Having to re-climb doubled rappel ropes is one of climbing’s most taxing situations. In my 30-something years of climbing, I’ve only had to do this twice, and both times were epic.

Calling Buhl on the famous mountaineer’s truisms

Five friends uncover the best bouldering in the Northwest | By Lucas Pollock Photos by Garrett Grove

Correspondence with the controversial rock climbing soloist Michael Reardon, before his death when he was swept out to sea by a rouge wave in Ireland.

Joe Josephson phoned with an interesting proposal: Fred Beckey had come to town for a reunion of Montana's Dirty Sox Club, a guild of Montana climbers from the 1960s through the 1980s.

If anyone has earned an honorary membership in a group named Dirty Sox it is Washington's Fred Beckey, sovereign of American DirtBag Climbers.

Climbers put A LOT of energy into going up. Coming back down is an afterthought, a fact often reflected in our hodgepodge of raggedy-assed, jury-rigged rappel stations that can range from confusing messes of tat to plant hangers to hardware-store chain and links. For shame!