Mark Thomas > Comments

Mar 7, 2025 Africa > Kenya > Mt Kenya > N Face Standard Route (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c) Shipton's Notch ● Ya sure about "Shipton's Notch"? Looks to me like the crux pitch a few pitches short of the summit via the… View Comment
Jun 2, 2024 Southeast Utah > Fisher Towers > Kingfisher > Colorado Northeast Ridge (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c C2) Bolt from P1 that blew under body weight. Only ~1/2 inch was in the rock (left). Peg below which sheered when I attempted to aid past the blown bolt and fell (right). Please don't camouflage old bad bolts with new Fixe hangers. ● I have half a mind to return and properly rebolt this blown stuff. It's not preserving the routes to let th… View Comment
Apr 27, 2024 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Habitado Bob's Sister 5.10+ ● For the record, when Devin says 'normal size' hands, his hands are small. Self-referential there. View Comment
Apr 27, 2024 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Habitado Jojobean 5.10 ● Devin, FA stands for First Ascent, not First Augmentation. Placing anchors is not required for FAs, nor doe… View Comment
Apr 8, 2024 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Hurt Locker Area A fun wide playground among some detached blocks at the base of the Hurt Locker area. ● @sky bacus - you mean the one that starts as an overhang on the outside of the leaning chunks? Devin & Pam… View Comment
Sep 26, 2023 Wasatch Range > Wasatch Alpine… > American Fork Twins Saved by the Turf 5.8 WI3 M3 R ● For more information, see the 2005 FKA of the same route by a different rating & name. summitpost.org/c… View Comment
Sep 2, 2023 Grand Teton NP > Enclosure > Black Ice Couloir (5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b AI3 M2) Valhalla Traverse Upper Ledges, seen from shortly after the bivvies, July 22, 2020. ● As per annotations, this bowl was VERY loose View Comment
Nov 7, 2022 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Critic's Choice Knees without honor 5.10+ ● 1x#0.75,#2,#6, & 4-5 #5s work well for the route, but back clean the first OW to save cams and avoiding the… View Comment
Nov 7, 2022 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Critic's Choice Bunny Slope 5.9 ● The rocker block at the finish before the chains is fun. Just don't let it crush your fist or finger jam (d… View Comment
Nov 7, 2022 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Critic's Choice Short and Stout 5.9- ● Fun fact: Fist jamming at the top makes the flake wobble a lot. Both myself & a smaller gal pal had the sam… View Comment
Nov 7, 2022 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Critic's Choice (Brutus of) Wyde Choice 5.9 X ● This route is G, NOT X. A 6" cam gets you started (back clean for the top), and a 9" & 12" cam sew it up gr… View Comment
Nov 7, 2022 Southeast Utah > Indian Creek > Critic's Choice > (Brutus of) Wyde Choice (5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a X) the shrine at the base.. spin the prayer wheel an go to the top of this awesome route ... tip my hat to Brutus .. ● Sadly both the shrine & the plaque are gone now :-( View Comment
Oct 18, 2022 Northwest Region > … > N Cascades > Mt Shuksan > Main Peak > Price Glacier (Easy 5th 1+ 3 I 5 M 1c WI3-4 M4 Steep Snow) Closer view of our approximate ascent route on Price Glacier (09/03-04/2022). Blue: AI2-AI3+/Steep Snow Red: M4 Pink: AI4-AI5+ ● Ehhh, AI4 C1 or AI5+ (supersandbagged?) ;-) View Comment
Oct 18, 2022 Northwest Region > … > N Cascades > Mt Shuksan > Main Peak > Price Glacier (Easy 5th 1+ 3 I 5 M 1c WI3-4 M4 Steep Snow) Starting up the fractured ice below the right gully - taken (08/05/18) ● OK, the brown shit. That's bad shit. For long term alpinists, take note: stay out of those lines. View Comment
Oct 18, 2022 Northwest Region > … > N Cascades > Mt Shuksan > Main Peak > Price Glacier (Easy 5th 1+ 3 I 5 M 1c WI3-4 M4 Steep Snow) Summer climbing challenges on the Price - taken (08/05/18) ● Try it in Fall! ;-P View Comment
Oct 18, 2022 Southeast Utah > Arches NP > Three Gossips Speak No Evil 5.10 C2 ● Cool. For a desert tower aid climb I shall bring lots of 'stuff' - and then shit talk this route page along… View Comment
Oct 18, 2022 S Central Region > Beartooth Mount… > Granite Peak > Granite Peaks Traverse (5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b R) East (left) and West (right) Granite Peak seen from Avalanche Lake. The East Ridge ascends on the left, and the traverse (5.4) links the two summits following the craggy skyline. ● @Craig, derp, corrected. Thanks! View Comment
Sep 9, 2022 Northwest Region > Hwy 20 & N Casc… > N Cascades > Mt Shuksan > Main Peak Price Glacier Easy 5th WI3-4 M4 Steep Snow ● FYI - the log bridge heading towards Price Lake is gone. We lucked out and found a safe log crossing anothe… View Comment
Aug 19, 2022 Grand Teton NP > Teepe Pillar East Face & Opp-Hennessy & Howe-Keith 5.7 ● @Stan, I think it is, which is why it was on my list. Although we followed the line annotated in Ortenburge… View Comment
Aug 19, 2022 Boulder > Eldorado Canyon SP > Peanuts Walls > Lower Peanuts > W Crack (aka Star Wars) (5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c) Those who can't jam lieback. ● I feel dirty just looking at this form. View Comment
Jul 15, 2022 Alpine Rock > Mt Blue Sky (fo… > Black Wall > Rd Warrior (5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b) Pin at the top of the second pitch; I'd say it could hold a falling cat tied to a bungee cord. ● The tat on the pin is SKETCHY. Someone needs to replace it with a better supertape job. View Comment
Jun 28, 2022 Laramie Area > Vedauwoo > Coke Bottle Mainstreet 5.10a ● Don't underestimate the Grade III rating on this climb. I brought a porta-ledge & hauled. View Comment
Jun 6, 2022 Laramie Area > Vedauwoo > Holdout Bushwhack 5.6 ● The description here seems to be describing a combination of other climbs. P1 described here is actually… View Comment
Jun 6, 2022 Laramie Area > Vedauwoo > Holdout Layback Approach Offwidth 5.9- ● Led as an OW, this is NOT 5.9- even for Voo standards. This is about as hard some some 5.10a OWs I have don… View Comment
Jun 6, 2022 Laramie Area > Vedauwoo > Holdout William 5.9 ● Really this route is 5.5 to the 'top' where you can choose to do a rappel or choose between 1 of 3 exit cra… View Comment
Jun 2, 2022 S Platte > Turkey Rocks > Leftovers The Throat 5.8 ● No need for gear larger than a #6. With enough back cleaning, you can get by with 1 set of large cams, but… View Comment
Apr 24, 2022 Southeast Utah > Island In The Sky > Monster Tower > N Ridge (5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c) Park in the Wash at road bend. Follow well marked cairn trail all the way up to base of features. Note: highlighted route is not exact, but close enough to keep you on track. ● Great tower symbols, LULZ View Comment
Apr 23, 2022 Southeast Utah > 191 South > Looking Glass Rock Regular Route ("East Rib") 5.4 PG13 ● You can easily link the last 2 pitches with an 80m rope, but seriously, with the amount of chopped out foot… View Comment
Apr 23, 2022 Southeast Utah > Tusher Canyon > Small towers next to… Y Tower 5.7 ● Anyone who accepts 5 pitches on their summit tick for this sits on a throne of lies ;-P View Comment
Apr 10, 2022 Southeast Utah > Arches NP > Three Gossips > Speak No Evil (5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b C2) This is looking down from the first belay station on speak no Evil. Its actually the Widen-Plvan variation just to the left of the first pitch of speak no evil. I highly recommend this start. I did this route back in 04 or 05 and it was a blast. I would like to do it again. ● What's going on with the dude lying on the slab below? ;-P View Comment
Apr 4, 2022 S Platte > Turkey Rocks > Turkey Perch Wide Chimney (aka Massive Chimney) 5.7 ● Called 'Massive Chimney' in the Haas guidebook. View Comment
Apr 4, 2022 S Platte > Turkey Rocks > Turkey Perch Turkey Sandwich 5.8+ ● You can place a #1 C4 inside to protect a groundfall at the start of the squeeze, and push a #7 the entire… View Comment
Mar 30, 2022 S Platte > Turkey Rocks > Turkey Rock > Turkey Shoot (5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a) Avoiding the crack on the 2nd pitch of Turkey Shoot. ● Whyyyyyyyyy? View Comment
Feb 21, 2022 Cody > S Fork Shoshone… > 2. N Facing/S Side > 4. Majo Ranch/N Facing High on Boulder WI4 ● Both pitches have bolts as described. P1 bolts required some excavation. P2 bolts are on a wall out on a le… View Comment
Feb 14, 2022 Cody > S Fork Shoshone… > 2. N Facing/S Side > 4. Majo Ranch/N… > Mean Green (WI4+) Chris Gibbs on the Crux Pitch. ● Lilliputians everywhere... View Comment
Feb 7, 2022 CO Ice & Mixed > Lake City > Cottonwood Creek (She… Sherman Climb WI4 ● Wait - you guys mean to tell me that ice climbing routes are COLD?! View Comment

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Mark Thomas > Comments

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