sobo

Just so you know if you're climbing around the Tieton... John has opened another Hyperspud in Yakivegas, at 907 South 1st Street, across the street from the Valley Ford place. He's been here for about 2 years now, and it looks like the store will stay. ...sobo

! Waiting for directions. If I can score a weekend away from the wife and baby, I'd love to meet some of you guys/gals. I can't make Pub Club nights from Yakivegas, but WA Pass is always high on my list.

http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/listArea.php?AreaID=970 I found this. Are you talking about the 5.10b R route and these Gentry, Chavez, and Cronk guys? Ooops, my bad. Your link takes me to my link. Thanx, erik. BTW, that is a sucky site.

erik, Are you familiar with their site lay-out at all? I went to the site, but I don't have the time to figure out how to navigate their site while I'm at *work*. I checked the places that seemed logical to find new routes and/or crag development, but couldn't find anything quickly. Do you remember the name of the area? I only know it as is "Slickrock".

BETA REQUEST-- So is this party open to all cc.com-ers? If so, where is everyone meeting? Dave mentioned a "cabin" area. Where is this? Will the climbing be at WA Pass, Fun Rock, or both? rsvp. ...sobo

Hey nlunstrum, I just remembered that down near McCall, ID is a great area of granite domes and hills. Slickrock Mountain comes to mind, with a 10-pitch, 5.6/7 ramble with no established belay stations. It was written up in R&I about 10-12 years ago. You go out with a trad rack and a 50m rope and just go up. When teh rope runs out, find a belay and continue. It really was a fun day out, and the scenery is just superb, and camping is free. I've done it 3 times and never saw another party on route. The climbing reminds me of Outer Space, only easier. The approach, top-out, and descent are clones of OS. You should give that a go as well. ...sobo

It is, indeed, Granite Point, located along SR 193 several miles outside of Clarkston. At one time (before the Lower Granite Dam began operating), the climbs there were quite impressive on the river side of the crag. Really long, with nice backdrop of the river below you. They are now all underwater, leaving only the roadside routes. minx is correct about the "fun factor", but it *is* close. Just hold your nose to cut down on the Lewsiton stench... ...sobo

Most of the routes at Lightning Dome are bolted slabs, with an occasional pitch or two of trad thrown in for fun. But seriously, you should check out LD and the Rolling Stone Wall. Primarily trad routes that should not be missed: Cretin's Corner, 5.9; Midnight Fright, 5.9; Y-Crack, 5.9; Fat Albert, 5.7; and of course, Bastille 5.8/A0, 5.9+R, or 5.11 (depending upon variation). Primarily slab/friction routes that should not be missed: Fat Albert Direct, 5.10; Black Pine Face Direct Direct, 5.10b; Brown Sugar (all 6 pitches), 5.10, Sticky Fingers, 5.9, Welcome to Clearwater, 5.9; and Jump Up and FUCK!, 5.9. For posterity's sake, yours truly bagged the FNA (First Nekkid Ascent) of Midnight Fright! Things seem to have gone up a grade... on Hyperspud. John Crock's a great guy, and helped with the assembly of topos into sort of a cheater's guide to LD along with another guy whose name escapes me right now. He can provide you with tons of beta on LD and the SF in general. If you're in for a small adventure, cross the river (later in the season) and climb the Dorsal Fin directly across the river from LD. A mellow adventure fest, as it has no "established" route to the top, isn't done often, will take the entire day, and goes all trad and never harder than 5.8. Be prepared for dirt... For REAL adventure, go upstream about a mile or so to the obvious huge wall across the river, and put up something new on Huddleston Bluff. There's only one route (that I know of) on the far left side of the wall following the obvious crack/corner line. Almost any other route will be a bolt-fest. HTH, and climb safely, as medical help is a ways away in Strangeville. ...sobo

Dammit, Rob! You're going to get the lot of us in trouble for calling that up at work! I couldn't hit "close" fast enuff!

No, that's the hokey pokey. I thought it was the Time Warp...

I saw that picture not too long ago in Othello. The story (don't know how true it is) goes that the cougar was found and shot just outside Bellevue. ...sobo

CLAonlead, check your PMs.

Scratch that! He's back, adn with Fat Tires and Cinder Cones! Seeya, suckas!

Aw right, it's after 4 and the runner ain't back yet. I'm getting pissed!

We just finished the collection and are sending the runner out now. Should be boozing here at work before 4:00.

Just curious, iain... Since a JR has skids, do you really need to put it up on blocks...?

?????????? I booze it up every night. At work, they refer to me as The Functional Alcoholic.

Been to teh top of Rainier many times with contacts adn no problems. I use the accuview disposables, wear them 2-3 weeks at a time w/o taking them out (yeah yeah yeah, I know...), and have never had problems. Just remember to sleep with your rewetting drops...

Me, my buddy, his wife, and another couple went up to Spectacle Lake early in season many many years back. I had this thing about having to jump, naked, into frozen lakes back then. Well, I'm jumping up and down, nekkid, on the ice, and it's not breaking. So I give up. My buddy, seeing this, decides that it's ok to walk out onto the frozen lake. Thing was, where he decided to walk, it wasn't.

anybody ask him why...?

Yeah, cman gave it to you way back up top. The areas are all open. Just stick to the trail while in transit to the climbs.

now THAT'S the gayest thread ever.

Last count I had about 100, also. Been doing this for almost 18 years now, but never seem to get more than that. Like erik, I trash teh old ones: give 'em to non-climbing friends who think they're way cool key chains, lash down my kayak with them, chain up the dog, whatever. And if case the begged question comes up, I gave my old Coonyard hexes to pindude last year. No point in keeping gear I never put on the rack anymore.

I was going to post that very message.