dbb

With that much flowing white silk and pink sequins (they match the blouse!!!!), it can hardly be described as simply a "sash"

Please keep your information on those folks to yourself for the time being. thanks

did you have/want snowshoes?

Way to go eric! that's a freakin impressive line. Now you can say you went to the alps for the solitude

Further tests of girth hitched slings to slings/biners/whatever are not very interesting. Those test were in specific reaction to the failure John Sherman experienced, and just quantitatively verified the "Don't do it" motto. What would be good is if we as individuals submitted slings with a recorded number of days exposure to outdoor conditions. Then we could test the new, the old, and the really old. That would give us all a reasonable guideline of when to retire "normal" looking slings. Industry is not likely to generate this data because "use" is such a subjective term. also, I wouldn't believe that girth hitching a sling to a biner is stronger than the sling its self. Rather that with a sample size of 1, that sling was stronger that any of the other slings.

I would also recommend that you just pay someone a small amount to have secure storage. Cars are routinely broken into in broad daylight, and in plain view of folks climbing on the Apron. Best just not to leave anything valuable (even sleeping bags!) in the car. Also, check out craigslist for cheap canopies. If you're just wanting a roof over your head in the back of the truck, you can usually get an aluminum one for ~$100. Just don't rely on it for security either. Sounds like an awesome trip!

can't wait for some more steep witch doctor side action this year! VooDoo Wall:

is that two hours from the car and with nice alpine ambiance mr. Berdinka? that looks like a gem!

who are you, Fred Beckey or somethin? summit chief does look good. in fact, alpine chicken looks better than the FA conditions. nice solo trip. that must have been fun to cross such remote terrain alone in "winter"

Not too surprised, but I recently found out that the north peak has been climbed before in winter. I don't know who or when, but it sounds like it has been done at least a couple times.

nice work bros!

Jens loves approaches. give in to the dark side homie

Get better soon P! I hope you have sassy nurses.

Trip report with a few more pics..

be good kids or the monster in the cave will come for you in the night..... you know, the cave. the one just off the kitchen.

I nikwax the palms of my gloves and it actually makes them a little tacky. Don't put too much seam grip on the palms of your gloves. Put a little on such that any exposed threads are "sealed" but do not try to make the seam "waterproof". Waterproofing is a lost cause, and all that seam grip on the palm will make the gloves way less sensitive. you really need some SNAGs (sensitive new age gloves)

Go Previa! go! That one was rigged out with a sleeping/gear box that the owner road tripped obsessively with. Those vans are comfy, get about as good gas mileage as the tacoma 4cyl and are better on snowy roads. As an added bonus, they can juuuuuust make it into the north ghost.

And on the front cover no less! way to go Colin!

Definitely buy the #2 camalot at least. you will use it everywhere. you can get by with hexes or cheaper cams (like forged friends) for the #3 and above camalots if you're just starting out. Eventually get a #3 sized cam though (I almost always carry one on rock). I would recommend you buy a #1 and #3 metolius cam or camalot C3 equivalent for your other cam. That's what I did when I started out and I ended up placing those two small cams a lot more than the 3 inch piece.

I think you could get hurt pretty bad if you go around squeezing balls! I think it just comes down to frequency and intensity of your workouts. Do more endurance/moderate climbing workouts than you do high end technical workouts. Listen to your body and respond when you need to back off. Staying in constant shape makes things a lot easier, as I'm sure you know..

ok, add on the 100 hikes book too and combine me with Mr. Fox

nice trip! things look fat up there

I'll take nelson volume 2

I'll take 'em

Blake- something you may or may not know is that the loop road into the regular red rocks area has "open" hours. If you are parked in there past the open hours and without a late exit permit, you'll get a ticket. Red Rocks is awesome, you'll love it. A small selection of good stuff: Frogland Climbs on the brass wall, esp the 5.9 finger crack Ginger Crack Sport climbing at the Gallery (classic RR sport!) Great Red Book Johnny Vegas to Solar Slab (long classic) Geronimo Tunnel Vision (chimney!) Cat in the Hat (crowded with gumbies, but in the sun and fun) red rocks has tons and tons of fun climbing 5.10 and under. I second the drive to Zion idea. It is a great place to take a hike or do some canyoning. If you drive through the park, about 30 minutes from the north entrance is the coral dunes national monument (big pink dunes of sand). Having driven from the grand canyon to zion and then red rocks last spring, I'd say it is not worth the lengthy drive on a short trip.