dberdinka

Dude! I want that. Lets talk it's been to long anyways......

Great deal on a really well made (in the USA) pack. It's not the lightest pack out there but it carries and climbs far better than any other large daypack I've used and the clamshell zipper is a nice relief from drawcord tops. Sale here - reg $139

Wish I didn't already own a Snake Charmer. Thats a steal for one of the most useful pieces of aid soloing gear out there. Ivan should be eating it up? Whats the manufacturer on the russian aiders?

Not mine. Just saw them and figured someone over here would get a big woody over these things. Good luck. 3 Aermet Picks

Where as all other major glove manufactures seem to have identical sizing to one another, RABs seem slight off. Which is GREAT if lgs tend to be to large and mds tend to be to small. Been really happy with my RAB Latok gloves, there modular mitss definitely seem very well made (and fit me great with good dexterity).

Thanks Jake. "next piece" was the imperative words I glazed over. A long time ago my daisy clipped to the "next piece" actually saved me from a factor 2 fall right through my portaledge when my first piece of the belay (a pin) blew out as I placed a second pin. At that point I figured out I was in an expando corner. I've also blown a pin after testing only to take a pendulum daisy fall onto a bathook! that kept me from going 30' or more. Ridiculous and unlikely shit.

Do you mean being tethered in tight to piece your on, so that should the piece your testing blow your held tight to the piece you're on? I've been relying on my fifi and my grip to prevent falling off the piece I'm on though I can see that as being a weak point in the system (it's worked for me plenty though). You can't be meaning real daisy falls?! What style of testing do you use on hard aid Jake? Aiders, daisy? Something else?

I second Seans advice. After climbing a few walls this season using all types of techniques this is by far the safest and most efficent. Still have two daisies on my harness for jugging, backing myself up at anchors and for climbing when there are consecutive hook moves or on very steep terrain. Other than that the second stays out of the way. The only purpose of the daisy to keep from loosing your gear and etrier when testing and before clipping the rope to the piece. Yes, this means your etriers aren't always tethered and you could possibly drop them but you won't (do you tether all your gear when freeclimbing?) and if you do hopefully you're packing a spare. The main advantage is avoidance of daisy falls. Really if the system your using can result in static falls on gear your probably doing it wrong. It's also much much faster and far less of a clusterfuck then dealing with 2 seperate daisies. Gear: 2 or more etriers (on easy aid I use 2 full length and 2 subaiders which are 3 step shorties, but 2 works fine) 1 daisy (I use an adjustable as its more convient at anchors and while jugging) 1 fifi hook tied in pretty close to the harness (see Chris Macs video about how to high step if you have a fixed length daisy) General Principles: The daisies only purpose is to keep from loosing gear when testing Don't use the daisy at all on bomber pieces C1/C2 The aiders float, i.e. they are not always tethered with the daisy The objective is to hook fifi into the biner on the etrier. 1) Place piece 2) If its a nut or fixed piece clip a quickdraw to it 3) clip your aider into piece (below biner on quickdraw) 4) clip rope into piece your currently on then unclip daisy from it 5) clip daisy to aider if it's not obviously good (I clip it to grab loop) 6) test piece if it's not obviously good 7) get into aider, remove other aider off lower piece (fifi into a step if you need to hang) 8) keep moving until you can fifi into aider biner then one step further repeat Similar process described at MP apparently taught by Hans Florine http://www.mountainproject.com/v/big_wall_and_aid_climbing/speedy_aid_rig_nirvana/106704262

Did they take away your nonwoven dyneema?

Great Photos. Climb of the month evidently. The north ridge offers a nice 4th-class or low 5th-class completion after getting through the icefall. The rock, while not great, is plenty firm and much better than everything else on that mountain. Some stellar bivi sites on the ridge crest as well.

Those bolts should go. They are ridiculous.

Nice. He's 11 right? I wonder how he descibes that to his 5th grade classmates. I still feel bad about dropping rocks on your head.

That explains why the Forest Service seems to have taken a great interest in installing fancy new pit toilets at every trailhead and parking lot.

Thanks for all the serious responses. I would like to believe that a vast majority of climbers agree with the the above statement, I included. Hence the reason closures seem near universally observed in places like Squamish and Yosemite. My interest in more quantifiable information is based on the long and extensive closures that Zion NP puts into effect every year. For example the entire East Temple, a 2+ mile wide enscarpment is closed to climbing. My google searching came up with plenty of articles regarding human disturbance of raptors. Here's a quote from an article entitled "Recommendations for protecting raptors from human disturbance: a review" regarding buffer zones for Peregrine Falcons. "The median distance recommended buffer zones are as follows...peregrine falcon = 800m (50m - 1600m)" When estimations of buffers differ by a factor of x32 I don't think it's unreasonable to presume the scientists are making wild ass guesses which is unfortunate considering their supposed profession. After 30 years of carefully documented climbing closures for Peregrine breeding all over North America I wonder if there aren't sufficent data points to correlate breeding success to the size of the closure. Just a thought.

.HYDROLOGY... THE FIRST MAJOR RAINSTORM OF AUTUMN WILL PROBABLY AFFECT WRN WA THE END OF NEXT WEEK. THIS PAC STORM WILL LIKELY TAP INTO MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF TYPHOON FANAPI...CURRENTLY SE OF TAIWAN. THE MEDIUM RANGE SOLUTIONS WERE IN IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE REGION WILL BE IMPACTED BY A POTENT PAC STORM...ARRIVING IN WAVES...NEXT FRI THRU NEXT SUNDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 10 INCHES ON THE SW FACING SLOPES OF THE OLYMPICS AND IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES ON THE SW FACING SLOPES OF THE N CASCADES. Yeah

Killing raptors in fact illegal under some law passed in 1918, see the access fund report I referneced at the top. Here is a response on the Taco written by a Yosemite climbing Ranger this year... "As it says in the notice I posted, peregrines were de-listed in 1999 under the Endangered Species Act, and now are in a 15 year monitoring program. Neither the NPS nor myself have claimed that the species is still listed. I appreciate your right to opinions that the peregrines are fine, and that although we only had 8 breeding pairs in the park last year (a record during our monitoring) it sounds like you are saying these birds are actually fully recovered and don't need any more protection. Fortunately the National Park Service doesn't agree. The NPS is charged with managing the park's resources not only for recreational values, but to protect all of the plants and animals within. ...... Some climbers ask me to close routes because swallows or other birds with really healthy populations are nesting in cracks. I just got back from J-tree, and they were closing routes with active nests of raptors that have never been listed. The superintendent of any park has the authority to close areas for resource protection regardless of whether or not a species has ESA status."

My bad, apparently they had not nested on El Cap since 1994 and this was the first closure since then.... From some NPS release I googled... "Peregrines have not nested on EI Capitan since 1994, when natural rockfall destroyed their historic nest site. Effective April 9, 2010: El Capitan, Southeast Face - Closure includes all routes between and including "South Seas/Pacific Ocean Wall," "North American Wall," and east to "Native Son." Routes four pitches or less at the base of the Southeast Face of El Capitan remain open."

Cover shot on the WA State Dept of Wildlife is some sort of raptor...

Hey. Happy Day! I was looking for the thread on falcon closures that I believe Aid Turner started awhile back and couldn't find it so I thought I'd start a new one. So Falcon closures are ubiquitous it seems across North America. This year Yosemite had it's first falcon closure ever, SCW got hit for the first time ever last year I believe, Zion has an incredibly broad set of closures that last from March through August. I'm interested in understanding the policy or cultural basis that have resulted in such wide ranging closures. Anyone feel like contributing? I know that Peregrines are no longer listed as an endangered or ever threatened species at the federal level. So I presume that closures are not the result of neccesary compliance with any federal laws. Is that correct? If so are the a result of meeting state or local laws? If no laws are involved what is the basis of instituting closures? I'm also of the impression that each area in each agency seems to come up with their own management plan that can vary widely. For example the Chief closure is relatively small. If the Chief were in Zion the entire cliff would be shut down. Also some areas close cliffs preemptively based on "historical" nesting sites other areas seem to close cliffs only once peregrines are nesting. Based on these wide differences is there any actual science behind the interaction of humans and peregrines that closures are developed off of? Finally does anyone know of online access to peregrine/climbing management plans? Thanks! D Access Fund Article on Raptor Closures

Hey. I've got anywhere from 3-6 brand new #5 Lost Arrow Pitons (long, thin) that I'm looking to trade (1-to-1) for HB/DMM offset brass nuts #3, #4, #5 or #6 in good - no split cables - condition. Will trade individually as well. Yes, thats sort of specific but if anyone's interested let me know. PM or e-mail dberdinka AT gmail DOT com

70m? Sounds like time for a highline.

Interestingly enough highly-localized historical precident seens to drive the "consensus" feeling towards new climbs. D-Town has a long history of bolted routes, new routes are accepted regardless of wilderness location or style. Mt Garfield did not. In that vein Mount Index has not either. Putting up a bolted face climb on a buttress that houses what might be the hardest rock climb in Washington seems sort of like an abortion but this being Washington I don't controversy ever gets to loud ore sustained.

LINKY

Went up Friday afternoon with Choada to climb a few pitches at the crag. Approach took an hour. Climbs are better than I remembered but still filthy with lichen. Will be working on that.... So much rock....

So whats wrong with the Lucky hanger?