Matt

quote: Originally posted by Wallstein: Then there was another route way to the right, like 75 yards. It started with a short finger crack and then ended on a long slab. Weirdest thing though, there are bolts next to the crack. I couldn't understand why so I put a couple pieces on my harness and lead the route. After doing the crack with good pro i still didn't see the need for the bolts. Placing pro probably made it a wee bit harder but still do able. Anybody have any info on these routes? I climbed that route last summer. Stumbled on to it while rapping down after climbing the Arch. I think the bolts are pretty lame-o. Time for some road side clean up. [ 04-15-2002, 11:37 PM: Message edited by: Matt ]

quote: Originally posted by Fairweather: NPR= taxpayer funded left wing garbage. I only listen to NPR when I'm having difficulty getting to sleep. I see some of their correspondents have gone over to FOX. (Juan Williams, Maura Liasson) I guess they saw the error of their ways. Their reporting is usually accurate, but never tells both sides of a story....just the side they think you should hear. [ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: Fairweather ] [ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: Fairweather ] Have you ever listened to VOA or AFRTS? Do you think maybe there is a balance here?

"Where has Capt. Caveman gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you, We have killed him-- you and I. We are all his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? . . . Has it not become colder? Is more and more night not coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning?"

[ 04-02-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

Damn, there are some recycled arguments going on here. Can't you guys think of something new to talk about? I saw on the FCCC website there is a meeting coming up, I believe it's April 6th. If you really care about the Coulee you should show up. As I recall, it was the day after the last meeting when the Sunshine Wall bolts disappeared. Keith-- I'd just like to say Erik IS a nice guy. You just have to read most of what he writes with a grain of salt. He's a real climber, not one who just talks about it. Here's to ya Erik!

Instead of getting plain old Top Ramen go to Uwajimaya or some other Asian grocery store and get some real ramen. My favorites are kimchi ramen and miso ramen. When the ramen is almost done add an egg. The egg makes the meal. Of course, if you run out of fuel you can eat the ramen dry. It's kind of tasty all by itself.

I place my .5 Camalot on almost every pitch I climb so if you don't have one I suggest you take a look. The most recent additions to my rack are the .3 and .4 Micro-Camalots (BD) and they are very nice. I think they are nicer than the corresponding Metolius TCU sizes. Black Diamond Camalots are the nicest cams out there, but they are very heavy. If you want doubles of certain sizes get something other than BD. I have doubles of .5-2: one set of BD Camalots and one set of Kong cams (so old that I wish I could replace them, but there are other things higher one my wish list). Hexes are very nice. Bomber in the right rock and always useful. Don't get the new wired Hexes. I don't know why BD switched to wires, this is a stupid set up and my guess is they will switch back in a few years. Just another reason why trad climbing is better than sport climbing . . .

quote: Originally posted by Aquaman: DETAILS! is that all you care about Mr. PETITE Dru? Don't you mean Mr. Petit Dru/Ms. Petite Dru the choice is yours Un homme tres petit, mais qui n'est pas nain. [ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

Page 35 You never know when a lurker might come out of nowhere and steal the next top of the page. [ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

By the way

quote: Originally posted by pope: Tents are also for wimps. "Men who sleep in tents lead sheltered lives." I've heard this statement attributed to Fred Beckey. Genghis (Chingis) Khan lived in a tent.

Red-- Did you know "Pasco" means "I suffer" in Greek? [ 03-15-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

WE ARE MATT! WE ARE AN ARMY OF MATTS, READY TO ATTACK ANY WHO CHALLENGE US! WE HAVE AGENTS IN ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT! WE HAVE OUR OWN LICENCE PLATE! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! But seriously, I am amazed that this is even a thread. Too much rain lately?

quote: Originally posted by Bronco: If you must follow simutaneously, be the faster of the pair so you aren't the one eating the dinner plates. I just read about a guy who had an arm severed by a falling Ice chunk on Mt. Rainier. Sounds like something out of a movie. That reminds me of the old joke about two hikers in the woods who come across a grizzly bear. The bear charges them and one says to the other, "We'll never out run that grizzly!" His friend replies, " I don't have to out run the bear-- only you!" But seriously, I think I'd rather be hit with a rock or ice than kick a rock/ice down on my partner.

quote: Originally posted by Dru: oh yeah, and dont climb 2 at a time on ice cause stuff comes off ... It's interesting that the latest Techtip in Climbing http://www.climbing.com/Pages/Techtip_pages/210/techtip210_alpine.html was on this very subject, suggesting that it is a great time saving technique to have two seconds climbing at once. Hmm. Kind of makes you think twice about following advice from a stranger.

Peter Dronkers, in his Techtip in Climbing suggests using a very short draw or no draw at all when clipping into the Tibloc in order to minimize the "tug" that the leader will feel if the second falls. Think of it this way, if there is a 24" runner on the piece with the Tibloc then the Tibloc has 48" of play. This could be enough to pull the leader off. Bill Wright suggests in "Climb On! Skills for More Efficient Climbing" that a piece of protection be placed directly after the piece on which the Tibloc is placed. In the case where the leader falls the second piece will take the weight of the leader, not the piece with the Tibloc. If the leader fell and directly weighted the Tibloc or other similar device the result could be less than ideal. I can imagine linking pitches and clipping the Tibloc to a fixed belay, such as the many two bolt belays on Dreamer. I am also interested in hearing from someone who has used an ascender to self belay and inadvertantly fallen and damaged the rope. I know that a prusik knot is the preferred method of self belaying on a fixed rope, but I am curious to know what people have experienced when falling on a device.

I was wondering if anyone has real life experience using a Tibloc while simul-climbing? FYI, it is used to mitigate some of the danger associated with the scenario where the second falls and pulls the leader off while simul-climbing a.k.a using a "running belay". I have read the literature on the subject -- Climbing No 208, Dec, 15, 2002 "Tech Tip" and "Climb On! Skills for More Efficient Climbing." I would also like to hear from anyone who has used a Ropeman, a Petzl Micro Ascender or a Gibbs Ascender for the same use-- that is, to reduce the disasterous effects of a second falling while simul-climbing. One partner of mine said he would never use it because it was his opinion in the case of a fall the teeth on the Tibloc might cut the rope and the more slack in the system the more likely the rope would be cut. He would rather risk getting pulled of the rock then having his rope cut. I countered his argument with the idea of only using it when leading on two 9 mm ropes and clipping only one, but then the thought of simul-climbing with two ropes is unappealing. Last fall I had a chance to simul-climb with Mattp and I had two Tiblocs clipped to my harness, however we did not use them.

Yes we had a very enjoyable impromptu pub club in the parking lot at Index on Saturday! Thanks to specialed and Bronco for bringing the beer! Bronco, keep bringing beer to Index and you will have many many climbing partners! And specialed-- damn! Thin fingers in the wet! Burly! Our pub club was very inclusive with dogs running about and small children dancing in mud puddles. It was so nice to have Index to ourselves!

quote: Originally posted by mattp: How about lawn darts? Lawn darts are good too, especially because they can stick into things. What I like the most about horseshoes is the sound they make when you get a "ringer."

quote: Originally posted by chucK: Horseshoes rules!!!! Getting all drunk, flinging around heavy pieces of iron is the BEST!!! There is a great bar in Walla Walla called the Green Lantern where you can get a bucket of beers and throw horse shoes. If you're ever passing through it's worth a look. It's amazing the damage a drunk guy with some horse shoes can do!!!

Trask vs. Jman's wife-- who's your money on? According to Charlie's Rules of Engagement Trask can't shoot her, so my money's on the woman. Trask is probably fat from drinking Colt .45s and sitting in front of his computer 24/7. You haven't got a chance, buddy! Bug, our cascadeclimber seer hath fortold a beating, the beating of Trask. Jman's wife will spare the life of Trask only if he bends down to the ground and eats a cockroach-- thus proving he has balls bigger than anyone here or at the very least shows his willingness to do almost anything to sleep with a woman. What will you do Trask? Don't fool yourself, put that gun away! This all brings us back to Pope's initial comment, that there is no climbing community and the way we treat each other on this site proves it. Or does it? We can't even talk about getting together for a beer without spraying all over each other, yet some people are getting together, inspite of our human nature to fight and resist socialization. We are climbers, well not you Trask, but most of us, and climbers are innately independent thinking and acting. We don't like reaching concensus. BTW--The last time I played boche ball I was on the island of Nantucket, of the coast of Cape Cod, MA which by the way reminds me of a limeric . . . I once knew a man from Nantucket . . .

What time is it?

[ 03-05-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

I have the 5.10 Mountain Masters too. They are great for soloing up the Northern Slabs at Index, hiking the Granite Sidewalk on Blueberry Hill, trail running at Smith Rocks when your finger tips are too shredded to climb, and even walking the dog in the rain. I've had mine for two years and do everything in them. Very comfy and durable. Don't wear them in your mother's kitchen or you'll leave little black marks all over the floor and don't think you look cool in them because they are ugly. If some cute little chica is talking to you when you're wearing your Mtn Masters then you know you've got something goin' on 'cause it ain't those dorky shoes that's making her smile and flip her hair in that way-- well you know the way. [ 03-05-2002: Message edited by: Matt ]

quote: Originally posted by willstrickland: The day after a soaker summer thunderstorm or early season snowstorm rolls in, pack the packs and head for your closest super-classic trad climb. Once the rain/snow abates, get on the route and collect the booty. This works especially well on the longer easy Valley climbs. Four cams, eight nuts, and 15 biners in 12 pitches on Manure Pile one day. A veritable "booty call"? Nice! Nothing better than climbing on somebody elses gear . . . Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Ghengis Khan, "There is no greater pleasure in life than having another man's wife, riding his horse, slaughtering his prize animal and eating it for dinner, listening to him beg for his life before cutting his throat. . ." No wonder the Chinese build the Great Wall to keep him out. If Ghengis were a climber he would undeniably add, "snagging another man's #4 camalot."