Photos by copperhead

Aluminoids also inhabit Copperopolis. This is photo #11, an addition to the original 10 photos. Note quarter; scale is in inches. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #4 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #1 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #2 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #3 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #5 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #6 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #7 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #8 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #9 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is photo #10 in a sequence of 10 photos that show how to make a #2 copperhead. Check out this thread for more details.

This is Kirk, chillin' with the bags at the belay in '99. We re-bolted all of the belays and spent 11 days on the wall. Tribal starts off of the top of the Boot and summits in 12 pitches. 12 pitches of New Dawn lead to the top of the Boot. Notice rivet at bottom of picture that is not clipped.

Nanuk and Justsendingits blazed up the Trip in good style and did a little re-bolting work along the way. Lotsa bolts up there...

El Cap, or the opposite of, reflected on the back window of my seldom-clean ride.

Klaus and I topped out on a POS route in July. I still don’t know what we decided to call it… This is Yosemite Point. Klaus tied-off the railing at the end of the last pitch and I jugged up on it – what a proud ‘natural’ belay anchor! Here is some of the junk that we had to carry down… Ug. Nice place to sort gear with a nice view. Sentinel Dome is on the left in the background.

This is the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley NP. The rocks that lie on the playa apparently move, based on the tracks that lead away from the rocks. This rock doesn't have much of a track, though. How can a rock move across a flat surface on its own...?

This is another picture of the 'moving' rocks on the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley NP. You can see the tracks in front of the rocks on the left but they are faint, compared to those seen in other pictures. The tracks weather over time and become less pronounced. It is thought that the rocks move during fierce winter storms and are 'pushed' by high winds. When the playa is wet, it becomes quite slippery. Ice forms around the rocks and may crystallize into large sheets than contain the rocks. The ice sheets drift in high winds and drag the rocks across the playa surface. This explains the parallel nature of the tracks of adjacent rocks. Other tracks may diverge and follow separate paths; this may be due to ice sheet breakup and different directions of movement of the individual sheets. Some believe that ice sheets are not necessary but no one has ever witnessed the movement of the rocks so we don’t know for sure….

Why use a standard hook when you have pointed hooks? Pointed Cliffhangers are required for most modern aid routes. They are used in drilled dimples or holes in sloping shelves/edges and for natural placements; a pointed hook will 'bite' much better than a standard hook and will be less likely to 'skate' when placed behind tiny crystals. The slings on these hooks should be a little shorter, especially for you shorter people.

Bat hook, pointed Grappling, and pointed Cliffhanger. This is the standard assortment of modified hooks (times two) that you will need for the fun stuff. Many other hooks are needed too… The pointed Grappling is getting pretty dull and needs to be sharpened.

AAARRRGGG!, me fellow wall pirates! This here's enough to go fishing in any sea. Throw out the anchor and reel in the Big Stone, I think it’s pretty bomber…This is what happens when you find more than you drop, though I think I lost my second pointed Grappling (w/ black sling) on the Falls Wall this summer… can’t seem to find it… oh well; time to make a new one...

These are modified Cliffhangers, used in drilled holes and occasional natural placements. The two with yellow slings are 'old school' Chouinard and the hook with the magenta sling is a 'newer generation' BD with feet.

This is a narrow Grappling Hook, used primarily for drilled placements and some natural placements. The ‘biting’ edge of the hook is somewhat sharp, but not sharp enough to cut a finger. Making a narrow hook such as this one requires a significant amount of metal to be removed by using a grinder. Be very careful to keep the metal cool by periodically (often) dipping the hook in cold water and taking your time while grinding, etc., ...to be extrapolated upon, elsewhere and later.

This is a newer picture of my bike, taken on Sunday 11/16, at the last desert race of the year in Lovelock, Nevada. Now that I work at a bike shop, I can't help but make my bike look pimp. Dirt bikes are so much fun... Brraaaaappp!!!

When will it stop raining...? Just glad it's not snowing...

You are here. It is morning. Time to climb. Where else would you rather be? Inspiration ala FISH, though I didn't know it at first. Ahhh, Wino Tower and the Booze Mufflers... (weren't they a band way back when...?) ...'sponsorship' is a joke... It's what's for lunch...