dberdinka

It's been a while since we had a good Caveman rant! Roll with it....

OK, really, I'm not out to stir the pot. But there was some..uhh..pointed discussions quite a while back about a new line put up on the east face of South Early. I think at one point I heard 5.13 then somebody told me 10-. Regardless, last summer I'm pretty sure the line was an obvious series of scrubbed streaks maybe 100 yards over from the East Buttress. It looked nice! Any details to be shared?

Exfoliation in action! That's scary stuff, the west buttress seemed like some very bomber rock. Can't wait to see the scar. Which pitch disintegrated?

Please do share?

Very disturbing story, considering that he sounds like a very experienced climber and how common it is to be rope soloing on the lower town wall. I hope he has a full and speedy recovery. I also hope we can hear the full details from an authoritive source. Would like to avoid doing something similar in the future.

Climbing in rock shoes is definitely more fun than climbing in boots. However this route lends itself easily to boots. Rock is very blocky, with only a few low-5th sections, and there are many streches of sandy and/or grass covered ledges that might be more dangerous in rock shoes. Whatever you do, go prepared for very exposed, steep hard snow. That section is the crux of the climb. Looked like it could be bypassed by filthy 5.8ish tower, but that's just a random conjecture.

Szyjakowski, you are an idiot. A have no intention to nor did I ever claim that I wanted to go bolt up SCW. I only stated that the rap route already exists! These stations are not well hidden. If you've been up Outer Space in the last several years they should have been obvious. Why are you all getting your panties in a bunch now?

Yes, directly below the nice ledge there at the base of the crack. I think it's set up with integrated rappel rings and is very much in the middle of nowhere. Definite rap station.

Exactly what is bogus. That it exists? Or that I like it! Those anchors have been there for at least 3 or more years. No ones complained yet.

Probably. However there are sections of steep glacial snow/ice that must be crossed. Be prepared for 50 degree terrain above big cliffs.

So much hostility! I'm of the belief that the rap route already exists. There are chains on top, I believe near the top of Edge of Space. Then bolt stations all the way down to the one about 30' below the splitter on OS. That should be just about directly above the lower pitches of Iconoclast which are easily rapped. That trail gets old, might not be a bad option.

I'll go

North Ridge of Cutthroat Peak is a very rarely traveled climb on generally excellent granite. It is a far better climb than the filthy and uninteresting South buttress. If the ridge crest is followed exactly you'll get to climb low angle dihedrals, OWs and finger cracks. Fun, fun, fun. Only drawback is a couple pitches of choss getting onto the ridge proper. But hey, it's the mountains so deal. The structure of the ridge and the climbing is somewhat reminisent of the west ridge of Pigeon Spire in the Bugs. Before I get slayed I said SOMEWHAT! Standard route on Chabilis Spire is an excellent 3 pitch climb on solid white granite. Killer summit too. SW ridge of S Early is in Nelson's second book but isn't nearly as crowded as other climbs in the area. Definitely the best moderate climb in the group. East Face of the Minute Man is an awesome adventure. Goes at 5.8 with a few points of aid. Probably could be done 5.8 A0. 2nd to last pitch is best (well 2nd best) hand crack in the area. NE ridge of Black is a blast too. Go late in season when the lakes are real pretty.

Where in the hell did you get that!!!!?????

Hi geordie. This years intern would be a great place to start. After that... I've had good luck do early season stuff on the east side. North Face of Maude or Entiat Icefall is a nice climb to do before summer. Redoubt would be awesome as well. I imagine the glacier on the NE side will break up huge this year so going early makes a lot of sense. Lots of ski touring oppurtunites in the area as well. Dru posted earlier about the Maselpik (I just buchered the name) logging roads on the north side of Rahm being re-opened. An awesome traverse would be up Depot Creek, over Silver lake, up Rahm and down the North Glacier.

I have a big head. No! I mean literally! My Petzel Ecrin Rok sits to high and always slides sideways. There is not a photo in existence of me with it on where I don't look like a friggin retar...forget it. It seems like most manufactures out there make two sizes s/M and m/L. That doesn't seem to cut it! Have any of you other big-headed manly-men found a helmet that fits? Thanks!

Crabby Appleton, Edge of Sun and Community Pillar are all awesome routes on the south side of Pine Creek Canyon. Community Pillar is cult classic! Entire thing is chimney, tunnel and Ohh-dubya! I had to take my harness off and hang it from my foot to get past the first chockstone. Go do it. Crabby and Edge of Sun make for good full day with no one around. Last pitches of both are ****. I'm jealous I want to be in Red Rocks.

Years ago, after a snowy epic on Pan Dome Falls, I decided ice climbing was for fools and squarely put myself in the backcountry skier camp. Due to some casual promises I ended up in Canmore in mid-February. It was cold and snowy but the ice was excellent and climbing it was actually fun! After that all-to-brief weekend I was psyched to try and finagle one more trip in. All I needed was a worthy goal and a strong partner on whose coattails to ride. Neither was hard to find. "Hey Gene, you want to go back and climb Polar Circus?" His immediate response was an enthusiastic "Yes" How I made the mental leap from doing at most an 80-meter route to a 700-meter route I'm not quite sure but it all made sense at the time. So when Polar Circus comes into view, my stomach sinks. It is unbelievably tall; the upper tiers a menacing sliver of blue ice lodged high in the bowels of a massive cliff band. I'm enthralled, I can't remember the last time I've felt so completely terrified at the prospect of climbing something. In the morning we oversleep, then forget our water bottles back at the hostel. Things are not going well. By the time we finally leave the car we're at least an hour behind schedule. I still forget my water. The biggest avalanche cycle in twenty years had hit the area the week before. An enormous, violently sculpted tongue of debris reaches almost to the road. The route has been scoured clean and avi danger is nil. We gear up and begin soloing the first several hundred meters of easy ice. The first real pitch is excellent and easy for the grade. The next "easy"pitch is thin, runout and tenuous. We're taking the climb one pitch at a time, thinking we'll make it to the base of the upper tiers. Soon we're there. "Shit Gene this first tier doesn't look so bad let me lead it." As if on cue the group above us begins tossing off prodigious quantities of ice that threaten to brain me at least every thirty seconds. A storm is brewing. Occasional flurries have thickened into a steady snowfall. The valley is hidden behind a thick wall of clouds. This chasm holding the upper tiers feels isolated from the world. Spindrift begins to course down in regular intervals. Together we decide that maybe we'll make it to the top of the second tier. Gene takes off, the rope goes tight, and I start climbing. The ice is wonderful, one swing sticks. I'm yelling, moving dynamically from placement to placement. Holy shit this is fun. The final tier is an intimating curtain, longer and steeper than the previous two. The weather continues to deteriorate. It's time for Gene to takeover. He heads up, climbing fluidly and without hesitation. Within minutes he's at the belay. Assuming the pitch is no harder than WI 3, I'm surprised to find that it's steep and pumpy. I've just watched a real transformation occur in Gene's climbing. He's found his inner hardman. As I reach the belay all he says is "We're gonna make the top!" The climbing is deceptively vertical, but he cranks through it and disappears into the maelstrom of blowing snow that has engulfed the head of the climb. The rope steadily pays out and soon I can hear his cheers from the top. Before long I join him as the storm reaches its peak. Battered by high winds and spindrift, we laugh and holler before rappelling back into the void. By the time we're coiling the ropes the sun has come out and the storm has passed. For the next few days we climb more ice but the intensity of those moments has been lost. Now back at home I'm already scheming for the next trip. "Hey Gene, you want to go back and climb.......?"

Drude! That rules, Can Timmy make a Graemlin out of it?

I've decided on shots of Jagermeister or martinins using Grey Goose Vodka to help show my solidarity with our European Brothers.

Considered the madness and insanity thats about to be unleased on this world, and the ineptness I feel from being able to do absolutely nothing about it, I have started a new peace movement. It's a nonviolent form of protest that can be carried out alone or in small groups, with good friends or complete strangers. During breakfast, at lunch, after work...anytime is a good time for it. It's called "Get Loaded for Peace". I intiated the practice by kicking back with a couple stiff drinks while watching CNBC or Fox or whatever facist, right-wing news program the TV was on. I think it worked as they were unable to convince me that I should unconditionally support my "commander-in-chief" during times of war. Later this week I'm planning on staging a similar protest with good friends. This could possibly be followed by a "Sleep in and Get-to-Work-Late for Peace" protest. We shall see. I ask all of you in the CC universe, lurkers, gapers, enemies and familar strangers to join me in protesting our president's iron-fisted "pre-emptive bomb the hell of out of other countries" policy. At least we'll have a good time doing it. Even better...each time Trask, Greg W, or any of you other right-wing knuckleheads have a drink you too will be effectively demonstrating against the war. Peace!

I have no clue.

It's just around the corner and uphill from Thin Fingers. Guidebook calls it Unknown A2/A3 **. Guidebook supplement calls it Skin Graph. Not the most inspring line I've ever seen but it stays dry in the wet.

I went up the first pitch of Skin Graph. 12' below the anchor, 2 rivets are missing. There appeared to be a lead sheath left in the last hole. I don't think it was bat-hookable (I didn't try due to testicular shrinkage). Can anyone prove me wrong? Left a mess of webbing. Might replace the missing rivets in the near future.

A handful (minus a finger) of CC lurkers and posters were seen aid climbing in the drizzle on the Lower Town Wall. Joy.