daler

I surprised nobody has addressed light transmission. pretty much all sunglasses are 100% uv protective but its the % of light transmitted that will get you. For recreational use- I.E. not guiding 8-10% transmission should be fine for the cascades. This will not do you if you are going to Alaska or are going to be spending long trips on the glaciers in WA. I guide alot so I use a pair that has 6 % transmission, but I still carry a pair of smiths for the appoach and as a backup pair. Mattp- Just because you have not had any short term affects from not wearing side shields does not mean you have not been doing damage. Sure would suck to go blind at 50. My 13 cents dale

Yo wankers, I heading to spain in the fall to clip some bolts on southern spain limestone. Do any of you have experience with Iberia air? Forrest have you flown with them and if not what is your beta on cheap air to Spain. I think you have the inside scoop!! thanks in advance, dale

catbirdseat, More important than the device is the rope, and how you place your gear. The least amount of rope drag you can create the smaller the impact force, because it allows the rope to do its job. The idea of reducing impact force via device slippage is foolish to me. To much going on during a fall to icrease or decrease slippage. Also not fighting the fall(move into the catch not away from it) will be your best solution. people argue this fact in trad climbing, I feel its more important in trad vrs. sport because the gear is way more suspect(obviously) than bolts. My vote is almost always for the Gri Gri!!!! dale

Very True. I have done Cruel Shoes as the start many times and would have to agree. Although it should only add a couple of hours. I think Cruel Shoes is one of the best climbs at Squamish!!! dale

I sure bob's time is good. I've done it in 3 1/2 car to to car. Just start early so your behind nobody and climbing in the shade. dale

I think Iron Horse is a testpiece 11+. I've climbed quite a few 12- trad routes and I still think Iron horse is stout! Also full Japanese Gardens is no softy for the grade! Most of my trad climbing as of recent has been at Eldo and I think Index has a solid letter grade even on it. dale

As a ski!! Almost impossible. The trip would be a climbing adventure in its own right. Although a Grizzly did make it up there a few years back! dale

depends on the nut placement. I have done this way mor e often then a single biner to a bolt.

Well if he did what you described I would not call him a hotshot. Maybe a hothead. That is definately not something you should teach a student. The only time you should use a single biner is if it is your last resort then you should use a locker. Or to keep you off a ledge close to the belay, but really how many places is a few inches going to help you. dale

Luna, How do you the guide was a guide. like dru said anybody can call themselves a guide. Did you check his amga cards? Did you ask who he works for? Did you ask if he had insurance?

Anybody can call themselves a doctor as well, but would you have anybody cut into you with out checking their background? The AMGA is an international reconized organization!

Steve House bolted a new line in between TRL and LC and it is a nice alternative to the first pitch of TRL. You still need a couple of pieces down low but then its bolted all the way. It goes at about 10+ and is super fun climbing. At the first anchor you can traverse right about 10 feet to the start of the second pitch of TRL. A much better start!! dale

I'm sorry but there is not overhanging terrain if you take 1 of probably 5 natural lines up the gully in question. The crux step is very similiar to the first pitch of guiness gully in Field, Often thin but never harder than WI 4+. You are always on your feet. If there is no ice on that pitch you could easily skirt it to the left! The ice(if its there is just the easiest passage). The Cornice on the other hand can add some spice!! We did not have to tunnel. but from the looks of the pics we exited further to the left. There were cornices there when we climbed it but there is a less odvious exit to the left that we took. dale

I Started a new post in response to PMS's post on Spindrift about the grades. I feel that the North face of Big Four is not a grade 5 setting, the approach is all flat on a packed road. And there is a trail almost always to the base. The face could easily be retreated from without leaving much gear. In Selected Climbs in the Cascades the grade range is described as grade 1 the easiest to grade 5 the most committing and difficult. Liberty Ridge is given grade 5 which in my book is a way more committing climb, although tecnically much easier. The northeast buttress of Slesse is given grade 5 and is tecnically harder than spindrift. In Alaska a route like Ham and Eggs is given an Alaska Grade 4-, probably grade 5 in the cascades. Spindrift as far a committment goes is easier than all of these. I'm not trying to inflame the spindrift post, but rather starting a conversation on grades in general. dale

Just fill up a pig with about 180lbs of rock and use that. don't pound! there is no need at Index. Sure its a little extra work but it will make you stronger. I've used this to belay me partners for photo ops and it works great. dale

thats the nature of the beast! Now that the TRs are virtual you have to expect spray. Its not the good old days when you just shared the info with a few friends over a guiness. Or is it? Why do you write it on the web? Why say anything? I liked your TR, but that doesn't mean i can't ask questions! Don't hesitate to write but keep in mind everthing is relative. when you say that you were on route for 8 hours and consider that fast I would consider that very slow. I thought we were doing good with 4 hours on route but sean and andreas beat that by a solid hour. Does it matter as long as you have fun? No! peace, dale

Michael, i was not attacking you. Just trying to keep the grades where they need to be. I think you guys kicked ass. as far as the epic goes, there are two types of committed alpine climbers, those that have had a epic and those that will have one. good job on getting out. Did you guys have a compass? did you scope the descent from the belays on the climb? Jason as far a grade goes- I'm talking committment grade not tecnical grade in reference to the grade 10. Maybe the WI grade was 5 but from the picture it looks like scary grade 4(it looks the same as when I climbed it). This debate is the same as the one going on in the Canadian Rockies, does WI 6x mean its WI 7. No its just means it you need to be bold on dangerous WI 6. The face should be grade 3+ as the approach is short and the face is easy to bail at any point due to the abundant trees to rap from. Its all good! dale

I would have to agree with blight on this one. Even though his post if quite funny there is a fair amount of truth. Jason, I'm sure folks could debate this for years but if you are calling the north face of Big four a grade 5 then that means there are grade 10's out there because the face is not that hard and not that committing. I'm not blowing my horn but I climbed the face as a party of three and stopping to take many photos and we were back in town for burgers before it got dark. Sean and Andreas were back in town for lunch the same day, cutting probably 2-3 hours off our time. I know its not a competition but to call the face a grade 5 is almost as funny as seans post. You folks our inflating the grades way to much. WI 5 on route? come on! get real!! spray away dale

Michael, Not knocking you! but why did you not drop back into the big four basin. Was that your plan to start with and you got lost or did you have a different descent plan? When you top out you can go right and downclimb a 1000' or so with only a couple of raps to a easy gully back into the basin you started in? Anyway- super job!!! dale

Joshk, why do you say the alphas are not warm? I have worn them to -10f with no problem. I can barely tell the difference from my Invernos. dale

Yeah, I saw her boulering the other day and she is still sending v4 or so with big belly and all. If anything it will just make her stronger. you know, weighted climbing is one of fastest ways to get stronger. dale

do you mean a rewoven overhand with webbing? because that is different than a water knot!

Matt, The problem is not the roads- its the river crossings. If its not cold enough to completly freeze it you run the risk of being part way across then puching in and being totally fucked. A wench or (comealong; not sure of the spelling on that one) is needed. In our case the ice was only 3 inches thick with 30 inches of water underneath. Way to scary to give it a go. We found a bypass but got stuck going in( notice the tracks t the left of the picture where the pack is sitting.) with much effort and 2 hours later we got down into the drainange but figured we should spend our energy on getting out. After scoping multiple routes and breaking trail by hooking our spectra cordelettes to the bumper and pulling deadfall down we got to the position you see in the picture. after another two hours of blocking and jacking and it was clear we needed bigger tools. Remember we are 40 miles from nowhere and its a thursday, not to many people out for a drive. We repacked our gear taking only the esentials, the most important being a couple of lighters to start a fire if we didn't find help. Off we went. After 3 miles of jogging we hit camp mockingbird, a summer camp for group events. All gated up and no sign of any people we almost kept walking, but something clicked and we decided to walk into the camp just to have a look. When we got closer we heard a dull wack-wack-wack. Upon closer inspection there happended to be a maitenance worker there for the day choping some wood. And to clench the deal she was a beautiful blond. she told us it was the one day that month somebody was schelduled to be there. You could just imagine the grin on our faces. She had a phone and within an hour we had the tow truck driver giving us a ride back to the mishap. We were back in Canmore for lunch. Way way way to lucky. The next day we climbed the Replicant, opting for a long approach but still able to see cars in the distance. As far as the price goes getting stuck early is key. the further you get stuck in the waiparous the more its costs. 300-3000 bucks (its all cheap in Canadian dollars eh!!!) Also the lighter and a small tin cup for melting water is key for climbing deep in the ghost. Opportunity for spendng the night is great. Thats why I love that area, it still feels like a wild place. I'll try and write about the other minor epic we had on the hydrophobia day the year before. cheers, dale

I forgot to mention- make sure you know where the nearest phone is, or rent a satellite phone. from where these pictures are its about 40 miles to the nearest phone. We got lucky. i'll post a story later. dale

Tim and Fredrogers, Nice job on getting into the ghost. I thought I'd give you a little humor from my last adventure into the area. These are from the drive into the Waiparous to access Hydrophobia and routes like Kemosabe, The ice funnel etc... My sugestion is to walk the 3 hours from the ghost to get to hydro unless you have the proper vehicle. I had done hydro from the ghost and thought we would try the proper way the second time around. Lets just say it wasn't our day!!! Tim do you have Rafael's new phone # ? if so please send me a e-mail. cheers, Dale