Jason_Martin

It is a common practice for guides to take beginners up mountains on a one to one ratio without other guides around. The reality of this situation is that the guide understands that if something should go down, he will have to be the one to deal with it. And a guide who is well trained will be able to deal with it... Guiding Mount Rainier or Mount Baker is an incredibly long stretch from guiding an 8000 Meter Peak. I'm no expert on guiding those types of mountains, but I do know that guiding the volcanos on small ratios with experienced PROFESSIONAL guides is about as safe as it's going to get... Jason

I think some of the people above have had a huge influence on high end climbing, but what about the average every day climber... My vote is for Paul Petzoldt. Petzoldt did the fourth ascent of the Grand, the first winter ascent and the first ascent of the Grand's north face. He got extremely high on K2 and probably would have summitted if the expedition had been better organized... From an influential perspective, Petzoldt developed rope signals (on belay, climbing, slack etc.) and was the first to do this in the U.S.. He co-started Exum mountain guides and was the driving force behind NOLS. He testified in favor of the 1964 wilderness act, developed the early leave no trace ethic, started the Wilderness Education Association, and the Paul Petzoldt Leadership School. Oh yeah, he taught cold weather survival skills to over 12,000 10th mountain division soldiers and tried to climb the Grand on the 70th anniversary of his 1924 ascent... From the way we dress, to how we communicate, to how we act in the mountains, to the way we treat the backcountry environment, I would say Petzoldt had a lot of influence on the way most climbers do things... Jason

Lummox, I loved the Donini slide show! I actually enjoy most slide shows and I've been to quite a few of them. I think I'm an easy audience... But the Birdwell slideshow was just plain bad. Jason

Which ultimately means RMI or one of the other guide services that work on the Emmons like American Alpine Institute, Alpine Ascents International, Cascade Alpine Guides, or Rainier Alpine Guides. Jason

There are definately places where skis suck too. If there is thick brush -- bushwacking brush -- then snowshoes are clearly better. If there is inconsistent snow on a boulder field, then snowshoes are better. However, in most other cases, skis are better. To say that one system is better than the other across the board doesn't take into account particular difficulties on certain approaches. My recommendation is to look at each approach seperately and then to make a decision based on the difficulties which a particular approach might provide. The unfortunate answer to your question is that both items have their place in the backcountry. Which of course means investing cash in two different methods of movement... Jason

If you get caught guiding without a permit -- especially on Rainier -- you could be in a world of legal trouble. Jason

About two years ago, we buried a powerbar in hard late season snow on Mt. Baker, tied it off with a cordelette, and then lastly tied a rope to it. We subsequently began bouncing on it, adding more and more people to the rope. It took five people bouncing on the rope to blow out the anchor! On a less interesting note, I've rappelled off rocks buried in the snow with a sling tied to them a number of times. Jason

Take a close look at the progression I put together for people in your exact situation: Beginner Progression Jason

I have had the unfortunate opportunity to be caught in a lot of white outs in the cascades. When I say "a lot" I really mean tons of them. As of yet, I have not purchased a GPS. However, I do bring along a map and a compass and an altimiter most of the time. I always bring these items on the volcanos because this is where you can really get screwed if you don't know where you are. I believe the biggest problem with the GPS is the battery life. A number of the GPS brands do burn batteries quickly -- especially when you turn the device on and off all the time. This is why I think an investment in a altimeter is a better investment initially... If you're going to Washington Pass or the the Tooth, you probably don't need an altimeter. Jason

Alpine ice is incredibly variable. As a result, you should look at each situation seperately and not confine yourself to one idea. Sometimes alpine ice really is hard ice and other times it's just really hard snow. Take each situation for what it is. Sometimes a V-thread will not be enough. Other times it will be fine. In the end, if you really think a cordellete is too thin and might rip out in the conditions you encounter, I don't think I would trust a piece of webbing either. Jason

I'm going to throw in my two cents on a few misquotes like everyone else. "There are old climbers and bold climbers but there are no old bold climbers." I've recently been doing A LOT of research on Paul Petzoldt and it appears that the line can be attributed to him on multiple occasions in multiple discussions and pieces of writing. The most famous time he said it was when he tried to repeat the Grand on the seventieth anniversiary of his 1924 ascent. Unfortunately, Petzoldt was dealing with cancer when he attempted to do this and was unable to climb to the top. This is when he said the line to a number of people in the press and it appeared in the media at large for the first time. He said the line a lot prior to this, but this is when it became a "famous" quote. The reference about drytooling and mastrubation can be traced directly to Jim Donini. This is HIS VERY FAVORITE LINE. In fact I was at a slide show at the AMGA annual meeting with Donini as a presenter when he said this. Afterwards a number of people who have seen him on multiple occasions -- including Alan Kearney who did a bunch of research on Donini's ascents in Patigonia -- made comments about how he's been saying this line for years and years. No one seemed to think that he ripped it off from anybody else. I've seen a Jim Birdwell slideshow. Nothing funny was said. In fact it was maybe the worst slideshow I've ever seen. Which brings me to another quote: "Death by slideshow." I have no idea who said this, but it's been floating around for awhile. Jason

"Dirtbags are people Too" A bumper sticker.

Will, I agree with much of what you said. It does take more than 5.10 and a WFR card to guide. It also takes passion for guiding, in part because of the fact that one doesn't make much money as a guide. Indeed, taking some AMGA courses is a very important part of guiding in the ongoing development of guiding as a profession in the United States. However, I don't believe that you are trying to make Scott think. I do believe that the way you are addressing him is in ridicule. And that's where I take issue. I personally love guiding and would like to support anyone who is trying to get involved in it. Being a guide is hard enough as it is. Jason

If I remember correctly, Will tried something similar with Tribal Guides or something like that. Nothing wrong with this except the fact that now he's attacking other people for doing what he tried to do some time ago and apparently failed to accomplish. Maybe there's a little envy involved in this attack. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people trying to make a living off of something that they love to do. I think it's unfortunate that people would attack someone for trying to do this. It should also be remembered that for however "easy" you might think something is, there are still a lot of people out there that do not feel the same way. Grand Canyon hiking guides and hiking guides in Yosemite Valley never do anything that most people on this board would consider "hard." However they do bring people with minimal experience to places that they wouldn't be able to get to otherwise. Believe it or not, but guiding routes that are third, fourth, and low fifth class is a lot more difficult than guiding something that is mid fifth class or harder... That is if the guiding is done properly. In any case that's a bit off topic... Anybody who's doing something they are passionate about and making a living off of it should be congratulated instead of made fun of. Jason

A good chunk of the time it is safe. Especially when the chains are relatively new. But you're right. This is my main concern. Most people are bright enough not to use the chains which are getting hammered. But then again, there's a reason that they look like they do. Someone is using them. And ultimately, this is why they have to be changed out by the people who maintain them.

The problem is that slings are not chains. While I agree that climbers as a whole are totally willing to leave corelette or sling material to back things up when needed, they are not so willing to replace chains. Most climbers who see the bottom link of a chain getting bad will just start to use the next one up. There's no attempt to fix the problem or to replace the chain. That's someone elses job. The vast majority of the people reading this right now have never replaced a chain and probably never will. That being the case, then there is no reason for them to be lowering off chains thus degrading them more quickly and then waiting for someone else to replace them. Jason

Yeah Mike, as you know, I usually don't tie knots in the end of the rope. But my point is that if you're going to do it, tie the ropes seperately. Not lame, this is a valid concern. What you can do is tie in through the chains with a sling as a back up. Tell your belayer to Take! and weight the rope. If everything looks good, unclip the sling and lower. I don't think you understand what I'm saying. Never put the ropes through the chains unless you are rappelling. Don't lower through chains at all. If you look closely at chains where this is happening on a regular basis, you will see that they are wearing out. The best thing to do is to just rappel instead of lowering off chains. If you look at the chains and then decide that they are fine for lowering off of, then you are part of the problem. Every time a person lowers off chains they get cut a little bit. If you rappel you are not contributing to the problem. Maybe I sound a little pissy about this... The reason is because I've spent a lot of my own cash replacing chains or links that are getting worn through. It is a REAL problem. Jason

An autoblock is an excellent way to back things up. If for some reason you don't notice that you've only threaded one strand, an autoblock can save your ass because the other strand won't pull through. I used to do an autoblock about ten percent of the time. Now I do it almost habitually. The more your out there and the more comfortable you are with rappelling, the more likely it is that you're going to make a mistake. Honestly, I think less beginners get hurt or killed on rappel than people with experience who are in a rush. Adding a simple thing like an autoblock is totally worth it for a little extra protection. As far as knots in the end of the rope go, don't tie the ropes together. Tie a knot in either end of the rope, then things don't get so wrapped up. The most important aspect of this is to make sure that you untie the knots before you pull the rope. The biggest problem with tying knots in the end of the rope is generally an overly ambitious partner who doesn't pay attention to them and starts pulling the rope before the knots are out. One way to ensure that you are tied into your rappel correctly is to use an extender or a "pre-rig." Essentially you girth hitch a shoulder length sling through your harness and then place your atc at the other end. Both people can set this up at the same time and check one another before a single climber rappels. The redundancy of checking one another can help eliminate extra danger. I almost exclusively rappel off extended rappel devices. I usually don't rant about things, but I'm about to: LOWERING OFF CHAINS IS BAD!!!! Never lower off chains. Ever. There are a couple of problems with this. First, most chains which are placed in climbing areas were not designed for climbers to climb on. The weight of a climber lowering on chains slowly cuts them. Eventually the bottom link becomes useless. Rappelling off chains and then pulling the rope does not have this effect. It is far better to place carabiners through the bolts for your top-rope and then to simply rappel when you are finished. Locals in most climbing areas end up footing the bill for new chains or chain links. This may not sound like it's that big a deal, but it is. In a large climbing area there are thousands of climbs where this is happening and local climbing organizations and individuals seldom have the resources to fix this problem. Jason

Beginner Climbs

This route is in the new (2000) Swain guide and is actually called Johnny Vegas. It is one of the most popular routes in the area. The 5.9 part is a variation. Many parties elect to climb this route at a 5.7 grade. Beware, March and early April is the busiest time of the year in Red Rock. Start early on multi-pitch routes and climb routes at grades that you are comfortable with until you get comfortable with the rock. Jason P.S. The Red Rock conservation area that everyone is providing beta for is in Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. Not in Utah.

All I can say about local Bolivian Guide services is Be Careful. I've watched Bolivian guides do some extremely sketchy things. I watched a Bolivian guide lower five English school boys off of a single ice axe and we're not talking about an axe pounded into the snow, we're talking about lowering off the pick! Last year numerous fatalities took place in Bolivia that could have been attributed directly to guide negligence. The most important thing to realize about Bolivian guides is that most of them are not climbers. Most of them start out as camp cooks and see how much money guides are making. As a result they do their best to learn how to guide. It is unusual to meet a Bolivian guide who climbs for his own enjoyment... This should be an indicator. You're going to get what you pay for. Ecuador is a little different than Bolivia. In Ecuador there is a certification standard for guides. Bolivia doesn't have anything like this. I would strongly suggest employing an American, Canadian, or European guide or guide service. This is the only way that you will know that you're going to get a solid guide who has been trained in both guiding and climbing skills. Jason

What that woman was getting at is the drug issue. Bush probably spent time doing community service because he was caught with cocaine, but got his record expunged through his dad's legal connections. Wouldn't it be great if he just answered the questions. Check out the book "Fortunate Son" for more info on this dirty little secret. Jason

If you look at the AMGA website and look at the guide access page, it tells you exactly what is required as far as insurance goes to work in certain areas. Usually they require liability insurance and it's not uncommon for different areas to require between five-hundred thousand and a million dollars of insurance to operate. Jason

Try Wasatch Touring in Salt Lake City. I recently took an avy class and ordered a kit from them with a bunch of the items you listed in it. The kit wasn't very expensive. Jason

The shitty snow stance held him for hours... There is a simple way to pass a knot using cordellettes or slings which is often taught in self rescue courses which would not shockload the stance. Jason