Colin

Also, HAZARDOUS ENIGMA ascents are only considered pure if you wear jean shorts.

Mt. Garfield = THE HAZARDOUS ENIGMA You cannot consider yourself an alpinist until you have ascended the HAZARDOUS ENIGMA and gone to a Slayer show! [ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Colin ]

quote: Originally posted by Retrosaurus: To hold nuts in opposition.To shorten a runner.I am sure there are other uses, but these come to mind quickly. I knew Freeclimb was an academician. Hopefully he will post his climbing schedule with the mountaineers on their website so that we can avoid being involved in the rescue/recovery/clusterfuck. I agree with Dru - there is no reason to girth hitch to a carabiner. It greatly increases the chances of the sling getting unclipped. For the two uses you mention, Retrosaurus, I think a clove hitch is a much better choice.

I have heard that the whole wire-cutting-the-sling-thing is somewhat urban legend. Of course, it won't be as strong as clipping with a biner, but it's not exactly a knife. I think that the main argument against it is the time lost from girth-hitching and un-girth-hitching all the time. I never do it in cragging situations, but I sometimes do it on alpine climbs. I try to keep it to the slung peices (tri-cams, cams), but do it on nuts and pins sometimes as well. Also, I try to use a spectra sling while doing this, because I have heard they have a higher cut-resistance than normal webbing. The safety freaks will tell you that you should never do it, but I think it has it's place (not in Virginia though).

Anyone out there have a digitized topo of Snow Creek Wall? If so, would you mind e-mailing it to me or posting it here?

That's right folks - An AerMet Pick, not AerMet picks. I'm less greedy now, and I only want one (Well, if you DO have two, then I'll take both). If you've got one, I want to buy it.

Slothrop, what's your e-mail?

It is absolutely ridiculous that the Forest service plans to spend an entire year replacing two bridges. Like Jens, I sense that there is some reason other than the bridges that they want to close the road for a year. If the Forest Service cannot be convinced against this year-long closure through civil means, I might resort to illegal acts. This only reinforces my opinion that RANGER = TRAIL NAZI.

It's not great for free climbing at your limit (leads where you need to be able to make desperate, quick clips), but fine otherwise. Great for people who are into heading to their favorite crag after work. They are $100 new. There is no real difference between a new and used Soloist, but since I'm not really into roped soloing I'll go for $40 to get it sold.

Spring is coming! $40.

Just making sure people see this as the evening wears on.

I might take Greg up on the X-15 offer, but would still prefer a Shrike-only trade because of weight issues. In other words, the offer is still open for now...

I bought a pair of BD Shrikes in the fall of 2000 (50cm, one hammer and one adze). At the time they were my most technical ice tools, so I bought bent shafts. The bend in the lower shaft really helps on steep terrain - not so much for the knuckles, but because the angle on the wrist is much better. However, I have since bought a pair of Cobras as well. With my Cobras as my most technical tools now, I would slightly prefer the straight-shafted Shrikes for low-angle alpine climbs. If you own a pair of straight-shafted Shrikes, and they are your most technical tools, I propose that we trade. That is, I'm looking for two straight-shafted Shrikes (50cm, one hammer and one adze), and am willing to trade my bent-shafted ones (which cost $10 more each). I figure we would keep our own leashes and picks, but if the prospect of getting rid of your bashed picks makes the deal, then I'd be willing to make that trade as well. They are, of course, in good condition. Not that they haven't been used much, but as you've probably noticed, they are quite durable tools.

The traverse (1.5 pitches) at the start is good mixed climbing with neve and occasional bits of ice. The next pitch (crux) is mostly rock, with frozen-moss sticks and some dry-tooling. The pitch afterwards affords the most ice on the route, with about 7 ft. of real sticks! In general, conditions are better than they ever got last year, but still not nearly as good as the pictures in Jim's book. This is as of March 3.

Posted by Dru: "ive never met anyone who actually met "little bobby onsight" and i was wondering if he comes across as weird in person as in his writing?** like in the article he wrote for High magazine about an early ascent of Sea of Vapors and calling it WI6+ M6+ (it was M5 WI 5 at the time and he seconded all the hard pitches)" He called NY Gully on Snoqualmie Mountain 5.8, AI4, A2. After climbing it last winter, my partner and I thought it closer to 5.8, AI3 (although we, or atleast I, still pulled gear). Despite this difference, it was still a well-spyed route, and I'd reccomend it.

I went a little overboard on the "tight fit is good" thing with these shoes. I could get them on my feet after some effort, but I could never keep my feet in them for more than 1 pitch. My rock shoes that fit are European size 41, so I think these are about 38 or 39. My best estimate in American sizes is men's size 8-8.5. They don't lend themselves to long trad routes, but are great sport-climbing shoes. They've been used for a total of about 12 pitches, and the soles look brand new. They were something ridiculous like $115 or $130 when I bought them. $50, or best offer. I'm in the Seattle area.

Ha! Any "easy" rock route! The Hazardous Enigma will bring you to your knees! Remember, any ascent of Garfield is a strenuous, masochistic undertaking!

W Hey Dubya. This is Colin. Send me an e-mail: colinhaley@attbi.com

I know that it hasn't "been in" in the last few weeks, but I was optimistically thinking that this cold snap had fattened 'er up. Anyone have any info on Synchronicity from the last few days? P.S. I saw Dru's comments on the B.C. Ice Climbing Report (that the bottom was non-existent), but they looked to be from the weekend.

What do you mean by "a little bent?" I've never bent a normal pick - How'd you bend an aermet pick?

I'll pay more. colinhaley@attbi.com

While considering how impressive Bill Pilling and Steve Mascioli's winter ascent of Goode was, remember that the pair had made the first winter ascent of the NE Rib of Johannesburg earlier the same month!

It seems that every winter I'm able to get by with a glove that's a tad bit thinner, and my hands stay a tad bit warmer. For some time now, I've theorized that repeatedly exposing my hands to cold causes me to grow more/larger capillaries in my fingers, or perhaps improve their warmth capabilities some other way. During the winter, I predominantly wear sandals around town so that I might do the same for my feet. I've also heard of people (or rather, a person), standing outside in the cold with little or no clothes on, with his hands submerged in hot water. The idea is that he was training his body to keep his extremities warm even though his core was cold. Does anyone know the truth about this stuff, or atleast have ideas?

No, sell it to me!

Did Don Serl ever come out with that Coast Range guidebook that I heard he was writing?