Matt

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff is a good school in a great town with fine climbing and cool temperatures. University of Vermont in Burlington is very cool. SUNY (State University of New York) in New Paltz has great climbing and a very friendly town.

Anyone interested in joining me tomorrow (Friday 11/2) for a ski up to Camp Muir? Send me an email if you're game. It sounds like there are some early season freshies to be had! matthew_heller@hotmail.com

quote: Originally posted by David Parker: If the skis are wide enough, you don't need risers. Most alpine skis are fine with out risers except maybe really thin ones or the new shaped ones. I would stay away from risers until you become an expert tele skier. I also think GS skis are better than slalom skis. They tend to have a more even flex and softer tip. Generally speaking, slalom skis dive in the powder. You don't need a racing ski. David, So basically your saying my advice is bunk? Maybe I'm wrong, but I think GS skis are made to be the stiffest skis on the market. The increased rigidity helps GS racers make large arching turns and improves stability at faster speeds. Typically, a beginner never skis fast enough to get a GS ski to flex correctly and so at lower speeds must rely on more slide and less carve in the turn (i.e. poor technique). The increased rigidity also makes carving turns in powder more difficult. A slalom ski is softer (compared to a GS ski) and has a smaller turning radius-- allowing for tight fast turns that are typical of slalom gates. The ski will flex at lower speeds making it more user friendly for beginners. Truly it is all superfluous. It doesn't matter what kind of gear you have as long as you're having fun. AlpineK, clearly you are older than dirt. Let's go skiing sometime.

Juneriver, Old down hill skis make great tele skis! GS skis might be a little stiff and make it hard for you to carve. Long slalom skis are perfect for telemarking. If you use alpine skis for telemarking you should look into getting "risers." They will put space between your bindings and your skis, allowing you to lean the ski over and turn without dragging the side of your tele binding/boot in the snow. These are especially useful when using alpine boards because tele boots and bindings are often wider than the ski. On hardpack the edge of your boot can actually pry you ski edge off the snow in the middle of a turn. Tele skis are often thicker in the middle to avoid this problem, while downhill boards are thinner (as measured from the wax side of the ski to the top of the ski). Risers are cheap. Last week I pulled up behind a Toyota pick up with a bumper sticker on it that said: randonee: French for "can't tele"

When you're just figuring things out it can be scary getting on the sharp end. For me it's off and on. Somedays I'm fighting with my partner for the best leads. I don't want to give them up for fear that I'll miss leading one of the better pitches. Otherdays I could care less and I'm happy to let my partner lead, especially if it's a sport climb and he's a stronger climber. Basically, the more you do it the more you'll love it-- or else you'll learn that climbing isn't for you. I've known guys who own full racks but could never get over the fear factor. They would get sewing machine leg on mellow 5.nothings and could never enjoy the rush. It takes skill and know how to confidently place good protection while on lead, especially when you get into the higher grades. You have to learn how to rack your gear, how to read the rock for protection options and how to relax and hang out while you place it. The best way to learn how to place gear is to clean gear. So yes, to answer your question, you'll get hungry for the lead. It's a great feeling to be the first person on top, set up the anchor, and belay your partner up while you check out the scenery.

The University of Calgary has an amazing rock gym and in their gym they have (or used to have) a knot buster. On a visit I witnessed all kinds of rope and webbing get pulled apart and it is truly eye opening. The knot is always the weakest link in a good rope. Usually the rope melts where the knot is tied. The knots shrink down and "eats" the rope. In a climbing system, however, usually a karabiner will blow before the rope will. The only thing wierder looking than a fried figure 8 is an oval that's been stretched out. It makes sense when you think about it. As a knot tightens it bites down on itself, eventually biting all the way through. The Euro Death Knot vs. Double Fishermans is a good debate. Without a doubt scariest and most dangerous part of climbing is rappelling. I noticed a lot of the more experienced climbers have posted on this subject. Thank you all. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 10-18-2001).]

Three Fingers, South Peak October 14, 2001 It was 6:35 p.m. and getting darker by the minute. We had been wandering around the summit of Three Fingers for the last two hours in whiteout conditions trying to find the fire lookout (circa 1931) on top, but the fresh snow had covered any trace of the trail. Rock faces kept appearing and disappearing in the mist and I couldn’t tell which finger was the South peak. "What do you want to do?" Matt shouted at me. I wanted to rest, but instead I pointed up the slope with my ice axe. It all came down to this: if we found the lookout we would enjoy a warm dry evening on top of a Cascade peak, if not, an epic was about to begin. My legs were cramping and my hands were getting cold. I didn’t want to stop to get out my mittens and headlamp for fear that by the time I did it would be completely dark and impossible to find the cabin perched somewhere high above us. We kept going. Even though Matt is probably 25 years older than me he has legs of steel and quickly hiked up above me. He shouted, "I see the ladder!" then followed with, "No, it’s not it." I contemplated just staying where I was. I knew if we didn’t find the ladder in the next ten minutes or so we’d be camping out in this shit. I didn’t want to spend the energy hiking up when we’d be turning around looking for a place to bivy down below in a few minutes. The ice was sticking to my hood and stinging my eyes whenever I looked up. I focused on my feet, counted out twenty steps and took a breath. Matt disappeared around a corner. "I found it!" I heard him shout. The slope’s angle increased and I stepped carefully. I could feel the rock underneath my crampons and the tip of my axe bounced off as I tried to find a secure hold. Eventually I made it up and peered around the corner. The mist was thick and I could only see about 30 feet in front of me. There it was! The ladder was in several dilapidated old pieces and covered in about 4 inches of ice! At first I thought the cabin was closed and they had taken down the ladder for the season. Then it dawned on me, Matt had already climbed the pieces of the ladder and was on top. Coming around the corner meant stepping onto a steep slope that crowned a 450 foot rock face. I could see the slope for about ten feet below and then it just disappeared into nothing. I tried to drive the shaft of my ice axe into the snow, but it only went in a few inches. I hammered the pick into the rime ice on the rock and kicked my feet into Matt’s footsteps. Below me bits of snow floated into the abyss. I could hear Matt above me banging on the door of the lookout. He was trying to open it, he shouted out, but it was covered in 4 inches of ice, just like everything else around here. We’d be covered in ice if he didn’t get that door open. I finished the traverse to the base of the ladder and my right hand was freezing. I was gripped and the sling around my wrist was cutting off the circulation. I tore off my glove, unzipped my jacket and stuffed my numb fingers into my armpit. Slowly the feeling came back. I looked down and my ice axe was just sitting there in the snow. I picked it up and put my left hand through the webbing. I tapped my feet together—they were growing numb too, put my gloves back on and started climbing. The ladder was easily 5.6. Smooth and icy, each rung sucked the feeling out of my hands. I got to the top of on ladder and had to mantle up on a block. The rock narrowed and I pulled to squeeze my pack though the slot. Bang, bang, Matt continued to hammer at the door. Bang, bang. Just a few more moves… Then suddenly it was all over. I crawled to the top of the last ladder, stood up and stumbled in through the door. It was pitch dark and I fumbled to get my headlamp out of the top of my pack. We lit some candles and closed the door on the elements. There was a chair, a table, an old newspaper. A huge smile grew on my face. Soon the stove was roaring and hot spicy ramen was on the way. At only 6,854 feet, Three Fingers was fun and interesting climb. Beta the Guidebooks Don’t Have But You Want to Know * The approach is from Forest Road 41 via the Goat Flats trailhead. The road has been regraded and is smooth enough for regular cars to drive. 4WD and high clearance are not necessary, you can get your Honda Civic to the trailhead w/o a worry. This is easily a 2 hour drive from the Seattle area. Expect about 20 miles on the dirt road. * The trail from the road to Goat Flats is very bad in places, especially when it is raining as the trail becomes a creek. Expect mud, big puddles, roots, lots of up and down. * We observed two parties that appeared to contain (1) an ambitious boyfriend and (2) an unhappy girlfriend. If you like your girlfriend and the forecast is for rain, don’t take her on this hike. On the other hand, if you don’t like your girlfriend and you want to break up, you should strongly consider this as a day hike. * Encountered cold wet conditions. For this time of year I might recommend plastic mountaineering boots and/or a few extra pairs of socks. Snow from Goat Flats on. My feet were cold. * From Tin Pan Gap to the top the route finding was interesting/mildly difficult. A GPS might have been useful, though not necessary. Map and compass are necessary. Encountered minor rock fall and ice melt off while traversing under cliffs. * This hike can be done in a day by those in good physical condition. * Useful climbing gear: ice axe, crampons, stiff mountaineering boots. * Useful info: it appears they don’t lock the fire lookout so there’s no need for a key or reservations. If you go up late in the season you’re likely to have it all to yourself. This is a great place to spend the night! Be sure to get there before dark. * Try and scope out the fire lookout’s location from Tin Pan Gap where the trail meets the Three Fingers Glacier. * From the South peak’s perennial triangular snowfield on the south face you cannot see the ladder or the lookout, built in 1931. When in doubt, continue up the slope as high as you can go and look around to the left hand side. It’s there, you just have to have faith. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 10-19-2001).]

The sun is shining, my dog wants to run and I don't have to sit behind this desk anymore. Ahhh. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 10-17-2001).]

Bronco, I'm with you on the paragliding. I really want to learn how to do that. I think it would be so cool to climb peaks and then just sail down to the car. Sometime there was a post about guys soloing up the Beckey route on Liberty Bell and then BASE jumping down. Forget the sufferfest of the hike down, just fly...

Dreams. 1. Khan Tengri in Kyrgyzstan-- cheapest 7000 meter mountain in the world, in terms of permits. 2. Ama Dablam. Lambone, you know what I'm talking about. Just a fine looking peak with a little bit of everything. 3. Astroman-- been looking at that for a while. Closer to home: 1. Mattp got me all interested in Squire Creek Wall. Gotta do something there. Same goes for Exfoliation Dome. 2. Drury Falls. I even went out and bought an inflatable raft for it. Non climbing dreams: Ride a motorcycle from Baja to Alaska. Hike the AT. Sail the Med. Publish a novel. [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 10-17-2001).]

From what I can deduce, sexual chocolate is a man and has a wife, at least according to Matt Anderson. Be a man and stop hiding behind your psudonymn! This goes for all of you gapers and bumblies!

Don't fuck with Ed.

Recently I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about Afghanistan. I was captivated by the region before all this craziness happened and now I just want to know more. Central Asia and the World by Michael Mandelbaum The Modernization of Inner Asia by Black et al. Yeah, I'm always thumbing through climbing porn. So many things to do. I think I've got to do a route on Exfoliation Dome before the winter sets in. Mmmm.

I've read Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. I thought they were all entertaining books worthy of their paperback price. Sure, Jon Krakauer is no Ed Abbey, but then who is? Jon Krakauer has not sold out in as much as Yvon Chouinard never sold out. He just got lucky. As Abbey said, "Critics are like ticks on a dog or tits on a motor: ornamental but dysfunctional." I'd like to see the bullshit toned down on this website. There is a lot of verbal diarrhea that a select few spew all over this site. Hey, I ain't sayin' my shit don't stink, but I don't do it in the middle of the trail everyday for the rest of you to walk over. I enjoy the entertainment value of this web site as much as the next guy and in my opinion it is something like online porn without the tits and ass-- its mostly a mindless distraction, somewhat entertaining but a poor substitute for the real thing. That being said, I think a lot of people are turned off by all the mindless spray and don't post because of it. Maybe one of these people is Jon Krakauer, maybe it's just some regular climbing dude who has a cool story to tell, but he's not gonna share it because he knows if he does he'll just end up with shit on his boots. Bring it on!

Not quite the fish I was hoping for, but I'm not complaining. A trask fish is better than nothing.

Follow these hyperlinks for more information on the Frenchman Coulee Climbers' Coalition. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FrenchmanCouleeClimbers http://frenchmancoulee.org [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 10-17-2001).]

I have top roped the falls at Frenchman Coulee (Vantage) across from the Sunshine Wall. They were very beginner friendly. We used screws, cams and nuts to set the anchor. FYI, these falls were pictured in an article about ice climbing in National Geographic. They don't form every year, but are very fun to climb when they do. If the ice isn't up to snuff it's usually warm enough to climb the rock instead. Good luck and try to go with someone who knows what they're doing. Those things fall down and they don't care whether you're on them or under them.

Thanks for the good beta Wallstein. I have tried this route on TR and gotten thrashed. Next time I'll remember your advice. Question: How do people feel about the bolting of a crack, albeit an aid crack? What is the history of the expensive gear at the top of this crack? There is an amazingly strong stainless steel cold shut with a swinging gate at the top of this climb. I presume it is for pendulumning off of a bight to get into the crack on the left, but I'm not sure. Why the need for such gear? How many of you who have aided this crack have clipped the bolts? Just curious. I remember lots of creaky hook moves...

Cheers guys. Thanks for being so open minded and sensitive to others.

quote: Originally posted by Dru: I saw that Nat Geo article. It was by Junk Krakhore wasn't it? He should have called it Into Thin Ice. Then Anatoli Boukreev could have hired a ghostwriter to wtrite a 50 000 word rebuttal... If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Though I admit to sometimes being entertained your spray, I think comments such as those listed above can scare away well known climbers. Personally I think it would be really cool if JK would post on this website, but he certainly will not if you continue to post messages such as yours. This thread was started by a new ice climber looking for information. Please provide only information and leave your wit to other spray postings. I think a little self censorship is in order. I know I am not alone in this sentiment. I mean to say this only in a friendly way. Please think about the repercussions of your messages and what this website has become. Peace, Matt Heller

Previously there was a post about someone not remembering the names of crag climbs, I guess I'm one of those people. :-) Thanks for clearing that up Wallstein.

Dru, you are right. Amandala is the arete. Is the crack directly to the right of the Amandala arete called Ten Percent? I'm not sure what it is.

I was mistaken. I think the expensive gear is on top of Amandala, the crack above and to the right of Numbah Ten.

Any telemarkers out there? Personally, I prefer the free heels to a snowboard or regular down hill gear. Tele boards are lighter and better suited for the backcountry. I have a question for the peanut gallery: Many years ago Chouinard (Black Diamond) used to make a plastic piece that could be fitted on the toe of ice climbing boots to allow them to be used in tele bindings. Anyone have this accessory? Free your heels and your mind will follow.

http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/pull_tests_11_98.html This is a great web site and I suggest you check it out. It answered my question about clove hitch failure. Test Situation: Pull a clove hitch to failure. The clove hitch was tied around the shackle on the load cell. The other end of the rope was tied with a figure eight on a bight. New 11 mm Blue Water Rope was used. Result: Material failure at the clove hitch at 5110 lbs. Discussion: The clove hitch did not slip! We were all very surprised at this. Before drawing any further conclusions, I would like to test this again - on a carabiner instead of the shackle. I suspect the rough surface of the shackle added extra friction to the knot.