TF Pothole Cleaning

The sign says it’s the world’s deepest pothole at more than 60 feet. Who knows? But today it was cleaned.

This Is How You Clean Up A State Park

I rarely ask you to do anything for me; I am this time. Please, please watch the video below first before you watch this sequel. (If you only have a little time for the video below, watch starting at minute two for about 45 seconds or so. Then come back to this video.) Thank you for your consideration.

Bump. Bump Cleanup from rgsletten on Vimeo.

Cleanup At Taylors Falls

I hope we meet Ranger Woodlore (who is in the video below) when we go on Sunday. My hunch is they won’t let us use sharp, pointed sticks and they won’t let us dance - ‘cause it’s a state park. Fast forward to minute 2 on the video, if you want to see how fun it is to clean up a park.

20 Greatest British Adventurers

Some of these people went a little overboard in their endeavors.

VE Friday – A Gimp, A Wimp and A Limp

Just so you’re not confused, I’m referring to myself in the title above; not these great route setters – PPM and Angelo.

I limped in today as a gimp too wimpy to climb; what a simp! So I belayed others more capable than myself. Like Mel, Lisa and Levi. They tried some new routes put up by PPM (“9ish” meaning 11a for most of us) and by Angelo (“maybe 11-12.”) I spent a lot of time groveling at the feet of these climbers as I belayed them from the classic Sitzplatz position shown below. There was also a new S.L.A.B. (Smear Like A Bastard) route put up by PPM that is sponsored by the climbing shoe manufacturers.

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Boot Liquor

Finally someone has made a beer from the “product of fermented ‘boot juice’ wrung from the socks of hill walkers.” Bootliquor Beer. What a great name. More info here.

Horney Toad Discounts Benefit the American Alpine Club

Warm nights, suntan lines, BBQ, long hot days, sunscreen smell, sweaty beer cans, laughing with friends in the sunshine – these are a few of my favorite summer things. I know you are a fun maker especially during these dog days of summer, so I wanted to hip you to a deal my companies Horny Toad and Nau are extending to you to get suited up for all the solstice mayhem that is sure to commence.

Here is the scoop:
1) Be first to enjoy the deep-discounts of the Dog Days deal, because just like summer, all good things come to an end.
Horny Toad:
60% off until June 8th
50% off until June 15th
40% off until June 29th.
Nau:
50% off until June 15th
2) Please pass this on to your friends and family – don’t be shy – so they can take advantage of the program. Don’t forget about your Facebook and Twitter accounts, they are great way to help get the word out.
3) The top three Toads, Nauians or Lizard Loungers that generate the most business – hopefully one will be me with your help – gets to direct cash prizes $1,000 and more to a charity of their choice. My charity is The American Alpine Club (www.americanalpineclub.org). Help me get the community that surrounds this cause involved so they can benefit from this too, everybody wins!
4) Go to: http://www.nau.com/dogdays/amy-b
http://www.hornytoad.com/dogdays/amy-b
5) Use code DOGDAYS during checkout.
6.) Not to be combined with other offers...sorry.
7.) Returns and exchanges are totally cool with us.

Peace,
Amy BonDurant
Join the family!

Just one photo...

From the Russell Hobart Adoration Society for the Advancement of Mutual Happiness.

Unicycling Past Everest

What else is there left to do? This guy’s plans included riding a unicycle to Everest base camp and then down to Katmandu. And he did it.

Climbing The Grand

This is an older story about some Minnesotans climbing the Grand using the Upper Exum Ridge after climbing in Death Canyon on the Cathedral Buttress. 

How A ‘Biner Is Made

Awhile ago, we posted a video of a DMM brand carabiner being made. This is a shorter video of how a Black Diamond ‘biner is made. When I see all the hand work necessary to make one, I am amazed at how cheaply they are sold.

User’s Review of Small Cams

This report by “Rock Climber Girls” gives a glowing review of Black Diamond’s size 00 C3 camalot. These are pretty small and yet she fell on it numerous times and was quite impressed.

My Knee Surgery

Had my surgery today and they gave me the option of watching it or being knocked out. I chose to be knocked out but didn’t know they’d do it like this. Ouch! See you on the rocks soon.

Beware of Being Too Strong

At least that’s what this training article talks about. Balance strength with technique (What is that?)

Split Tips

Some hints on split fingertips – not split hair – right here.

How High Can You Jump A Bike

If you’re moving about 50mph towed by a car? Pretty high.

Film Festival in France

Here’s a trailer – I think – for a film festival in France. C’est la vie.

American Safe Climbing Association

Here is a link to their website

a bare bones nonprofit of dedicated climbers who replace unsafe anchors and minimize the visual and environmental impacts of climbing. hmm sounds like Richard and PPM combined.

Here is an interesting article from their website.

Rock climbing and rock protection/anchors

Rock climbing in the U.S. began in the 19th century with such prominent figures as John Muir. In that day, climbers attempted to climb every peak they saw, beginning of course with the biggest and most spectacular. Peaks could be climbed with easy walking, or trickier scrambling, or if needed, ropes and rock protection was needed. Rock protection means some means of securing the rope to the rock. A gross generalization of rock climbing is that over time, more and more difficult climbs were sought out, which required more rock protection and anchors. Sometimes this meant leaving nothing in the rock, but often slings, pitons, and small metal bolts were left. Even today, all these are temporary in that they will fall off or rust away within a few decades, but are permanent in that they are left there from year to year. The ASCA mission is to replace deteriorating anchors on classic climbs in the U.S. and educate climbers and the public about climbing safety. See the History essay for a little more background and some good references.

U.S. Rock climbing rating systems

Overall commitment/time rating: the "Grade" system.

Grade I a short climb done in a couple hours
Grade II a short climb done in an afternoon
Grade III a climb which takes most of the day
Grade IV a climb usually done in one very long day
Grade V a climb taking two to three days
Grade VI a climb taking 4 days or more
Grade VII a Grade VI in an extremely remote location

Technical difficulty rating systems

ALL rating systems for climbing are HIGHLY subjective, depending on the skill and experience of the climber. Most climbers will never be able to climb 5.11 crack, yet some do so without ropes. Most climbers will never be able to climb El Capitan, and those that do usually take days to make it up a Grade VI climb, yet several of those climbs have been climbed in less than 4 hours by the worlds' fastest climbers, making them only a Grade II for those few superstar climbers.

Anyone attaching too much importance to any rating should remember that these are subjective, and climbing should be about enjoying the vertical world, not competing with other people over some little silly numbers.

The original Sierra Club rock climbing rating system, dating from the 1930s:

1st class - hiking
2nd class - scrambling and boulder hopping, hands are needed, but generally very little exposure or danger
3rd class - steep scrambling with exposure, ropes are needed for inexperienced people. An unroped fall on 3rd class terrain would likely be fatal.
4th class - steeper scrambling on small holds, ropes are needed for most people, but an experienced climber would normally climb an entire rope length without intermediate protection, then set an anchor and belay other climbers up. Inexperienced people may not be skilled enough to ascend even when belayed from above.
5th class - steep rock climbing where the leader must place intermediate protection, and in case of a fall, the intermediate protection would catch the leader (who will fall twice as far as the distance above the last piece of protection)
6th class - very steep climbing where the climber is unable to ascend the rock without pulling and stepping on rock protection

The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS; more properly known as the Tahquitz Decimal System), invented by Don Wilson, Royal Robbins, and Chuck Wilts in 1956, rated all free climbs on an initially closed decimal system:

5.0 easiest 5th class
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9 hardest 5th class

After many very difficult climbs accumulated in the 5.9 rating, the decimal system was "broken" in that it was no longer a decimal system, and the 5.10 rating came in to existence, followed by 5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, and now 5.15. These upper grades were further subdivided into 4 "letter grades" to further refine the rating: the suffixes a, b, c, and d were associated with increasing difficulty (i.e. "easy 5.10" = 5.10a or 5.10b, "hard 5.10" = 5.10c or 5.10d). In addition, the popularity of bouldering (very short unroped extremely hard climbs) introduced the current standard "V" scale, which currently ranges from V0-V15. Boulder problems tend to be short and powerful, often requiring different techniques than roped climbing, and a separate rating system makes sense.

The use of outdoor rating systems in gyms is inappropriate and leads to safety issues

Modern climbers learning in a gym are often misled by the use of the YDS in indoor gyms. The use of the YDS inside is entirely inappropriate, as indoor gyms have little relation to outdoor climbing. Most people who learn in a gym and think they "climb 5.11" would likely DIE attempting a 5.0 chimney system first climbed in the 1930s. Because of this new generation of gym-educated climbers, the use of the lower 5th class ratings has fallen by the wayside, and modern climbing guidebooks typically condense all climbs formerly 5.0-5.6 into the 5.6 rating. A large number of accidents are directly attributable to the use of the YDS in climbing gyms.

Mike Farris Summits Everest Solo

Not without some challenges however. Lack of Oxygen, wrong turn, frost bite...Tomorrow he will be evacuated by helicopter or horse....
Here is the link to his blog, The Altitude Experience. Details are there.

Rap off the Deck

If you live in the house in Greece, you could do that. But you have to become a Orthodox Monk to do it.


The Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece. The monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Peneios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The Meteora is home to six monasteries and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Blue Mounds Gathering

Is coming up on June 5th-June 7th. Sponsored by Minnesota Climbers Association. More info at their Facebook page or here. Info on climbs at B.M. is here. I believe they will have many climbs set up for top ropes. We are planning to camp there just one night – Saturday. (B.M. might not be the best abbreviation. Let’s just use Blue, OK?)

The Blue was home to Frederick Manfred who wrote many books about the Native Americans who lived on the nearby plains. Probably his best known book is “Lord Grizzly” the true story of Hugh Glass who was attacked by a grizzly and crawled  alone about 200 miles to safety through hostile Indian territory. (Probably felt like you did after a party on a Saturday night.)

American Alpine Club:New Guidebook Collection to Track Climbing History

In the near future, the AAC library is scheduled to receive a collection of rare and unusual climbing guidebooks from Armando Menocal, a longtime climber and advocate of climbing. We asked Armando to give us some background about the collection, why he started it, and the significance of the collection. The following post was written by Mr. Menocal.

A common misconception about guidebooks is that their purpose is simply to give directions.
Prof. Jay Taylor, Journal of Historical Geography (Vo. 32: 190, 2006)

One day 25 years ago, a writer from a trendy magazine in San Francisco called me. She was doing a typical story on what people in the community were reading.

“What’s on your night stand?” she asked me.

Before I could think of something she might understand or that might make me look good, I blurted out the truth, “Rock Climbs of Tuolumne Meadows.”

Silence. Then a dubious and clueless, “What’s that?” I still wasn’t thinking because I made a second mistake, one that climbers know all too well: trying to explain climbing to a non-climber.

“It’s a kind of book with directions for rock climbs and basic facts, like features and difficulty. This one has mostly drawings or photos, but it’s the first published guide to the Meadows, after years when the only info we had was a spiral notebook that was kept at the Sierra Club’s Soda Spring campground, where climbers would write down or draw their first ascents. Half’m were total sandbags.”

More silence, and then, “That’s really interesting. What did you read before that?”

for the rest of the article, click here.

Lookin’ Good

For those of you who are adding to your trad rack – you know you want to have a trad rack, just admit it – here’s a review of the different types of cams. Even if you are not a trad leader, at least put some of these on your harness so when you walk around a climbing area with a lot of tourists, you look good. (Now, I’m not talking about you;  you always look good . I’m talking about your belayer. S/he might need some help in looking good. Hey, don’’t laugh, you know it’s true.)

Shoes and Free Coffee

So you want a new pair of climbing shoes, but want to try them out before you buy them?

Come to the Climbers coffee at Wrinkled Rock Trail Head near Mount Rushmore...8am sharp!!! May 23, 2009 and Nic, the 5.10 climbing shoe rep will set you up with some cool shoes to demo for the day.

Free coffee, and you get to try out shoes before you buy them for free...how can you beat that?
Plus you get to chat with real Black Hills National Forest and National Park service Staff

One day only....there will be free coffee on Sunday the 24th, but no shoe demo.

Info - http://www.sylvanrocks.com/index.php/sylvan-rocks-news/

Belay/Rappel Devices

These are reviews by a professional guide at Sylvan Rocks of the most common belay/rappel tools.

Don’t Drop Rocks

Here’s a report from climbers in the Black Hills climbing  on Buckhorn Mountain who dropped a small rock onto their rope.

“It was pretty impressive how it did not really cut the rope, but the one square inch that the rock landed on where the rope laid on an edge...it compressed the rope and melted it in 2 and left a little chunk in the middle. Only 3 of the inner cords held. Wicked Scary!”

Serious Rope Management

Photos of the month from NG. Don't drop anything here! Click title for link.

Slacklining in Rio

Because if you’re in Rio, what else is there to do?

The Brits Have It Figured Out

They have the “National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme” with several different levels so climbers can track their progress in climbing. These are the 5 levels and you can click to find out the qualifications at each level. Seems like a good idea.

Can Zombies Climb?

Well, the answer is in this trailer for a Zombie Western Christmas Musical.

 

Rocks Roped Together for 1,300 Years

That’s what they’ve been doing on these 2 islands in Japan.

What does the Bible say about Climbing?

Ecclesiates 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift the other up; but woe to one who is alone and fall and does not have another to help. And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not is not quickly broken.

Women’s Climbing Course

Here’s an email I received about a climbing course put together for women only. (I gotta put on my skirt to go register.) Their website is here. Johnny Mac used one of their founders – Eric Simonson – as a guide when he climbed McKinley.

My name is Deb Leyh, and I am a guide for Sierra Mountaineering International (as well as IMG).  I have put together a Women's Climbing Program, which has 4 different alpine climbing events.  Would you consider posting these on your website?  Below please find the program information.  If you have any questions, please contact me at dleyh-at-hotmail.com or 619-607-2667.  In advance, many thanks.  Cheers, Deb

2009  WOMENS PROGRAMS
Sierra Mountaineering International
Tel: 760-872-4929
Email:  info@sierramountaineering.com

Mt Humphreys Climb (13,986 ft)

Route:  SW Slope, NW Face, 4th Class
Level:  Beginner Alpine Climbing
Ratio:  2:1
Date:  August 7-9, 2009, 3 day trip
Cost:  $675.00  (based on 2:1)
Prerequisites: Ability to carry 30-40 lb pack for 6-8 hours & previous rope travel.

Mt Langley & Cirque Peak climb (14,042 & 12,900 ft)

Route:  SE Slope, Class II
Level:  Beginner California 14er, with optional summit of Cirque Peak (Class I)
Ratio:  3:1
Date:  August 25-27, 2009, 3 day trip
Cost:  $545.00 (based on 3:1)
Prerequisites: Ability to carry 30-40 lb pack for 6-8 hours.

North Lake to Pine Creek Backpack

Route:  Trail, 22 miles
Level:  Beginner-Intermediate Backpack
Ratio:  4:1
Date:  August 29-31, 2009, 3 day trip
Cost:  $480.00  (based on 4:1)
Prerequisites: Ability to carry 30-40 lb pack for 6-8 hours.

Single & Multi-pitch Rock Climbing Weekends

Routes: Iris Slab (5th Class, single pitch) & Crystal Crag (North Face, 5.7 multi-pitch)
Level:  Beginner Rock Climbing, 5th Class
Ratio:  2:1
Date:  September 5-6, 2009, September 26-27 or October 3-4, 2009
Cost:  $425
Prerequisites: Comfort with exposure.

W.O.E. at T.F.

Women on the Ledge 2009

The Story is below, this is the complete slide show

Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunday

Mel and I took a group of the most wonderful women up to rendezvous with Russell and Jeff from VE at Taylors, Wisconsin Strip. Liz, Angela, Kay, Renee, Lilly, Michelle, Ella, Deb and Spider Tan of the St. Andrew's Women on the Edge started the day with a rap down Lloyd's Lement, I don't know what Lloyd was so sad about, we had a great time. We set up on Cathusalem, Old Man, Lloyd's and The Chimney. Chimney was fun, I love that Old Man! Everyone achieved success! Thanks Russell. Jeff, you did a great job.

Sunny Sunday!

A collection of climbers checked out Red Wing on Sunday. In addition to the Jake, Levi and the new college grad Em of the Ender tribe were Hannah of Milwaukee, Jim of Fargo (first time he ever saw a rock) and Jay, who told me he just loves this blog!

Black Hills Climbers Coalition

They have been without an updated website for quite awhile. Now they have updated it here.

Does a Woman Have to Be One of the Boys to Excel in Climbing?

By Abby Watkins
"Your lead," Vera says as she hands me the rack. She's just led the last five pitches and now it's my turn to do the same. I look at the upper dihedrals towering above us: still so far to go.

Vera on belay on El Capitan

Gasping, I belly flop onto the glazed, sun-drenched ledge at Camp 5 on the Nose of El Capitan. Evening light softens the stark lines of Yosemite Valley, which makes the meadow below seem even further away. I'm bone tired. Since 5 A.M. (was it only this morning that we were on the ground?), Vera and I have been tackling the sheer, unforgiving lines of this magical monolith.

"Thanks." My weary reply reveals the fatigue engulfing my body and mind."How's your water supply?"

"Gone." Monosyllabic responses are easier to muster and are all our partnership requires after climbing acres of rock together in many countries over the past few years.

We're out of water and food. This is when we must dig deep. Somehow I drag myself to my feet and start climbing. The first move is sheer will, but slowly my body takes over where my mind is too tired. My body understands the intricacies of granite climbing and moves instinctually across its smoothness. Soon I am 100 percent engaged, and the rock slowly passes beneath me. Four hours later I am crawling onto the summit under a full moon. The Nose in a Day: A dream come true.

Abby Watkins is an award-winning dancer, a decorated gymnast, and a world class climber on rock and ice. She set the Women's Speed Record on the Nose of El Capitan with fellow Australian, Vera Wong, in 1996 and placed first in the 2000 Ouray Icefest. Most recently, she co-founded Ascending Women, providing women-only clinics for aspiring climbers.

Climbing Games

This page lists rock climbing games. My favorite is “Devil Bunny Needs A Ham.” Sounds fun.

The Flying Tamborninos = Citizen Sage

Just in case you didn't know, those curly haired brothers that frequent VE have other talents as well. Click here to listen. They just released their debut album. I know Greg has some CD's in his car if you want to buy one. Michael probably does too. My review? Well it made me want to put on a huge pair of headphones and nestle down in a beanbag chair for an hour or two. Driving while I listened just seemed like I wasn't giving the music the attention that it deserved.

Citizen Sage
Rock / Psychedelic / Blues

Blue Mounds Gathering

It's June 6 and 7. All the cool kids will be there.

One Pitch at a Time

By Abby Watkins

Abby leading a mixed pitch in the Canadian Rockies

Ascending the Nose in a day was a big turning point in my conception of what was possible in my climbing. Moving over that much rock in such a short time opened the door of possibility as to what I could do in the mountains. Yet when I first conceived of the climb, it seemed like an impossible dream. In my mind, such ascents were the realm of supermen with grim, set jaws and strength as rugged as the mountains—and with these men I did not identify.

The media did nothing to quell my insecurities. On the page opposite the hard, scruffy, satisfied men portrayed in the popular climbing magazines were airbrushed beauties hanging delicately onto sunset-drenched rock. Though there are signs of change, it seems that the mainstream climbing media is not ready to showcase female climbers based on their merits rather than their appearances. I know that when I am three days into a big wall or two weeks into an expedition, I do not look anything close to a poster girl. I did not identify with the gorgeous, young faces staring blankly at me from the glossy magazine pages any more than I did with the mighty men of the mountain.

Luckily, however, I was born with stubborn confidence and an inclination toward athletics. Whether competing in gymnastics, playing tennis, or climbing, I have always felt strong and competent. This mind-set, combined with seeing real women going for it—tired, grimy, and happy after a full day of testing their limits—pushed me to pursue lofty goals. Meeting the perfect partner vaulted me to new heights.

More Women Climbing Stuff

Boy oh boy, do the women get special attention. I am going to start wearing a skirt. Oh, wait, I already do.

This website has lots of links to women-only climbing events and programs.

Free Solo El Cap?

Only a matter of time, according to this article.

10 Climbs for the rest of us

By Cameron M. Burns The standards in climbing are always rising, even for moderately experienced climbers. There are Everest summiteers who have a scant few years of climbing experience, and many of the hottest "rock stars" of our generation have gone straight from the climbing gym to the hardest pieces of rock on the planet. But most of us aren't like that. Most of us want to get some decent experience under our belts before we run off and tackle K2. This list of suggested climbs was not chosen just on the routes' grades (indeed, one route has the seemingly advanced grade of 5.9, C1). Rather, these climbs were picked for several reasons: their spectacular and remote settings, their stimulating climbing, their relative safety, and—despite that 5.9, C1 rating—their relative ease. These climbs are all genuine intermediate material, and—regardless of grade—they are all great routes. Mount Temple as seen from Lake Louise The climbs here also represent a wide variety of regions, from the canyon country of Utah to the exotic, volcanic peaks of eastern Mexico. And although there are no climbs from certain regions—such as the Himalaya and East Asia—these mountains and routes were chosen for ease of access both from the USA and Europe. Mount Kenya might seem like a long way away; however, it is such an easy mountain to get to (you can take a taxi from Nairobi), and it's a great mountain to learn mountaineering on if you hope to advance in your climbing career. I just had to include it. Good luck, wear your helmet, and good climbing!

	North America
1.	Nutcracker, CA
2.	Stolen Chimney, UT
3.	Ellingwood Arete, CO
4.	Disappointment Cleaver / Ingraham Glacier Route, WA
5.	Southwest Ridge, Canada
6.	Jamapa Glacier, Mexico

	The Rest of the World
7.	Normal Route, Kenya
8.	Frontier Ridge, France
9.	Cuillin Ridge, Scotland
10.	South Face, Italy

Black Hills Climbing Coalition May 2009

The next meeting of the BHCC will be 7 pm Wednesday, May 27, in Hill City. We are going to start the meeting at Granite Sports with free hors d’oeurvres and beverages, have a amiable social gathering and discuss plans for a few upcoming FUN events for the summer. At 8pm, we will move across the street to the Slate Creek Grill to finish up the rest of the meeting.

Our last meeting in Rapid City was rather contentious. A number of people, both for and against, were riled up by the Needles bolting issues that had been proposed for discussion during the March meeting. Although Mike Cronin withdrew his proposal way back in March, there were still plenty of people who wanted to nail the lid on the coffin of that bad boy (not Mike—the bolting proposal).

Even though the Needles bolting issue was hopefully laid to rest in a deep grave, the angst from that issue permeated every other thing that was brought up throughout the meeting. No one seemed to be able to agree on anything. Even the most innocent and innocuous suggestions were met with lengthy discussions and concerns.

By the end of the meeting, everything had been thoroughly argued. I think everyone left as comrades and friends, agreeing to disagree on a few subjects, and ready to leave those subjects far behind and move on to more pleasant discussions.

Hopefully, having a little social gathering at Granite Sports to start our next meeting will get us all off onto the right foot, and we can all FEEL THE LOVE—if not for each other, at least for climbing J

At long last the BHCC website is up and running again. That alone is cause for major celebration. If you have any photos of climbs or climbers in the Black Hills, dig them out and get them to our webmaster, Eric Hansen.

See you in Hill City!

Climb Hard and Climb Safe.

Bruce B. Junek — Newsletter Editor

2009 BHCC BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Bruce B. Junek, Chairperson 605-348-3432 iow@hills.net

Caleb Hansen, Vice Chairperson 605-431-7088

Becky Wood, Secretary

Jim Slichter, Treasurer

Eric Hansen, Publicist / Webmaster

Ron Yahne, Member @ Large

Mike Cronin, Member @ Large

Moose Are Inherently Dangerous

This one “fell from the sky” and almost killed a driver.

30 Best Places to Work?

These are the 30 best companies to work for according to Outside Magazine. You’ve bought products from several of them, I bet.

Rock Secrets

This article answers questions such as:

“How long should you rest before trying a hard redpoint, or going for that long sought-after onsight? What is the ideal length of a sport climbing trip?”

Yosemite Rescue

This happened in ‘05 so it’s not recent, but there are great photos of how they rescued climbers who were 1,400 feet up. They basically lowered rescuers from the summit to the ground about 3,000 feet below.  The photo above shows them cooling off the rope - so it’s not damaged from heat - as it is lowered about 3,000 feet.  The photo below shows 2 climbers 1,o00 feet below the summit. 

This Would Be Fun

This is designed for evacuating buildings but it’d be fun to use to slide down a cliff.

Bolts On Everest

Here’s a story about the recently added bolts near the summit of Everest. Cool photos at the link taken at about 25,000.

Inherently Dangerous

Toilets are inherently dangerous. This guy was bitten by a snake when he was engaged in toiletting. Be sure you look before you leap!

Parkour On A Bike

I’m sure his parents have trouble watching this rider, but for those of us who don’t have to worry about his injuries, this is quite something. (I especially like the part where he’s riding on the fence which has the sign “Danger of Death, Keep Off.”)

I’m Not Saying Nora Couldn’t Run This

But it’d be tough. Maybe it’d help if A2 spotted her down below.

 

 

 

 

Or this one: