For Sale - 5.10 Anasazi Lace-Up Size 10

I found these shoes at the crag and have been unable to locate the rightful owner. I'm asking $70 obo - they retail for $135 and look almost brand new. I'll ship anywhere in the lower 48 at my cost. Time for a new cam!

More info here.

Contact me for more details.

Index Climbing - Green Dragon Attempt

Guy and I headed up to Index to harvest some fall granite before the weather turn to sh*t on the west side. We wanted to get on something a little longer with more exposure as personal schedules kept us from the alpine. My aid climbing experience consists of bumbling through several bolt ladders on longer routes in order to reach the free climbing beyond, so I thought Green Dragon, IV 5.9 C2/3, would be a good intro aid suffer fest. Here's a link to a pretty good topo that we didn't use.

We climbed the first pitch of Davis Holland and then set up on the ledge for the start of the aiding. Guy led the first pitch, which goes at C2/3.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

He's getting into the business in this picture - just below where he had to equalize a pecker and a brassie to move through the thin crux at the top.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Relaxing at the belay after a strong lead.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Jugging up just past the crux.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Racking up for the next lead.

So my first aid lead I find myself on C2 ground looking at flaring blue tipped out aliens and micro nuts leading up to a flexing rusted out pin that's been tied off since who knows when to another flaring blue alien placement finally to a solid looking bolt below the anchors. Yeah, its probably not that hard, but I was kinda wondering whether this crap was gonna hold.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Learning to Aid.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Guy jugging up to the belay.

From Index - Green Dragon - September 7, 2008

Party on Davis Holland.

After the 3rd pitch, we bailed. We could've topped out, but it was getting on around 2 or so and we had to both be back in town and at work on Monday. We decided against the 1-2 am return trip to Portland and rapped off before finishing the route. Ugghh .. bailing sux, but it was the right call.

We carried a double set of cams to #4, two sets of wired nuts with small brass, two peckers and hook for the funk, and we hauled a small bag. Small cams and hooks are required. Up till the top of p3, we used just about all of it.

Awesome route with a fantastic position. I'd love to go back and finish it some day. Lessons I learned about aid: 1) its slow, 2) its scary, and 3) its fun as hell. Index rocks!

Squamish Climbing - Labor Day 2008

"Blink" - its been another month since I've posted anything!! This blog just drives home how fast life moves. Before I know it, several more weeks have passed without any updates. Well, we've been climbing. Since the last post on Leavenworth, I've gotten out to Darrington, Index, Beacon and finally last weekend a long weekend at Squamish.

A couple of weeks ago, Pete, Drew and I planned a weekend in Washington. A trip to the mountains got changed at the last minute to a trip to the crags, but we still had a great time. Unfortunately, I left my camera on the top of my car at Drew's and couldn't take any pics the whole weekend. Luckily, someone actually rode by on their bike the next week, knocked on the door, and returned it!! My faith in humanity is restored - but I still didn't get any pics from the weekend. We spent one day sending cracks on the Lower Town Wall and then I snuck the Prius up the rode to 3 O'Clock Rock and we climbed Cool Runnings - good times.

This past weekend, Kristin and I headed out to Squamish. A mediocre weather forecast had us questioning the decision, but Kristin wanted to get in some crack mileage, and she had two previous Squish trips canceled earlier this summer. We decided to make a run for the border despite the iffy weather - jonesing for jams - gettin the shakes for granite - addicted to cracks. Expectations were high.

We pulled in on Saturday morning, and it was wet - real wet. Apparently it had been dumping rain for a few days, and everything was soaked. We set up the tent and decided to hike the chief to get in some cardio and check out the views.

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Day 2-4 saw us cycling through some of the best moderate crack pitches in Squish!

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Climb and Punishment, 5.10c

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Exasperator, 5.10c

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Crime of the Century, 5.11c
(I got royally spanked on this one)

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Kangaroo Corner, 5.11a
(Shorty but goody)

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Mosquito, 5.8

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Seasoned in the Sun, 5.10b

We also had some nice views of the Grand, bringing back some good memories from earlier in the summer.

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

We were really roughing it - dirtbagging at its finest. We decided to rough it one last night - in Vancouver - at Joe Fortes - for seafood. Man the things we sacrifice for our climbing bum lifestyle.

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

From Squamish - Labor Day '08

Feeding the crack addiction - seafood - Canada. Labor Day 2008!

Times are tough for climbers here in Portland. With trips like this, I really need a vacation. Luckily, we're headed to Montana!! Check back in a couple of weeks for the update.

Tibet Music Event

Ah, I just found this saved in the guts of my Blogger dashboard. I had started the post but never finished.

A few weeks ago, Kristin and I hosted a wonderful musical performance in our backyard by Jamyeng Yeshi. The Crag Law Center brought Jamyeng to perform at the Clinton Street Theater following a showing of the Unwinking Gaze - a new documentary on the Dalai Lama. We organized the event as an alternative to the opening night of the Olympics.

Jamyeng was born in the Amdo region of Tibet and escaped through Nepal to Dharamasala. For the past few years, he has lived in Canada and performs traditional Tibetan music, often with his friends and/or family members. The Tara Cafe Project helps to promote Tibetan music and culture and helped to set up the weekend. Here's a couple of pics:

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Me getting happy with the beer situation.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Jamyeng

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

The crew that help set this up - Jeff Alzner, Karen McDiarmind (with the Tara Cafe Project), Jamyeng Yeshi, and Brook Kirklin

Jeff and Brook just completed a movie about Mike Bearzi - Via Bearzi

Jamyeng and some other musicians associated with the Tara Cafe Project contributed to the wonderful soundtrack for there movie, which got accepted to Telluride, Ester Park and many other mountain film festivals. Jeff and Brook put me in touch with Karen, and we set something up to help Jamyeng promote his music.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Jamyeng with the hosts.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Alzner with the hosts.

This is a bit delayed - but thanks to Jeff, Karen, Brook and everyone else that helped to pull this off!!

Climbing in Leavenworth!

With a planned trip to Squish scuttled by the construction-induced rockfall on Highway 99, we shifted focus and set sights on Leavenworth for a long weekend of cragging.

We started out with a little gear fondling.




Kristin Vanna Whiting the new car camping tent. Of course the tent pole would break less than two days after purchase - perfect. Note - the Columbia Bugaboo II should be avoided.



Obsessing over the rack.



Modeling the rack



Oh yeah Vanna White eat your heart out princess!

Eventually we did get on the rock.



Heart of Gold, 5.10-, 4 pitches.

Saturday offered the best weather, so we headed up slope for some slab climbing before the temps hit the roof.



Looking up the Heart of Gold Pitch - 5.10a. The pitch ends right before the roof. You pull the roof on the 4th and final pitch and find some more 5.8-9-ish slab moves to the final anchor. The route is a bit contrived, because you can bale into the gully at any point, but the climbing is really fun on solid rock with fun slab moves and good views of the Icicle.



Seeking shade.



The shirt fits the scene eh? Wrong forest though.



Kristin topping out.



Roto Wall later in the weekend with temps soaring.



Kristin racking up for Slippery Shoes - super slippery in 85 degree temps!



Blazing saddles! "98 degrees in the shade."



We finally wised up and sought out the shade of the Pearly Gates.



Kristin cleaning up the namesake route of the cliff - Pearly Gates, 5.10c - with a few visual effects.



Topping out on Cloud Nine, 5.9+, 2 pitches - super fun!!



Icicle Creek cooled off our overheated bodies.



Washing away the sweat and sterilizing the scrapes. Kristin needs a manicure!

On the last night, we put down a few cheap glasses of wine at Gustav's and sought out new routes at the Leavenworth Family Fun Center!



Kristin threatening the photographer - she wouldn't really would she?



Working the angles!



Oops!



Yeah that black ball belongs to the Stiller fan.



We finally found the gnarly new routes we were looking for after the third tee! I dubbed this the Windmill Arete, v7+



The exposure was terrifying!



Kristin reenacting the crux moves from the Pearly Gates.



Hmmmmmm .... ut oh. Kristin contemplating the next bold high ball effort.



Law breaker!! Run!! The 19th Spend the Night in the Hole, v12 (high risk landing)

On the last day, we headed into Seattle for some niece time on a hot summer day.



Nadia getting her bubbles on.



Their friend Marianna showing off her snow cone.



The nieces celebrating a perfect trip to Baskin and Robbins!!

Slabs, cracks, boulders, and new routes at the Family Fun Center!! Der Leavenworth comes through again.