SeldonCrisis

I am a seldom poster but longtime lurker of cc.com. I have really appreciated all the banter and NW trip reports over the years, but now I reside in Orange County. What is the best site for trip reports, finding partners, buying/selling gear, and reading spray for southern California? Given the dedicated California forum for trip reports, cc.com may still be a good resource, but are there others? Thanks!

About 7 miles up icicle creek road is a prominent roadside outcrop called Bruce's Boulder with some good top-rope slab routes. Then cross the street to get to Barney's Rubble for some decent cracks and face climbs. Approach times range from 15 to 30 seconds, depending on how fast you walk. Once you have had your fill of these, drive up the road further to 8-mile rock (about a quarter mile past the entrance to 8-mile campground). Here you can top-rope 4 polished routes, including the once great Classic Crack. Everything described is 5.9 or under and has seen quite a bit of traffic. Another option is to check out Playground Point for an area that has seen far fewer ascents over the past 60 years.

Agreed.

So if there is visible damage, how bad does it need to be to replace the ice axe? I once used the shaft of my camp corsa nano to pound in a picket. I didn't know the better method of pounding in pickets at the time (holding the axe vertically). Those are small dents in the shaft. Do you think I did enough damage to my $150 axe to warrant replacement?

I've slept in my car in the Alpental parking lot without any issues. It's 20 minutes from North Bend, but free.

Near the top of Ober Strasse there is a perfectly situated and huge parking lot, or so I thought. This is private property (no signs) and the owner was not happy with us parking there. Just an FYI if you were thinking about doing the Improbable Traverse or another route on the West Face.

I am a recent transplant from Seattle to Spokane and would like to explore the local crags or even hit Wild Walls. I'm fairly comfortable leading 5.10 sport or 5.8 trad, but can sometimes top rope into 5.11 territory (my leading head could use work). I have a fairly free schedule for now. Send me a PM if interested. Thanks, Kyle

or tie your prusik with four wraps rather than the more traditional three wraps.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/spo/3021657625.html I don't know of any 110 meter ropes. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Here's the ad: rock climbing gear - $650 (seattle area) Date: 2012-05-17, 1:22PM PDT Reply to: see below [Errors when replying to ads?] Nice set of rock climbing gear. Two new harnesses two nice pairs of climbing shoes size 11. Nice new 110meter 10mm rope with new rope bag . Awesome collection and want to sale all as package deal. Will not sale seperate. Please call : 206 seven zero ate three three 0 three. Location: seattle area it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests PostingID: 3021657625

Some love it and some hate it, but Vantage (Frenchman Coulee) has great sport climbing at the Feathers and Sunshine Wall. Be sure to wear a helmet.

I tried to get Oscar Mayer to pay for my broken leg when I used a hot dog as a piton. It didn't work either.

+1 for the Seattle Hand Surgery Group. I cut a tendon in my index finger a few years back. Dr. Miyano and the rehab folks did an amazing job of getting it back to 100%. I still marvel at the fact that my finger has full range of motion.

I climbed the blueberry route of Exfo Dome on the day after the hottest day ever recorded in Seattle (sometime in late July of 2009). My partner and I brought along 4 liters of water each, a huge bottle of sunscreen, and started up the granite sidewalk a bit after dawn. Looking back it was a pretty narrow margin of safety, given how delirious we were when we got back to the car. The sun didn't hit us until on pitch 5 or so (about 10 AM), but the rappel down Westward Ho was miserable.

Go with the new Flextrek 38,000,000,000,000. It is slightly narrower for enhanced performance when schwacking through slide alder.

Seamstress, This goes without saying.. Awesome.