Forbidden fruit
The “PA Traverse” on Little Rock City’s 45-Degree Wall is currently off-limits to bouldering due to the landowner’s — the Montlake Golf Course — concerns. Montlake has closed these boulders because of the likelihood of someone getting hit by a golf ball.
I took this photo (issue No. 244) several years ago when access to the boulder was not yet restricted. For the sake of maintaining good relations with the landowner, please comply and ask others to do the same. If you do make it to LRC, please pick up any trash you see, and make a point to drop in the pro shop and thank them for letting us climb at these beautiful boulders!

Baby Steps
Over the last two days my seven-month old daughter has been working a boulder problem on the east wall of our bed called Bedside Manner. Greta was consistently getting strong holds and keeping her center of gravity against the wall, but she couldn’t get her feet under her to complete the crux move.
It started up the same this morning. She crawled to the bed, cruised easily through the first few moves, and then stalled out again at the bed frame overhang. She was frozen, with forearms pumping and nowhere to go. But after debating the usual failed options, she suddenly bit down on the wooden frame, getting critical leverage. With two handholds and this “jawsome” lockdown, Greta moved from a kneeling position, got her feet under her, and boosted up over the crux to the bed’s plateau. I was psyched.
Then I paused. Although I was impressed by her creativity, I didn’t know if this would be deemed “clean climbing”? If so, I want her to know how proud I am of the novel move. But if not, I don’t want to condone unethical climbing. Your guidance would be appreciated.

Editor’s note: We take a hard-line stance here at Climbing when it comes to ethical violations, but as far as we’re concerned, the use of any body part is fair game for free climbing (unless she has braces on her teeth — then it’s aid climbing). So, we’re happy to tell you that your daughter has now ticked her first successful problem. Did she by chance give it a rating?

Naked truth
Recent reports of Chris Sharma getting the first ascent of Dreamcatcher [issue No. 244] are false. Just ask the naked dude in the Arc’teryx advertisement pictured in Climbing No.132, pg. 98.

Kudos
I’d like to compliment your selection of the December issue of Climbing [issue No. 244] cover photo. It reflects a triumphant attitude towards teamwork, and inspires me as a non-climber.

Can you hear me now?
My climbing partner and I were climbing at Rumney a few weeks ago for a change of pace from the usual trip over to the wilderness of the Adirondacks. While we were at the 5.8 crag, we jumped at the out-of-place sound of a jazzy cell phone ring blowing up. It ends up it was “Ace,” wondering where his friends were, and if they were going to be eating lunch soon. Tom and I vowed to name our next route after the incident … Ace’s Phone Call.
Perhaps it was so shocking in part because I’m used to the more remote climbs of the Adirondacks, where you wouldn’t get service even if you wanted to use a cell phone. Ace’s phone call wasn’t the only instance of cell phone use I witnessed while climbing this season. It made me uneasy to think that even amongst the climbing community at the local crag you can’t escape the widespread abuse of this modern technology. I have hesitantly come to the conclusion that in this day and age, cell phones do play a useful role in our society; they even have a place in backcountry safety.
That said, I ask you to think about the appropriateness of using your cell phone while at the local crag. Why not enjoy the conversation of those around you, meet new people climbing near you, and step back from the addiction to the plastic that is normally stuck to your ear. Why not plan ahead on where to meet your friends for lunch, or if you really need to, walk down to the road if you really need to use your phone. Why not just turn it off for the day and enjoy the sounds of nature instead of the sounds of Verizon. “Ace” can wait, just climb, enjoy the day, and have fun.

Roped, but wireless
As a roadtripper with a laptop, I was interested to see where I could log-on near climbing areas [as reported in the issue No. 243]. I’m writing this to you from Red River Outdoors, a climber-run cafe with Wi-Fi, about two miles north of Miguel’s at the Red River Gorge. This is the sort of Beta I’d hoped to find in the article. Also, in Bishop I found the Looney Bean to have Wi-Fi, and to be dirtbag friendly. As this sort of information is useful, perhaps it could be included on your web page, complete with a way to include additional hotspots?

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