Colin

Although I have never found all that much interest in sport climbing, I think it is very important training for more advanced forms of the sport. I think it is funny that Europeans seem to understand this, yet so many Americans still don't get it. We're not talking about bolted cracks (Eternal Flame, Royal Flush, etc, are a different arguement), we're talking about proper sport climbs at the training crags. I know 5.13 trad climbers who train by going sport climbing. Jim Donini once said to me something along the lines of "rock climbing is the basic skill-set of the super-alpinist," and this is absolutely the truth, especially as alpinism evolves towards ever-increasing difficulty, even on the highest mountains. This is the reason why most of the world's best alpinists sport climb regularly - people like Rolando Garibotti, Ueli Steck, Steve House, Silvo Karo, etc. You can bet that Rolo was appreciative of his face-climbing skills while onsighting runout, 5.11+ face climbing on Cerro Torre's North Face. Sport climbing isn't for everyone, and if you find it boring you don't have to do it. But it is a valuable addition to the sport of climbing, and if done in a sensible manner is not a violation to trad climbing.

If you guys are gonna race, don't tell Andreas Schmidt, because you can count on one hand the number of routes in Selected 1 that he hasn't climbed.

Drove over the Coquihalla Hwy last night on the way back from Canmore. It was pretty full on, and we saw AT LEAST 20 cars on the side of the road, many of them pretty mangled. There were still plenty of idiots in pickups and SUV's trying to pull sketchy manuveurs around slow vehicles, because they think they are invincible in their truck... But surely someone has checked out the climbs around Lillooet?

How about: 1. 2nd winter ascent of NE Buttress of Slesse 2. First winter ascent of N Buttress of Bear 3. Winter ascent of Willis Wall (not that ski run, "Thermogenesis" to the right) 4. First winter ascent of N Face of Triumph 5. Repeat "Intravenous" on Chiwawa Mtn 6. 3rd winter ascent NE Butt J-Berg. If I were to do it again, I think descending the route actually would be a pretty good idea. 7. First winter ascent of the N Face of either E McMillan, W McMillan, or Mt. Terror

Boris! Good to see you dirty bulgarian climbers popping up every now and then. How are you liking school? I think school is destroying my soul. When are you coming out to the good side of the continent again? Nobody seems to understand the bulgarian jokes I tell them, especially the ones about Spazka-Mother-Dragon. Mike, it'd be fun to finally meet ya!

Any Seattlites heading down to Smith this weekend? I'm looking to head down Friday afternoon/evening and drive back Sunday afternoon/evening. I'll pay my share of gas, and tell pirate jokes! 206-334-3512

Yeah, I know how to make 'em Still looking though, if anyone has a double spring they didn't end up using/liking much.

Anyone have a Grivel "double spring" tether they might be willing to sell me? colinhaley1@gmail.com 206-334-3512

Maybe the best of them all? http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/69182153/large

SOLD.

Pair of Petzl Quark ice tools, with Petzl leashes included. They have been used quite a bit, but most differences from new tools are cosmetic. The only real difference is that the picks are used, but they can of course be sharpened or replaced. These Quarks are a couple years old, and therefore do not come with the plastic pinky-rest attachment. This makes them slightly less suitable than new quarks for leashless climbing, although you can buy the plastic pinky-rest attachment seperately if you wish. I am asking for $250, which is exactly half of the retail price (before tax). I do not want to ship them, so I'm looking to sell to someone in the Seattle vicinity. Please do not reply by PM, because I rarely check them. Instead: colinhaley1 (AT) gmail.com, or 206-334-3512

Thanks for those suggestions, guys. Those Bugz are about what I was thinking. Anyone know a place to check them out in person around Seattle?

For many alpine climbs I have debated whether to bring sunglasses or goggles, and on many routes I have even brought both. This seems unnecessary however, and I think the solution is somewhat of a glasses/goggles hybrid. In almost all of the old alpine-climbing photos, the climbers are wearing just such goggles (one lens per eye, elastic around the head), but they have almost completely disappeared. I have seen them a couple times in ski-shops in Europe, but never in the US. Anyone use them? Anyone know a place around Seattle that sells them?

Hey Homeys, I didn't make the flier, and until you guys pointed it out, I hadn't realized that it was misleading in that respect. We definitely only went one night without sleep. On a side note, I think it is funny these days how much the media hypes going without sleep along with the whole single-push thing. If we were climbing for 4 days without stopping, wouldn't that just mean that we were actually climbing more slowly than if we had bivied twice? In my mind, if you are looking at times the only thing significant is roundtrip basecamp-summit-basecamp (and that means the tippy-top, not "we turned around at the end of the difficulties..."). Anyways, what's so hard about staying up for four days? All that takes is some cheap pharmies. Anyways, hope to see you guys there. Still trying to figure out what music to use... That's the real hard part. Daniel, I don't have any plans to do a show in PDX, although I could probably be persuaded since I'm driving down to CA in mid September anyways.

Alrighty, found a couple days of work! Thanks for the help and suggestions, guys.

Between climbing trips and other commitments, and I'm looking for a few days of tedious labor to make some cash! It has to be before Sunday afternoon. Do you have a day or two or three of carpentry work or yard work to be done? Or, preferrably, do you have an outdoors-related job, such as portering your heavy packs up to Camp Muir? Or perhaps you'd like me to take your kid rock climbing, or up the Tooth? I would charge $10 an hour, or perhaps $12 depending on the job. If so, let me know ASAP! 206-232-1798 colinhaley1@gmail.com

Thanks, duderino. There should be a slideshow August 23rd at Feathered Friends. Although I would prefer otherwise, I think it will cost a few dollars to cover the beer. Funny, North Twin was the other thing we were comparing it to. Before Jed ever showed me a picture, he said "It's a granite and grano-diorite version of N Twin, with snow and ice above..." I of course politely replied, "Send me a fucking picture!"

Yes, we did a lighter leader pack, and a heavier follower's pack, but on the harder pitches we hauled the leader's pack and the follower jugged. We had a 9.9mm lead line, and a 8.0 mm rap/haul line. We took 1 breakfast, 2 dinners, and 4 days of energy food. We didn't take any tarp or tent or bivysacks, but we did both take synthetic sleeping bags, which turned out to be really important. Jed had a 20 degree bag, and I had a 35 degree bag, so I slept with our one belay jacket. The most interesting gear of the trip must've been the snowshovel, attached to an icetool, used as a rafting paddle...

We flew in from Delta Junction, Pax, and walked out to the Delta River afterwards. Moffit is not one of the shoulders on Mt. Hayes, but a seperate peak. Colby Coombs and Mike Woods guidebook describes the peak and our descent route a little. The climb took us four days roundtrip from our camp. The first two nights we had decent bivies, and the third night we simply stopped to brew and rest a bit. Funny that you say the Eiger of Fairbanks, Dave, because I couldn't stop making that comparison in my mind. Bigger, steeper, and a lot more remote though.

Back in Seattle, now. I'm sure that Jed will post some photos on his website (59a2.org) when he gets a chance. In the meantime, here's a couple of his digital photos: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=19625&sort=1&cat=500 http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=19624&sort=1&cat=500

Jed Brown and I just returned to Fairbanks after making the first ascent of Mt. Moffit's North Wall on July 10-13th. The Entropy Wall (VI, 5.9, A2, WI4+), approximately 1,500m and 33 pitches, is followed by approximately 900 meters of snow and ice slopes leading to Moffit's summit. It was the most serious and commiting climb I've ever done. Some rock was poor, but some was excellent and splitter. Highlights included a perfect snow-mushroom bivy, a 3m horizontal roof, steep water-ice pillars, and lots of free climbing and aid climbing up steep cracks. More pictures to come eventually! Picture of the face: http://59A2.org/hayes/200607/route.jpg

Hey Scott! Just saw this post. Good to see you out at Index the other day. My e-mail is colinhaley1 (AT) gmail.com. I'm leaving for AK in a couple hours for 3 weeks, but I'll be around after that.

Anyone driving to WA Pass, Mazama, or Winthrop from the Seattle or Everett area on Saturday evening? I get out of work at 5pm in Seattle, and I would love to find a ride up to WA Pass or Winthrop. I would of course pay my share of the gas. I don't need a ride back. 206-962-1798, or 206-232-1798

Indeed, it's a different scene here. No slide alder, no logging roads, no tents... A really cool way to experience the mountains, but I wouldn't want it to be my home range - no suffering leaves something to be desired... Tim, I don't know how late that route typically stays in shape, but the first ascent was in August (although that was in the 70's when ice was still plentiful). I climbed the Arete de Cosmiques the following morning, and it was in nice shape - mostly nice neve interspersed with relatively dry rock. There is still plenty of ice in the Range in April and May on the North faces, although the crowds start to become an issue around mid March.

Climb: Aiguille du Midi-Chere Couloir (North Face) Date of Climb: 2/1/2006 Trip Report: A short trip report from abroad because this is the type of day you can only have in Chamonix... 7:45 - Wake up. 8:15 - Walk two blocks to the Aiguille du Midi tram base. One Camelback pack, with crampons, 1 liter of water, and 2 peanut-butter-jellytime sandwiches inside. Icetools in hand. 8:30 - Catch the first tram up to Aiguille du Plan with friends going skiing. 9:00 - Start hiking (underneath the cables of the upper tram) up to the base of the North Face. 10:00 - Put on crampons and start climbing the Chere Couloir (about 1000m, with bulges at about 75-80 degrees). 12:00 - Reach the sunny ridge near the Col du Plan, and begin walking up to the Aiguille du Midi summit. 12:15 - Pass parapanters who decided there was too much wind to take off. Skiings walking in the other direction to head down la Vallee Blanche. 12:30 - Pass through the metal gate at about 3,800m and take off crampons. Walk through tunnels in the summit area, passing the tram to Italy and photo-snapping tourists, to the tram station back to Chamonix. 1:00 - Take the tram down to the Col du Plan and then down to Chamonix. 1:30 - Walk two blocks home and eat lunch. 2:30 - Go to French class. 6:00 - Class is over, head to the bouldering wall. 7:45 - Bouldering wall closes. Go home to eat dinner and later fall asleep. Approach Notes: ski pass, telepherique