mikeadam

Alex, Excellent! I'm glad we can find peace here in the valley of CC.com. I installed it last week during the fateful-misunderstood Whillans/Alex/MVS feud and then forgot about it. I haven't even tried to connect to it yet, but it's there. By default if you log in 1st you become the "whip cracker" and can bounce anyone at anytime. Let me know if you try to logon and if you have any problems. I'll be out *climbing/thrutching* for the next week, but when I get back I'll write up a BOT to monitor the BATTLE CAGE! Have fun! SPRAY LIVES! Mike Adamson mikeadamson@alpinelite.com

Fees are in effect now. The low snow cover seems to have effected the conditions on Dragontail this year as many of the snow features evident in early season are not nearly as apprarent or non existent altogether. Best to just get a look for yourself though since I haven't really been scoping your intended line. Good luck and have fun, Mike

I think I can offer up an interim solution. I installed an IRC server at my website where anyone that knows how to use it can login and spray in realtime. If you don't know what internet relay chat is then just think of an AOL chatroom. It's the same thing. If you don't know what a chatroom is, it is simply a place where you can type in your thoughts and they appear to the "room" as soon as you hit enter. You can also see all the other members in the chatroom and even converse with them offline while still remaining logged into the chat. The user also has the ability to use different fonts and color schemes and can write small macros that send instant messages to the group such as "Rayborbony is the funniest name I have ever heard on this site" I will log several protests however. One thing to note is that this nothing more than a NON personalized version of the Whillans/Alex/MVS post that was bound to come up sooner or later. First off, who am I to detract from this site by coercing users to my website. That sucks, because Tim and J have done alot of work and I don't want to steal their traffic so people that want to talk smack can do so. I strongly disagree that spray does not meet the mission that Timmy and Big J proposed in the beginning. Many of the "spray people" became climbing partners and now enjoy a much larger landscape of possibilities as a result. In the interim the group grows almost daily. For every detractor of "useless" spray there is someone that gets a good laugh out of it. Informal communication I would call it. Some of the other threads tend to border on pyschologically draining, and repetetive. The sprayzone seems to be simply a group of people who climb and still find time in their lives to get on the internet. I think the majority of the spray posters simply love climbing and find happiness in expressing themselves in senseless posts. BLAH BLAH BLAH....anyway why argue. If anyone wants to know how to use the IRC chatserver at alpinelite please email me @ mikeadamson@alpinelite.com. Please don't expect any quick responses as I am kind of busy for the next month, but I will take the time to make a document FAQ online that will tell you where to get an IRC client and how to connect to the IRC server. If Timmy and J decide to install an IRC server for the spray site I will remove mine. Likewise if you want to spray on this site then please do so because I AM NOT the webmaster and I am NOT attempting to steal this sites rightfully earned members . Only trying to appease a vocal minority of posters and probably a non vocal group as well. I am only offering up this solution because I feel that others may feel the same as Alex does and I respect those opinions. Mike Adamson mikeadamson@alpinelite.com [This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 04-20-2001).]

Personally I'd like to hear more about this rappel into the girls dormitory Mike

Nick A. and I were caught descending from Colchuck in 99 without an overnight permit to camp at the lake. The ranger had been up there while we were climbing and took note of my tent (stupid on our part). Later on the trail just below the lake we met the ranger on the trail who was very friendly and made an effort to educate us. She asked for my ID, but I told her I didn't have it on me at the time. She let us go and I assumed that was the end of the story. We hiked out, but as we emerged at the trailhead we were greeted by both a ranger AND a sheriff. We had no real choice, but to cough up some ID's which the sheriff used to run criminal background checks on both of us. The ranger then handed us a $100.00 fine which we paid via mail. Friends of mine have had similar experiences in recent years in that area which is becoming highly regulated. I'm not sure about any blacklisting... Incidentally I'm not sure when they finally opened all of the fee sites in the Icicle, but as of Monday they were all manned by campground hosts and charging fees again. Mike [This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 04-19-2001).]

I kind of/sort of agree with Ranger Boy. At least on the level that approaching a climb in an aggressive and well thought out manner combined with good conditions will end in success. I don't see the mountain as having any aenema. I see mountains as inanimate objects, and I do not place mystical value in them. I believe what we conquer is generally something more akin to an obstacle within ourselves. Mike http://alpinelite.com

As of Saturday it was gated. There is very little snow on the road. Mike

Nyah..this suits me fine. Seriously though I have to go back in the morning to find something I lost up there last weekend. Is it just the approach you wanna know about or are you eyeballing that no ice wonder sitting up there? You can email me offline too if you prefer. Mike

Juan, What ya wanna know? All I can say is I just got back from helping some crazy dude launch his paraglider off a previously unflown launch site. It was a killer ski launch too! When are you gonna buy one of those Juan? Mike

Gibson, To set the record straight the information is contained in 3 seperate threads. One is this one. One is called "Missing Climbers on Mt Baker" and the other is simply entitled "Missing Climbers". In short: There was someone spraying bad karma on this board about the 2 missing climbers on Mt Baker, and insulting individuals who were posting on the topic. It got heated quickly because Who Cares is a pussy hiding behind an alias and wouldn't identify themselves. Someone else conjectured it was JY based on previous bad blood between him, you, and RB, but was quickly discounted as a theory by many people. I left this message up so that this person known as "Who Cares" can have a chance to step forward. All in all it was one of the lamer threads ever propogated on this site, which simply reaffirms my belief that I don't climb to socialize with the Washington/Oregon climbing community or any other community for that matter. I just climb for the chicks and so I can trundle blocks on climbers like "Who Cares". Take care Lucky. Mike

Gibson, To set the record straight the information is contained in 3 seperate threads. One is this one. One is called "Missing Climbers on Mt Baker" and the other is simply entitled "Missing Climbers". In short: There was someone spraying bad karma on this board about the 2 missing climbers on Mt Baker, and insulting individuals who were posting on the topic. It got heated quickly because Who Cares is a pussy hiding behind an alias and wouldn't identify themselves. Someone else conjectured it was JY based on previous bad blood between him, you, and RB, but was quickly discounted as a theory by many people. I left this message up so that this person known as "Who Cares" can have a chance to step forward. All in all it was one of the lamer threads ever propogated on this site, which simply reaffirms my belief that I don't climb to socialize with the Washington/Oregon climbing community or any other community for that matter. I just climb for the chicks and so I can trundle blocks on climbers like "Who Cares". Take care Lucky. Mike

I just tried slacklining for the 1st time this morning while waiting for the rock to dry off in the Icicle. It was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time. I'm going to set one up near my house and start practicing on it everyday. Mike

You going to work tomorrow Wallstein? Pound Hammer? [This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 03-29-2001).]

You going to work tomorrow Wallstein? Pound Hammer? [This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 03-29-2001).]

Jon, I suspected as much. I was just trying to reach Timmy. Can you email me your #. Mike

I believe you dude. Tell Jim I said hey if you see him or Curt Gibson (Lucky). Mike

I believe you dude. Tell Jim I said hey if you see him or Curt Gibson (Lucky). Mike

Crose, I'll go up there with you. How can I reach you? Mike

You know where we stand. Feel free to write whenever you feel ready for me. Train hard old man....harder than ever before.... Mike Adamson

You know where we stand. Feel free to write whenever you feel ready for me. Train hard old man....harder than ever before.... Mike Adamson

Sigh....1st Alex K. gets thrashed for simply trying to be helpful, then the whole Baltimore thing, and now this. This really needs to stop people. I apologize to all readers if somehow my post regarding the missing climbers on Mt Baker was misconstrued as an egotistical statement. The intention was not to sound like I had the answers in my pocket. Unfortunately, it was sort of done in haste before I headed out for the morning, but I intended for it to spark a discussion of value. I made the comment because the media portayed the climbers as experienced. I was taken back when I saw the interview with the one person's mom, who like Phil mentioned, described her son as "Not very experienced". I was really stunned that 2 people with a minimal amount of experience would head out on Baker this early in the spring. I consider Baker during the winter and this early in the season to be a serious mountaineering objective. ANY route on ANY mountain can become serious when the chips, like bad weather, start to fall askew. After a year and a half of climbing I wasn't even really thinking about going into the mountains with conditions like these. I feel fortunate that all the learning experiences (negative ones) I've had were never "as bad as it could be". In short they were not fatal experiences, just brushes. I assume that EVERY climber has had these experiences and walks away sort of humbled and thankful. Then you kind of wrestle with it and either continue to move forward, or step aside, and let the climbing thing pass you by. I have quit climbing about 3 times in the last 7 years. If you look through the threads you'll find a climber right now seeking mentorship. Maybe if these guys had a mentor they might not be in the situation they are in right now. I feel terrible for the guys mothers and for them (the men in question) also. If I thought there was something-anything I could do I would be up there right now, but I know I would just be in the way with all the professionals that are on the job right now. The important thing here is that we realize that two young men may have lost their lives (we don't know yet) because they chased their passion without having all their ducks in a row. True, people have choices and can make any decision at any time, but we can still be compassionate to them as human beings when they take a wrong turn. It took me a long time to figure this out as I pretty much had the same attitude as Mr Who Cares throughout my military career. I think John Bachar, a noted California soloist, has a very similar attitude as Mr Who Cares. I respect his climbing. I do not respect his attitude towards other people's lives. I cannot impress enough that I felt this thread should not go unnoticed through yesterday's barrage. I should have given more thought to my original post. My thoughts are with those climbers, their families and the rescuers searching for them right now. I pray for the best outcome. Mike Adamson

Sigh....1st Alex K. gets thrashed for simply trying to be helpful, then the whole Baltimore thing, and now this. This really needs to stop people. I apologize to all readers if somehow my post regarding the missing climbers on Mt Baker was misconstrued as an egotistical statement. The intention was not to sound like I had the answers in my pocket. Unfortunately, it was sort of done in haste before I headed out for the morning, but I intended for it to spark a discussion of value. I made the comment because the media portayed the climbers as experienced. I was taken back when I saw the interview with the one person's mom, who like Phil mentioned, described her son as "Not very experienced". I was really stunned that 2 people with a minimal amount of experience would head out on Baker this early in the spring. I consider Baker during the winter and this early in the season to be a serious mountaineering objective. ANY route on ANY mountain can become serious when the chips, like bad weather, start to fall askew. After a year and a half of climbing I wasn't even really thinking about going into the mountains with conditions like these. I feel fortunate that all the learning experiences (negative ones) I've had were never "as bad as it could be". In short they were not fatal experiences, just brushes. I assume that EVERY climber has had these experiences and walks away sort of humbled and thankful. Then you kind of wrestle with it and either continue to move forward, or step aside, and let the climbing thing pass you by. I have quit climbing about 3 times in the last 7 years. If you look through the threads you'll find a climber right now seeking mentorship. Maybe if these guys had a mentor they might not be in the situation they are in right now. I feel terrible for the guys mothers and for them (the men in question) also. If I thought there was something-anything I could do I would be up there right now, but I know I would just be in the way with all the professionals that are on the job right now. The important thing here is that we realize that two young men may have lost their lives (we don't know yet) because they chased their passion without having all their ducks in a row. True, people have choices and can make any decision at any time, but we can still be compassionate to them as human beings when they take a wrong turn. It took me a long time to figure this out as I pretty much had the same attitude as Mr Who Cares throughout my military career. I think John Bachar, a noted California soloist, has a very similar attitude as Mr Who Cares. I respect his climbing. I do not respect his attitude towards other people's lives. I cannot impress enough that I felt this thread should not go unnoticed through yesterday's barrage. I should have given more thought to my original post. My thoughts are with those climbers, their families and the rescuers searching for them right now. I pray for the best outcome. Mike Adamson

An interview I saw yesterday with one of the guys mother's said that he had been climbing a year and a half. Is 1.5 years considered an experienced mountaineer these days? Mike http://alpinelite.com

An interview I saw yesterday with one of the guys mother's said that he had been climbing a year and a half. Is 1.5 years considered an experienced mountaineer these days? Mike http://alpinelite.com

Latch, et al, Actually Scarpa Freney's fit wide feet quite well. However, since they were designed with technical objectives in mind they don't hike worth a crap. I got sore heels just walking up and down Si with a pack. Just like any full shank boot I suppose. You will have to treat them a number of times as the leather is very prone to becoming soaked. Before application I climbed some alpental "shice" in them and they were soaked for 2 days afterwards. They do climb EXCEPTIONALLY well, and I often boulder in mine. I find that as long as the holds are positive I can generally pull all the same moves I can do in rock shoes. They climb well on wet rock, unfortunately I don't. Freney's accept all manner of crampons quite well, and I have climbed technical waterfall ice in them without any complaints. The newer versions are probably better than the older ones so make sure you check out several seasons worth of designs. Marmot only had the older Freney's the last time I was there. Overall, a decent summer alpine boot, but just know there are some quirks to the boot worth taking note of. I would think it has it's main arena on mixed ice and rock routes with moderate to easy approaches. Not much of that around here eh? Mike http://alpinelite.com