pope's confessional re-opens for those in need.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I climb it feet first with my brain bucket for safety. You should see the hell hook dyno smidgen to the pinky tweaker crimpfest monodigit gaston underclimbsedpull mantledeadpoint on that climb

AboriginalAmphetamineClosetFreaksFromBellevue Grade TD+ 5.19D facile

Just gotta figure out how to clip the bolts with my feet when those shoes are on!

[slaphappy]

Now I'm feeling really guilty. I confess, (although not to Pope. I believe that "fraud" has some of his own sportclimbing confessions to make) I once climbed at WWI. Five or so years ago, an old fling liked going there and well...she was hot. On our third midweek visit we saw our first other climbers, and said our normal "hi" as we crossed Dog Death Ledge. "What are you guys getting on?" one of them ask. "Uh..." I start to answer but was interupted. "We're working this new line, Supercontrivedenigmatic. You clip bolt one of Lizard Breath then head left and clip bolt three thru six of Pornification then head right on I'm Dreaming of Sleaze, clipping bolts seven thru twelve. Now here's the crux, normally you skip bolt thirteen unless your dogging thru, instead stop on the tweaky sloping crimper and make the clip. It's at least 14a if you can make the clip and continue thru the next five clips to the chains." I reply with a glazed stare. "Well we're gonna go over there and do something easy to warm up." We move on as he blows chalk from his finger tips and starts up Superblahblah. Harnesses on my lady starts up her warm up route. "How's the...

"FUUUCK!!! I SUCK I'M THE WORST CLIMBER IN THE FUCKING WORLD!!!"

I wheel around as superclimber "whips" from bolt thirteen of Superblahblah. "Lower me down! I quit!" he says. I look back at my lady as she grabs the draw on the next bolt, "What the hell was that?" she asks. I'm confused and can only shrug. She finishes the route as superclimber repeats his performance. We decide to grab our shit and head outta there. A few years later on a visit to one of the local climbing gyms, I watched superclimber dog his way up a 12b my chick fired up first go, and called "soft". I hate Si!

I feel much better now that that's out in the open.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Yeah I think it depends on who is out there sometimes too. Dog Death Ledge can be full of the Seattleite Yuppies that crank 5.16A in the gymn and would cringe at something like Sloe Children ( I cringe at it too ).

I dont yell in anger but only in Kung Fu Style when crankin hard sorta like Bruce Lee and shit. Jackie Chan is better in "The Big Brawl"

Index is way better and the ratings keep you honest in what ability you might be able to do elsewhere. Plus you dont have to own the new S7 pantalones and eat Gu or Power Bars or beat your chest about how you are going to send some gnarley climb that will never be repeated to be hip and shit

One thing is for sure I dont like driving all the way to Smith cuz that rock is even shittier!Hey Poop what is your confession bro?!

[Dru]

Rock at Smith is BOMBER!!!! compared to canadian Rockies anyways. Dig those nubbins, climbing feels like nipple tweaking all day long.

Like the Cracks at Smith that put the bite on your hands when you climb them like a dog with filed down teeth. Haai-ya Karate Crack still need to do that one cleanly.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Bomber hehee.

[ 11-16-2001: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[pope]

My confession? For a brief moment, I doubted that my Dawgs would beat the Cougs. Silly me.

[Dave_Schuldt]

When I was a poor bike mesenger, I returned a pair of broken bike shoes that I got from some bum who got them out of the dumpster. They gave me in store credit so I picked up a new pair of shoes. I will burn in hell unless I confess my one sin to Jesus.

[Charlie]

I went to exit 38 on sunday. So did cpt caveman.

[Cpt.Caveman]

At this time in the year who cares if I was at the choss crag

[monkeyboy]

I posed for a photographer top-roping in the rain on the easiest route at exit 38. I was wearing a bright yellow/red/orange Head ski pullover from 1978. Made the cover of Northwest Weekend in the Seattle Times. I feel used and dirty!

[Dave_Schuldt]

When I was a poor bike mesenger I returned a busted pair of bike shoes to REI that I got From some bum. The nice people at the counter gave me in store credit for a new pair.

Now I will burn in hell unless I give all my money to Jerry fucking Fallwell.

[Dave_Schuldt]

When I was a poor bike mesenger I returned a busted pair of bike shoes to REI that I got From some bum. The nice people at the counter gave me in store credit for a new pair.

Now I will burn in hell unless I give all my money to Jerry fucking Fallwell.

[slaphappy]

Dave, dude, chill out!

[nolanr]

Gotta dig thru the archives and bring this one up to the top again. Okay, I admit it, I was weak, it was crappy outside, and I went to a climbing gym. And I even had fun. But I didn't wear pink spandex or anything Prana. My buddy had some tennis elbow acting up, so he belay slaved and I totally wore myself out in an hour and half or so. No grip strength.

But what I really wanna know is...why the hell do they even bother naming routes in a climbing gym? How pathetic is that?

[Richard_Pumpington]

OKAY! I'll admit it! My name isn't really 'Dick

Pumpington'. I had it legally changed, when I

couldn't stand the shit from being named 'Hugh

Jardon'. God I feel better now!

[allthumbs]

Okay, I admit it. I am a he-whore. I can't get the images of stirrups out of my head.

[mtnrgr]

I confess I went to Vworld last week. My only climbing in WA has been at Ex 32/38, and I sport climbed. I've looked at Rainier for 2 years now and my high point remains the Paradise ranger station. Why do I pretend to be an mountaineer? I suck.

But even though I sport climb by nessecity, I will never wear spandex tights (I don't think they make spandex that could hold my massive ass). I will never be a skinny, wussy, number chasing gym rat. I will still build my trad rack, until I relize my dream of being in the Kascade Trad Klan. Someday I will go on an expediton and climb something truely big and hard.

[Dru]

quote:

---

Originally posted by mtnrgr:

I confess I went to Vworld last week. My only climbing in WA has been at Ex 32/38, and I sport climbed. I've looked at Rainier for 2 years now and my high point remains the Paradise ranger station. Why do I pretend to be an mountaineer? I suck.

But even though I sport climb by nessecity, I will never wear spandex tights (I don't think they make spandex that could hold my massive ass). I will never be a skinny, wussy, number chasing gym rat. I will still build my trad rack, until I relize my dream of being in the Kascade Trad Klan. Someday I will go on an expediton and climb something truely big and hard.

---

Mtnrgr, sounds like you are gonna be making your expedition to Big Lou....

[pope]

At least a couple of you have expressed the idea that Pope needs to check in here. The issue is this: POPE HAS PLACED BOLTS IN THE ICICLE!!!!!! One cc.commie contacted me through a PM to humorously suggest that "Pope has left a few turds of his own." Another member of the board discussed with Dwayner that he thought Pope's failure to acknowledge these bolts was disengenuous. Irritated that this had been discussed in my absence, I have since contacted this person in an attempt to better understand his charges.

 

What follows is a defense of my character, given that I vocally oppose certain types of bolting, and given that at least two of you feel this is at least a little hypocritical. IF YOU DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT MY CHARACTER, PLEASE FIND ANOTHER TOPIC THAT IS WORTH YOUR WHILE.

 

About ten years ago, in response to discussions I had with some rap bolters who insisted that solid, 3/8" bolts could not be thoughtfully placed on the lead, I did a 2-bolt variation to a climb on Secret Dome (the variation is called FROMUNDA CHEESE, I can't remember the name of the route to which it is a variant start). The bolts are solid, they are 3/8", and the cleaning/hand-drilled bolting was accomplished on the lead. I had to do the crux move without the second bolt, and when I had reached a jug, I hooked it and climbed down my aider to the spot where I knew the 2nd bolt would be best positioned for the crux.

 

The variation follows a natural, arching feature and the climbing is exhilarating and steep at 5.11 or so. At one point, you can reach left to grab a jug of another route, but this was avoided on the 1st ascent. I have received positive reviews from the handful of those I know to have climbed the route.

 

The problem: it is a variation, and so the climbing is within about ten lateral feet of another route. At the time, I thought that as the bolts were established on lead, it was the only legitimate route on the wall. I still feel this way, although I've considered chopping it on a couple of occasions. Compared to the grid-bolted crap you've heard me bitch about, this route is not really "squeezed in", and it is certainly adventurous. However, it doesn't need to be there. Shoot me a PM or whatever if you're offended by it, and I'll be happy to erase it.

 

Another route, which was mostly my buddy's idea, follows cracks and ramps to a crux face move over to another crack, just right of Carnival Crack. Get the message? This is a crack climb. It provides access to the Carnival Crack ledge where excellent top-roping is to be found. The route we did is 5.9+ or 5.10, and it's crux is protected by a single bolt. The 3/8" hole I hand-drilled didn't accomodate the Fixe bolts (advertised as 3/8"). We had borrowed a roto hammer to install a top anchor, as Jim Phillips had suggested that we should use 1/2" bolts. Our solution to the protection bolt difficulties was to rap down (I didn't feel comfortable power drilling from the stance) and drill the hole to 1/2" size. The result is fun crack climb with one airy, steep face move protected by a bomber bolt, a bolt which was placed on rap.

 

Having said this, I have been asked to acknowledge that rap bolting can (under special circumstances, performed by the right people) be thoughtful and have good results. I agree, and I think the route we did is a good result of rap bolting (but not a great route). I should clarify that when I criticize rap bolting, I have in mind some of the messy, sissified, grid-bolted areas we have all encountered, and for which many of us have objections. I am not a moral authority on ethics, and I have started very few threads that deal with the issue. I am, however, very vocal about the general degradation of a once great sport. Rap bolting is at the heart of this degredation, because many, many climbers who choose to rap bolt do so in such a way that after a few years, each cliff they visit is transormed into so many nearly indistinguishable bolt trails. I have been a victim of my emotions when these discussions surface.

 

I don't know what seems more ridiculous to me, the notion that I've intended to keep these routes secret, or the belief that not advertising my drilling of these bolts is disengenuous. One of these routes is in the Leavenworth guide. If you read what I've been promoting on the message board, you'll see that the three protection bolts I've drilled in the Icicle are not among the type of bolting that I've criticized (drilling where natural pro is available, drilling additional bolts on routes that have been previously led or TR'd, drilling face climbs which result in heavily bolted sport routes at a basically clean cliff that has mostly only traditional routes, etc). You can find posts, if you're interested, in which I've allowed that sport climbing can be a lot of fun and that at steep, chossy cliffs, it seems pretty harmless. You can find posts in which I've suggested that one or two bolts to protect blank sections on a route that mostly protects with available cracks is acceptable. Damn right I'm vocal about these issues, but mostly I respond to comments in a thread I didn't start. Again, there is no intent to establish myself as the moral authority on bolting.

 

There you have it. Pope's three bolts in the Icicle. And if you read all of this........jeeeesh! GET A LIFE!

[allthumbs]

Jesus, Pope zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[pope]

quote:

---

Originally posted by trask:

Jesus, Pope

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

---

It was either write that or deal with the charge that I'm a hypocrite.

 

Hey Trask: HUG ME UPSIDE DOWN!

 

[ 04-26-2002, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: pope ]

[CAMAZONIA]

I'm cop'in to never reading all of pope's 1000 word posts

[allthumbs]

quote:

---

Originally posted by pope:

Hey Trask: HUG ME UPSIDE DOWN!

No thanks Mr. Pope . Have you contacted Jack Kenoff?? He seems to be quite lonely, and interested in "boy games".

 

 

[ 04-27-2002, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: trask ]

[pope]

quote:

---

Originally posted by CAMAZONIA:

I'm cop'in to never reading all of pope's 1000 word posts

---

Sorry man. Just revealing the naked truth about Pope, as I had been encouraged to do. And now for another confession: I've never climbed anything with a watermelon tied to my ass.

[Tanked]

quote:

---

Originally posted by pope:

Having said this, I have been asked to acknowledge that rap bolting can (under special circumstances, performed by the right people) be thoughtful and have good results.........jeeeesh! GET A LIFE!

---

Lordy, hows that cake taste Pope?