dberdinka
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Posts posted by dberdinka
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Nice trip, great photos! Looks like you put a more direct start on The Nose route. Definitely a sort of quasi-classic. And you saw how many other people on the trip? Seems like the G-M-M traverse would have a queue on it all summer long if it were anywhere else.
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FWIW the approach from the Canadian side is both much shorter and highly scenic. An enjoyable moderate day of work. Regardless nice trip to a beautiful area.
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If I knew how to give a trip report stars I'd give it *****.
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North Face is already sadly melted out. Final stretch is already discontinuous and lord knows if it will even exist in August. (North Face of North Twin is also snow free, not all that long ago it was a permamant snowfield).
Not a great year to climb the classic snow/ice routes of the range.
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You sure do rack up the hall passes. Great pics as usual.
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While I assume your last quote is in jest I always thought that the south-ish buttress or possibly the NW Peak were primed for an easily accessible, alpine sport route. In my experience the pro on that peak is pretty bad! (and the rock is highly variable).
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Whoa! A full on epic! Way to hang it out there, sounds awesome. I think the worst anchor I ever rapped off of was in that gulley, sounds like leaving gear was the right choice.
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Springbok was an amazing climb but the roads and approaches were going to hell 15 years ago. Good job onsighting the approach now, please, give us the details!
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Climbed this route today for the first time in awhile. Invested a couple hours scrubbing the bits that had gotten mossy again during the last six years. P1 is still a bit dirty (and easy) but P2-P8 are as clean as they've ever been. Might be a good summer to get it done if it's been on the list. Approach trail is still discernible and in good shape. IMO a great route, though I may be a bit biased.
To avoid getting your rope stuck when rapping P6 put a leaver biner on the second bolt and have the last person clip the pull strand into it.
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Anyone know if these guys are still in business? Sent them some shoes on a word of mouth recommendation (from someone who hadn't climbed in awhile) and nothing 4+ weeks later. Phone number doesn't work. Whoops.
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Nice trip and pretty stunning collection of booty. Somewhere in your TR you wrote " This was a really good pitch for untraveled alpine rock.", which would appear to be quite a bit of an understatement.
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Glad to see you're putting your drill to good use.
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I was looking for the same thing. The 8-10 week wait for a Cilogear pack pretty much negated that as an option for this summer. All the more reason to keep using the packs I have. (I thought the Patagonia Ascensuon looked pretty great if you never plan to haul)
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That's really unfortunate. WH has always seemed as corporate as any modern business where shareholder value trumps any sort of social responsibility/connection.
Hard to believe there's any remaining commercial value in that land considering how blasted it is. A couple years ago they were clearcutting trees that had to be no more than 10 years old and maybe 3-4" in diameter.
Always thought that could make a great conservation purchase marketing as a sea to mtn ecosystem with the new Lake Whatcom Park and Chuckanuts.
Like Max says the east side of the rage is much nicer anyways if you want to do something in the Twins. Once you got the approach figured out Cinderella and Little Sister would make good day objectives (NE slabs of Twin Sister are amazing cl 3). South Twin via the Green Creek Arete is a classic Cascade wilderness experience though this will be more than a day trip for most.
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You could do it pretty easily. May need to leave some stoppers near the top for anchors or a sizeable piece of cordage. Fixed descent below Pitch 7. You said you wanted an aid climb, TRL is still half free climbing 5.9 and under.
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I can't read this whole thing so I'm just going to rant.
Teachers now have a half-day every week to plan and a full Friday off every month as well. Their contracted for a 180 days a year and the salary max's out at ~70k for a Master+CE. Add in job security and excellent benefits. Class size in my kids school apparently averages 21, though one of my daughters has 26 in her class.
The optics of these half days and such are that teachers just don't get a lot of sympathy from the community or at least not as much as they seem to expect. You constantly hear how teachers work long days on their "own" time, they don't seem to realize that many professionals work way more than 40 hours a week as well.
Most private sector folks work ~245 days a year. If a teacher did that their salary would roughly be $100k. 70k *(245/180). Not bad, not bad at all and certainly above the average salary of a masters in the private sector. Throw in the fact you get 10 f%$kin weeks off every summer and it's a lot of bitchin about nothing.
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Have rope soloed more aid climbs than I care to admit I'm not sure Washington should be your destination of choice. TRL is a nice route but hauling on it is a total nightmare. Your bags will get hung up constantly and the low angle stuff at the top and the involved descent will consume tons of time. Fix and fire or just fire is the way to go, Index is ok for practice but the walls are short.
If you can slip into Canada Squamish would definitely be the place to be in N.A. and you will definitely have the aid route of your choice to yourself. Not a lot of clean routes but Uncle Bens is the classic moderate clean wall and is plenty big. A somewhat obscure extension of Cannabis Wall called Strange Brew offers miles of thin nutting and some very exciting flake traverses. With a light pin rack 10 Years After is a beautiful A3 line. Sheriffs Badge is the real deal if that's what you're looking for.
From Seattle, Squamish wouldn't be much more of a drive than Washington Pass.
In June the weather in Squamish can blow and Washington Pass MAY be a reasonable backup plan. But again I wouldn't haul the full big wall accouterments up there if you can at all avoid it.
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As a climber, particularly if you're doing something different than the herd, it's easy to feel that the regulations don't apply to you. His legacy is far greater than a possibly legal/illegal ascent of Delicate Arch. Not to mention that it pales in absolute insignificance compared to the NPS turning one of the most unique geologic zones in the world into a drive through amusement park for tourists.
It's curious to see the response to his death. A vast majority of commentators (elsewhere) appear to be more concerned about the well being of his dog than him or his friend.
Also sad to see the "he was doing what he loved, you can't understand BASE" attitude. Seems like a majority of the well know experts in wingsuit proximity flying in this country have gotten themselves killed in the last year or two. I'm sure it's an absolutely amazing experience but man there's a lot to keep living for.
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Love it!
The 'posse' in modern climbing by Alf Randell
posse:
Originally, a group of people (especially in the Old West) banded together for purposes of law enforcement (and harassing Indians). From 'posse comitatus', Latin for "power of the county". Posse Comitatus is also the name of various white supremacist organizations that have appeared in the US over the years.
example:
He's got the posse after him because he killed a man.
now:
your crew, your hommies, a group of friends, people who may or may not have your back.
example:
me an' my posse gonna hang tonite.
Among climbers, a posse is a group of friends that climb together. The large, forceful posses that you see are almost always from a place [like Boulder] that has far more climbers than climbs. It appears to be a sort of gang structure that assists it's members.
Sadly, the climbing posse almost always injures non members.. What we see at the cliff, and at the camping area, is aggressive pack behavior, with little regard for smaller, weaker groups. There are late night parties after every other camper is asleep, and the seizure ['locking down'] of entire cliffs and camping areas. While the individual members act civil, or even downright friendly, the posse acts to drive off others and seize territory. Sometimes aggressive dogs or dog packs are involved.
The mean dog thing does not seem to be consciously examined by the posse members themselves. I have been told that a given dog does not like men with hats, or that a given dog is a shrewd judge of character, and is just doing his or her job! The pets have picked up on the aggressive, proprietary attitude of the owners, and efforts to quiet them really serve to drive them to new heights of aggression. They do not actually speak English, and respond to the owners irritated tones rather than the false content of the shouted sentences.
It is fitting to compare a posse to an urban gang. Both are designed to control a precious resource that is desired by all. The gang 'locks down' a profitable crime method like drug sales, and provides personal protection for the individual members. The resource for a climbing posse is access to busy cliffs during peak hours. The analogue of personal protection is protection and enhancement of ones reputation. A friendly interpretation is that membership in the posse helps the world to realize that the members are some of the strongest, most skilled and multiply talented humans on earth. A cynical interpretation is that posse members drive off competitors so that they can lie to the outside world about their routine accomplishments. Many of us have seen the resulting cycle of tantrums leading to forgiveness and contrition. Every failed lead or bouldering attempt must be presented as an error by God, where a ridiculously talented individual is cheated of his or her rightful place in the athletic world.
Strong posses in an area make membership almost mandatory. In addition to access to the cliffs, they control scarce potential mates, the mechanisms of climbing notoriety, and thus, access to 'free' climbing gear and sponsorship money. [i used the word 'thus', to make my infantile argument seem scholarly!] Climbing magazines are published in places where the posse system is strongest, so members are richly represented. A climber who has decided to become famous will be rewarded by moving to Boulder, and joining a strong posse. There is a curious side affect that I have noticed. A small minority in these areas resist posse membership. These are strong individuals, that are driven from within themselves, and require no assistance to obtain mates or fame or support. This is what is really required to be a climber, so there is this spin off of renaissance individuals who are forged and driven off by the posse system. It is a treat to meet and climb with them, even though they hail from the legendary areas of climbing fame.
We are left with the question: Is there any alternative to this system of aggressive posses? It can seem pretty hopeless, when you arrive at a climbing venue to find the resources controlled by the largest and least friendly groups. They are amazingly disturbing, and can not easily be disturbed. For instance, a large posse can show up late at night to an area of dispersed camping, and push in between any 2 small parties. There is no way for sleeping individuals to discourage them. Likewise at the cliff. A huge posse can show up late in the morning, totally hung over from their night of disturbing quieter campers, and dominate the cliff until it gets dark once more. As individuals, they would be fairly pliable, but as a group they do not behave like humans at all. Their behavior is forged in a painful crucible, where a dramatic scene that is uncomfortable for an individual climber is entertaining to their group.
I do have an answer. In my decades of observation, i have noted that the very strongest climbers, [possessing internal reservoirs of personal integrity and sportsmanship], are not part of this less evolved system. It is always the weak that band together to use force of numbers and questionable tactics to replace inner strength. If your goal is to 'recreate' yourself in the outdoors, then aggressive pets, posse membership, and name dropping will obscure your goal. Physical strength, and admirable fortitude comes from within a quiet, non-aggressive person who can feel the earth. It can never be taken by force. Rock climbing is a dance, rather than a battle. Despite faked victories, climbing 'warriors' will fail, and 'dancers' will eventually succeed.
It is worthwhile to leave your own barking dog at home, and go out of your way to climb with other dancers. Refusing to defend some fragment of public land, join no posse, and worship not their names. It takes some effort to climbing talk and name dropping around the campfire. But, it is REALLY not necessary to spend the night securing climbing partners and specific climbs. One can use the time to explore the [often] surprising mental equipment of one's camp-mates. At the crag, An emperor with no clothes requires a lot of very loyal subjects. A well behaved climber can appear alone with whatever is in their pack, and no planning of any kind!
Posted by alf randell at 1:16 PM
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Climbed there last week. Found it to be surprisingly good for being so obscure/neglected. Face and crack climbs on the lowest tier were dry and sunny. Lots of nice looking flakes and cracks higher on the hillside. I'd go back.
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I'm apparently really glad I never make time to go cragging anymore.
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Marc Lederc just dry tooled the northeast buttress of Slesse in 5 hours so clearly people can move quicker. Apparently it's the rope slowing you down.
If you're willing to climb for 30 hours straight why did you bail?
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Soloing verglassed 10d in the pitch-dark after a night spent shiver biving in the rain. Sure why not.
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Choada still wants to go climbing? Who would have thought? A belayer might help though they're not redundant. Give me a shout.
I've used micro & mini traxions and petzl ascenders. They all work. The Traxions can be locked open (which is bad) and probably the most likely to get yourself hurt. If you use doubles of anything make sure you arrange them such that a failed device cannot interfere with a functioning device.
For example some people will clip their primary rope grab to their belay loop then drag a second rope grab below that one on a long sling. But if the primary rope grab fails I could imagine simply pushing the secondary rope grab down the rope.
Petzl has a good diagram somewhere of separating the devices with a quickdraw. A chest harness is easily improved with a sling or some bungy cord.
Dealing with two devices a pain. I've settled on one and just tieing a backup knot off the ground once I start climbing.
Adding some weight to the end of the rope (clip on your regular shoes) can help rope feed a lot.
I thought Blake's advice of using a static rope was bad, but apparently he's not the only climber who climbs 27 letter grades harder than me that recommends doing so. Considering no one actually owns a static rope anymore most people probably won't take that advice.
[TR] Mt Slesse - NE Buttress 8/7/2015
in British Columbia/Canada
Posted
tennis shoe alpinism this summer. Though something a little stiffer soled may be appreciated if you're going down crossover pass. Last good water just before the notch crossing into the "pocket glacier" basin. On the descent first running water appears just beyond crossover pass/"wooded stump". I would bring a second car and do the south side descent if at all possible.
Nose plugs so you don't have to imbibe the stench of human shit all over the route may be useful as well.