Alex

Canal Flats. I am not kidding. The entire town....!

Sorry, its been done.

The rock is rhyolite, not granite. The flake is supported *only* by the vertical edge wedged in the (vertical) corner, it has no support from underneath, top, or one side. I'd estimate the dimensions to be 10ft wide, 15 feet high, and perhaps 3-6 inches thick. Its very impressive. Its very very scary to yard one while climbing, though I've gotten a bit way up it on TR before chickening out. The pic that John posted is cool and all, but thats a slab. This is plumb vertical. You are climbing under this flake for half the route, then yarding on it directly, then doing 5.10 climbing above for the remainder of the route. If it ever came off it would kill your partner, kill you and/or chop your rope, and kill everyone else near the base of this crag.

This has to be just about the most idiotic thing I've read in a long time, so I know it must be a troll, because certainly I can't really be living among people this stupid.

That does look cool. Blue lake looks like a really cool place to camp after Sinister.

Kelley Law is hott.

Shiro's is it. I Luv Sushi is more economical, though.

I've gone down that trail/approach, I would never go up it, unless it was at night. No water and no shade for a looooong way

If you value your sanity, and are considering any east-side-of-the-Lake destination for work, you MUST have unfettered access to I-90 Eastbound without getting onto I-5. Therefore living in S Capitol Hill, Leschi, Seward Park, Columbia, Rainier Valley is vastly pref to Fremont/Ballard. If you insist on Fremont/Ballard then, 1. Abysmal, as you have to battle 520 OR I-5 to I-90 at the least 2. Abysmal, as you have to battle 520 OR I-5 to I-90 to 520 at the least 3. Not bad. Its kind of a reverse commute, esp if you can stay off I-5 Southbound coming home. 4. Terrible. You will have to battle 520. You wont really have the option to take I-5 to I-90. 5. Casual.

great pix, the one of Bo Derek is cool cause you can see...trees!..in the background...and the Seneca shots take me back to SUOC West Virginia trips of yore!

No. Was talking about an ex-girlfriend.

My ex has Raynauds, and regularly climbed Colorado 14ers during the Spring-Summer-Fall with no issues.

the weather will be the most deciding factor for you, though the Blue Glacier that late might be more sporty than in June/July/Aug when its typically climbed. there is no way to know until your dates arrive...some years our high pressure lasts into October, some years it starts raining mid-Sept.

they dont use avi poodles down under, they use avi roos

Not to put you down, but did it occur to you that since you are on your first ever ice trip, you don't actually know what WI5 really means, and that you might have climbed something in Spring conditions or that is overrated? I don't know, but Colin is fun to drink a beer with. Maybe Steve was fun to drink a beer with too, and so there is a similarity?? If you were fun to drink a beer with, maybe you'd be the next Steve House??? Some of us have jobs, wives, children, only climb on weekends, and actually have other interests besides climbing, despite our plans for world domination. And maybe we arent so fun to drink a beer with...its been a long time since I went to Pub Club Welcome to reality! Total bummer dude, if you were in Seattle we'd hook a brutha up! Tomorrow forcast is sunny and mid 70's!

I've lived in Capitol Hill Rainier Valley Seward Park Eastlake Wallingford had my boat in Ballard for 7 years worked in Fremont for 2 years and would have to say that it completely depends on where you will work. If you work in downtown Seattle, Belltown, or Fremont, then Belltown, Ballard, Eastlake, or Queen Anne are great places to live. Eastlake as GREAT access to I-5, I-90, and 520, as well as being right on Lake Union and having great eateries close bye and withing walking distance of bank and REI, and not too far from the gym. Ballard is great if you like more blue-collar, harbor living. Shilshole Bay marina is in Ballard, and is a great place to hang. Greenlake is also nice, but a bit less of a happening scene. If you work near Pioneer Square, then West Seattle/Alki, or Seward Park might be really nice for you. You could even take the water taxi to work, as one of my friends does. If you work ANYWHERE on the East side of Lake Washington (like Redmond or Bellevue), you should AVOID living north of the ship canal bridge, as the drive into Seattle in the am from the North is an absolute nightmare. Living in the Rainier Valley or Seward Park (or even some sections of Capitol Hill) is money, because of the access to the I-90 onramp at Rainer Ave. South. Or, if you are working on the east side and if you are ready to actually buy a place, then I would suggest just foregoing moving to Seattle altogether and join me my brother in the hinterland that is Issaquah.

No, that was just me trying to get up the 11a on Trundle Dome in the drizzle...

aluminum strap on

its called mock leading, very common "first lead" technique. But (re: the title of this thread) it doesnt help you learn to place pro better because when on top-rope you (perhaps thankfully) are not exposed to the full repercussions of a fall. The three techniques I've used to teach trad gear placement are: 1) First lead very easy stuff for my partner who is learning, have them second and pull the pro, then have them lead the route, placing the same pro in the same placements. Limit the routes to like 5.4 (Sabre comes to mind) and things can work out pretty well. 2) Find harder "one-move-wonder" routes still within the ability of the apprentice that are well protected and either pre-place for the apprentice or (because by this time the pro should be somewhat familiar) send the apprentice straight to the lions! 3) Aid climb. Aid climbing like no other discipline teaches one the intricacies of what pro really does under loads. Harder C-rated aid climbs make one fall on that pro fairly regularly. Figuring out the crux moves to Iron Horse, for example, can be a pretty good test of thin/small pro!

If you climbed with Alex, Weekend_Climberz, and/or Rad midweek last fall and are missing a fairly new red, lead rope, please PM me!

a few folks up at 38 today. it was hella windy all afternoon, but fairly warm. nice taste of things to come!

even if this passes into law, odds of me using MLU on my casual jaunt up Hood? 0.

I'm with enema, I liked that photo too

All joking aside, I think the *last* reason any woman posted her pic or sanctioned it posted to the "hot climbing chics" thread was to "bring hope" to some cardre of socially inept guys who can't otherwise get a date.

Girls who post pictures of themselves are just trolling for love. Guys who post pictures of girls in absentia are obviously stalkers. Guys who post pictures of themselves are shallow. I don't know what girls who post pics of guys are, though...?