Justin

While we are on the exact subject....... Central Washington Mountain Rescue will once again be offering our "Basic Mountaineering Class". If you are interested, contact Yakima Valley Community College to sign-up.

Stegman, Doubtful you will find any form of professional guide willing to head up Hood and bypass the permitting system, guiding really isn't that lucritive, and moonlighting would put a quick end to a career. Rather than pursuing a professional guide, ask around about retired guides or experienced climbers willing to fill in the roll. Again, you have no proof of experience, or the service quality that professionals would offer. That being said, $2400 sounds high, especially if you are claiming the skills and equipment required. All that being said, I haven't been a guide in 11 years..... things may have changed.

I totally understand your nailing comment, however, perhaps what you are not aware of was Zodiac has been stripped from top to bottom of all the fixed gear within the last few years.. Zodiac is once again scary and hard, and while it might go entirely clean, it would be an incredibly rare and ballsy feat. If you feel otherwise, try the first pitch and tell me how you got past the equalized heads without a hammer. I consider myself a fairly competent aid and wall climber, Zodiac has gone from "No big deal" to "Serious respect required" Nice work on the ascent, thanks for the trip report.

Agreed Sobo, Three quarters of the time mountaineering is go up until you reach the top, then turn around and go down until you reach the car. All this extraneous gear and training is just there to keep us from dying in the event things go bad....... and they can go bad so very fast up there.

Smith, Red Rocks, or J tree. I would scratch Red Rocks off the list, as the park hours are pretty short that time of the year. J-Tree would be warmer than smith, but you would have smith to yourself. Orrrrrr..... hit up the Canadian Rockies. Cold and frozen, but hey, minimal rockfall in the winter.

Not really much into Backcountry desserts, but here is an light easy one for ya. Half Pot full of Corn Snow 4-5 tablespoons of powdered milk 4-5 tablespoons of jam Stir forever, until the consistency of ice cream. Presto, backcounty ice cream.

OLD Nalgenes are fine. The so called toxins are completely released after two years with regular use and exposure to UV rays. You seriously replaced all your bottles? How long until the consumer bulletin about metal bottles?

Kittitas County has no mountain rescue team. There are atleast four of us in CWMR from Kittitas County. Always looking for experienced mountaineers to join us though.

I have both crashed at Hans' place as well as climbed with him. While he is known primarilly for his obsession with the Nose, he has done far more than that, including alpine style first ascents. Per his description though, "you end up being cold and miserable most of the time, and just sit on your butt waiting for good weather". Hans' public image and his personal image are quite different. He is quite calm and collected, and be assured, I am positive that any "jackass hand stunt" was analyzed, calculated and timed. Hans' has discovered what he truly loves. I think its cool he likes the nose enough to have done it 60+ times.

Currently there are members from Seattle Mountain Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Volcanoe rescue team and Central Washington Mountain Rescue, as well as the expected players from parks and Sheriffs Department. Yesterday there were a number of teams comprised of members of all these groups scouring the mountain. As of sunset last night, no signs at all. Trying to get work done and support rescue efforts has left me with 5 hours of sleep in the last 40....... back out there this evening.