dbb

Drury falls is pretty much out. Greg and I went up there on Saturday under warm conditions and found what you'd expect out of washington. We solo'd the first pitch and it was little more than steep slush. The second pitch was falling apart, big hole in the middile and upper, as well as glide cracks all over the place. Same slush fest conditions on it too. I can only assume that the final 3 pitches are covered in about 1 foot of this nasty slushy ice as well. The ice on the East side of the gully was still in and offered good smear climbing, but that's about it. Dave

I'm not too sure about those adjustable fifis. I've used mine a few times and I always found it hard to lengthen once it's all choked up. Also, the loop isn't super positive like a regular fifi and I'm a little wary about reefing on it on steep ground. If it did pop, you would most likely fall the length of your daisy and static load the piece (and your back). I think if you're going to use a fifi, use the regular one and have pre-tied loops for them setup for 2nd and top steps. If you want a easy and comfortable way to walk up the steps, by all means go with the yates. You don't need to clip/unclip anything and the buckle system extends easily.

There are some great cracks on The Blob, on The Old Woman, and Intersection Rock right at Hidden Valley--The main climbing area. Hands Off also came highly recomended (also in Hidden valley). Check out the Bartlet Guide for the local areas and do all the *** routes! If your up for a long solo adventure, check out walk on the wild side. It's the longest route at JT (3 whole pitches!) The books sandbag it at 5.7+, but it's really about 5.9. The bolts are a little spacy too, about 20-25 ft. Bring some small cams and nuts as they are useful supplimental pro. For bouldering, check out bouldering.com's mini guide to boulders at JT. some cool problems to try are: Gunsmoke - the classic JT traverse, White Rastafarian (if you can find it) behind hidden valley, and there are some really nice boulders over by the Dam Parking area.(which is where Gunsmoke is too)

The Yates adjustable Daisy is great. You can move faster and with more confidence while moving up into the second step. Closer than that to the piece and the buckle setup becomes too long to be useful. Obviously this is were short loops come in handy. But the adjusting is really nice when you on overhanging terrain where holding on to fifi can be pretty strenuous. I would recomend using one normal daisy and one adjustable because if the adjustable craps out (as they do after a few walls aparently), then you can still aid with one daisy. They are totally aid specific, but I'd say worth the $17.

One good thing about your hose freezing is that it is sure to save a little water for later! I've used a platypus for ~2 years and it is satarting to delaminate. After having the tube freeze on a not-too-cold day in winter, I stopped bringing it along except on summer day climbs. Also, the platypus head spontaneously unscrewed its self the last time I used it. Luckily I had drunk almost all the water already! Though seriously, these things can be great. You are destined to be hydrated when using one under the right conditions. Also, if you have another, smaller back up bottle, it can be easy to refill. Sounds like the MSRs are a bit more durable too.

I totally agree with Rodchester, I've used a wire gate to rack screws and really like it. Stick about 3 screws per biner with the opening down. When you want a screw, just lift it up, push the hanger onto the gate and off it comes. Those rubber things can help to keep the biner in place too.

Phil and I took a tour de Eastern Washington on Saturday, and here's what we found. Stopped in at the palisades early saturday, didn't have any problems with crowds on the routes, and no access issues with the locals! All the climbs were little more than wet rock. Ditching the palisades, we drove towards banks. Things were still in there but thinner than a month ago. Most of the standard routes were still climable, but the cable looked weaker and Phase transition was allmost out. It saw some top ropes, but the main pillar in the upper section was the only climbable part of the upper wall. The punch bowl is still in good shape, but is pretty picked out. It was decently cold so people said that there had only been ~4-5 pummelings that day. Trotsky's Folly was still in, and probably leadable. The ice gets all the way to the top now, but the upper 1/2 is looking a little abused. Phil and I climbed a unknown route S of mile marker 10. This brushy looking corner climb had decently thick ice because it had a nice rib blocking the southerly aspect. The climb was about 25-30 meters, climbed in two steep steps. The first was strait foreward 80 deg., but the second was a nasty brushy mess that lead to a tounge of 4 in. of detached ice before toping out in frozen moss and mint. We don't know if it's been climbed before, but it probably wont be climbed again! A fitting name would be "Brush Hell", and it's probably about 3+ Didn't get to see any of the beer climbs around soap lake, but I would assume that they're a little on the thin side as well. Dave

I'd be careful about that "fart on country" quote. who knows what else he might fart on! One time a hitch hicker we picked up farted for like 700 miles!

I'm selling one of my X-15s. It is an adze with the fully randed shaft. The tool is in great shape, and I have only used it for two seasons of WI and alpine. The grip at the bottom wont "unglue" like the red shaft models and the new shrikes when you plunge it through ice crusts/snow/etc. It is a 45 cm, with a stinger pick and no head rust. $95

I'm all for having the local book writters give input, and perhaps let their descriptions of approaches and pitches be used. But I think that the community here can also furnish these reports. It is true that we must have the "proper" information on each climb. That is where the BBS aspect of this site will come in handy: many people can help scruitinize inconsistancies within anyone's general report. [This message has been edited by dbb (edited 02-01-2001).]

The extensive thread on ice brought back an old topic in my mind: Is the better way to becoming a good rock climber in the mountains on gear, starting as a sport climber? Clipping bolts until your comfortable in the 10's and then hop right down a couple grades on gear. From my experience, I started from ground one on gear. Slowly working my way through the grades, and becoming nearly solid at each before pushing onto the next. I also have a friend who, up until lately, has been entirely leading in the gym/sport atmosphere. He linked this up with his general mountaineering experience to start leading .8s in the mountains. This all in the space of, say a year or so. We can save the chat on boldness and moderateness for another thread, for I'm talking about a strategy for someone who has the desire/boldness/whatever to climb harder. Harder is obviously different for everybody, but you know what I mean. Think of it as a race to lead .10 in the mountains. Who will win, and who will be the safer or better climber?

it would be nice if we could get a hold of his book. any one know where? sounds like he isn't publishing it anymore..

and feathered friends will rent avalanch beacons. I don't know if REI does, but come the weekend, you can be sure that they're out of them!

I've been loving the fishing gloves with the yellow fluff liner lately. The dexterity over mits and slipperty fingered gloves is awesome. They are warm enough for most conditions around here and best of all, they are totally dry. Once they do get wet from sweat though, it's a good day before they'll dry out inverted. But they do provide some knuckle pro, and the sticky rubber is awesome. $13 is a nice price too.

The one problem I've experienced with the grivel lock down leash is that it has handed-ness. If it's rigged for a right hand, it is outright painful to hang on it with your left hand. The other is that I doubt it would be real useful with an adze tool. I've been using the BD twist leashed with great success for leading ice. They are super easy to get in and out of to place pro. Their advantage is also to their dissadvantage because I'm always afraid of dropping a tool if I have to let it dangle while using my hands. This is mostly a problem for alpine climbing, which leads me to ask: does anyone use tool leashes anymore? Though, in the end, it is all moot because we're euro hardmen and don't need those "aid climbing" leashes!

I'll take the risk of a post a little off topic per use of the grivel hemlet. One thing you might try is climbing without your glasses. I've read that Tuan leads grade 6 ice without his! I don't know how well it would work, and I probably wouldn't like it, but it's worth a try! The other thing that you could do is spit on your glasses and rub that around on both sides before each pitch. That works for scuba masks at least.

That's unfortunate that even the back of the AAJ is sucombing to the trend of the rest of it. Super-hardman routes are again pushing out the awesome hidden gully climbs, and exploratory rock climbs. Hopefully everyone will submit far previous reports (as well as new ones) to the up and coming database so that we we have a resource simmilar to bivouac.com. As of yet, the Mr. Rainier section here could use some work! Probably everyone on this BB has climbed it, but you wouldn't find that area of much use if you hadn't. Another questions for the AAJ is how do they expect to chronicle all the unclimbed number peaks in, say, Alaska. They are pretty much the standard for what has and hasn't been climbed. The majority of these peaks are not Alaska grade IV too... where will future climbers look for mountain info if this is gone? I suppose maybe I should be mailing them and not asking you, but I'd like to hear what other people think about this too. Dave

Plastic bread bags work just as well as the vbl socks I'm pretty sure. I wouldn't know how well actual vbl socks work because I've never tried them. Though vbl socks do wear out quickly and are probably not worth the expense. I think that the idea of vbl for the feet is great. It can keep your plastic boot liners dry on long trips, and even make your feet warmer in cold conditions. [This message has been edited by dbb (edited 01-19-2001).]

I also spent the weekend at Banks lake and found very good thick ice. It was a bit warm on Saturday, where we witnessed a party nearly get pummled by monsterous icicles falling off the cliffs above Devil's Punch bowl (and you thought it was just a cute name!). Trotsky's folly at the bottom there wasn't leadable for the last bit thinned out befopre the top, but the first 30 feet were fun bouldering. Also there are many 1-2 pitch climbs in farther down towards H202. We even came upon some people who rock climbed up to the upper pitch of a hugely fat climb that was missing its base. Sunday was much colder and the ice was more solid. Looks like cold temps will continue out there as well, so I don't think much will melt out. Best bet is to climb north facing stuff, as the Absent minded prof. was only wet rock. Dave

Here is a picture of the bottom of the NE buttress from mid-winter last year. We opted to go left, instead of the usual gully route (because some one was on it). We were stopped about 5 feet below the snow of the E face by mushy snow on steep rock. Anyone else tried to go this way before? We had ice (how ever bad it was) up to our bail point. photo by Phil Fortier [This message has been edited by dbb (edited 01-16-2001).]

It Seems to me that you would want just the opposite. If you were climbing Alpine you can get away with a regular ice axe and a hammer (for pickets). And why two hammers on pure ice? How does one clear off rotten ice with a hammer? I don't think that modular backs are that big of a deal, but you're going to get it if you go with almost anything other than an x-15 (or knockoff). But as for the B/Ps, are people talking about the old carbon fiber version or the fully randed version? I thought that the fully randed version's shaft was not made of carbon fiber.. true? Also, as far as fully randed tools go, if you use a leash that attaches to the shaft (twist leash by bd, and many others) the loop will catch mercilessly on the rubber of the shaft. This can be a mild annoyance while climbing in the leashes or a pain in the butt if you want to move you hand to the top of the head while it jams onto the shaft. May be something to think about with those B/Ps. (and to follow suit) Just a thought.

That is a good point about the shafts, thanks. Though the Rambo is actually heavier at 0.72 KG to the Axar's 0.7 KG. I'm also looking to upgrade out of BD tools because their picks have gone to garbage. The new "Cobra" pick is just a stinger pick with a longer-thicker penetrating surface. (thus shattering more and being harder to remove when set really well.)Aparently they increased the size there to obtain CE cert. for sale in Europe.

Rambo vs. Axar What do people think about these two tools? I like the clearance shaft on the Axar, but does it protect the knuckles enough an give a comfortable grip? I really like the picks on the Rambos but the double bend in the shaft looks like it wont be as nice to hold on to as a typical "bent" shaft (i.e. pulsar-ish). Any comments?

The reserve library at the UW (basement of the Natural Sciences) Has all the AAJ and CAJ printed, as well as the indexes. I think you can access them even if you are not a student or staff and copies are .40 Just remember to bring a pad of paper and a *pencil* if you want to copy things down.

We made it back ok! We arrived at the lake late sunday morning around 5 pm. We had left the cars early sunday morning and were now on the N side of the lake. The avalanche danger was really narly in the hidden couloir so Dan and I each decided to solo new rock routes on the N face. He went "leftwards" while I went "rightwards". After 36 hours of continious free soloing up the N face, we both met up on the summit for tea. It was then decided that we should go to Alpental and speak of the infamous mikeadamson guy from cascadeclimbers with random ice climbers in the parking lot.(no joke! you're famous now!) .... ok, I wish. We gave up hope for the climb after the severe storms of friday with all its snow and wind packing. Ended up doing a nice ski tour up to the trailhead followed by some crawling through the snow to reach some ice at Alpental. Also, as people have said, there is zero ice in the icicle creek canyon. Dave