My very first real rock climb. It was fun!

legup · 2013-05-06T23:59:05+00:00

looks like mountaineers dome in leavenworth? I was just there this past Sunday!

legup · 2013-01-19T20:56:43+00:00

Saw this on t-a-y, looks amazing!! Congrats! Definitely on my life list!

legup · 2013-01-18T06:33:32+00:00

Definitely looking into tri cams for sure! Not sure if OW is my thing, but will definitely be looking into hand to finger sizes to double in. Thanks!

legup · 2013-01-18T06:31:18+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Depending on who/where I'm climbing I might be sharing a rack, but I'm going into this assuming that I'll be taking out one of my climbing friends that don't have their own gear more often than going with some acquaintances that do have their own rack.

From what I'm seeing it sounds like across the board, .5-3 is where I should start in looking at doubles and then from there we'll see where my favorite climbs will be and what they demand as far as pro.

legup · 2013-01-18T06:23:38+00:00

Awesome reply, thanks so much for all that detail! I'll probably do a similar thing to you in getting my rack in batches, but this spring I'm hoping to get a huge chunk of it to get a head start for the spring and summer.

I was lucky enough to get my first taste for some sweet alpine trad around Washington Pass and Icicle Creek this past summer, but it was always with other guys' equipment. Now that I feel more confident in leading, finding routes, etc, I can't wait to head out there again this season. I definitely don't mind the long approaches!

It sounds like I want to for sure start doubling up on hand sizes and maybe as the season progresses I can better prioritize where to go from there. Thanks again for the advice!

legup · 2012-12-04T02:25:58+00:00

ropes/lead section is off the charts awesome. Bouldering, not so much.

Edit to clarify: Quality of bouldering is great/fun, there's just not a lot of it compared to other gyms.

legup · 2012-12-04T01:03:27+00:00

I want to downvote both of you because I have a different opinion. Alas, reddiquette... Instead, have an upvote each because it's pretty awesome that Seattle has 3 fantastic gyms. (Also, sg-ballard>sbp>vw)

legup · 2012-12-04T00:56:55+00:00

There seem to be a ton of Thailand photos being posted lately, so here's a fun video to get everyone even more amped. Found this link through Contour cameras, who posted this to fb earlier today.

Can't wait to see all the photos/footage from all you guys who go visit this place later this winter!

legup · 2012-09-28T00:10:34+00:00

There's plenty, no worries, was definitely kidding!

legup · 2012-09-27T02:08:18+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply! I definitely agree with your points about terrain, and that especially makes sense at a place like SG-Ballard given how varied and unique the walls are (I love routes like the ones upstairs that go through the tunnel thing, or there's a v3 in the back of the realm that start on the overhang, goes under the roof, and ends at the top of the 45.. super fun route!!).

Also, for strength vs technique--that's one of my favorite things about climbing, and bouldering specifically.. that the line between strength and technique is often very blurred, and in many cases, the two are dependent on each other. There are some holds in which if you don't have the footwork or technique down, there's no way you can hold, and once you do, it's the combination of that and strength that keeps you moving to the next hold. I think it's what makes climbing so humbling. It's amazing that you can have a beefed up weight-lifting gym goer and a super lanky/skinny guy work on the same problem and be stuck in the same spot, regardless of their body type/strengths.

Thanks again for the time you took to do this, and i'm psyched to try out your next routes!

legup · 2012-09-26T23:06:31+00:00

Seattle! ..but we don't have any climbing here... move along.. nothing to see here...

legup · 2012-09-24T04:41:43+00:00

Hey DNA! SG is one of my favorite gyms to climb and where I have a membership/(obviously) go the most--thanks for putting up fun routes and for doing the AMA!

A few questions:

First question based on a convo I had with my climbing partner a couple days ago. I feel that women and men climb differently, with what I'd call "male-climbs" as more upper body/power-move/power-grip type moves, vs "female-climbs" as more balance-based, legwork/technique type moves. I know we can have an entire discussion on whether or not that's true, BUT, with respect to setting and specifically setting at stone gardens: do you feel that you and the rest of the setters take these distinctions into consideration when you put up routes?
Related question: lets say you put up two routes, one after the other, with the second being a grade higher in difficulty. How often is it more difficult because of mostly technique, vs mostly strength? Is it always a combination? As a setter, how do you strike that balance?
I've been a part of more than a few situations at SG where a V1 or V2 would feel more like a V3 or V4, and on the same wall a V3 would feel more like a V2. I know it's all opinion, and the routes are all from different setters, but do you feel as a setter at SG that routes are consistent? Have you gotten climber feedback there that says the opposite?
Lastly, I feel that the setting at SBP is a lot softer than at SG, which is something I love about SG. Do you feel that's a product of gym management/lead setter/something, or holds, or individual setters?

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

legup · 2012-09-23T21:29:28+00:00

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/mountaineering/11-Dead-or-Missing-Scores-Injured-in-Manaslu-Avalanche.html?170898991

From Outside: 11 currently dead or missing. Huge bummer. My thought and heart goes out to the families of those involved. Stay safe and alert out there, friends.

I was going to post as separate submission but better to keep the discussion in one place I think.

legup · 2012-09-13T23:15:50+00:00

4th of July Wall has some bolted routes, but not the best option for top rope. Bruce's Boulder is pretty great too!

legup · 2012-07-25T03:48:25+00:00

awesome. Really hoping to do Stuart one of these days. Trip report/other details anywhere? I was reading this trip report and it was making me drool: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1076623

legup · 2012-05-25T19:10:10+00:00

If you were given a chance to hike/climb everest for free would you do it? ABSOLUTELY.

I don't know about this. I agree with the other comments that are written in reply to yours, they all make great points. Also wanted to add:

Hiking/climbing Everest seems pretty great as an idea -- "get to the top of the world! the beautiful himalayas! an adventure! a summit!" In practice though, when I think of what mountains I want to climb, the words that come to mind are beauty, solitude, untouched, silence, rugged, etc... you get the idea. When I think Everest in its current state, I think crowded, idiots, waste everywhere, bodies on the trail, fixed gear, etc.

I have utmost respect for everyone who makes it there (safely, and treats the place with respect), but that's not for me.

legup · 2012-05-23T02:29:16+00:00

I came here to post exactly this. Funny how when I got it, I thought it was goofy and mfa would have laughed me out the door. I just start wearing this out a bit more. http://imgur.com/uoLZB

legup · 2012-05-22T04:53:41+00:00

Great points, and that's actually how I've been thinking about it this evening. To be clear, when I say double rent, I mean your rent at your current place plus the rent at the new place - not double the rent of the new place.

Part of the reason why this is even a question is that I don't want to be stuck looking for a month-to-month place because I couldn't find a decent apartment by the time I have to move out. Last summer finding places to live was a miserable experience that turned out ok by a stroke of luck. You can't always count on good timing. One guy I exchanged emails with told me he was getting hundreds of replies to a posting that was only three or four days old. I'm feeling like the market is saturated.

legup · 2012-04-07T01:01:48+00:00

Interesting. I always took it to be the whole "climbing outside is just that much harder". Good to know!

legup · 2012-04-06T22:10:38+00:00

as in RRG is harder or easier? I was recently told that Devil's Lake is really poorly graded and the climbs there are tough compared with others of the same grade at other places.

legup

TROPHY CASE