Jason_Martin

I was refferring to the second picture in Matt's post as an Overhand Flat Knot or an EDK. I tie my cordellettes together with this knot in order to untie them quickly and easily. I untie them a lot. There are a couple of reasons I do this. First, I untie them in order to tie figure-eight knots in the ends. I can then clip the ends into side pieces of an anchor and use the cordellete as a webolette by pulling down the strands in between the pieces and tying it off with an eight. Second, I climb in areas where there are not always a lot of slings left behind. Or I don't trust the webbing that has been left. For example, I climb in Red Rock most of the winter season. When I get here much of the webbing on the classic routes has serious sun damage from the summer heat. I will cut up my cordelletes to replace what needs to be replaced. Third, as a climbing guide I often short rope clients with an open cordellete. Fourth, there are a number of rock rescue techniques wherein I need more cordage than a closed cordellete will allow. Lastly, I primarily use seven millimeter cord for my cordelletes. Nothing seems to move within the knot when I use my double overhand flat knots. I think that covers it... Jason

The flat figure eight is sketch. To eliminate the possiblity of rolling an overhand flat knot (Euro Death Knot), the best thing to do is to tie two of them. Then it simply cannot roll. Instead of tying two flat knots, some people will tie a single overhand into one tail of the rope near the end. The Euro Death Knot is on the inside and cannot roll over this single overhand. I use the double overhand flat knot both in my cordelletes and in my double rope rappels. As of yet I have never seen anything sketchy. I have joined an 8 milimeter rope to a 10 and have not seen a problem. I don't have any research to indicate where one should draw the line. My suggestion is that if you are concerned about the diameters of two ropes the default should be the double-fishermans. Jason

Hard.

There is some stuff that's down there that's longer, but it is incredibly dirty. A guy I know top-roped down there and the dirt that got into his rope actually made a groove in the carabiners he was using in his anchor. That said, you don't really need a super long route to stop in the middle and build a belay. Go halfway up the wall, build a belay and then continue. The wall could be thirty feet long, it doesn't matter if your goal is to learn how to multi-pitch on ice. Jason

Check out "Take it to the Limit." There's something to be said for a movie that is so bad its good. Jason

Ryland, You should be aware that in the United States there are three types of guiding, each with its own skill level requirements. Indeed, there are also subsets to these three guide environments. Following is a quick breakdown as to what is required to work in each of the environments in the United States. Be aware that special conditions in different environments may cause some guide services to hire people who are not at the "industry standard" level. Two other items should also be noted. First, nearly all guides have their Wilderness First Responder or its equivalent. And second, rescue skills are often taught in guide training courses which are either done in house or through the AMGA. Rock Guiding: The general requirement is that a person is able to lead 5.10c trad routes with style. But here's the rub, most of the guiding that one does will be between 5.5 and 5.9. It is seldom that one will actually guide at a 10c level or beyond. In addition to this, there is also a tremendous amount of top-roped guiding that one does. Alpine Guiding: A perspective guide should be able to lead 5.10a in the mountains wearing rock shoes. He or she should be able to lead 5.8 in boots. And he or she should be able to lead WI4. The irony in these requirements is that there is very little call for this skillset. The vast majority of the alpine clients out there want to walk up a glacier. As such, many companies will employ guides who are very good at this. A guide who has some avy skills, good map and compass skills, good winter camping skills, and good crevasse rescue skills will do fine for a company looking for guides to work this terrain. Ski Guiding: Ski guides should have excellent avy skills (usually Avalanche Level III training) and should be able to ski fifty degree slopes in variable conditions with a pack on. Each of the preceding skill sets are a guideline. In other words, it's what the AMGA expects to see in a certification exam. An individual company will often employ people who exceed the standard. That same individual company may employ people who are not at the standard, they will just assign them easier gigs. Perhaps the part of guiding that is not often mentioned is personality. A guide must be a good teacher, a friendly person, and should have interests that they can discuss beyond climbing. Ego and arrogance should be left at the door. They're what give guides a bad name. Jason

There's a new guidebook out from the Mountaineers on Thailand climbing. Sam Lightner Jr. has put together a very nice compilation of routes and info on getting to them, staying there, and everything else you need to know. Jason

Working as a guide is a hard but rewarding gig. Difficult clients are not very common, but slow ones are. Rain is common and being away from home is common too. Memorable trips with cool people you would have never met otherwise are common. And a closeness to the mountains that you might not experience in any other job is common as well. The idea that a guide is a babysitter is essentially a perspective from the outside. A guide is first and foremost a safety manager and this might sometimes be perceived as babysitting. If a guide is a good teacher, what's perceived as babysitting goes away with most clients. Somebody indicated earlier that it appeared that guides were trying to inflate themselves by talking about Denali. Among northwest guides this is a common mountain to have worked, so I don't believe that the guides quoted were trying to make themselves out as something more than they are. The guiding lifestyle is a great lifestyle for those who consider themselves to be patient teachers. If you are not patient and you are not a teacher then you probably won't be a very good guide. If you are guiding for ego reasons, then you probably won't be a very good guide. If you truly love climbing AND imparting knowledge, then things might work out...for awhile. I guide over 200 days a year. The wages are not high and there are no benefits. Most guides only last about five years as guides...I'm in my sixth. Though it is a hard way to make a living, guiding has become such an integral part of my life that I don't believe I will ever truly give it up. There may be a point when I only guide part of the year, but I currently don't see myself ever leaving it completely. Though there are a lot of problems with the lifestyle, (note that I say lifestyle and not career)I do think that for the person with the right attitude it is worth pursuing... ...and of course Gene's famous...! Jason

I tried this trick about three years ago after completing a first ascent in Red Rock Canyon. I was climbing with a beginner level climber at the time. During the descent we came to a spot where there really was no way to rappel without leaving a cam. There was a ten foot overhung drop. It was impossible to downclimb. I subsequently lowered my partner off of a complete anchor and then rigged a single TCU with the rope and a prusik cord. The rappel went smoothly and I was able to retrieve the cam. I don't think that I'd be psyched to use this technique in any other circumstances. The whole situation concerned me from beginning to end. If the cam didn't pull correctly, I would have to reascend the rope to retrieve it. This "double jeporady" element of the technique scared me. At the time I decided that the potential fall was short and that the consequences would be low enough for me to risk it. I would most likely still get hurt, but at the time I felt that it was worth the risk. Now three years later I still haven't reused the trick...this is a testament to how sketchy I thought it was when I did it. Jason

No.

The "Hidden" camp is called Harrison Camp by the rangers and Mirkwood by local guides. Most of the summer there are toilets at the camp, but they are flown out for the winter. As of two weeks ago there was flagging on the trail from Mirkwood down to the glacier. This may or may not still be there. Try to use the trail and NOT the steep gully to the right of the trail. From the steep gully, facing the glacier, the trail can be found to the left. Jason

Many gyms use static ropes because they don't wear out as fast. However, if you're going to buy a rope, buy a dynamic rope. Jason

You may use your normal axe if you pound the picket properly. If you pound the picket in with the adze or with the side of the head, over time you will damage the axe. This is especially true for axes with a "B" engraved somewhere on the head or on the shaft. The "B" stands for "basic" and means that the axe is not as strong as one that has a "T" for "technical" engraved on the side. To properly place a picket so that it doesn't damage your axe, grab the center of the shaft and turn the axe so that the spike is pointing toward the sky. Then pound the picket in using the top of the head of your axe... Jason Jason

There are two schools of thought on climbing and selfishness... First, climbing is a useless and selfish pursuit. It forces you to take time away from your family and those you love for a singular goal. The inherent danger involved in attaining that goal could ultimately bring about one's death. And thus deprive those who love you -- spouse and kids -- of your presence permanently...according to those who abide by this, your death would be a selfish and meaningless death. Perhaps someone might say at your funeral, "he died doing what he loved." Indeed, such a remark is terrible. Because it indicates that such a pursuit was more important than family and friends. On the other hand... Climbing has been called "moral war." In other words, climbing a mountain and enduring the strategy and stress of such a thing creates close companionship that might only be found on a battlefield. It is moral because one is not forced to kill anybody intentionally in order to attain this level of companionship. Your partner is guarding your life. You are guarding his. Close partnerships create close friendships, friendships that might not be created on a golf course or in a bowling league. Climbing puts meaning into my life and has provided me with all of my closest friends. It has sent me to places in the third world that I might not have otherwise experienced. In the course of a climbing adventure I became godfather to a small child who lives in a mud house. I have helped to financially support that child. Going to beautiful places and extending myeslf to my physical and emotional limits has tremendously improved who I am. It has improved my relationships and my attitude about life in general. I know that like many here, I am defined by my climbing. Climbing is meaningless to those who don't participate in it. Just as football and basketball are meaningless to me. There are millions who watch these sports on t.v. and orchestrate their lives and friendships around them...are we different than that? Yes. Definately. Saving your buddy from getting tackled during a pick-up football game is tremendously different from arresting a crevasse fall...and this is why climbing has meaning...

Books are always a good way to learn. I have a couple of suggestions that I believe are significantly better than the two previously mentioned. Check out "Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher" and "Rock Climbing: Mastering the Basic Skills." Both books were compiled by AMGA Certified Climbing guides who teach climbing for a living as opposed to the people who put together "Freedom of the Hills." Speaking of the AMGA...if you want to learn safe and effective methods of climbing in a short period of time, the best thing to do is to take an intensive class from a reputable guide service. Most of the three to six day courses offered by different services throughout the northwest are very introductory in nature. You would do better to go with one of the companies that offers intensive twelve or thirteen day courses. Following one of these you should have a very good understanding of what you need to practice and learn in order to climb safely and effectively. If you don't have the money for a guided course, club classes are cheap and good way to get some basic skills, but be wary. Club instructors are not professional guides and seldom have a similar skill set. Many club instructors lack appropriate experience in teaching and climbing to move club climbers up the skills ladder quickly. On the other hand, there are a few skilled club instructors in each of the clubs. Unfortunately due to your beginner status, it's hard to tell who these people are. This is part of the reason why taking a course from a guide service is probably the best way to start out. Jason

This winter Chimbo was not in very good condition. There is a lot of rockfall potential on the lower mountain and serious melting. The upper mountain is still in good condition and makes for a good climb. If you don't mind the objective dangers and difficult unaesthic climbing low on the mountain, then you will be rewarded on the upper slopes. I found Cayambe and Cotopaxoi to be beautiful mountains with genuinely fun climbs on them. I would suggest these over Chimbo any day... Jason

I generally teach crevasse rescue under three seperate headings. By breaking the systems into three parts I find that people tend to remember the different components more effectively. My subject headings are as follows: 1) Anchor 2) Z-Pulley 3) C-Z Pulley The reality of this system of teaching -- or of any system of teaching for that matter -- is that without practice a student will have a hard time remembering all of the potential steps. As such I emphasize the first skill as being the most important. If a student comes out of one of my lessons with one part of crevasse rescue dialed I want that part to be "Anchor." Once the anchor is complete and the rescuer is out of the system, then he or she can focus on the other elements of the rescue. I believe that if a student understood the basic elements of the rescue, once out of the system he or she may be able to put together a hauling system based on their recollections of their lessons. The system may not be "right" but it will probably do the job and ultimately get the victim out of the crevasse. If the student doesn't remember how to build an anchor and escape the system, then all is lost... Jason

All the new alpine bods DO have a belay loop because of tri-directional loading on the biner. My recommendation is to do exactly what the manufacturer recommends. Do what the instructions that come with the harness tell you to do. If you have an old school bod harness and you are doing a lot of technical climbing, you should consider buying a new one with a belay loop. Jason

The issue is design. We all make assumptions about gravity when we pull on the harness with our fingers. We assume that a fall will load the harness the same way...and it might. But then again it might not. Generally speaking, it is safest and best to use your equipment the way that it was designed to be used. In other words it is safest to belay off the belay loop. This is tested in a variety of ways with a variety of loads. When you don't use your harness the way it was designed to be used, all bets are off. It's going to work for the vast majority of the falls you have to deal with. But you're not going to be very psyched when a weird load hits your harness and damages the biner... Jason

After seeing this repeated thoughout and due to the fact that I teach this on a regular basis, I decided to do a little research. I emailed Craig Luebben, who does gear and rope strength tests on a regular basis then writes about them. I addressed this particular issue with him and this and this was his response: "The "yosemite finish" only weakens the knot if you use the knot as a belay loop, and even then I am not sure how much of a problem it is. The deal is, if you load the loop of the knot really high it will invert, and then you only have part of the figure eight remaining. Some people cure this problem by passing the rope around itself before going through the hole, but that makes the knot a little bigger. I use that finish almost all of the time, and I rarely use that rope loop for anything because I use my belay loop. I hope this answers your question. Have a great summer! Craig"

Speaking of journalism. Have you guys seen this article: Article

Don't feel bad about it. You guys did fine. And you're right. Walking out or doing a descent in the dark is all part of the game. Jason

The Coleman-Deming goes up the Roman Wall above the Pumice Ridge, whereas the Easton goes up the Roman Wall above the crater. The entire upper slope of both routes is known collectively as the Roman Wall. Jason

Generally speaking, if it is clear that the gear has been abandoned and it's not completely jammed, then it's yours. However, there are definately some situations where you should leave the gear. 1) Fixed Ropes -- Often ropes are left to rot, but there are cases, particularly on aid routes, where a party will put up a rope and then return the next day. Usually they will be around somewhere, so you should be able to figure it out. 2) Project Draws -- This is a little less clear. A party or an individual may have left draws on a difficult sport route because they have been returning a lot to work on it. Unfortunately they are not necessarily returning every day so it's not so easy to find out what's going on. You should use your judgement here. Don't just strip a route the first time you see this. If the draws are on the route for months and nobody appears to be using them...then maybe. No matter what, ask around first in this situation. 3) Food or Gear Cache -- This obviously depends on where you are. Use your judgement. Don't take anything that could belong to an expedition on the mountain with you. Jason

This means you should have a 60 meter rope to get up and if you are rappelling the route, two 60 meter ropes to get down. Jason