New to Portland - need partner.

[nkane]

I just moved to Portland from the East Coast and I'm looking for someone to show me around the local areas. I've been climbing for many years and I lead about 5.9, boulder V1-ish. You can give me a call at 978-505-0090.

[powderhound]

there are some of us meeting at rocky butte today, see the PDX drytool thread under events for details.

Edited August 8, 2006 by powderhound

[billcoe]

there are some of us meeting at rocky butten today, see the PDX drytool thread under envents for details.

 

The tooth count around here is actually higher than the spelling would indicate.

 

No so with the Central wa threat I believe.

 

_______________________________________________________

From that thread Powderhound directs you to, in case you missed it on P22, ...alwasy worth repeating.

 

"Short technical note: I figure that posting my rant thing here for everybody, just once, might be better than PMing everyone. As it’s a new year, with new folks, I want to restate my terms and conditions. Sorry if you heard this before. I don’t know the skill levels of people tomorrow so I’ll repeat.

 

I only have 1 major issue. Safety. As such, I give and expect 100 percent perfect belays. 100 percent perfect means: good communication, ground checks for every climber/belayer, and brake hand on the rope ground to ground round trip for any climber off the deck who thinks they are on, or should be on, belay. If you've ever seen a person dropped by their belayer, you witnessed a less than perfect belay. Might have been a 99 percenter, hard to say, but it was less than 100 percent.

 

1 really don't give a rats ass if you can outclimb me, welcome to a huge club if like most people you can. I don't care. I don't want to hear anyone say it's just top roping either. I choose to be safe and as part of that refuse to climb with anyone who expects to do less. If you don’t like what I’m saying here, don’t show up. Last year the rescue crews were called out for 10 cliff incidents, most in the area we will be in. Every Fucking one of which was avoidable, except that somebody chose to not be safe. Don’t think this can’t or won’t happen to you. I once carried out one of the most experienced Oregon climbers who had just finished the easy White Rabbit 5.3 down climb and while turning on relatively flat ground, banana-peeled on the wet mud and seriously pitched. The hospital stay was like a month or so with the broken ribs, punctured lungs, surgery to remove the spleen and permanent pins added to the wrist a week into the stay with more surgery. No one is immune and it’s a choice we can make. I free solo out here sometimes and it always shocks and surprised that rare person who sees me toping out - I’m fine with you doing so too, best not this time of year with this group please, let’s let it dry out and clean off some.

 

I don’t want to teach belays either. If you don’t have your Sh*T together, don’t come out expecting that somebody will help you to get it together. Make arrangements with somebody else some other time, I’d rather solo. I like to get set up efficiently and rapidly to get maximum time to get pumped. That might mean running up 3 laps in a row without untying and/or down climbing. Given the time constraints, it’s not a good time to be dogging a route unless you have a belayer who’s toasted out and done in, and nobody is standing at the base: rock shoes on foot tapping hoping for another shot before dark. You want to smoke a bowl or drink some beers, pretty common and fine by me, stay in control and don’t get sparks on my rope or (more) glass on the ground is all I've ever asked.

 

If you haven’t choked and blown spit on your screen due to my arrogance thus far, I’m driving from Beaverton and should be there @6 pm. Directions to Silver Bullet are thus: as John said: After 3 speed bumps the road bends slightly right and passes a big tan dome building. Park past the big tan dome building, @ 100 years before the hard right turn, and cross the road to the north into the woods and walk c. 100’ east paralleling the road. You should immediately pass a tunnel on your right that goes underneath the road, @ 20 steps further there is a trail that branches left, head left out to the cliff edge (another 25 feet or so) and you should be able to gaze down to some anchors below. (Going straight is a very safe and gentle walk to the bottom. You could curve around and meet up with folks below if you don't want to jump on the fixed line).

 

Communication from the top to the bottom is very difficult. There is some white water rapids or something further below, and the continued roaring sound never abates and is very difficult to overcome. The hand signal for advising a belayer that you are over the edge, tied in safe and can be taken off belay is a wave of the hand for instance. Planning the hand signals in advance is a good idea. If my finger points down and makes a circular motion after I've topped out, that means please lower me. A fist means stop. Might want to clean some crap off so your trip up is cleaner, or perhaps reclimb a section that felt particularly great or difficult.

 

As there is plenty of slippery wet mud, leaves and winter moss buildup, I suggest we tie off a fir and rap to the ledge below, set up the climbs and then rap the same line the rest of the way down. I rarely do this at this location, but this would be the time to rap IMO. It might be dry, but probably not. I have beater rope and don’t mind getting sap on it. You show up and see a light blue Maxim tied to a fir, feel free to rap on it, don’t ask permission. Side note: out here it's common to see a single party have 2, 3 or 4 climbs set up, tradition is that you can climb on their ropes. Nice to ask first.

 

If you feel insecure on a single line rap and want a fireman’s belay, glad to do it, flip the rope around till some enquiring person at the base walks over below you and looks up, point or shout and we’ll pull on it to slow you down if you have a crappy rap device and/or hate single rope raps. Tossing an identical sized 2nd carabiner in most atc devices helps slow you down too.

 

As this had been a active rock quarry, many of the anchors are into large blocks. We had a winter with some freezing; I always, but especially now, like to back up all the anchors with a backup rope tied solid to a fir or a rock further back. I have plenty of sections of retired ropes to do this. Bring your climbing ropes and personal gear, some lockers and such if you have it. Should be plenty of gear and ropes if you don’t own that stuff, so no worries.

 

If you want to warm up bouldering, you might drive to the top and jump on some of the short man-made stuff up there. It's pretty good.

 

Have fun, be safe, and see you tomorrow.

 

PS, 2-4 is a great number of folks, I usually bag off if I see lots of cars and it's a big group, please don't be offended if that occurs. It's me, not you."

____________________________________________________

 

Side note to update, 2 weeks ago I was standing behind a guy who was busy yammering and not paying attention and did not see that the person right in front of him about to rap the rope had only run the rope through the rap device and a carabiner, it was not clipped onto the harness in any way. A quick throat clearing and "you might look at that again" was all it took, but had I been listing to that mindless yammering, instead of paying attention..... a lean back to rap would have been fatal...or ugly at the least. Reminder to all of us to pay the fuck attention. Even on easy ground.

[kevbone]

Wow Bill, thats a serious disclaimer!!!!!!

[billcoe]

Yeah Kev, ya gotta love copy and paste eh? It's not winter or wet any more either.

 

Remember the young guy at your area @ month or so ago? Chris? I heard he'd gone to the gym with his girlfriend and she dropped him.

 

Broke both ankles.

 

Poor planning and execution on his part. I'm trying to get a jump start on that kind of thing. Brittle, tired, old bones.

 

 

Don't get me started on that Yosemite story where I jumped on a 5.11 with a brand new partner only to look down and see him cavorting and chatting with 2 young kittens (girls) who'd just wandered over, neither hand on the rope, 2-3 feet of slack on the belay device.....

 

Insert yelling noises here.

 

Repeated again when I got higher up too.

 

Bad planning and execution on my part. Needed a partner and trolled for one in camp 4.....

 

 

Nkane, you're welcome to join us tonight.

[nkane]

Thanks guys (gals?)! i'm actually not available to climb till friday, but if anyone wants to go out this weekend that would be great!