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Jacob Smith

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Everything posted by Jacob Smith

  1. Look at me I made a blog! https://obligatoryclimbingblog.wordpress.com/ Should be fun.
  2. I agree with Skoog, this winter is incredibly bizarre and I don't think any policy decisions should be made based on it. granted, I haven't been out there this year yet. Part of what i love about the place is it's unregulated, primitive nature. a real campground or a camping closure would be a tragedy.
  3. I actually had to go to the hospital in canada a couple years ago when I had a bad reaction to a yellowjacket sting, after a fair amount of harassment we got our insurance to pay for it, but that was just an emergency room visit and all they did was give me some pills and assure me that my throat wasn't about to close up, because they are not for-profit institutions like in the US it wasn't more than a couple hundred dollars. The whole notion of for-profit healthcare has always weirded the shit out of me, like I know doctors deserve a good wage, they have to go to school forever and i can't imagine a more stressful job, but every time I see a tv add for a hospital i just cringe. no one should benefit from someone else's misfortune (of course that's also the reason I don't believe in capitalism, so it's not like this philosophy is going anywhere).
  4. I believe the hospital was threatening to hire a collection agency to go after Josh. There was a small part of me that wanted him to wait a couple months before asking for help because I was was morbidly curious to see what would happen if such an agency went after somebody who had no job and no assets. And banning him from Canada is indeed what would happen, or maybe he would just be subject to arrest if he ever tried. No Squamish, no Canadian Rockies, no Bugaboos... I'd almost rather be banned from the US.
  5. Hello all, My friend Josh Lewis, whom I sure some of you know, was badly injured by rock fall in the Canadian Rockies last summer. All things considered he’s doing quite well, although still suffering from post-concussion issues, but his insurance is denying him coverage because the accident and his initial medical treatment occurred outside the US. Some other friends of his have put together this fundraiser to help him pay off his medical debts, which, for a student with no full time job, would be rather crippling. Anything you can contribute will be greatly appreciated Fundraiser More information on the accident and it’s aftermath can be found here Josh's trip report More info on the aftermath
  6. When I wrote that one down I thought I might regret it. It is the most fun and interesting ice climb I have ever done, but it was in easy WI5 condition and I didn't lead it. Why I'll never climb Torre Egger isn't about the grade. Jim Donini called it either the most difficult summit in South America or the most difficult in the Americas, I can't remember, and it's got to have the lowest success rate of the Torres. Plus light and fast technical alpine climbing freaks the hell out of me.
  7. "there is a simple reason why the same climbs show up on many lists on this thread. A person writing their list after reading the previous posts are affected by those previous posts. Those climbs get "remembered" while the slew of other great climbs are neglected." I think there might be a little of that going with the constant repetition of the Beckey-Chouinard but I know I would have listed it anyways... Your theory makes the most sense for the second category, which had the most repetitions. For the first I think people are just listing the climbs they are the most proud of (and apparently that means long alpine granite routes), and while the third would also be susceptible to suggestion, it had the least repetitions. I think there might have been a phrasing issue though, a lot of people were thinking of it as "what will I never be able to climb" and not something really cool that you'll probably never do, which is where all the people listing grades comes in. Anyone could climb 5.12 if they really thought it would be cool to do so, but no matter how awesome I think Torre Egger is, there is next to no chance I'll ever get up it.
  8. So because I was bored, and interested, but mostly just bored, I compiled all the routes people listed on this thread and sorted them to see which were mentioned the most often. This is what I came up with. The most common route for the first category (everyone seemed to define it a little differently) was a five-way tie between: The Beckey-Chouinard on South Howser Tower Exum Ridge on Grand Teton The Northeast Buttress of Slesse The North Ridge of Stuart Outer Space on Snow Creek Wall The most common route for the second category was Cassin Ridge on Denali, followed by a three-way tie between: The North Ridge of Stuart The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome Yosemite Valley (a lot of people just listed general areas, more on that later) The most common route for the third category was the North Face of North Twin, with no other standouts. Which I think says a lot for how educated cascadeclimbers are in the history of alpinism. Interestingly, if “5.12” were a route it would have been a tie, and if grades were treated as a route collectively they would have won by a landslide. If all the entries are combined, the routes most mentioned are, unsurprisingly, a three-way tie between, The North Ridge of Stuart The Beckey-Chouinard on South Howser Tower Cassin Ridge on Denali I also did a little research and figured out the mountain or crag and area or range associated with each route listed. The most mentioned mountain or crag was a tie between El Capitan and The Chief, followed by Denali and Mount Rainier, and then Mount Stuart. The most mentioned area or range was the Cascades by a massive margin, even though I was counting the Stuart Range, WA Pass, Index, and Leavenworth all separately. Also high on that list were Yosemite Valley, the Alaska Range, the Canadian Rockies, Squamish, the Bugaboos, and Red Rock. Conclusions Cascadeclimbers climb a lot in the cascades, shocking I know. I was interested though, by the other areas mentioned. The Bugaboos, the Canadian Rockies, the Alaska Range, and Yosemite were all mentioned heavily in all three categories, while the desert southwest, the US Rockies, and the Andes were largely skipped over. Finding specific mentions of routes in the Himalayas, Karakoram, or Alps was even more rare, and almost entirely limited to the third category. For the central Asian ranges I get it, but for the Alps I was surprised, why are people so eager to climb in Alaska but not in Europe? If it was really just travel costs then I would think the absence would be limited to the first two categories. Granted, I didn’t think to mention Beyond Good and Evil or the Central Pillar of Freney or that A5 route on the Dru either. Anyways, I may be thinking about this too much.
  9. I find it interesting how many people, myself included, are listing basically the same series of climbs. Some sort of new 50 classics list may be in order... Climbs I loved 1. Coleman Headwall 2. Davis-Holland 3. Jubilant Song 4. Fearful Symmetry 5. Green Drag-on Climbs I’d love to do 1. Beckey/Chouinard on Howser 2. Thin Red Line 3. Doorish route on Dolomite Tower 4. N Norwegian Buttress 5. Zodiac Climbs that impress the hell out of me 1. N Face of N Twin 2. Torre Egger 3. A5s on the Falls Wall 4. Slovak Direct 5. Emperor Face
  10. Don't know if you are still looking for a partner, but I'd like to get out to index tomorrow after work (mid afternoon). Let me know if you are interested.
  11. Still looking. more specifically, I'd love to have a gym partner for September (lead or TR, 10s and 11s).
  12. We climbed Dark Rhythm two days ago and encountered only two partially flattened bolt hangers, one of which it was still possible to clip, the other was on the first pitch, making it a little on the run-out side.
  13. I've been wanting to get out to Darrington, what do you have in mind?
  14. Looking for consistent midweek partners for Everett Vertical World and/or Index Town Walls. I'm free m-f after 2:30pm. Once upon a time I was leading 10s and 11s, now it's probably more like 8s and 9s until I get my technique and endurance back. email at smithj18@seattleu.edu
  15. I'm going to be up at Washington Pass on Saturday and would like to stay and climb on Sunday as well, any interest in a moderate alpine climb in that area?
  16. That is some serious bullshit. Not once in all my trips to Canada (five last year) have I ever been asked for any of those things. When I went to Ireland a couple years ago one of the customs people was being super dickish like that and turning people away right after they had gotten off the plane. I quietly switched to the other line and got through fine. Glad you found a good consolation prize though.
  17. swimming upward through 80 degree slush, having good talks with the universe, reminds me of a couple index attempts several years ago. got to love springtime in the cascades! man I miss that shit.
  18. edit: plans have been made
  19. Selling a climbing pack that doesn't fit me very well and some other random gear, essentially all new except for the pack. pants are all models that are no longer, or were never, manufactured, thus the vague descriptions. Wild Things Andinista 50-90L - $80 ($385 new) - specialized lightweight alpine climbing pack, older model, well used but still in good shape. North Face Meru Gloves L - $70 ($179 new) - heavy leather palm gloves for mountaineering, used once. North Face Enduro Plus Pack 9.5L - $80 ($160 new) - lightweight hydration pack, never been used. North Face Enduro Belt 2 - $25 ($50 new) - hip-belt w/ 2 water bottles, never been used. North Face Men’s Climbing Pants 30 - $30 - lightweight synthetic pants for climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, never been used. North Face Women’s Climbing Pants M - $40 - Apex material climbing pants for climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, never been used. North Face HyVent Shell Pants M - $60 - midweight climbing/mountaineering pants w/ suspenders, never been used. Chalk Bucket - $20 - never been used. photos here or by request if that posting expires
  20. Huh, I guess I assumed that because the double crack in the alcove around the corner had bolts at the top there already were bolts out of sight from the bottom. Did you climb the crack on the prow to the left of the cracks in the photo as well?
  21. True enough, this post is mostly just to cover my ass if someone ever gets pissed at me for throwing a few anchor bolts on their route.
  22. So I was hiking around an area near Frenchman Coulee looking for potential projects and I came across several cliffs that look, well, developed... Really not sure about the etiquette of what is clearly someone's secret crag, but I don't want to jack somebody's project or falsely claim an FA, so if this looks familiar, send me a PM.
  23. Trip: Mount Baker - Coleman Headwall Date: 1/25/2014 Trip Report: Last weekend Ryan Hoover and I climbed the Coleman Headwall on Mount Baker. Conditions were phenomenal, with ice up to AI5 and a fair amount of neve. [img:center]http://images.summitpost.org/medium/885509.jpg[/img] For a full report, included the accident that followed, click here. Gear Notes: One 70m rope, half a dozen screws, two pickets, two tools each. crampons... Approach Notes: Road was open to within about a mile and a half of the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead and the trail to the Hogsback was clearly discernible, no floatation necessary. Glacier to the base of the headwall was simple enough, many crevasses filled with snow.
  24. Trip: Whitehorse Mountain - Standard Date: 1/20/2014 Trip Report: On Monday the 20th Adam Walker, Josh Lewis and I climbed Whitehorse Mountain via the standard route. We camped at the trailhead and started the hike at 3am, but due to some slowdowns with a couple members of the team bailing we did not make the summit until 12:45. Route finding was not all that difficult, the trick to the traverse past Lone Tree Pass seems to be to go low and stay low, the correct gully is obvious once you are below it. The summit block itself was fairly simple, 60 degree snow that took bucket steps very well followed by a short, steeper section to the crest. I belayed Adam and Josh up on a picket and then they rappelled, leaving me to clean the anchor and down-climb. All in all it was a great day on a peak I’ve been wanting to get up for a long time. [img:center]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VYD7JPiYrR8/UubfkB9GpqI/AAAAAAAAB8A/B32-2gAdyB0/s1600/P1200957.JPG[/img] Additional photos can be found here. Gear Notes: Snow conditions were phenomenal, with excellent cramponing for the vast majority of the route, we carried snowshoes but did not need them. Also not needed were the second tool, the ice screws, and the small rock rack that I carried.
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