B Deleted_Beck

my buddy and i went and rapped some of the taller walls this afternoon. it's very, very slippy right now. we jugged back up after the first rap, but i'm nursing a strained rotator cuff, so once was enough. we scrambled back up the one spot where you can scramble without jugging the next trip up, and then took the trail for the rest of the time. just wanted to get some good leg exercise, and have an excuse to bust out the ropes for something. one of my ropes got absolutely caked with mud from the jugging... it's bad enough i might just go ahead and throw it in the washing machine.

i've been out there a few times in the last couple weeks, since the weather's been better. after a few days of no rain (and some freezing nights), the rock was basically dry with just a little bit of slippy algae in some spots. totally climbable. i don't know what any of the lines are called, so i can't tell you what i've climbed, but everything we tried was good. until a couple days ago, the condom carpet wasn't even muddy.. just frozen and firm.. but it's fairly muddy now. we just stayed on the rocks and did't have any problems with mud, last time out. now after a day of rain, though, i'm sure it's shitty again... hopefully we'll get a couplefew clear days and it'll dry out.

howdy.. i'm ben, and i'm a noob. looking to do at least weekly climb days at rocky butte. all i've done so far is top rope, and i'm actually totally good with that for at least the immediate future. i just want to work on my technique, by going up and down, up and down, up and down. naturally, it'd be awesome if i could get some more experienced partners to climb with, but i'm not discriminating- anyone with a harness, ATC, shoes, and chalk may apply, from experienced people to virginal noobs. i'm a confident and competent belayer and rappeller, and can show you how to do both of these safely. i have everything needed for topping... it'd be great if you had a rope, to share the wear and tear, but not necessary. email, PM, post bkb0000@comcast.net

as far as rocket science goes- no, none of this stuff seems to be. but there is a lot to be said for question-marks- is this knot appropriate for this application? is that ice stable? is that rock stable? will this snow-bridge hold my weight? is that a drift, or a snow bridge? if things get really shitty up here, will this jacket keep me alive? what do i do if it rains? what things should i have in my pack that might save my life if things get shitty? what's just wasted weight? is this little fray in my rope bad? if i screw this ice screw into this 3" ice crust, will it arrest me in a fall, or just blow out and chase me down the mountain, and tink me on the head at the bottom just to add insult to injury (death)? sounds like you've got the gear- now you just need a climbing partner who knows a bit more than you. i just took my buddy rock climbing at rocky butte today for the first time in his life. i'm a straight up noob myself, but with my knowledge of ropes and anchors, and our combined equipment, we had a great day rapping and top-roping the taller walls.. we won't try lead or trad until one of us has had some pointers from somebody who knows what the hell he's doing, so that we don't end up with those questions... will this hold? is this safe? can i do this? etc. we've got the motivation and the gear- but there's no point dying just because you didn't know not to back-clip, for example. my perspective.

great pics... i so badly wish i was climbing shit right now.

having some expensive hobbies, and being sick of it being expensive, i've sort of come to the conclusion that it's pretty much bullshit that this stuff has to cost a lot of money. im done spending an assload of money just to enjoy what God gave us for free. might be a little riskier- but we've got way better technology and knowledge than the forefathers of climbing had, and most of them made it.

know what i've done? just browsed Google Earth with the "terrain" option ON. then i float around the pacific northwest looking at different peaks... when i see something that looks interesting- the right pitch, right elevation, right location, i'll search for it here and at summitpost, and get some first hand opinions of the climb.. then put it on the list, or not.

i'm a new guy too... plenty of trail/off trail nav experience, even some low-speed, low-elevation "mountaineering"... but zero snow/ice summit experience. i figure low elevation buttes in the winter are gonna be a good place to start. that way you're not talking anything too technical or too steep, less risk of personal injury or death, but you're still getting some good pick/crampon climbing experience. i plan to do NoCal's Black Butte, if it would ever snow over (my father lives about 5 minutes from it and is gonna give me a call after the next blizzard), Oregon's Black Butte, Oregon's Olallie Butte, all winter (snow), and then start going higher/more technical as we bleed into spring. right or wrong, that's another noob's take.

necropost, i know.. is hot forging really necessary? with a good modern spring steel, seems like a good gage sheet, an angle grinder, and a carbide 5/8ths drill would produce something comparable to whats sold in climbing shops. only difference would be that grinding causes heat, stamping (how i assume they make theirs) doesn't.

excellent tips, guys.. thanks

somebody correct me if i'm wrong, but i dont think you generally walk away from factor 2 falls.

sketchy how? everything i've heard about mazamas has been good, and that their safety record is really good. i'm even about to join..

what non-climbing pants do you rock climb in? really not excited to drop $80 on a pair of pants, when i'm sure there are other durable, gusseted pants out there, for or not for climbing, for probably half or less than half of that. thanks

http://www.theuiaa.org/act_safety.html some info and a cool video. let the video play through, and it'll autoplay three different vids.

you aren't going by the UIAA falls rating, are you? probably 6-8? your rope can take WAAAAY more falls than that. the UIAA falls rating is based on some crazy fall factor where they put WAY too much weight on the rope and drop it from way too high. don't ask me how exactly, or why... i guess all that info is available on the UIAA website.. i've never been curious enough to look. i just know the UIAA falls rating does not, and is not intended to, give you any idea how many real life lead falls your rope can take.

the way it's been explained to me is that the rope, so long as it passes visual and feeler inspection- no mush in the core, no serious sheath separation or fraying or cuts, etc... the rope is not going to just break. instead, it'll absorb less and less fall energy every fall, leaving your hips to absorb the balance. how much can your body take? i haven't yet worn out a climbing rope.. so i can't speak from personal experience.

what's the consensus on used crampons? there's quite a bit on the various boards and ebay. seems like a scuffed up old set of 10-pointers for $30 would do fine- but i am new, and know nothing.

thanks for the reply how do strap on crampons compare to step in, for when i get a true mountaineering boot? it's too bad i didn't ever get into skiing, and these aren't ski boots... then i could at least justify buying a set of aluminum strap-ons, for ski approaches. snowboard approach, aside from maybe being fun, doesn't seem like it's generally gonna be too practical.

first of all, howdy, i'm ben. i'm new to sport climbing. to be brief... what are the chances this might make an acceptable, temporary, cold climbing boot for easy 6,000-7,000' summit winter hikes? http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab6/bkb0000/stuff/100_0942.jpg?t=1294817865 (why cant i get this image to display?) will it even accept a crampon? would the crampon it would accept be a decent crampon i'd want to use with the better boot i intend to buy come spring? it's a snowboard boot... Killer Loop, if you remember them. not shit, but definitely not top of the line. they're pretty rigid in the back, obviously not intended to be hiked in all day... otherwise comfortable, warm, and waterproof. almost seems like i could just cut off the plastic spine on the back, and they'd be a lot more flexible at the ankle. stoopid noob idea, or can i get away with this?

thanks.. i actually talked to 'em about it last night. all they've got is facebook (which i'm also new to), but they liked the idea of members being able to link up, and said they'll come up with something better. maybe put a partners section in the newletter, get a board up on the wall, something tangible.

yea.. apparently they've been open for about 2 years, and i only just noticed 'em about 6 months ago. they're next to the theater in down town- and i never go down town. i guess there's a relatively good sized climbing community around here. since i'm just now getting into sport climbing, i don't really know anybody.. kind of makes it hard to get involved. but i'm doing what i can. hopefully some local climbers are members here. either way, i'm sure this board will be a good resource in general. glad to have found it. the apple of my eye is alpine mountaineering- but i want to get a firm foundation and learn competence in all the sub-categories before i try my hand at big summits.

howdy.. i'm brand new to rock climbing, and pretty much new to climbing in general. i learned to rappel in the army, and took that super basic knowledge and applied it at work, as a roofer. i work with ropes and equipment all the time, but it's obviously a different sort of application. just stated so you know where i'm at.... new, but not dumb new. anyway... i signed up for a membership at the Vault rock gym in Saint Helens (where i live), and have climbed a couple times now, belayed by staff. obviously it's all toprope- since staff is only available to belay sometimes, if you want to climb as often as you'd like, you gonna need somebody else to belay. i took their belay cert class, and am now certified to belay. i still need some practice, but i won't drop you, and i own a grisgris if that makes you more comfortable (though i'd prefer to get more experience with the ATC). just lookin for somebody preferably local who can meet up at the gym and climb/belay for an hour or two several times a week. obviously you'd need to already be a member, or make the commitment to join. you can join right now for $40, and get belay certified for $45, if you don't already have credentials stating you know how to keep somebody off the mat. i'm so brand new here at CC that i don't actually even know if there's a PM feature.... (surely there must be?) so i guess i'll plug my email in here.... bkb0000@comcast.net and i'm ben thanks ETA- i should also mention that i'm looking to do some REAL rock, hopefully locally/regularly, in the probably nearish future. the only thing holding me back is guidance and equipment- need to get some anchors and learn how to use them. but the motivation is there, and climbing strength will be there soon.