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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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Nov 30, 2010 - 01:38am PT
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"5. Sniff it. If the head emits a metallic odor, it is underdriven or overdriven; do not use it. The smell arises from the cutting or cracking of the head rather than its molding to the rock and is a sure sign that you're gonna die."
there, that edit should help
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Nov 30, 2010 - 02:19am PT
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I will resist the oral sex joke...
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Nov 30, 2010 - 02:25am PT
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If a copperhead is clumsily placed, especially in mineralized rock, the blows of hammer on rock, and hammer on copperhead on rock, could create a sulfuric odor. Kind of like the scent from boulder trundling. Not very likely, and somewhat OT, but possible.
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Avajane
Trad climber
Seattle
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Nov 30, 2010 - 02:29am PT
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Down in the Valley, I used to pick out a spot on a big wall and tell a tourist it was a climber and then watch the crowd gather, point, and talk about whatever they thought they saw. Glacier Point from Camp Curry was the best spot, because of all the broken rock and dark spots and ledges. If you looked hard enough you could see anything!
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nutjob
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Nov 30, 2010 - 02:43am PT
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I remember reading this stuff in Freedom of the Hills and thinking to myself "now wouldn't the metallic smell be there even when the metal deforms, not just when it cracks? How will you really know if it is placed well?"
'Twas a puzzle, but I memorized it.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Nov 30, 2010 - 03:01am PT
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Having lived in Seattle and climbed in Washington for many years it comes
as a bit of a shock to hear that people who have actually climbed things
other than Midway or Disappointment Cleaver have read that book!
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Nov 30, 2010 - 11:27am PT
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I have been guilty of starting unfounded rumours about bad ice conditions (to keep other climbers away from the routes I plan to climb on the weekend) and then, a few days later, finding myself unable to track down a willing partner because "everyone knows" that the ice conditions are bad where I want to climb.
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 30, 2010 - 11:33am PT
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These are great!
Any more?
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bob
climber
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Nov 30, 2010 - 12:13pm PT
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I started climbing 20 years ago, and between then and now the rumor that I'm a sandbag blossomed. Completely unfounded.
Rumors, I tell ya!!!!!
Bob Jensen
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Nov 30, 2010 - 12:24pm PT
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Duece's story takes the cake so far.
We could actually start a whole separate thread on mis-information printed in Freedom of the Hills, Falcon Press bloopers or: "Plagiarists- You Know Who You Are". ;)
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 30, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
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This is starting to sound like a confessional.
No, worries, I AM an ordained minister....
So continue, my son..
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Mighty Hiker--were YOU the one who wrote the Freedom of the Hills aid climbing section??
just kidding.
but it is funny imagining someone not really familiar with the technique trying to think of why a copperhead would "stink", and why that would have an effect on it's strength.
By the way, the "X-em, Paste-em, Rock-em, Sniff-em" was the ongoing mantra for the Valley big wall dirt bags in Yosemite for many years. If asked for the actual origin of the saying, I would have to say it was Fish, though Walt and Willy Joe might have also have had some input on the original genesis of the saying.
Here's the big wall tech manual text ("published" in 1988), which explained big wall techniques, which followed in the footsteps of Doug Scott's overview of techniques in Big Wall Climbing and of course Royal's Advanced Rockcraft (both from the 70's): http://www.bigwalls.net/climb/BigWallTechManual.htm
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