Cpt.Caveman Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Jens I'll weigh in on what I think is overhyped- that's vantage and the ice climbs of Alpental Valley. Quote
mattp Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Ray- At grave risk of having you call me a disingenuous so-and-so, I'll say that I'm totally with you on the Alpental Valley ice and the Frenchmen's Coulee chosspile. Sure, I can have fun at either place, but lots of people seem to think those are the only places to go ice or rock climbing in the State! It's OK by me, though, if climbers want to go where it is convenient. Quote
COL._Von_Spanker Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Alpental Ice; good place to go on the way back from something else. Â Frenchmans Choss pile can be fun when it's cold snd shitty in seattle and in the 70's there, but for the most part I don't really get a huge kick out of climbing there. Â Things I like: Mt's everywhere, lots of adventure to be had. You can see the mountains all the time so they're there to reming you what you could/should be doing. There's stuff for all skill levels. Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Grave risk. Yeah what's so ingenious about my comments in the first place  Were off subject here. Quote
Dru Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Good to see the words Vantage and Grave Risk used in the same paragraph. Quote
Dru Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Grave risk. Yeah what's so ingenious about my comments in the first place  Were off subject here.  ingenuous vs. ingenious - consult dictionary. Quote
leejams Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Like,Bushwhacking=solitude from the crowds. always able to find a challenge. Â dislikes, N. cascade hwy isn't open in the winter. Instead of having one fee to pay we are nailed at every area! Â But the pro's far outweigh the con's so here is one for the cascades Quote
ScottP Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 I like: a comparative lack of afternoon thunderstorms. the diversity of the rock types.   I dislike: fee demo  Quote
Geek_the_Greek Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Like: good rock up here in WA Dislike: hard to get to it until late spring Like: hard to get to it until late spring (keeps it a bit wild) Dislike: the mud they call rock in the Oregon cascades Like: Safer snow (mostly) than the interior Quote
MTnative Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 the elevation of the american rockies mean nothing...they rise out of a many thousand foot plateau and aren't all that impressive to begin with  Poor Josh...obviously you have never been to Glacier NP, The Mission Mountain Range, The Teton Range, The Wind River Range, OR Rocky Mountain NP!!!! Quote
Hiromi Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Like: I can be at E-38 for climbing or the Pass for snowboarding 45 minutes after I walk out of my office. Â Dislike: It takes 3-5 days to dry out all my gear after every climb. My boots are starting to get this nasty smell from being wet all the time. Quote
specialed Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Underhyped: Index  Cascades have the most variety and in every discipline of climbing (except maybe ice) something that's world class. Quote
JoshK Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 the elevation of the american rockies mean nothing...they rise out of a many thousand foot plateau and aren't all that impressive to begin with  Poor Josh...obviously you have never been to Glacier NP, The Mission Mountain Range, The Teton Range, The Wind River Range, OR Rocky Mountain NP!!!!    You are right, I haven't been to Glacier NP or Wind rivers, two places I very much want to go. I should have been more specific...I really meant the Colorado rockies, and I will stand by that, they aren't that impressive. I laugh when I hear CO people talking about all their "fourteeners" Quote
Geek_the_Greek Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Cascades have the most variety and in every discipline of climbing (except maybe ice) something that's world class. Â Well, the bouldering here isn't exactly all that hot(Squamish doesn't count - coast range, not cascades) Â [triple digits, here we come...] Quote
Geek_the_Greek Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Well, I've seen stuff that's decent, and Larrabee sounds fun and all, but world class? I'm thinking Hueco, Bishop, Rocklands, Fontainebleau here - which I haven't seen or heard of. I suppose you could make a case that Smith is in the cascades, and it does have good bouldering, but it's a stretch... Â So what am I missing? Â Â 100! Quote
erik Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 if you only knew my friend.....if you only knew..... Â i would tell, but it is not mine to tell..... Â Quote
Dumpster_Diver Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 World Class is merely an opinion. But since were talking about opinons I'll give mine  The Cascade Range is close by for me, offers a nice variety of rock and routes. Although a variety of big fat plastic ice next to the road is not a reality most of the time climbing here is just as good as any other range.  Let's talk about bouldering because I don't really understand what makes a bouldering destination world class. What does? Problems rated V12 in every nook and cranny? Not being a smart ass but bouldering appears to be a sport that can be done almost anywhere rock exists. There's a lot of rock in them thar Cascades  I could go on but let's get this started Quote
Dru Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 world class = chris sharma sending and 100 gapers, 15 with video cameras, gaping. Quote
Dwayner Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 "Dr". Flash-whatever say: Â "Smith is part of the Cascades, right?" Â The answer to that is: HELL NO!!! Â And while were at it, say "no" to sport bolts on Mt. Rainier! Quote
Geek_the_Greek Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Uh, yeah, hey I agree it's kind of silly. I reckon the best bouldering *potential* is up in the alpine (talus slopes and the like), where all those nice clean boulders fall as they erode. But, like cragging areas, potential does not a climbing area make! No one wants to go climbing on moss-filled, weed-choked cliffs with the crumbly rock still there - unless you're going for a summit, that is, in which case anything goes. Likewise, boulderers need a modicum of development into cleaning and establishing problems and the like. Â It's just like cragging - a classic area has loads of developed routes/problems of high quality, good rock, it's scenic, there's good access without being trashy (no areas beside malls or landfills or anything), etc. Good free camping nearby always helps, as does year-round sunshine, but these aren't total requirements. Â I'm just theorizing here, so maybe someone who boulders more than a few times a year (although every week at the gym!) could say more... Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Gee, Dwayne-o, thanks EVER SO MUCH for clearing up that geographagic misunderestimation! Â Bolt more crax! Quote
allthumbs Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Don't mind Dwayner, he posts from the Betty Ford Center, and he's on crack. Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Geek pretty much has it right. It's rather cynical to think that an area has to be packed with V12s to make it world-class, although it's true that hard routes/problems attract attention from the top dawgs, which gets attention in the mags, which draws the attention of Joe Gumby or Jaroslav Gumbjercjzowicz or Jose Gumbero to it, resulting in world-class status. You need a lot of rock (make that a lot of GOOD rock), a nice setting, variety variety variety, access, etc. Quote
Dumpster_Diver Posted January 23, 2003 Posted January 23, 2003 Good rock. Hmm what is good rock? Lots of interpretations of that come to mind after discussion with other folks. Quote
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