stevetimetravlr

I was at the 2nd belay on the corner. He was doing the last rap on Jills to Snag Ledge. Bad description on my part.

As the Beacon turns. This afternoon racing up the corner with Rick and I was watching a guy rapping Jills Thrill to Snag Ledge from the 2nd belay on the se corner. All of a sudden, he screamed and fell off the rope and past the anchors and disappeared. He had rapped off one of the ends of his rope. He did not have a middle marker on this rope and didn't pull enough thru. He was about 15 feet above the anchors when he blew, and he fell out of my sight and I thought for sure he was history, going the 100 feet to the ground but he somehow miraculously wedged against the block you pull over right at the top of the first pitch of the corner, and after a bit came crawling back up to the anchors. He told me he should be dead, and I agreed with him. Holy shit!

Isn't that a photo of the hangers off of Calling Wolfgang at Index? A couple years before that incident my friend Mark was climbing Danas Arch and he broke a hanger under body weight,must have been the same batch of hangers, some weird stainless plating?

So as I started up Crusing yesterday, there was a very large bird wing at the base, and then another one higher up. As I climbed the little crack, I pulled out pieces of feather with blood on them. Looks like something ate a very large bird, the wings look like a raptor? The wings were big enough that they had to be some sort of raptor i would think. Do peregrines eat hawks? The bits and pieces are below Crusing below the trail. Either that or a eagle ate a peregrine!

The point is not really that he replaced the bolts. People do that all the time in all the areas. That's great. You're right, I could care less about that bolts location. Its that he jumps all over everyone else for doing exactly what he does, no one is allowed to make the judgement calls but him. That's not OK.

I haven't seen Plaidman take any trips, except to Smith Rocks. and I paid for the gas and the food on those two trips because I know he is kind of down and out right now. I haven't noticed him with any new gear, what new gear does he have Ms. Ex-Plaidman? The guy hardly has a pot to piss in, and all I know is he is always on the hunt for work. There are allot of people in survival mode right now with the economy, and because you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip is no reason for Scott to roll over and die and give up climbing. You talk a good line and I don't know any of the particulars in the Plaidmans ex-relationship, but if you have a job maybe you should be the one paying the alimony and child support. On other words, if he can't find a job, maybe you should go to work. Sometimes thats hard for a prima donna to accept....

I've climbed it 3 times this season, and I wish we could have spoken with Jim prior to the retrobolting, and perhaps got his permission to move the bolt that you have to reach far left to clip on the 2nd pitch, maybe move it up on the slab above you, it creates all the rope drag on the pitch. But its to late now, all retrobolted with stainless steel that will be there forever......what sad times when passing ruffians can bolt at will. Started on Crusing, then Jills Thrill and Uprising. Nice chill mellow day, it was clouldy and chilly to start around noon, but it warmed up and the clouds burned off. The SE corner was a zoo.

Where da Loving Arms?

Alasdair, just wonder the motivation behind such a ton of work and effort? Is this volunteer work or a job?

Hey mr Hands, Thanks for posting that even though it wasn't met for you, but my biking/climbing buddies from Seattle. I think you're a friggin troll and a lameass, hiding behind the internet. You just started posting yesterday and you want to step forward and show your face or are you just a chickenshit artist like I think you are? FYI, that was the first time I used a Silent Partner 3 years ago and I thought was on a 5.6 Broadway, but ended up on the first pitch of Young Warriors by mistake. Whoopde doo, what the fwk business is it of yours what I do?

Using the rationalization that Joseph used to re-do Young Warriors, I can do the same thing on Winter Delight. Thank you Joseph. The clip off the ground is way to perilous, so will have to move the bolt just enough so its easy to clip without worrying about breaking your legs if you come off. But it will be in basically the same place, you'll be able to see the old bolt hole,..yada, yada, yada No, I wouldn't do that, but I don't think its ok for you to do and then be holier then thou over the rest of us.

If you take that as a complement, I'm curious is that with or without vaseline? Just trying to keep it real. . Beacon brothers gotta hug!

I think Kenny's point is that while Joseph like to jump on peoples shit for even joking around or mentioning about putting in or pulling a pin or bolt or people cutting off his nylon slings that are all over Beacon, he feels empowered to install or pull any pins or bolts or anchors or slingage that HE deems neccessary. I think its great that we have new replacement bolt anchors at Beacon and those efforts are appreciated. However, he jumps all over my shit about the preservation of a route and respecting the climbers that went before us, etc, regarding a off the cuff comment I made, while at the same time he modifies a route in direct violation of the wishes of the first ascentionist who is in the house. This double standard, and also the down talking to people, is what has made me feel like he should be called on it. I am sure you'll come up with some great putdown as to why I am such a idiot and don't know jackshit about Beacon Joseph, but you seem to have a sense of entitlement that you don't extend to anyone else. Justin, did you really loose one of your balls? Does that mean no more leading?

Who da guy?

Anybody care? I think Index is in a designated logging wilderness. So we should be very concerned about bolts where no one can see them but encourage the clearcutting of our forests as you hardly even notice when they are gone, but those bolts are forever, and the negative impacts of them are......help me out here....?

10mm Mammut Galaxy Duodess Superdry. Sometimes its crucial to know when you have reached your ropes midpoint. This rope is the cadillac of ropes. New England Rope makes a similar rope I also have that wears like iron and is less expensive.

I'm always amazed at all the people that climb at Ozone without helmets on. Last time I was there, I think we were the only two people with helmets on out of about 15 or 20. Rolling the dice.

Pearly Gates

or Ferry cross the Mersey from Liverpool to Wales by driving down the M1 from Scotland and go climbing in Snowdonia, which has great rock climbing. Actually, you don't have to take a ferry across the Mersey river anymore, the highway passes under the river in a tunnel and you pop out the other side in Wales. Stay in Betws-y-Coed. http://www.betws-y-coed.co.uk/

Pounding on pins and stating that they are more solid and reliable then a bolt is a matter of opinion no matter how many times you state otherwise Joseph. Also invoking names from the past of some of the guys I used to climb with is even more humorous. No one is trying to dumb down Beacon or retrobolt. I simply think that Bluebird Direct is to good a climb and there should be a semi protectable climb to get to the dihedral of which Kevbone and Denali Dave were kind enough to point out that Suffciently Breathless does, but without all the negativity. I think you need to take a chill pill and do some climbing. So lets do Bluebird Direct. You lead Winter Delight and I'll take over for the hard climbing, sound fair?

Whatever Joseph, its just your opinion no matter how loud you yell it. I liked Winter Delight. Its a cool climb but there are a couple places where you better not blow a move, period. Bluebird Direct is really fabulous. Starts off thin fingers and goes to hand and fist at the very top. Super stellar. There is a cool detached block where the regular Bluebird route joins the dihedral that you can throw a leg over and ride like a horse for a full body rest, or just stand on it. Sustained stemming the whole way with good gear. What a ride, I highly recommend it.

All of the above is your opinion, and thats all it is. Other people have different opinions, and that may lead to a concensus, and some things done differently. You put rap slings all over Beacon off of rap hangers, and then get furious when they get chopped. You place pins that you deem are needed but then again you get upset and go public when they are pulled. Yet you argue against placing a pin on a dangerous route that probably used a pin originally to lead it. Strange! To say Winter Delight is not X rated must be because you have not climbed it. I climb R and X rated routes, and I know what they mean. Winter Delight is not a safe route by any stretch. However, I am not debating that. I was simply suggesting that there be a trade route that reaches the anchors that allow people to access the spectacular dihedral of Bluebird Direct, and if Sufficiently Breathless allows that, then I am stoked to find that out.

What total bullshit that a pin outperforms bolts and are every bit as solid. I have pulled pins out of the rock with my fingers. Frost wedging and other factors has its effects on pins, which have a very much shorter lifespan then bolts in general. yeah, there are allot of scarefests at Beacon and they rarely if at all get done. I am not talking about retro bolting lines, I am simply suggesting that there be one line that reaches the start of Bluebird Direct that not be a death line. Winter Delight is not really safe or reasonable, nor do any of the other lines that lead to the anchors appear to be. Kev, we did look at Sufficiently Breathless and Aging Fags and they didn't look like they took any more gear then Winter Delight which is protected(ha!) by micro brassies and if Dave would have fallen, I don't think they would have held much. The bolt on Aging Fags is a ancient pinhead. If Sufficiently Breathless does protect somewhat, then I'll give it a whirl, as Bluebird Direct is stellar. But I know for a fact that many of these lines used pins on them when they were lead, and I also know that you pulled many of the pins yourself Joseph without climbing the pitches. So in that respect you have devalued your opinion, destroyed the original route pro, and in the process opened up the option of new pins and/or bolts for future consideration where there currently are no options for gear for long stretches. Also Joseph, I never suggested placing pins or bolts on Bluebird Direct. It may be rated R(but i don't think so with small cams and stoppers) but it takes suffcient gear and is a clean fall, and absolutely stellar. I am talking about any approach pitch to the base of it of which Winter Delight, Aging Fags, etc. are rated X. I will check out Sufficiently Breathless.

Question for all Beacon climbers. My buddy Dave and I did a not often done route called Bluebird Direct, Dave led it. I think it is one of the best crack pitches I have done, and certainly has to be one of the top pitches at Beacon and it takes gear well. Its at least 70 feet or more of perfect splitter and stemming, starts narrow and goes to wide hands at the top. However, the approach to it is up one of the scary not easily protected pitches like Winter Delight to get to the anchors to start it. I spoke with Jim O. at length on the routes and he filled us in on the other routes beta, etc., and they are all scarefests now. Seems like these routes had to have pins placed back when they were led, and seems like there should be at least one approach pitch that is not a death pitch to approach Bluebird Direct, as if there was I think we would all be doing it on a regular basis, and the anchor up there is looking brand new(thank you Joseph). So how about a extra bolt or at the least a pin or two on the easist variation to get up there so guys like me who have a family and want to be around for a bit can climb it once in a while?

In September you will be hiking almost the whole way in the pumice. no need for crampons on the south side.