Jason4

Are the hexes still available?

Matt- while you have some good points I think most of that is not applicable to bouldering. I haven't been on a boulder problem yet that has sustained technical stemming, I've never looked for a good clipping stance on a boulder, and there aren't too many slabs that are actually part of the problem on a boulder that would be included in a move count. I agree that a kneedrop is questionable as a move, heel hooks and toe pulls are just as much a move as pulling with your hand. In the end I think a move count is just a general idea of how long and involved a particular problem is. I wouldn't hold it against anyone if a guide said a problem with 7 moves and I was able to do it in 5 or more likely it said it was 5 and I shuffled hands enough to turn it into 7. It's the difference between a 5 move problem and a 15 move problem that's worth noting.

I wish I knew that I could get the TLT5 to fit my foot. If you were closer at least I could try it on.

What's your location?

I think a few people are missing the point that having a phone that works where you are for work lets people leave the desk and get into the mountains more. I dont' see why anyone would have a problem with that. I know most would prefer to leave work behind but sometime I can weasel out early or take an extra day off as long as I'm availabe to take calls and answer questions. I'll deal with that to get outside more often.

There is a Skagit Alpine Club meeting at the Burlington Library tonight at 7pm. It would be a good place to meet people familiar with climbing in this area. Burlington Public Library is located at 820 East Washington Avenue, one block south of Fairhaven at the corner of Washington Avenue and Holly Street

I've looked for the guidebook but not hard enough to find it but I know my way around the beach pretty well. There are a handful of fun boulder problems in the v2-v3 range and a couple that I've been told are v5s. The otter cave has a v3 and a v5 and the mushroom cave has a v7 with big holds but all the moves are big. The most problems in one spot will be at the firepit with a couple of different traverse variations. Some of the problems are tide dependent so it helps to hit it at low tide. I was down there a lot after work last summer but not much this summer, send me a PM and I can show you around M/W/F after 5pm.

That looks like a good trip, I wish I had made it out there a week earlier and with full snow gear, crampons, rope, harness, etc. I was up there on Saturday, July 14 and a lot of snow has melted out since you were up there. We followed the hiking trail up to Cascade Pass and then maybe a mile out the arm before turning back to find a ski route back down to Cascade Pass. We had to downclimb 2 times on the way to Cascade Pass and then hike up to the pass the same as you did. From there we followed a questionable path and had to downclimb through some slide alder between a couple of water falls. There was a route that traversed through from skiers right to left but we missed the entrance even though we had spotted it and shot pictures from above for reference lower down. You can see pictures from Saturday here.

Yes, I'm a moron and have nothing to add but does Cam know how you feel about his nuts?

Sorry, no offense intended. If we had mutual friends or I knew you were active in this community it would be different but I'm not going to send a check for $100 to a screen name on the internet that I don't know. That said, I was genuinely interested. Good luck with the sale.

Do you ever get up to Bellingham or Seattle? I'm interested in the Venom Adze and maybe a couple of screws but the low post count makes me cautious about shipping.

Keep it. I have a full DSLR kit and I never take it with me on long days. On the other hand, I have my G12 with me any time I have pack on my back and it has the wear to prove it's seen some hard days.

Thanks Jason. Next time I see you remind me to tell you my secret.

I got pictures up! Flickr set.

Great shots Jason! Thanks all for the great day. I'll work on getting my shots online in the next few days and I'll post a link.

I was up near Rainy Lake on Saturday and the snow was very skiable and we didn't have any unexpected stability issues. The top 4" or so was sliding loose, wet, slow, and loud. As long as my partner and I didn't ski above each other then we both felt safe. We were able to ski from Maple Pass all the way to the highway with just one walk across a lake and one around a water fall on the creek that drains from Lake Ann.

I think there was a clean up last summer at Erie and I'm sure some interest could be generated in the SAC community. I know several members live in Anacortes and climb at Erie regularly in the dry months. I climbed out there a few times last summer and did not see trash then so I assume it happened sometime during the winter. I haven't been out to Clayton to boulder since the fall but I expect I'll find lots of glass in the cracks when I do get out there in the next couple of weeks.

About the only thing that I have to add (having never successfully introduce a GF to climbing)... Don't expect a woman (or anyone new to the sport) to pull moves the same way that you do. I've been spending time in a university gym lately and it's almost comical to watch 22yo guys show prospective GFs how to pull through easy routes skipping holds and with sloppy dynos.

There were at least 4 people on the ice on Sunday.

I finished my degree in Industrial Technology (VRI) the same year that Dr. Seal retired and am still living in the area and working as an engineer down in Skagit Valley. I have a handful of friends who have very fun looking jobs as industrial designers that make me jealous. One of my friends has a firm in Seattle called SuperBigCreative that has worked on a lot of interesting projects.

I ran into Arunas in the lift line a couple of weeks ago. It's been a few years since the last time I saw him and it was good to say hi. Good luck with ID, I've wished I pursued that path several times since I finished school.

You're right, I read the article on Sunday evening and didn't remember it correctly.

That contradicts the ESPN article. I'm not sure which is correct. http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/story/_/id/7593035/avalanche-washington-stevens-pass-kills-three

In regards to the Stevens Pass incident the part that would make me the most nervous was the group size. Especially coupled with shooting photos, the size of the group considerably slows everyone down and leaves individuals exposed to danger for a much longer time.

I've thought on it some more and in the end I voted for beer. The DWS seems like it would be a novelty that would wear off a lot quicker than the investment is worth. The gym that I was climbing at had a bar in one corner that served up beer and basic sandwiches and it really made for a good community of climbers there. I'd climb for a couple of hours at a time, get beta, give beta, and then at the end I'd usually end up hanging out for another hour sharing beer and talking about places we'd want to go. I realize that with kids and commitments that might be more time than some people have but for people with more flexible schedules it makes the gym a better place.