sobo

This confuses me... is not the tag rope the same length as the lead rope? If so, then why can't gear be sent up to the leader all the way to the next belay? What am I missing?

That was truly a fine read. Thanks for that Lowell. And a multitude of thanks to Wolf Bauer, of course, for all that he has done for our chosen distraction and for mountain rescue. :tup:

Rudy, Do you want to carry this conversation on here or in your thread in Spray? I went to Spray...

"Would you like a rap rings with that?"

He had the audacity to present his decisions in an honest way. He chose NOT to lose his life in the effort to extract the tourists. In so doing, he was the last hope for those who were still out flapping in the breeze. He got roasted in Krackower's book and the US media continued the cold war hangover. I agree. He had his shit together, fer sure. And Krakauer's lambasting him for not using oxygen to save more tourists was a low blow. And the media siding with Krakauer, well, that was just plain disingenuous. For you folks that have only read Into Thin Air, you need to read The Climb for the other side of the story.

"The wait to get on Infinite Bliss is fucking unreal these days!"

This is cc.com. I just skim things then jump to conclusions. And that way you get your exercise and so keep boi-boobs down to minimal levels.

Hey Keith, don't blame me! Brian started it! neener neener

Dad was a civilian in the Corps of Engineers, working in the Middle East for several years in the mid-to-late 60s. Came back home and the Corps wanted him to go back. Mom said "no way, you take me with you." Dad said "no way, they'll stone you for not wearing saris and veils." Dad goes back to the Powers That Be at the Corps, and explains the situation. He's given five alternatives: 1. Go back to Saudi alone and fuck your family, 2. Stay in Walla Walla and watch your career take a dive, 3. Go to Tennesse and play with the Corps on their TVA shit, 4. Go to Chicago and do some Corps shit in that shithole, 5. Go to Pisa for 4 years. A no-brainer, wouldn't you say?

Not one goddamned bit. My folks did it to us for a 4-year stint in Italy when I was 9. And for another 1-year stint when I was 15. Didn't hurt any of us one goddamned bit. Do iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

fukkin lucky bastard

Don'cha just luv a woman who's secure in her own skin? :kisss:, arch

Is this to where you've narrowed your search for your sabbatical?

Haven't been to Chamo, but we stayed a week in VDA about 9 or 10 years ago on the engagement trip. Very nice valley, quite picturesque, lots of climbing year round, and you're only an hour's bus ride from Courmayeur and the cable car over to Chamo. Personally, I'd stick to the WOP side because I like northern Italian food better than what the Froggies eat. Either side is gonna be spendy. What else you wanna know?

as it does to me. and most likely quick-linked to the bolt hangers on both ends.

Well, we knew you probably wouldn't, matt, since you already told Rad you don't follow "The Rulez." Just to be clear to everyone, a friendly warning or advice offerred in the right spirit will almost always work better than down-shouting someone for what appears to you to be a stupid mistake. Matt has the right approach. Oh, and I break "The Rulez" rather occasionally myself, so mebbe a lot of you don' wanna climb wit' me neither. It's all about experience. You know, that stuff that comes from exercising good judgment. Which is, in turn, that stuff you gain by surviving bad judgment...

I've never been up there either, but I find this explanation to be completely illogical. As in, how would one connect a rap ring (a fused, solid metal annulus) to the chain links (also fused and solid, although oval in shape)? Since the chain links in question are clearly not quick-links, and a rap ring, by definition, is not able to be opened and closed, by what magic would one construct an anchor such as you describe?

Easy. Frank Gibson, hands down. Story is similar to yours. I used to do a shitload of cave exploration/surveying/mapping with Frank and "Mike the Psycho" when I was in school at VA Tech. One weekend, Frank and Psycho didn't want to cave, but were going climbing instead. I asked, "What's that like?" Frank and Psycho: "Wellllll, it's a lot like caving, except it's not wet. And it's not muddy. And it's not cold. And it's not dark. And it's not blah blah blah..." (you get the idea) I got to go along, and I think I went caving all of 3 more times in my life after that. Frank became my climbing mentor just as he had been my caving mentor. And he sandbagged me on my first leads just as he had sandbagged me into being the first human into some pretty tiny spaces underground. So clearly, it was Frank Gibson. RIP Frank.

My Climbing Excellent find, Billy! Must go back and amend my list with Paul and Jack! :tup:

All I was hoping to accomplish with my post was to help Stewster avoid just this. ^^

Precisely, which is why I said this: As in, most newbie trad leaders will not have an extensive rack from which to pluck the necessary larger protective pieces for the wider off widths inherent for the grade, and... which goes back to the above. I'm just letting Stewster know what she's getting herself into if she's going to head up the "really easy graded" low-end climbs at RC. They are not sandbagged; I just want her to know that the injury potential is greater with these "walk-ups" than it is with the harder lines, and that she may find herself wanting a few more larger pieces that she might already own/have available.

Be aware that the lower grades at Royal Columns will lend themselves to less protection opportunities. This is because the cracks are rather wide in the 5.3/5.4 range, although the climbing is super easy and straightforward. Pay attention that the injury potential on these lesser-graded climbs is generally greater than the harder routes. Take Apprentice (5.3), for example, as AR Guy mentioned. More that a few budding trad leaders have had their ankles/knees/elbows/legs/arms meet an untimely end on that climb. Most climbs in this range are off-widths at RC. Miladugga gave you a good list (Slacker, Good Timer, etc.). You'll have to reach in deep to get pro, holds, etc. Moving into the 5.5/5.6 range offers better protection scenarios, as the cracks are narrowing up a bit more (hand and fist jams, foot jams). Miladugga left you a great list to get on (Nimble Novice, Nimrod's Nemesis, Double Trouble, etc.) Others not to be missed are The Sorcerer, Twin Cracks, and a trio of really short 5.6 cracks toward the far left side of the face. They all end at a common (bolted) anchor. By the time you're in the 5.7 to 5.8 climbs, you're doing finger and toe jams. Entrance Exam and Cutting Edge are favorites. Render Us Weightless is a roof climb that is far easier than it looks from the ground. Although we're talking about RC right now, do not miss the opportunity to get on Ed's Jam at The Bend, just upriver (again, miladugga gets the credit for pointing you to this fabulous crack). There is no finer 5.8 crack in the entire state as easily protectable as EJ, IMHO. By 5.9/5.10, finger locks and smears and edging become de rigeur. Things to get on include Inca Roads, Thriller Pillar Direct (technically a sport climb), Developing Arms, Orange Sunshine, X-Eyed & Painless, etc. By 5.11, it's tough crimping, pinkie/ring finger locks (for me at least), and deft edging almost exclusively. But then, I've only done a couple of 11's at RC, and that was a hella while back. Regarding the notion that RC is a sandbag haven, I say Pfffft! It's as fairly graded as any classic destination climbing area. Everything I've climbed there over the past 20-odd years is spot-on for the grade. Ya, I know, this argument has been had on this board a bazillion times before, and I'm not gonna engage anyone in it again. However, I strongly feel that the route pioneers at RC did an excellent job of selecting the ratings. They fit nicely with what I grew up climbing. Now if they could just get rid of the rattlers...

That took longer then I thought... You must have missed this part... I was talking about the whole thread as you were the first to list Fred... Ah! It occurred to me after I replied that that was how you intended the comment. But by then, I had already logged off and gone to munch out. Never got back to editing it. My bad. Cheers!

Way to go Powell! CWMR rocks! (Powell and Crew were doing the Mazama chute)

Sweet! Very nice! "...After Avalanche #3, it was time to bail..." Classic! Bad Nodder! Joe, if your mom saw you do that, she'd kick your scrawny little ass from here to next Thursday!