Hall

Looking for a partner to climb the NE Couloir on McCellan Peak this Sat. + Sun. I have some local beta, but not much else exists. Approach Sat. Climb Sun. Should be moderate alpine ice. PM if interested.

Those crazy Canucks!

The End of the Line. Peskett Canyon. B.C.

Ripple Ridge Cabin. B.C. backcountry.

Off route. Somewhere in Idaho.

First ascent of The Scoop. C.B.R. Washington.

Some guy from Nelson. B.C. backcountry.

Hey John, I too have burned through LS rubber in about 6 months on 2 different pairs. I have been using LS shoes exclusively for about 12 years, and it does seem that the previous generations of rubber did last longer. However, (lack of) softness (stickyness) was the general complaint about the old LS rubber. A decade ago many people resoled their Muiras with Stealth ASAP. It seems that LS has come around to soft rubber, maybe a bit too far.

I've always been satisfied with Mountain Soles in Portland. Used them this spring for 2 pairs of Sportivas. Back in <3 weeks and around $40 a pair. They looked as new. I've had the same pair of Muiras resoled by them 4 times over 8 years.

Maybe Sol could chime in about the Gunsight Range. From his presentation a few weeks back, it looks like big glaciers and solid rock. Also looks like a big approach to basecamp.

Dane's right (of course!) and his name is written all over the history of that place! Free Friends is an AWESOME route. It is more sustained .10 climbing than the ones I suggested. The ".10c" designation scared me off for alot of years. Go for it!

East Side: Cooper-Hiser (.9). If you can muster it, climb the Canary Legs start (.10). The original first pitch isn't very good (near mandatory use of a rotten stump and a sandy, poorly protected gully). Likely the best route on Chimney. West Side: It Ain't Hay (.9). If you can muster it, finish via Fun Roof (.10). The South Nose (standard) exit is cool, however. The Rappel Chimney has numerous variations in the .6-.8 range, and fun cracks can be found throughout. Just make sure no one is rapping!

Rain/lightninged off of Chimney Rock. 2006? Coming down the trail on the Pack River side. As the trail turns north and becomes an old road, a momma griz was walking up the trail, between me and the trailhead. Spooked her at about 50m. She stood up (about 7 ft tall) and 2 youngins' peered out from behind her. Of course I shat myself, then backed away slowly, making increasing loud yells and banging my trekking poles together. She and her cubs ran up the uphill side of the trail. At that point, the terrain is steep and brushy on both sides of the reclaimed road. There was no place to go. I didn't know if they were just off the trail or far away, and there was no way to give them a "wide berth". So I waited for about 20 mins. then loudly continued down to the truck without seeing them again. Regret not taking a picture, but given the circumstance... An electrician that I know lives on Pack River Road near old "Buck and Edna's" that burnt down. He has a "resident" griz. that he takes pictures of regularly. Kinda far from the "core" area. Closer to Hwy 95!

Seen tracks while skiing south of Salmo Pass BC, which is nearly on the Idaho boarder. I believe they move south into the States in the winter, when (foot) access is very difficult, so nobody sees them. In the summer, they migrate well north of the CA border. I have seen aerial photos of them at the Sandpoint ranger station, and those where taken in the winter. Seen a couple grizzlies from the Chimney Rock trial over the years.

Hiked up to Millennium Wall today. Its about 40% in, with one line that looked like a thin 3+ lead. 3 guys were already TRing it. After a few laps, the crux lower section probably got scarier. I moved on to the Goatee and found the best ice I have yet seen in the L-town area! Very fat! About 80% in. Soloed the whole thing, with about 25ft of 3 and lots of low angle stuff. Not for the hardman, but it was nice to be on some fat ice with no chandeliers or running water!

Today I experimented with this technique on a low-angle flow near Leavenworth. I was NOT in any hurry to get down, and I HAD other rap options, but I thought I'd give this a method a try. I built a horizontal V-thread with a 17cm screw, and threaded my single 10mm rope through it. I realize that this method is intended for skinny half and twin ropes, but after a little trouble grabbing the rope with the hook, it eventually pulled through. I then rapped as usual, wondering if the rope would freeze with temps in the low 30s and some water dripping. It didn't, and pulled flawlessly. I probably would NOT do this with a 10mm rope in a "real" situation because it could be time consuming or impossible to thread is fat of a rope. I got lucky with a near perfectly aligned V-thread, but this does not always happen. The ice was bomber, and I had no doubts about safety in this case.

I agree with the rest of the posts. Save the money and take the first oppertunity to spend 2-4 weeks at a climbing destination (Valley, City of Rocks, Indian Creek, Index). Keep in mind that any trad partner that you meet is likely to have gear as well, so doubling up is easy if needed. You have more stuff than you need for most climbs, and if you start doing easy alpine rock climbs, the pressure will be to take less, not more. You'll be leaving those big cams at home as often as possible!

I 2nd the need for p1 anchors Regular Route, Careno. Also Off Duty on Duty Dome has a Leeper sheet metal thing and a vintage '80s SMC for an anchor (3/8 studs, at least). Great route. Old bolts. I have some bolts, hangers, and Fixe ring anchors, but no power drill. I would be willing to put in some time/gear if someone has the power!

I have climbed with some Russian friends that I met in college for about 10 years. Most of what has been said is true. 1) They are very regimented. They won't climb a 5.9 until they have climbed 20 5.8's. This is a through-back to the Soviet competitive systems 2) "Getting to the top" is everything. They will hang on a climb for an hour, completely wasting themselves, then pull on gear and/or go way off route just to get to the anchors. 3) In Russia, their is very little cragging available (and no dirtbag/weekend warrior roadtripping). Most climbers train by climbing trees or buildings, then go on a 2-3 month "holiday" in the summer to some remote region (Tien Shen, Altay) where they siege their objectives. I am generalizing, of course, but this comes from personal communication.

Great that this design will again be available, but what a terrible name! "Basic" cam? If they could buy/license/steal the design, why couldn't they keep the name?

FYI there's snow above about 5k, and it looks like 6" to 1' above 6K. Might make WA pass/Prusik/Colchuck/Stuart iffy. Here in Leavenworth, Snow Creek wall dried out today. If your willing to go this far, look me up! 20eight-59six-048nine. Matt

Scenic Bouldering Cragging Humor Skiing Ice Climbing

Took these while working on a photo-essay on "vintage" gear. Never got around to finishing it.