Pilchuck71

Now that just looks plain old fun! Nice pics.

So True.

Awesome!

WTF Spotter those are fighitng words! Douche is mother flippin' right!

Right on Darin! Your pictures are fantastic, excellent work! Thanks for sharing.

Awesome dude! I am a new dad as of May 2nd and am loving it (sleep deprivation and all). I love seeing the love man! Good on you!

Best thing on this thread so far! Happy Birthday to your daughter!

c'mon we did get ash. It came up to my knees......but I was only 8 so memory could be way off! I am man enough to admit that McJizzy is right. Just talked to my Mom to ask what she remembered and jog my memory. We got enough ash to right our names on the windshield of our Monte Carlo and that was about it. apperantly my fondness for romantic memories of my childhood has caused me to create the reality I wished for. Damn those drugs in the nineties! Cheers old guys that can actually remember!

I was 8 years old. I was living in Woodinville in Kingsgate on the hill above town. I remember the news stories about Harry Truman and being real sad about the "old guy with the cats". We recieved about 1/8" of ash fall and I remember how the sky was creepy and dark. I don't think it impacted me as much as the eruption of the neighborhood the year before though when the Super Sonics won the Championships!

Nice one man! I wish I knew about that wall with the notch. Looks interesting. Smedley was out in the valley yesterday as well. I think he was @ 3'0clock. Peace brother, catch up with you soon!

x100 No kidding!

Thank you folks. I think the rings it is. I appreciate the input.

Indeed sir....indeed!

:tup:x2 Now that is the spirit! That type of act is nice to see in the world of the infernet flame downs.....etc.

Very cool! I wish we had freaky pillars where I am at.

Nice link. Thanks Tomtom.

Wait, 161st time up Baker? Really?

I did the trip out to Coleman last May and really thought the area was great. Thanks for the report and the back story. Totally cool. Kudos to the photog. I like the shot of Shuksan through the cloud break. Cheers! Tyson

Sheesh Dan! You don't stop for anything! Right on man! Thanks for more photos and stokage.

Looking to incorporate hang board training into my regimen and am wondering peoples opinions on hangboard versus rock rings. I am already doing a pull up regimen including frenchies on a free swinging pull up bar. I understand the concept of grip training on more realistic hold shapes versus the pull up bar. I am looking specifically for recommendations on: 1) boards versus rings 2) Which brands are preferable and why for either device Thanks in advance, Tyson

To all those in Skagit and Whatcom County, there is a facebook page to connect with fellow climbers on short notice to partner up. Another option to be part of a collective pool of folks with similar interests. The advantage of the facebook page is that there is a list with contact info available to anyone that joins the page - IE phone #'s, e-mail or your preferred method. The page is only open to people by requesting to join so the contact info is not just out there for random folks , only those who are willing to share theirs as well. anyway, the page is : Bellingham Evening Top Ropers (BETR)

So Fitz (or any other engineering types) - Can someone please explain the point of these? I like the look and commend the effort and ingenuity to create/build these but I do not readily see the advantage of the anti-cam over traditional camming devices. I do see some obvious disadvantages, the main one being the bulk/size of the device and as Matt himself stated in the video the bar thing sticking out and just looking for things to tangle up with. Tyson

Mark - Regarding my TR that you have pointed to as a "what about this route". Don't be fooled by the relatively low technical grade I put out there when questioned about it. Here are some points to consider: 1) Like MH said it is a LARGE face. It would be easy to wander into areas where you could instantly be way out of your league and retreat would be extremely difficult. It is after all slab climbing and protection can be difficult in areas. 2) The Black Gully of Death is named so for a reason. Yes I have climbed through, up and out of it but I would not recommend it to anyone let alone someone with limited experience on what I would consider an alpine(?) big wall. 3) The chickenshit gully is not necessarily a "multi pitch" climb. Where speed = safety I have yet to break it into actual pitches. I hav always climbed as a simul climb and considering it is a gully with a potential for rockfall I would not want to linger in the shooting gallery, therefore it takes a competent team of equal skill to climb through fast and efficiently. 4) Retreat from any point past the Strawberry ledges or the Black Gully of Death is difficult and takes some ability to navigate/route find over a vast sea of slab. This equates in my mind to being able to visualize correctly how far you can rap on your rope, etc. etc. 5) Psychological factors - again as MH said this face is HUGE and the exposure is GREAT. Everyones tolerance for exposure is different but I would strongly suggest the Blueberry Route on Exfo Dome or something on Green Giant Butt before heading to Squire Creek Wall to gauge how well you do with such exposure. It is one thing to stand at the edge of something and look down and feel all right. It is another when you are on a route near the top of your abilities and the stress is compounded by thousands of feet of exposure and knowing backing off will be difficult. I would say that Squire Creek is NOT the place to find out if you or your partner can handle those pressures. 6) The dick ridge route and Chickenshit Gully route are devoid of bolts so setting belay stations and or knowing when to end your "pitches" is slightly more difficult than a traditional multi pitch route. 7) Descending the Dick Ridge route and Chickenshit Gully - I have always simul downclimbed the route as there is (unless you want to leave me all your gear) a lack of suitable rappel anchors. That being said the knowledge that you will not be rapping the route but re cllimbing it in reverse make it a little more commiting in my opinion than a traditional multi pitch. I am not one to try and steer people away from their ambitions. I do not consider Squire Creek Wall to be a private playground for the relatively small group of people that climb there. I am however a person that would encourage those relatively new to the game to take their time and work up to the larger objectives. I think Shapp has some great suggestions in his post and I hope that you will take the suggestions of myself and others to heart and consider training your way up to this wall. Cheers and best of luck - Tyson geBauer

The art of CC.com posting Could this be a title for a new compelling book by fender4? I think it could be quite entertaining to have a compendum of some of the greatest feats of "assholery" in one easy to use reference location.

I know it is no comparison to Danes historical collection, but I wanted to share my modest gear corner of my studio.