dberdinka

Take me with you...master

#1 Soloing Moonlight Buttress in 11hrs 20min #2-tie The Titan and Echo Tower in the Fishers. #2-tie Polar Circus back in March. Looking forward to winter.............................

More thoughts. Of the major areas this leaves Index which is primarily owned by the state park system. Are they interested in getting involved in the management of the resource? For budgetary reasons alone I doubt it. Again, Eldo has an entrance fee that I assume indirectly helps support the enforcement of the oversite committees decisions. Would you be willing to pay an entrance fee to Index if thats what it took to manage the area? Again, I think everyone would be screaming.

It seems important to point out that Eldorado Canyon is a State Park where government employees/officials are actively involved in the enforcement of bolting regulations. I can only assume that this particular government agency is climber friendly whether you agree or disagree with their "minimal new bolts" ethic. I would think this fact goes a long way towards the success of the oversite committee for that area. (Compare it to Boulder Canyon in the same region) In the PNW it seems a vast majority of our cragging takes place on forest service land (well Darrington and Leavenworth at least). I can't imagine a scenario where they would be interested in regulating the development of new routes outside of banning them completely. This leaves you with some sort of unoffical oversite committee that operates on peer pressure to enforce it's decisions. Good luck!

Reminds me of a particular ice climbing related post/area from this spring....

Those have been there for at least 12 years. They should be removed IMHO.

Friggin Sweet Rad! Good job!

Mount Ruth. Easy and stupidly scenic.

And in a parallel universe............. http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=38285&forum=43

NE Face of Mesachie Peak, Entiat Icefall on Mount Maude. They will be adventures whether you looked them up in a book or not.

Reeling Some of us believe that reeling works because we've actually done it...and it works! Examples, climbing a real slab route on the Apron. Dancing in the Light comes to mind. Hard friction with regular 30' fall potential. I fell...a lot... my partner reeled..alot.. my (and his) falls were significantly shorter than they would have been. I'll take a 20'er over a 30'er anyday. (Slab falls start out slow there is plenty of time to reel) Spring '03 in Arches National Park. A 200+ lb friend backcleaning a pitch of A1 pulls a nut and begins whipping. It was a long clean fall. As the rope piled up in front of me I reeled (how much I don't know but I definitely went through the action). Stopped him tight (and got yanked into the wall) after a 40'er. Fun! Fun! Two weekends ago watched a dude blow a clip on The Grinning Weasel and go for a wicked 50+'er. His buddy was reeling like mad he came up <10' shy of the ledges at the belay. Would have been ugly. Did reeling help....?

Got up at 4:30 AM on Saturday Did double carries in the dark to the start of Merci Me. Discovered the joys of expando aid as the pins I stood on fell out while I placed the next one. Spent my first night in a portaledge. Drank malt liquor. Watched the sunset over Squamish Pooped in a bag! Bailed from 85% of the way up the route. Rode my pig like the be-och it is. Was really, really happy for a little while. Life is good.

It's real nice and quiet up at Colchuck Lake these days and you'll have the route and summit to yourselves! Just go on the weekend to avoid the work crews and take your chances with the forest service.

Sold, not to any of you wankers

It's alright, the north face is a better climb IMHO.

Anyone looking for a Toyota truck? Its a red 4wd, regular cab, short bed with a 4-cylinder engine. Comes with a Leer Canopy and bedliner. Has been very reliable, still runs great. 211,000 miles. $1,950 OBO PM me, or email at dberdinka@yahoo or call 303-4994. Thanks! Darin

It ain't recent beta but I climbed it in late-late September of a low snow year. It certainly LOOKED impossible from the bivi all the way until we got on the rock but it went. Good stuff! Have fun.

I've been up Bedal Creek, up the west face then down the ramps and "glacier" you're describing on what I think is more the SW face. I downclimbed the ramp to snow on 3rd/4th class slabs at the bottom. So it all goes.

Necro, you suck

Woke up at 5 AM Saturday. Spent 3 hours on the couch drinking coffee and doubting myself. Drove to Squamish. Shlepped 60 pounds of gear to the start of Merci Me. Rope soloed up through the first aid pitch of 10 Yrs After. Lots of hooking, so-so cams and some fun pin stacks. My better half called from the jungles of Costa Rica while I was cleaning the pitch. That made me happy. Then I ran away. Ended up surprising some friends on the summit of Winchester Mtn that night. Beautiful sunset and sunrise from a spectacular viewpoint.

I imagine just about everyone's had the experience of waiting to get on their "dream" route only to find that it's choss once they're there. Oh well! Sounds like a full on burl-fest, bad gear, loose rock, remote and alpine. Any comment on the first ascent? Didn't Dejong solo it? He must have been a hard man! What SW BC Grade VI's have seen a repeat? East Face of Slesse. No Uruquart. No NE Ridge of Steinbok. No Robie Reid. ?? What else is there Dru?

First pitch is bolts and maybe 1 piece of gear depending on when you start. Second is hard-to-spot traverse on gear and bolts. Third is all bolts. Last is bolts and maybe 1 piece of gear. Doesn't deserve *** rating in new Leavenworth Guide, but still a decent route. The 3-pitch arete above it is excellent though. Again all three pitches are bolts and just a few pieces of gear. Have fun!

More than likely nothing ended up Green Giant Buttress if you were climbing Total Soul. Though who knows what the might be up to?!

After 31 years of service in Bellingham "The Base Camp" closed it's doors on Friday. Your choices for outdoor equipment are now REI, REI and REI (well AAI too). Personally I find this a little depressing. It was a good, knowledgable group of folks who worked there. To those interested they're having a going out of business sale starting Wednesday. See all you vultures there!

Tower Ridge is on the "backside" of The Cirque facing Shadow Lake. Could easily be accessed from the Cirque though by climbing up to the Wolfs Head/Overhang Tower col and dropping down the other side. A "10-pitch" low-angle arete of slabby granite rated 5.3 in the guide book. This is followed by 1-2 pitches of 4th or low 5th to the top of Overhang Tower. Included in the authors top-20 list. So is the NW Ridge of Temple Peak another super long 5.3 on a 13.000' peak (I think). This is south of Big Sandy in the Deep Lake Area. A very beautiful place with a lonelier feel than the Cirque. Both would probably put anything in the Cascades to shame but I wouldn't know I've only looked at them.