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max

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Posts posted by max

  1. Not what I'd suggest people invest in, but what I've collected...

     

    -big, heavy pear shaped DMM (Excaliburs?) straight and bent gates on 6-8 draws.

     

    tiny! BD straight gates (nanos? Neutrinos?) and cheap bd wire gates on 5-7 two foot runners "tied" into quickdraw lengths.

     

    2 madrock "super-pear" locking biners with cords.

     

    a total bastard collection of ovals, d's, and shitty biners* I've refused to use for anything else other than holding my rack together. I'm not much of a fan of getting new gear, but one advantage of having updated my draws and runners has been having a surplus biners. Last season of climbing I switched to racking my medium TCU's one-per-biner and it seemed to make those placement much more enjoyable.

     

    *Side note: I bought a set of draws from a guy 15 years ago that included some small DMM straight and bent gates. When I make a clip, I think I hold the biner and push the rope through the gate with one finger (like 'm sure many others do...). The tiny gate opening and small biner size of the bent gates made it relatively easy to get my finger caught between the rope and sharp notch of the gate "lock" mechanism. It only took one instance of being moderately freaked out, one set of fingers cripming, and the other set stuck in a biner that could probably tear my finger tip off. Yikes!

  2. They are highly controlled, managed environments with cameras and patrollers, and avy control and heated lodges all over the mountain. And I have no problem with this. What I dislike is the growing treatment of Rainier in the same way.

     

    Sounds like a "park" (Yosemite and Yellowstone come to mind..."

     

    I think that's the difference between a Forest and a Park: in the Parks, people are highly managed.

     

    But I also agree with you: Parks seem to degrade the adventure.

  3. Crack(s) 1:

     

    From the main parking area, go to the water, go south, passing a 30' overhung traverse 15 up off the water, continue to "low tide" traverse ~10 minutes... You'll round several cliffs/points. If it's not low tide, you'll have to go up and over a large broken wall (probably up to the tracks...) Maybe the third or fourth headland has two "cracks" on the climber's left and climber's center. There's a funner 5.2 layback on the far right (south end of "crag"). If you want to toprope them (otherwise highball .10's), bring LONG (10'-20') runners. Best done on a sunny summer evening where a post-climb swim is on option.

     

    Once you know where it's at, it's best to approach via the tracks. A few of the headlands/points are tough to get around during higher tides.

     

     

     

    Crack 2: From the main parking area by the amphitheater, walk south on the road up towards the park keeper's house. Near the gate dive off the road onto a trail. Work your way down to the tracks. Walk south on the tracks (5-10 min) to a 15' finger crack topped with a 20' hand/finger crack. Decent climbing for Larrabee. small to medium TCU's will do it.

     

    I don't think Jason Henry's book does that great of a job describing where either of these are. I haven't looked at it in a while.

  4. Careful of the baby rattlesnakes, they don't have venom dosage control and a bite is much more likely to be severe/lethal than an adult rattlesnake. (It sure is cute though!)

    From Loma Linda University Medical Center website

    Many people believe that a baby rattlesnake is more dangerous than an adult rattlesnake. However, a large rattlesnake is more likely to deliver much more venom than a baby rattlesnake. In the clinical experience at Loma Linda University Medical Center, large rattlesnakes cause more serious injuries than baby rattlesnakes.

     

    http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-center/our-services/emergency/programs-and-divisions/venom-er/resources/when-snakes-strike.page

  5.  

    I Arresting a drug user because he might commit a crime later is like arresting a bully cause he might rob a bank when he grows up.

     

    Actually, we do that. Bullying is a targeted behavior at schools because it is such an indicator for sociopathic behavior later in life...

     

    Really? And they are targeted, arrested and jailed? Weird, I've never seen that happen. I guess the prisons must be full of meth dealers and 10 year-old bullies.

     

    Yes. Schools have programs to identify bullying behavior.

     

    And yes, they get "jailed": detention, in school suspension, out of school suspension, expulsion, etc...

  6.  

    I Arresting a drug user because he might commit a crime later is like arresting a bully cause he might rob a bank when he grows up.

     

    Actually, we do that. Bullying is a targeted behavior at schools because it is such an indicator for sociopathic behavior later in life...

  7. This isn't specific to ice climbing, but maybe worth considering...

     

    I think you might be wise to go out with a quality guide for a day or two simply to see if you enjoy the activity before investing anything in all the gear, learning, and risk, time, frustration etc... I'm not making any judgment about how accurate you're conceptions climbing ice. I just think a facilitated, authentic experience climbing ice is insightful to the spirit of the sport. Asked now, I'd probably not choose to make the (progressive) investment I have made to climb ice. It great, but in hind sight I'd "invest" in something else.

     

    I think many people here think about guides as instructors, helping you build on your set of skills. But I think a guide can also be someone to facility an experience that would give you a great start to understanding the essence of the sport. Not to mention show you LOTS about the systems/details of climbing.

     

    If you get out, take a few pictures and post a report. I'd enjoy hearing your impressions.

     

    Dave

  8. 1. I've been to Skaha 2-3 times, 10+ years ago. I seem to remember it being a blast.

     

    2. I puled out the book a few days ago and started looking through it... looks awesome. The wife's super excited about going.

     

    3. I never hear anything about it here. Why not? Are people going there? Is it closed up?

     

     

  9. The thread seems to be a solicitation for opinions. therefore...

     

    Cutting stuff up so the bouldering (or climbing...) is more safe? nah, I'm not into it. I think the comment about "check with the land manager" seems to be the most reasonable. I think if you asked, the FS would likely say "no, that stump is part of the ecosystem/our management plan, and without review, shouldn't be yanked..."

     

    Is it a big deal to me? Nope. Just my opinion.

     

  10. Clean up your own backyard Dave.

     

    oh, I'm on a one man crusade! :lmao: HWY 542 is terrible too. I agree that part of it is people getting jacked up about getting first chair and huckin' the gnar.

     

    You're absolutely right about rolling into Goldbar and being 20 over. Oops! Reckless driving ticket. Damn it!

     

    I "commuted" to Entiat for seven summers, and I would disagree with you about the recklessness of HWY2 drivers. I think the problem is that the road itself is loaded with driveways, turns, towns (slow zones), scenery, and gapers. This means the conditions mandate people slow down. And that's where the disconnect is. Ya'z got to slow down when things get nutty! The other part is the road just gets packed on weekends and people get impatient with the motorhome doing 5 under, and start to drive aggressively.

     

     

    oh, and I'm not talkin' smack about your people... I'm talkin' smack at you!

     

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