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Wow. The first paper (immediately above)appears to imply that knots make good energy absorbers. It doesn't discuss whether this is just the first time they're tightened in a fall, or if the effect continues after an initial stretching event. So, if one is forced to rely on questionable pro and has no screamers handy, should one throw a few knots in the rope to act as energy absorbers? I'm not expecting a definitive answer, just makes fun food for thought.

http://www.clubandino.org/

I'm happy with the REI Minimalist. Breaths well, keeps my bag dry and clean and mesh around the face lets air in and keeps bugs out. The benefits to me are worth the weight - a litle under one pound. Also costs less than half most other models. Like Matt says, if rain is forecast I bring a 3# tent.

I have the same issues. Tape helps, but I'm surprised how painful this can be. Fingers are fine, but fists are unbearable. It's not pain from scraping on the rock, it's pain from pressure on the bones on the back of my hands. Feet are worse - often impossible to put my weight on them after jamming. Help!

As the crow flies, just a few miles. Columbia is immediately NW of Buena Vista. Yes. It's commonly done in one long day.

Next time you go down to see your folks, you should consider doing the Rabbit Ears traverse between Harvard and Columbia. It’s much more Ivanesque than the slog up Princeton, though nowhere near as grand as the Diamond. You can stay at the base of the ridge and it’s an easy scramble, or you can stay near the top and spice things up. I’ve never gone across the top because I was always solo and too scared to travel “sans cord”, as you put it. Speaking of sans-cord, I've read that Steph Davis has done the Diamond several times in that fashion.

sleep never sounded so good...

I'm also relatively new to the rock scene and have also had some confusion on this. It is obvious when sport climbing with short stiff draws, but when trad climbing with long alpine draws that are flopping around and even swinging in the wind, it appears almost impossible to determine when you are backclipped as the rope flopping around can change the orientation. My take on this has been that it is less important in this instance. See below. Is this back-clipped? Comments?

You might want to head up to Tuolumne Meadows instead of climbing down in the valley. There is no "big wall" climbing there that I am aware of, but there are tons of moderate routes you can do without aid. It is almost entirely trad, the rock can't get any better, it's 15 degrees cooler than the valley, it's not a circus like the valley, and you can roll into the campground in the morning and find a spot without a reservation. If you should decide to do this, pick up a copy of the Supertopo book, Tuolumne Free Climbs. Also, drive up 395 to Lee Vinning instead of entering Yosemite from the west.

Poison oak in the Columbia River Gorge...

I doubt anyone knows the exact length, but two 60m ropes is ample if you want to rap all the way down to the ground. See my comments... http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1073568/Re_Where_are_the_easy_trad_lea#Post1073568

Altimeter and map folks... RTM trail crosses Morrison Creek at 6240 so if you drop below that you've missed it.

That OW crack under a bulge at the top is rated 5.8 I think and is harder than any 5.8 I've encountered.

Rooster Rock - 5.4 on nuts. That's a long ways to drive for 2 hrs of hiking That's a different Rooster Rock. I'm referring to the Rooster Rock just a few minutes east of Portland, in the Gorge. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=507635 Heed the rope drag warning. I didn't like throwing the dice on that single rusty chain so I used two ropes to rappel off the top chains and made sure the EDK knot was hanging below the lip, down where the single chain goes, otherwise it will hang up and you will have to reclimb and do it all again, which I did. This makes setting up the rappel awkward, but just haul up your rope, set up you rappel device below the EDK knot, then use the single chain to downclimb over the edge until your rappel device is loaded. I set up an autoblock since it felt awkward downclimbing while trying to keep my rappel device in brake mode. I think you can also rap with a single 60m from the top chains down to where you can stand on a small ledge, but you'd be left exposed while you had to reef hard on your rope to get it down and then traverse 30' back to the top of the first pitch. With two ropes you can rap all the way to the bottom and then haul with all your might on the rope with no risk of falling off a ledge while you are doing so.

Rooster Rock - 5.4 on nuts.

I hired Rodney Sofich with Smith Rock Climbing Guides to spend a day with me placing pro and building anchors at Broughton Bluffs (Portland). He was likeable, tuned in to learning what my specific needs and wants were and tailored the day accordingly, and I felt he was very rigorous and uncompromising on issues of safety. You are not confined to Smith Rocks with that company. Their guides can meet you at Beacon Rock which is a great place (I am told - can't wait for it to open!) to learn multi-pitch trad clmbing.

From I-205 go south and take Hwy 26 to Government Camp. As you are leaving Government Camp get in left-hand lane and take road up to Timberline Lodge. Park in lot and walk up to lower lodge (Wy'East Lodge). First door on the right (outside lower main doors) is the climber's cave where you register to climb. Go in and look around. Then go through main doors into lower lodge and purchase an inexpensive ($5 I think) lift ticket for a one-time trip to the top of the Magic Mile ski trail. Ride up and walk around and enjoy the view if youa re above the clouds, but don't get run over by a skier. The snow field above you is Palmer snowfield - the only ski area in the U.S. open year round. Ski teams and ski camps show up in June for training. Straight up above you is Crater Rock and the popular south side route. Ride back down and walk over to the upper lodge (Timberline Lodge) and go inside and look around. Timberline Lodge is a beautiful historic building and they serve a fabulous lunch ($$) in the dining room. Poor man food is served in the restaurant on top floor of the lower lodge. When you are done drive back down to 26 and turn left. After a few miles take the exit to get on Hwy 35 to keep circling counterclockwise around the mountain. About 12 (?) miles past the turn-off to Mt. Hood Meadows ski area turn left off of Hwy 35 at sign for Cooper Spur. Drive up as far as you can to get a good look at Elliot Glacier and north and east faces of Mt. Hood. When done drive back down to Hwy 35 and head left into Hood River. Get on I-84 West to head back to Portland. Look for waterfalls on the left and Beacon Rock on the Washington side of the river on the right. From I-84 take I-205 N to get back to Vancouver.

In my experience a GPS does not help in whiteout conditions. The reason is that the real hazard in a whiteout is the possibility of skiing or stepping off a shelf or cornice that you can't see, and a GPS will not prevent that. Better just to hunker down and wait for visibility. Even when there is no whiteout, but visibility is poor, a GPS is of limited use. If you have stayed oriented, you can use a compass to navigate and travel, so long as you have a heading to aim for. For example, I find that in poor visibility (heavy snow or fog) I tend to lose my sense of direction. Last fall I was on the summit of Pinnacle Peak in heavy cloud cover and after waiting for ten minutes for Rainier to show for a photo-up I gave up and started down and could not find the easy decent path. I wandered around the summit for 15 mintues, fighting back panic as I kept getting cliffed out and dusk was approaching and it was starting to rain. I finally looked at my compass and realized that my brain had spun 180 degrees in my skull. A GPS would not have been any help. I do find a GPS useful for route finding in areas where prominent features are many and confusing, or absent altogether, so that it is hard to get a bearing on something, or I am just plain lazy and don't stay oriented to a map like I should, but I try to never rely on it like I do a map and compass, for the obvious reason that if the batteries die I'm in trouble. Mine is old (no map display) and I'm not familiar with the newer models that have more memory and better graphics, so I can't offer a recommendation as to what to buy.

I was able to drive to French's using 4WD the last 1/4 mile a month ago, but the rock was too wet (for me) to climb. So, even if things have not changed in a month and you don't have 4WD, you would only have to walk 1/4 mile. I'd be very surprised if the road wasn't open all the way now.

Once again... wow! Your TRs never fail to impress and continue to put a new perspective on ski mountaineering. I'm inspired that you raise the bar so high and am content and thrilled to be a spectator. You and Eric are very gutsy and very skilled - what more can I say. Thank you very much for sharing and stay safe!

Now I can see that those three blocks all shifted, with the lower block shifting down at least eight inches.

Here's how it looks now. I didn't see where anything had shifted. I guess there is some concern about possible undermining of some of the rock.

Yes, you are correct. I went back and reread and the special warning was NOT updated this morning, but extends through this afternoon.

That's the only place it occurs. Specific Hood forecast is no longer being updated for this season.

This was posted on NWAC this morning: “Warning = Extreme or high avalanche danger occurring or expected to occur within 12 hours: …at or below 5000 feet in the Mt. Hood Area.” Steep slushy snow is always a concern, but there is none below 5000’ on south side Hood if you follow the climbers’ route. I have seen people walk straight up Salmon River canyon (a terrain trap not on the climber’s trail) from the upper lot which is foolishness when avy danger exists, so that is the only area where someone might get in trouble attempting south side right now. If you are not comfortable/experienced assessing snow conditions then stay away from any steep areas when the snow is soft and slushy. It is true that as the season progresses the entire snowpack becomes more stable, but avalanches can still happen on steep snow when it's warm. One of the largest avalanches ever to occur in the PNW occurred on Mt. Adams in August on the west side in afternoon sun. I don't think the poster was necessarily inferring that this party was a model for good decision making.