stevetimetravlr

Great TR.

Way rad!

*

I think it is not the job of the store or sales clerk that sells gear to lecture people where and when they should use it. Friendly information is all it should be. The Lower Town Wall belongs to ALL OF US now. There is no big renaissance of pitoncraft that I can see, but it is part of our history and a tool in the quiver for when the going gets interesting. Probably the Quarry area is better for pin practice, and using a pin on City park would be lame, but this indignant attitude of no pins at lower Index period is BS. Piton haters in my opinion fall into the same category as bolt haters, ridiculous and self absorbed. Theres a time and a place and we all need to grow up and be accepting of the different types of climbing.

thats why I be mostly vegetarian.

Call the owner of Feathered Friends and complain and tell him about your post on Cascade Climbers and ask him to respond and give him a chance to clear his name. There is a time and a place for pitons, and even a time and a place for mouthy sales clerks which is usually the unemployment line.

See ya out there this week Ivan.

I hope somebody made it out to Beacon this weekend. I won't even tell you guys how nice it was at Smith all weekend but will just say that allot of people were climbing without their shirts, but just mostly guys . I actually got a tan on my face, stoked for the vitamen D.

If you have to ask yourself if self flaggelation is a hobby, then its probably more of a pastime, but if you want to call it a hobby, I'm cool with it. Either way. The important thing is you are out there doing it. Making your mark, just like Ivan, only different. Stoked!

Would the Rectum have been climbed with that attitude? I think not.

The whole aid and rapping in the rain renaissance thing is due to the fact that the last 10 weeks have been very wet, cold, and windy. I don't see anyone freeing anything. Its just been to slick to free climb. So when you can't free climb, aid climb. Or rap in and clean and check out lines for future reference.

Awesome~

Lookz like Eldiente ties a square knot, and then the Fishermans. Thats what I do. Probably from being drilled into my in Boy Scouts that a square knot is the best way to join 2 ropes, and also because you can whip a square knot in so that they are quickly joined and then its easy to tie the fishermans(as a backup and to hold the sq knot in place) because they are not under any tension.

Nice to see Dave and Kenny got out there, flipping eating in style, dang. Went to Smith yesterday and it was stellar conditions, warmish. Almost nobody there either, the park was empty. All that sunshine in my eyes felt so flippin good, it seemed like months since I had seen the sun. Heres some photos from yesterday.

I had a screamer deploy once, and after it was over both she and I were exhausted. The only thing I can reccommend is maybe some soundproofing, as it can get out of hand, especially if you still live with your parents.

You seem to be talking more shit then anyone Johnboy.

I was not criticizing, I was laughing with him. Big difference.

Whatever could be wrong about posting a trip report about HIKING ON A ROAD. At least you got out, or it could have been about baking cookies.

Whatever dude. Each to their own. Or maybe, a little bit of everything makes you a stronger better well rounded climber.

If you are trying to lead a hard climb but only can get to say bolt #4 and keep falling, fixed draws allow you to pull the rope and walk away without leaving a draw of your own. It eliminates the loss of draws by indivual climbers by dedicating draws to the climb initially, a community service. It allows those climbers who cannot onsite a climb( usually 5.13 and up) to give the hard climbs a try without being penalized other then taking a fall. Fixed draws are also nice on very overhanging routes where if you fall off you cannot get back on the rock and are required to lower off to the ground. Again, you can pull the rope and not have to leave gear.

Good seeing ya today Dave! Dave is whipping himself into shape, ever time I see him he's running up a storm, getting the miles in. Look out come Spring, he's gonna be a animal!

If its going to take rap anchors to clean up there and allow access, I am for it. Just back from Beacon again. It was raining so we just rapped in checking out some lines for future reference. That first pitch of the Dutchman is clean, but the 2nd pitch must never get done because the crack is all lichenated and somewhat chossy. Next spring I'll volunteer to give it a good scouring. Jensens Ridge and all those upper routes must be even worse? With Beacon closed half the year, we just don't get the traffic to keep most of the climbs clean, and a majority of the climbs in the guidebook are rarely if ever done either due to the moss has overtaken them or the fixed gear/anchors are old. Its not a matter of whether you can climb up there, aid or free, its a matter of who wants to clean those cracks while leading them. Not me, but it would be great if they could all get a good scrubbing, and if it takes a new rap anchor to access that terrain to do it, why not? I talked to Jim as he was out there at the parking lot, and he is not for it intially, but I think he could be convinced if its for a well thought out cleaning project. If Ivan wants to go to all that work, who are we to stand in his way! Also, rockfall came down the Corner and hit a tree. Nothing major but the tree blocks the trail right below the corner now. Cool.

Does anyone ever venture into that area above the Arena of Terror? Have you ever climbed up there Joe? Nobody ever up there that I have seen except Ivan and company. I think perchance Ivan is just trying to gain a somewhat easier access to these little visited areas so he can do some cleaning/trundling so its not so gnarly/filthy when they do get climbed.

There have been perma draws on many of the harder climbs at Smith for years. For instance, Chain Reaction. They can't be to intrusive then if you climb there and haven't noticed them, right?

Cascade climber, I don't follow your logic. Nor do i climb 5.13. However, I do know that fixed draws on climbs are there for a reason as a public service. Climbs that are very difficult generally require "work" over a period of time. In other words, tough to top out generally the first few times you try them. So fixed draws allow you to bail off and give someone else a chance, without abandoning your gear and tieing up the climb while you stickclip your way to the top or leaving your brightly colored gear on the climbs. I'm not for fixed draws in very many places, but Smith Rock and Little Si seem pretty reasonable, with little if no negative impact, except for the imagined slight people like Raindawg feel reading about them.