rocky_joe

thanks a lot for the responses. do you guys know of a good outfit in oregon to talk with about avi cert? I'm really interested in having spending a lot of time on the slopes and want to be as safe and informed as possible.

When is it safest to climb in winter? Really I suppose I mean, how long does it take for the falling snow to turn into a reliable snow pack and reduce avy danger?

why isn't the climber even a little mad? i get annoyed being short roped, but this guy made this error appear to e routine.

what size is the rope? i need one for top roping at the columns...is it in good enough condition for TR?

just run laps up and down heresey, double trouble, and toxic. few more weeks and you might even get to the vertical stuff.

very cool trip. looks like you guys got a bit of everything. sounds like my kinda trip.

IT problems always plagued me whenever I tried to push my mileage over 55/week or so. I think the best things that I have done for it are yoga and stretching. Terribly painful thing to have. Also "The Stick" or a foam roller are fantastic things to own and work out tightness. Usually I could be back to running around 40/week within a month, spend some time in the pool aqua jogging, hard work that.

Trying to decide whether I should go for single stem or U shaped. What have you guys used that you loved, liked or hated? Who makes the best of each?

So a friend and I are currently planning on heading down to Bishop on the 11th probably until the 21st or so. We both live in Eugene and would be leaving from there the evening of the 11th.

No we don't. That is just right wing rhetoric used to make it seem as though imposing regulations wold disrupt the magical phenomenon that neo-conservatism has renewed. Bullshit. The market is nowhere near perfect competition, nor is it "free." We that the case, the government would not subsidize anything, housing, farms, logging, etc. There would be no regulation on exportation of jobs, no corporate tax, no capital gains tax, etc. The notion that our market is a free one is ludacris and everyone should get it out of their heads. That being said. Obama maybe further to the left than many like but to try and equate him with the socialism of Cuba, Russia, and China is absurd. Rather the socialism Obama presents is one similar to the successful and wealthy Sweeden or Norway. O8ama!!! GObama!!! Barack the Vote!!!

hey what the hell you have against the U of Oregon? Virginia blows. Go Ducks. billcoe- word.

Smith. Especially if you're in the area. Like summerprophet said, you'll have the park (and skull hollow) to yourself. Except maybe for joel, who is always there, you won't see a soul. Just bring a belay jacket cuz it's cold; a 0 degree bag doesn't hurt either.

So I have been a snowboarder since jr. high and am now trying to make the switch back to skiing. but i am by now means yet ready to ski some sick couloir in the middle of the rockys. how ever mountains suck as south sister and hood have caught my attention. when ski mountaineering has anyone ever used plastic mountaineering boots or just stick with ski boots?

yeah, thats why we picked the weekend we did...so we could go as fast as possible. and couloir there was a group ahead of us who had left two hours earlier, they definitely had the right idea. and as for going up south we just took the most direct line...I couldn't see any other way up the mountain without going way out of the way east or west. wimsy, those times are pretty ridiculously amazing, how fast were you running?

Trip: Three Sisters Wilderness - ThreeSistersMarathon Date: 9/5/2008 Trip Report: After a year plus of talking about it and some rough planning based on other TR's Maineiac (Tom), Jon and I were finally getting our butts in gear for a long day of summits, struggles, route finding and eventually a bivy SW of the ridge down S Sister. We departed from Pole Creek TH at 4:15am, long before the llama and horse people would even dream of waking. The Lexus parked next to us would ask our driver why we left so early and upon hearing the response would only remark that we were crazy (as if we didn't already know). After a brief detour we had made the ridge and we on our way to our first peak (of three). After running into two other marathoners who had a two hour headstart on us we traversed the terrible. It is the worst part of the whole trip (save for the north ridge of S Sis). Very exposed careful traversing on the Cascade dinner plates that I'm sure we all know to well. After that the very over rated "Bowling Alley" after hearing and reading reports of the bad rock in the alley we were far to scared as it turned out to be a fun, yet exposed class 4 scramble before reaching the summit pinnacle at 11:15 (7 hours). The view was great. Fro there we made our way back down and across the terrible traverse to the south ridge of which we made quick work down the scree ridden trail. We crossed the glacier and after a short "call of nature" break were on our way up Middle Sis. however Tom was feeling quite ill, we think a bad combo of altitude little food, and a complete abandonment of water for his beloved CYTOMAX (never will i ever touch the stuff) We made Middle Sis summit at 3:00 (the last member up took splits). After an extended rest break it appeared Tom was feeling better and we made our way down towards what would become the worst route I have ever climbed. After finding that there was not other suitable way to summit south from middle we accepted that we had to make our way up that lava sh*t. Through pulling of bread box size rocks and making class 4 moves on rock we had no idea would actually hold we foud one piece of beauty; sunset and making it through that section before having to turn on the headlamps (thank god). At 8:45 we made summit of South Sister. 16.5 hours from the car. We took a good long break to get some food, water, and even a call home to let mom know I wasn't smashed at the bottom of some gulley. We changed socks and were on our way down...or so we thought. After going to far to climbers right along the crater we missed the ridge down. 3 hours of headwalls, glaciers and endless scree had defeated us and we resigned ourselves to a super exposed bivy (only a few hundred feet away from where we were supposed to be!!!! argh). At first light we made quick time up to the ridge and then down the trail...two hours on the nose to the car (which would have made 19.5 hiking time). However that was interrupted by 3 hrs of wandering and a miserable 6 hour bivy. so instead we were left with a 28 hr car to car time. It was definitely a fun experience (in retrospect) I would advise anyone who is planning it to be very set on your routes, and drink lots of water...which sounds like a duh but thats what got us. Gear Notes: Helmets Cascade Ale Big Balls Useless GPS Approach Notes: Dark fun trail via Pole Creek

Yeah I agree with couloir. Maineiac another friend and i just completed the Sisters marathon a few weekends ago (I still need to write a TR). We definitely could have done better to find out route in advance. Under zero moonlight conditions we forced to bivy at around 9000' on S. Sis after failing to find the ridge off. (16.5 hrs car-S sis summit: 28 car to car) Not a fun night. Oh and contrary to what I'd been told...the North Ridge of S Sis is definitely the crux. Fatigue, bad rock, exposed moves, even a difficult class 4 here and there. The bowling alley was cake and the rock was great. Definitely be prepared for a long day. King and Clark are ridiculous...I have a friend who was in his HS cross country program. The man is loco for enduro type feats. And Max King is a 90 mile/week steeple chaser here is eugene, i'm sure it was a breeze for him.

sparverius- we can't really wait since we're trying for a sub 20 hour marathon of the sisters and broken top but not til the 5th of september.

Sounds like a rad trip...not to different from some kinda adventure I'd expect...sketchy is my business. Nice summit. ISo does anyone know how many pitches is Chimney of Space typically done in? What range of pro? What is the easiest most straight foward way up the peak?

Maine-iac and I were up near and on Diamond Peak this weekend and we very nearly had the smae thing happen to us. I mistepped on a large backpack size rock and it took a b-ine for tom. Luckily he was aware and had room to get out of the way, but man I feel so bad for this climber's family and friends. It really is a tragedy.

Any word on snow, ice, general route conditions? Pics?

oh and 111. there is a 12a...the pinscar R. of hard layback. and a 13c. called Crack-a-no-go (the short one L. of Limpdick).

you need to get on 5 climbs for sure at the columns. in the middle the hand crack is called Fat Crack 5.9 super bomber all the way up. just to climbers right is a 5.10 finger crack named Hard Layback. Total blast just do what the name suggests. All the way to the right is 5.10b Limpdick (minus 7 feet of freshly removed basalt). On the lest side of the main section is the chimey. so fun i think it fetches 5.8. and then two cracks right of that is a fun 10. lots of good finger cracks and you can make any variation you desire. check out the guide book: Rock Climbing Oregon: Willamette. you can get it at REI or stop by the UO outdoor program in the EMU (student union)

that's good to hear. i'd been hearing worse. so it's nice to get some easier reviews of the climb. i'm more of a rock climber starting into alpine so a class 4 shouldn't give me much trouble and i love the exposure...nothing lie the 4th pitch on "Wherever I May Roam" at smith. looking foward to my climb and thanks again guys.

I'm headed to diamond lake for a weekend trip and wanted to summit thielsen (solo) while i'm over there. i've been reading a lot and still haven't a good idea if it's a safe venture alone sans rope. any input?

thanks for all those shiny new bolts, it's greatly appreciated. does anybody know how the bolts are at Hill Creek Spires?