text:
1 game in and my chart is still accurate
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1 game in and my chart is still accurate
Alot of this is playing out how you guys have predicted. I think they get another loss against Dallas, then hopefully, if their confidence isn't completely crushed, they can go on a nice win streak. Philly is going to be a really hard game to win. That will be a real test to see where their mentality is at.
I'm sticking with my initial prediction.
Even with Houston playing reasonably well, I think we have a good chance at a win providing we are not all used up from OKC and Dallas.
Interesting the next 3 games.
0-3 I'm really discouraged.
1-2 Still somewhat hopeful
2-1 I feel really really good about this team
I honestly could see them going 1-11 over the next 12 and the season being lost.
The rest of the season looks pretty ugly (schedule wise)
I feel optimistic that we can pull out some surprise wins to sprinkle in with the "should win" games (we have done a very nice job against sub .500 teams)
While I want to say we can somehow win 6 more then we lose (and ultimately end at .500 for the season) but I don't think thats very realistic. Something like 12-10 over our last 22 seems like the most realistic.
That would put us at 39-43
Last edited by Jrod Jones; 03-03-2011 at 08:55 PM.
I'm perfect so far No playoffs for the Pacers
I can't quite remember the outcomes to the games, is my chart still accurate? Anyone know?
Not anymore....Mine is! Wish it wasn't though.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Last bump things were playing out like alot of you expected...
Now, the wheels have fallen off the wagon. My incredibly pessimistic prediction (at the time) looks like a sunshiner made it.
Have you guys ever seen such an epic collapse in the the most important part of the season? Our schedule coming up is so brutal, it is going to take some incredibly inspiring play for them to make the playoffs. That or some horribly play from the bottom of the Eastern conference.
This reminds me a little bit of the 2002-2003 season. What was our record after the all-star break?
It couldn't have been pretty. We were good enough for Isiah to coach in the all-Star game, but I know we didn't even win 50 games that season.
I'm embarrassed.. this team is laughable


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FIREFIGHTERS had to tackle two separate bin fires within metres of each other in Southend town centre this morning.
Crews from Southend fire station were called out at 1.20am after receiving reports of a large wheelie bin at the back of Caffe Nero, in High Street, was alight.
Shortly after arriving at the scene, they were then informed two other bins behind O'Neill's pub were also engulfed in flames.
The fires were both dealt with by 3.30am and officers who attended the scene said the incidents were start deliberately.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Crystal Palace midfielder Jonny Williams will stay at Ipswich Town until the end of the season.
However, Tony Pulis does have the option of recalling the 20-year-old Wales international at 24 hours notice.
Williams, who joined the Championship outfit on an initial one month's loan, has made six appearances and helped guide the Tractor Boys to within two points of the play-offs.
He told the Ipswich website: "I'm delighted to be extending the loan because I've really enjoyed my time at Ipswich.
"It's been a great experience for me and I've loved working under the manager and assistant Terry Connor."
He added: "I'm excited to get back training with the lads and playing my part as we try and push into the play-offs."


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|Trad, 8 pitches, 2000', Grade III
|YDS: 5.7 French: 5a Ewbanks: 15 UIAA: V+ ZA: 13 British: MVS 4b R [details]
|Eric Beck, Jim Bridwell, & Chris Fredericks - July, 1965
|Late spring to fall.
|Page Views:
|Submitted By:
|Josh Janes on Jun 25, 2006
|Closures for Peregrine Falcon Protection MORE INFO >>>
|Comments on Snake Dike
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Comments displayed oldest to newest — Skip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Aug 28, 2017
By Justin Meyer
From: Madison, WI
Sep 10, 2017
|I left two duct taped shut BD carabiners on the anchors after the friction traverse on 9/6/17 so that we could retreat due to weather. They are about 5 years old but they are little used with no issues if you recover them and want to add them to your rack.
By Justin Meyer
From: Madison, WI
Sep 10, 2017
|I found a pair of "Warby Parker" glasses on the approach on 9/6/17 and turned them in to the Tuolumne visitor's center.
By Floridaputz
From: Oakland Park, Florida
Aug 21, 2006
|I like long days so this qualifies.. The approach is tough, but the climb is great fun. Once the roped climbing is over it's a calf buster to the top.
By Lee Jensen
Sep 17, 2006
|Take a small set of cams. From 1/2 to one inch. On the first pitch climb to the tree on the left, sling it, and make the easy friction moves into the roof where you can immediately set a bomber cam. On the third pitch, look up and about five feet left from the belay to see the traverse bolt.
By rhyang
From: San Jose, CA
Oct 9, 2006
|The free guide at supertopo.com was quite helpful. Brought a set of nuts, six cams from black alien up to 0.75 camalot C4, six trad draws, one double-length draw, and some random slings/biners - more than enough gear. A skinny 60m rope allowed us to skip a couple of the belays. 8 pitches / 12 hours car-to-car. Bring gloves for the stupid cables :)
By Pat W
Oct 12, 2006
|Good cruiser stuff up a nobby dike. Besides the traverse above the roof early on, the descent is the headiest part. Going down the cables is quite exposed. And the freaked out asian lady screaming chinese profanities whilst not letting go of either cable, makes the route memorable.
By Jordan K
From: Ohio
Oct 18, 2006
|An excellent free download of the topo for Snake Dike is available from supertopo.com, loaded with lots of info: supertopo.com/freetopos.html#s...
By George Bell
From: Boulder, CO
Nov 15, 2006
I used to do this climb every year. It is awesome!
On one of the upper pitches there is a short section where the dike ends and there is a bolt in the smooth gap. I always thought this section was pretty tricky. You may not notice it leading (with the bolt), but it can be scary for soloists.
By Sergio P
From: Idaho Springs, CO
Jun 24, 2007
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
|When descending the cables on a crowded day you may find it easier to clip into the cables with a binner attached to a sling then step outside of the cables. Use another sling and binner to clip past the poles so that you are always clipped in.
By Brad G
From: 1994 Honda Civic
Sep 24, 2007
|The crux of the route is the never ending slabs to the top. Bring enough water and dont worry too much about the Runouts. A fall in some areas would be really bad but the climbing is extremely easy.
By Kirill Kireyev
From: Boulder, CO
May 6, 2008
Are there any potential scary pendulum falls for the second on this route? I.e. would it be a bad idea to take a 5.8- climber as your second? Thanks!
By Jon Hanlon
From: SLO
May 7, 2008
|There is some traversing at the beginning of the second (5.5ish) and third pitches (one 5.7 move). A 5.7-5.8 climber should have no problem. Enjoy!
By tooTALLtim
From: Boulder, CO
Jun 16, 2008
The approach is not that hard to find, and it only took us 3 hours on our first try.
After getting soaked at Mist Falls, the trail winds up towards Liberty Cap. When the trail abruptly runs into Liberty Cap, it forks. The hiker's trail goes right, you go left. It's that simple.
The hardest part is thrashing through the spring growth in the valley between Liberty Cap and Mt. Broderick, but the views and route pays you back in spades.
By Laurel Arndt
From: Phoenix
Sep 4, 2008
Just did Snake Dike last week, had the free Supertopo beta and the Mountain Project beta. Neither accurately represents the second and third pitch. Here is what you will encounter.
As you take off on the traverse of second pitch you can get in a piece and than clip a bolt. You will than see a pair of anchors about 60 ft up. I suggest you clip them and bring up partner. This ends the second pitch (do not recommend going further for the following reason). P2 on Mountain Project says go past "pair of bolts" (anchor), move up and right to a "fixed pin to another pair of bolts". The "fixed pin" is actually a folded metal hanger with bad 1/4 inch pin. The "pair of bolts" is wrong...as you move past the old folded hanger you encounter only one SMC hanger on a 1/4 inch bolt that sticks out approximately 1/4in and has old webbing hanging off of it. Would not anchor myself on it and use this as protection for my leader. If the leader on the third pitch were to slip on the 50 ft traverse after clipping into this suspicious bolt it probably would not hold.
So belay from the two anchors about 30 feet below on P2.
start P3 from here, do not use the folded hanger, clip the crappy SMC hanger and 1/4inch pin and hope no one falls.
By MikeSF
Feb 20, 2009
Laurel, I think you got confused by the Mountain Project beta.
The pair of bolts mentioned by Mountain Project that you have to pass in P2 is the optional belay from the free Supertopo for P1.
If you used that optional bolted belay on top of P1 then the next pair of bolts you will encounter is indeed the P2 belay.
Concerning P3, I think you missed the traverse on the left and went off route on Snake Dance.
To future Snake Dike climbers, if you can clip any quarter incher during the climb, check your topo, you are probably off route.
By john strand
From: southern colo
Mar 4, 2009
|A good thing for this route is a LONG rope 60m or better. This really helps out on the upper part.
By Dean Hoffman
May 12, 2009
|Did this a couple years ago with some friends, 2 parties of two. First leader took about 20 slings and maybe a couple of nuts and started blasting, his partner simulclimbed behind him unclipping the gear and leaving it in place. My partner was right on his heels clipping in the pre placed gear and I brought up the rear cleaning everything. From bottom to top I think it took us about 1 hr 15 minutes or right about there. Fantastic route!
By Josh Hampton
From: Provo UT, Merced, CA
Aug 19, 2009
me and my girlfriend tried snake dike...
the hike there was longer and more strenuous than we had originally thought it would be. curns pointed the way, just hard to find them all the time.
finally getting to the dike. ive never climbed on gannet or done a "friction" climb so maybe thats why it was so hard? ? ? ?
i had brand new 5.10 prism they didn't seem to stick to the rock at all. it seemed no matter what i did, i would feel very unsure and would slip a few times on the smooth rock. which made the first 3 pitches VERY SCARY !!! my girlfriend also had 5.10 shoes but seemed to do a little better than me, but was pretty scared too.. we were unprepared for the Friction parts of this climb. and i consider myself a hard climber. i tried to find everything i could on snake dike before we left so i wouldn't have any surprises. she and i eventually felt like doing the rest of the climb could be left for another day a repelled off and went home. :(
By mikemcee
From: Mill Valley, CA
Aug 31, 2009
We did this route on one 60m rope as a party of 3 on a hot 8/29. Approach beta was good and made it from Curry to the base of the route in 3 hours.
Climbed the P1 left side variation, slung the tree and made the easy friction moves up to the left side of the roof where it's easy to get a bomber nut in. Ran up the flake to the small ledge on top and belayed the followers from the 2 bolt anchor.
While the traverse off the P2 belay is a bit of an attention grabber, the moves are easy and you get a nice piece in before stepping over the bulge and clipping the next bolt. Moved up and left, stepping down into a small bucket after clipping the bolt before finishing the traverse moves to the dike and the 2 bolt anchor where we set up the 2nd belay.
Simuled all the dike pitches stopping twice to get gear back (note, some of the knobs are easy to sling if you want extra security)and found the route finding pretty straight forward although there are definitely some trickier variations to be had if you want them.
Walkoff is long but the hike down the cables and back to camp is way longer. All in all a super fun day and easy enough for a 5.8 leader with his or her head on straight. The toughest part of this route is not thinking about the runouts. All the bolts that need to be in good shape are in good shape. Bring lots of water.
By Osprey Overhang
From: ...
Nov 27, 2009
|Once You reach the dike, the rest of the pitches can be linked with a 60m rope.
By chulho "charles" chang
From: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Jan 19, 2010
Moonlight ascent in summer 2009.
2pm leave bay area
6pm start hike at curry village
10pm base of climb
2am top of half dome
5am back to curry village
nap time
9am drive back to bay area
1pm back home
...something like that. not sure if the hike is worth the climb. also, although moonlight ascent was something to remember, we didn't feel the "exposure" because we couldn't see how high we were.
still, moonlight ascent meant no crowd and perfect temp even during summer.
By ericcr
Sep 6, 2011
the beta available is pretty accurate and if you use your brain the climbing is logical and the protection reasonable. (the runouts are real but easy, as everyone notes, and the cruxes have pro.)
we found the approach to be tricky. not being a yosemite local, i contemplated crossing dicey slabs way too many times. ("should this look like third class to me??") all we lost was time- so i will say this:
when the supertopo approach beta says "pretty much walk straight towards the face of half dome", they are serious. this may also mean trending right and up. we followed broken ledges and corners up and right, with some bad bushwacking, until a ledge walk back to the left (and southwest) became obvious.
a little friendliness goes a long way with the parties that will inevitably surround you.
By Jim Dover
From: Idyllwild, CA
Sep 12, 2011
I now know why some call this 'snake HIKE'. I used to think it was to denigrate the climb as hardly worthy of consideration as a climb because it is a moderate--thinking that hardass climbers were snobs. But no! It's because of the hike after you climb. My freakin' god! I've done the hike before but not with gear in my pack. All I'm sayin' is, if BASE was legal...
All that said, I'd do it again tomorrow. A stellar climb and truly worthy of the five star rating.
Oh, and the runouts? Yeah--a real attention getter but never felt dangerous. Made us careful on lead.
By randy88fj62
May 14, 2012
Did snake dike Saturday 5/12. Left curry village parking lot at 8:30am and got back to car at 11:00pm. Last chance for water was at Nevada Falls. Fill up and drink as much as you can there. The climbers trail is not too hard to find and follow in daylight using supertopo description. Had to wait in line at the climb for about an hour since we left late. We topped out and descended cables with prusiks before dark. Hiked down to valley via headlamp.
I am a solid 5.8 trad leader and this is the rack we brought:
Three stoppers sizes 12, 8, and 5.
Two ball nuts; purple and blue (lighter than cams in their range)
Three wild country cams sizes 2.5, 1.5, and 1.
5 alpine slings
3 double length slings (used two as cordlettes at belay stations)
60m twin ropes to save weight and have the ability to rap if needed (a single 60m is what everyone else was using)
By Ryan Nevius
From: Estes Park, Colorado
Jun 12, 2012
|Not a single person on the route. The clear crux for me was the first pitch traverse. It's slick! I used 4 draws, 3 cams from .5-1", and a #11 stopper on the route.
By Phil McAllister
Sep 8, 2012
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
Agree with Jim Dover's assessment BANG on when folk say bring plenty of water- but to qualify with numbers - and add some
1) Hike in - plan for 4 hours unless you already know the approach
2) Runout - depending on how you link the pitches and which anchors you use - 165ft pitch with one bolt? Make sure that your head is ready for this.
3) Hike Out (back to Curry Village) - Plan for 5 hours
4) Climb - 8 pitches of REAL climbing then 1000 ft 3rd class slab with 5th class consequences if you take a tumble - i don't know that you'd just land flat on your face if you slipped. factor this time into any itinerary that you have for the day. depending on how long you stay roped up - plan 1 - 2.5 hours
5) Plenty of water - we had 4 liters (2 each) and got to the top with half a liter left. Climbing in september had a hand pump water filter with us and refilled the camelbacks at the river in little Yosemite camp ground.
6) you have climbing gear - keep your harness on and clip into those cables on the descent (two slings and two biners) - those cables are the scariest thing that i've done. more so that 165ft with one bolt..
By JeffL
From: Salt Lake City
Sep 29, 2012
|Climbed this yesterday. I thought the technical crux was on the first pitch and the psychological is the 1200 feet of unroped slab to top out. There are bear lockers at Little Yosemite Valley. If you get a permit you can hike 4 of the 6 mile approach the day before.
By John D
Oct 29, 2012
My favorite way to do Snake Dike:
lightest 60m Rope you can get your hands on, a 50m might even work and be lighter.
6 single length slings/trad draws
2 double length slings
4 locking D biners
2 Locking HMS type biners
Red and brown tri-cam
black metolious 4 cam
green metolious 4 cam
Harnesses or webbing for a swiss seat.
I start the hike around 5am with 3 water bottles, but only 2 filled (for both of us) at the top of the second water fall (nevada falls?) drink up and leave with all 3 filled. Climb the route I love slinging horns/knobs on the way up to reduce the runout. Hike the slabs and eat lunch. Hoof it down to the stream and drink more water. Truck past the tourists and hopefully make it to curry village to eat dinner before the buffet closes. Last time I did it our time was around 12 hours car to car and we weren't really hurrying. I usually don't take a belay device and just use a munter; I've even done it with just a piece of webbing tied into a swiss seat, but I think it's probably worth carrying a harness. Go light, be calm and enjoy!
By nick.laws
Oct 30, 2012
|The Supertopo is great with one exception. There are two new bolts above the 2nd belay (start of P3) that are easy to see and have taken some people off route. The bolt shown on the topo that you want to use is actually quite difficult to see from the belay. Head left from the belay on to the slab watching above for the bolt.
By Jason Albino
From: San Francisco, CA
Apr 28, 2013
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
Climbed this one Wed, 4/24/2013 and was treated to fantastic weather and nobody else on the summit! What an amazing day. A trip report:
- We left our car at the Glacier Apron lot at 7:45 and hiked directly from there. The SuperTopo suggests taking the bus to the Happy Isles, but saving the .5 miles hiking didn't seem worth that effort.
- In addition to the light rack recommended above, we brought a sandwich and two energy bars each, plus 2.5 liters of water per person on a moderate/warm April day. In retrospect, the food was more-or-less sufficient but the water was lean. You may want to bring purification tablets so you can use the stream/snowmelt (if available) for water refill sources as opposed to lugging more water weight.
- Although the SuperTopo approach beta suggested taking the:
Muir Trail > Mist Trail > Muir Trail
we accidentally missed the Mist Trail turn-off and wound up hiking to Clark Point before heading a bit back down across the valley. In retrospect, this didn't add much time and allowed us to avoid the oft-slippery Mist Trail portion as we stayed on well-groomed dry switchbacks all the way to Clark Point. Not a bad alternative.
- After getting to the shoulder of Liberty Cap, the beta is to basically hug that rock as you head left, keeping tabs on a faint trail. Soon you'll reach the gap between Liberty and Half Dome, where you'll turn right to traverse the gap before the terrain will turn more flat (a small stream will be on your left). The trail then becomes fainter again, and the terrain more wooded. At this point, we crossed the stream at an arbitrary point and found the start of the extensive cairns leading to the base.
- The toughest part of the approach felt like the last bit of hiking straight up steep, loose faint switchbacks in the heat of the morning, then traversing the Half Dome base to the route start. Take your time in this section so you're not too burned out for the route itself.
- It took us a while to ID the route start from the SuperTopo because the cairns actually pass the Snake Dike route and go a little further to the base of a different route (I believe this is the "SW Face" route). The key to finding Snake Dike is IDing the "three trees" in the topo that bracket the route from below.
- Lead this route only if you feel super-solid leading 5.8. I think if you lead at a lower level, the extensive run-outs might feel pretty scary (though the climbing itself is very solid, especially after P2).
- Once on top of Half Dome, don't miss the epic photos from the top. Recommendation is to (carefully) position one photographer on the "diving board" and the other(s) across the top for great views!
- I highly recommend prusiking into the Half Dome cables on the descent, especially if the cables are down. That bit is pretty steep and you'll likely be pretty tired by that point, so better safe than sorry.
- We went for the one-day approach and although it was an exhausting day (took us 11 hours, 55 minutes car-to-car with minimal rests), I think this is the best way to do it as long as it's not too hot out. We did see a couple parties during our decent hiking up to camp out at the base and do it in two days, but the prospect of carrying camping gear and more food/water up and down that approach did not sound fun.
If you have any other questions about the route, it'll be fresh in my mind for a while, so feel free to email!
By Martin le Roux
From: Superior, CO
May 27, 2013
Don't be distracted by the shiny new bolts a few feet to the right of the dike on pitch 3. Those belong to Eye in the Sky.
If you're climbing with an inexperienced second then double ropes help minimize the pendulum potential when following pitches 1 and 3. But they're sure heavy to carry all that way.
Most of the belays are semi-hanging. Bring comfy shoes and avoid climbing as a party of three.
By C.Cody
From: Ventura,ca
May 29, 2013
|Easy fun climb! Until it started raining on us three pitches up. Super slick when wet but plenty of pro the whole way up! We simul climbed and were able to place pieces all the way to the top..the cable descent was the scariest part! The rock was we so we girthed some slings and took it slow. One biner and cable section at a time :)
By Mark Straub
From: Berkeley, CA
Jun 22, 2013
|Climbed it this May under the full moon- spectacular. We started at 8pm and were back at the car at 8am. Above the 4th pitch, we were able to turn off headlamps and just follow the dike glowing in the moonlight. This was a climb I will never forget, and it was so surreal being on the summit of Half Dome at 3am. To anyone wondering about climbing it in the dark, if you are a confident leader and don't mind runouts, this is a great climb to do at night. The only part I found difficult was the first pitch (finding the proper spots with higher friction), but nothing too bad.
By David "Carl" Fish
Sep 24, 2013
|Is trap pro recommended or necessary? I only have sport pro and cant afford trad pro. But i would hate to have that keep me from climbing this wall.
By Tyson Waldron
From: Reno, NV
Oct 27, 2013
I couldn't find much of any beta on descending the cables route when the cables are down (Columbus Day thru the Friday before Memorial Day) so here it goes, hopefully this will help a few weary people out:
(skip to the bullet points if you don't want to read my TR/rant)
I always wanted my first time on top of Half Dome to be when no tourists were up there, I thought the solitude up there would just be fantastic... and I was right. This is the way to do it!
We had the summit to ourselves and only one other party. Very surreal at sunset.
Anyway, before we went for it, I asked around Yosemite (mountain shop and ranger station) and very quickly shopped the internet about the beta when the cables were down, and pretty much got nothing solid. In my mind for some reason, I was envisioning the cables being just one long continuous cable system, anchored only at the bottom and the top. In hindsight, this is quite a retarded assumption.
Obviously one long continuous cable is not the case. There are giant intermediate eye bolts every so often, with smaller cables connecting these points to the main cable, as well as a few junctions of separate cables. Despite these facts, when I was asking how to descend these safely at the mountain shop and got, "uh, I mean people definitely do it..." and not much of any other relevant info, to which I probed, "...so do people just use a Prusik?" To which he said, "...ya." The ranger station was less help, providing the same, "people do it..." along with a disclaimer that the parks service didn't recommend it.
I was taking my girlfriend up this route, and the cables, with the knowledge they would be down, scared the shit out of her. My only option was to find the absolute safest way down these things, or I would not be sending. I thought Prusik was my answer...
When we arrived at the cables, due to the dome shape, I could only see about 30 feet of cable. So we set up Prusik's along with a PAS locked onto the cable, for some redundancy. We began the descent and quickly ran into a cable support described above, so we were forced to untie the prusik and retie it on the other side of the support. Then 20 feet later it happened again. And again.... I could see this was becoming a continuous theme, and finally decided this prusik system would literally take hours and could not continue.
The giant eye-bolts were pretty frequent, and provided a perfect rap anchor. We had a single 60m, and only in one spot was it not long enough to rap to the next eye-bolt, to which we then employed the prusik system I originally devised and slid down to the next eye-bolt and continued our rap. If you had double ropes, you could very easily make it in 3-4 raps, with no prusik shenanigans.
So, these are the scenarios I can see in order from quickest to slowest (and sketchiest to safest) for descending the cables when they are down for the season:
Hope this helps a few people out. (drops the mic and walks away)
By Gavin Bridgeman
From: Tustin, California
Oct 28, 2013
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
|Very mellow. Did it last week and it was packed with people. Luck is the only way to beat crowds in the valley.
By Pink Thunder
From: Lakewood
Mar 5, 2014
|One of my favorite routes of all time. I've done it three times, with three different people, including one non-climber girlfriend who had a blast. All you need is a 60m rope, a half-rack of cams, and about six draws, and you spend all day on the wall with unbelievable scenery.
By Ted Sumers
Apr 20, 2014
Climbed this route yesterday (4/19)-- we left Curry Village at 4:30 AM and were the first party on the route by a wide margin, which was super nice, because a cluster of parties formed around 10am (I counted 9 people at the base!)
Unfortunately, in my half-asleep early morning stupor, I also left my phone at the base-- if you were there yesterday and picked up an iphone, please please please shoot me a message so we can figure something out!
By Jack Hamm
From: Berkeley, CA
Sep 15, 2014
|I would take exceptional care with following the advice of people who say to clip the cables on the descent. The distance between the bolts / poles is sufficient that you could gain quite a bit of momentum in a fall. Using standard climbing gear, this would be a static fall with a sudden stop. If you fell from just past one bolt and slid to the next (cables down) you'd be looking at an injury inducing stop. One of the posters represented this as akin to via ferrata - it is not! A via ferrata rig has an energy absorber. About the only way to clip the cables on descent and be safe would be to use a screamer or other tear away load limiter. In any event, be careful heading down - you're gonna be tired and that's when most people make mistakes.
By Robert Breyer
Sep 20, 2014
thinking of doing Snake on October 25.
how risky is it at that time of year in terms of weather?
getting caught up there with snow or rain isn't going to be fun.
By Brian Murphy
Sep 29, 2014
|Climbed this on 9/5/2014. We're ~5.11 climbers so the climbing was really easy. The crux is definitely the hiking. My friend doesn't have a ton of endurance so it took us forever (~14 hrs round trip). Plus we ran out of water at the top and that didn't help much either. We each brought 3 liters of water, so on a hot day I'd recommend at least 4 or 5 if you can swing it. If I climb Half Dome again I'd definitely plan on camping at Little Yosemite Valley the night before.
By Mike Holley
From: Boone, NC
Oct 15, 2014
|Go Light, Go Fast!!! Its a long way there and back again. The hike is tedious and can be strenuous in certain sections, especially nearer the base of the climb. The route itself is superb with minimal "true" danger. Splendid views and worth the long approach! Would highly recommend a stretching of the calves before and after this classic!
By Heather Veldstra
From: Tahoe City, CA
Nov 23, 2014
Did it at night with 4 other partners. The wind was very strong & it was terribly cold. Took a long time because of weather conditions & lack of gear, but the amazing view at the top was just unbeatable. I would like to come back during the day in Spring & do it again.
PS the approach sucks
By C Brooks
From: Fresno, CA
Jun 9, 2015
|Very fun. The runouts are not so scary. The climb is crazy crowded, there were 4 parties on the route, and we started climbing by 7:00am
By J--
From: Southern California
Jun 18, 2015
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
If youre like me, and not in shape, then Id tell you the hardest thing about this route is the approach. We left at 5AM and got to the beginning of the route at 12:30. Partly because the obvious climbers trail is far less than obvious. We walked 2 miles out of our way before we backtracked and got back to the proper trailhead. The day was hot, in the 90s when we climbed. So in preparation I carried 1.5 gallons of water, half gallon of gator aid, a quart of coconut water, a watermelon, other food, my rope and a full rack. I was dead tiered at the start of the climb.
However, the climbing was easy. On pitch 7, I was 70m run out. I didnt feel unsafe however, because the route was so juggy. I actually could climb faster than my partner could feed me rope on most pitches. During our climb and at the top, we had the whole mountain to ourselves; when we got to the top at 7:30PM there was no one else up there at all. Eating that watermelon on top of half dome was awesome too. For the descent we used the cables as night fell. Then we hiked back to the valley floor getting back to Happy Isles at 3:30AM the next day.
My advice:
1 work out for endurance (quads, calves) a lot prior to your trip.
2 Plan to camp close to the start of the climb so the approach is not so killer.
3 Bring a water filter pump device so that one does not have to schlepp liquid all the way up there.
4 Additionally, make your partner carry the watermelon, for me climbing with that thing on my back predicated the R rating for this route.
By Kurtz
Jun 25, 2015
|Has any normal human tried Dean Potter's alternate approach? rockandice.com/lates-news/dean...
By Evan Wisheropp
Jul 27, 2015
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
Our rack for the climb:
-3 extendable draws
-2 double length slings (36") pre-rigged for sliding x anchors with limiter knots for a five second anchor set up at each belay.
-Cams .4-#1 (we did the left tree start on the first pitch, and didn't use the #1)
By John Schroeder
Aug 9, 2015
A couple thoughts from our climb last week:
- Be prepared for the tough 5,000 foot climb/hike ascent as well as descent. In my view it'd be tough to comfortably pull this off without some time hiking steep, long routes or at least on a StairMaster.
- Like many climbs, arriving at the base early can make a huge difference. Within the space of about 30 minutes, four groups arrived just behind ours. A 5am start from Curry Village would be ideal.
- Water can definitely be an issue. If you bring a filter, water's available about halfway up at Little Yosemite. If not, there's fresh water at Vernal Falls footbridge, a little less than a mile into the hike. You'd definitely want to top off there.
- On pitch 1, there's a 5.9 undercling immediately below the roof (see the many YouTube videos), or an easier 5.7 traverse 10-15 feet below. If you look on the videos, you'll see a clear border of different colored rock - the lower part has much better grip.
- As for the cables, do remember to bring grippy gloves, and my two cents is that it's easiest to climb down backwards. In addition to letting you grip with the balls of your feet rather than heels, and allowing your arms to stay locked, you get a clear view of the person above you. Based on my one experience, perhaps the greatest danger on the entire route is one of the overly-tired hikers plowing into you from above - you'd at least see them climbing backwards.
- For what it's worth, we felt the hike to the base, after leaving the main trail, was one of the nicest in all Yosemite.
By Ned
Aug 22, 2015
Hey Yogi, I used this to help me on the approach: connect.garmin.com/player/1909...
I made a .kml file of this track you can download here: dropbox.com/s/es9zqs3lqdl3ol2/...
The only confusion I had on the climb was the positioning of the anchors. According to the SuperTopo, the anchors at the top of P3 are to the left of the dike. The ones I found had one on either side of the dike, and the one on the right was a little manky. At the top of P4, the anchor was in the middle of the split dikes (rather than to the left).
The endless slabs after "finishing" were also pretty confusing. Would appreciate someone giving "correct" beta rather than having to guess which slab is considered 3rd class. With it being easier to up climb than down climb, a climber off-route could end up in a sticky situation.
By Max Hietpas
From: Oakland, CA
Aug 31, 2015
|Got on P1 at 4PM and got to the third class scrambling at sunset. Sat atop the summit under the light of the full moon on Saturday and it was so wild! On our decent we noticed some people had strung up lights on the route so you could more easily climb under the full moon without headlamps!
By Mark Grundon
Oct 5, 2015
|Snake Dike is overrun with climbers. On a cool dry weekend expect to see 20 parties attempting the route. The traffic jams are caused by the leader traversing under the roof on the first pitch and creating a pendulum for the often less experienced follower. Climb straight up to the left side of the roof and use the small tree for protection. Supertopo is wrong! Climbing under the roof is terrible beta and creates more traffic jams on an already crowded route. This route is mostly 5.3 with a move or two of 5.7.
By Nick Fuller
From: San Jose, CA
Nov 2, 2015
You only NEED four cams from BD 0.4 to #1, although I would recommend a double in 0.75 and 0.4 if you want more than a two piece anchor at the end of pitch 7 & 8.
And if you find any car keys along the route let me know!
By brian.rubin13
Nov 16, 2015
|Would it be a bad idea to attempt an ascent in late november around thanksgiving? What is the possibility of ice along the route that would make it unclimbable?
By Bryan G
From: Yosemite
Nov 18, 2015
Would it be a bad idea to attempt an ascent in late november around thanksgiving? What is the possibility of ice along the route that would make it unclimbable?
The conditions depend on how recently there has been a storm. You can check the current conditions ahead of time: Yosemite Web Cams
Note that the cables descent receives much less sun than the SW shoulder so plan for wintry conditions on the way down. It is possible to rap the cables, although even getting to the start of the cables could be sketchy if there is a lot of snow.
By Cole Paiement
Apr 18, 2016
Climbed this route on April 16, 2016. Our rack was a set of nuts, one pink tricam, and a handful of alpine draws (single length and triple length). Left camp at 6am, at the base by 10am, at the summit by 1pm, back by 5pm.
On Crowds:
Even early in the season (and early in the morning), there was a party of three at the base in front of us, and a party not far behind. Luckily, the party of three let us go ahead; by the time we lost sight of them (on the 6th pitch) they were still at the third. An efficient and confident party could easily summit in two hours, but in my opinion, climbers should plan for 4 hours on route.
On Gear:
Our light rack proved perfect. It was nice and light for the long approach, yet I was able to comfortably protect the friction traverse on the first pitch as well as build decent anchors on the 7th and 8th.
On Descending:
The cables were still down for the season, but the descent was pretty painless. We wore gloves and tied prussiks around the cables to descend. We had to re-tie the prussiks multiple times to get around points where the cables were fixed (and to avoid ascending hikers), but still managed to get down the cables in roughly 15 minutes.
On the Experience:
In all, this climb was fantastic and well worth the grueling approach. It would not be a wise choice for a 5.7 climber, but 5.8 climbers will likely enjoy it, and more experienced climbers should not discount it. If you are a climber who has never summitted Half Dome, do yourself a favor: take a day and climb Snake Dike.
By Vikram Sahney
Apr 18, 2016
My partner and I climbed this on April 15, 2016. Had the approach and the route all to ourselves. We used a 70m rope and led it in 3 pitches: P1/P2 we belayed up. Then P3-P6 we simul-climbed on the full 70m. And finally we simul-climbed P7+ well into the 3rd class terrain, also on the full 70m. I posed a YouTube video of the climb here: Snake Dike Video
We left the Valley Lodge at 9:15am, started climbing by noon, and were back to the car by 5:30pm or so.
Snow on top and on parts of the descent. Cables are clean but still down. Beyond the 70m rope, we had a small rack of a few nuts, 6 alpine draws, and 4-6 small cams.
The views are great, but the climbing was not that interesting.
By ashields
Aug 30, 2016
rating: 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a X
|Awesome route. Climbed it last weekend. Took our time and made it car to car in 15 hours. Hanging out at the top of pitch 8 and having lunch is an epic place to rest and take in the views. Climbing is easy but I would like to see just a few more bolts. Pitches 4-8 are pretty much free solo. Someday a handhold or foothold will break and someone is going to get hurt....
By BJB
From: Texas
Sep 14, 2016
What we brought:
Only a few cams--Singles of smalls up to BD #1. You for sure don't need anything larger and I don't think I even placed the #1.
A 70M rope, I was glad I had this instead of a 60M. It helped on the last pitches as we linked a few.
About 8 alpine slings.
What I wish we brought:
A light weight water pump. You will want to go as light as you can on the route, but when you are coming down, you'll want water and there won't be any for about 8 miles. Solution: bring a light weight water pump and pump at the river about 1/2 down the descent.
Maybe the crux of the climb. Get to Happy Isles. We had to park in Half Dome Village Parking lot (formerly known as Curry Village). Get on the John Muir trail and hike up forever. You'll pass two waterfalls (Nevada and Vernal, but maybe not in that order). This part of the trail is very steep.
Once you get past the second waterfall, the trail will level out. Liberty Cap will be on your left. Apparently there is an approach that goes towards Liberty Cap, but we didn't take it. Keep hiking until Liberty Cap tapers off. There will be a climbers trail on your left, and it's not terribly hard to miss.
GPS coordinates for the climbers trail: N 37.73160, W 119.52110.
Follow the climbers trail for a long while. You'll pass Lost Lake on your right. Eventually the trail will lead you into a shrubby talus scramble. We followed cairns all the way to the base of the route. It tends leftward and is pretty long. Here are GPS coordinates for the start of the climb: N 37.73980, W 119.54020.
The Climb:
There's plenty of beta on this already, so I'll just say this: the climbing was less secure and much more scary than I expected. Though it's easy, portions of the Dike are somewhat slippery, and there aren't really any good, solid holds until the very end.
There was one section of the climb where I ran my 70 M rope all the way out and only clipped two pieces, so I'm going to give this an X.
Also, on P3, if you fall on the 5.7 friction traverse before getting to the bolt, you will totally land on your belayer.
Follow the 1000 ft or so of calf burning 3rd class to the summit. This is probably the crux of the climb and we had to rest maybe 4-8 times while doing it.
The Descent:
Take the Half Dome cables down. We followed the advice of others and just clipped our PAS into the cables and walked around the outside, cutting the huge lines and traffic jam. This upset some people in line and was very scary for my partner, but I would do it again in a heart beat.
Follow the trail back down to wherever you parked your car. Use the water pump at the river along the way or this hike is going to suck. This is why some people call the route Snake Hike. It's not because the climbing is easy, it's because you hike about 18 mi in a day.
By Chris D
From: the couch
Sep 27, 2016
If you can find something to complain about on this outing, you should probably just stay at the gym or your local sport crag. Snake Dike could almost be described as a very civilized, mini alpine outing. Kind of surreal with the crowds on the mist trail, and the cable descent is insane. I can't believe that the NPS encourages, much less permits hikers to climb and descend the glassy-slick rock of the cable route. Definitely more un-nerving than anything on the route, including the runouts, as others have said.
All of the difficulties on the route are a few 5.6-5.7 slab moves down low and are well-protected. The climbing is very, very mellow.
In good weather, break the outing up into two days by bringing a light bag and making a peaceful bivy in the beautiful little forest 100 feet below the base of the route. It'll be the highlight of your otherwise hectic and tourist-crowded visit to the Valley.
By steple
Oct 1, 2016
|If you climbed Snake Dike Friday September 30th and you were on the route around noon, send me a message: I have some photos you might like. (There were two parties of two.)
By Phillip Bay
From: San Francisco, California
Oct 22, 2016
Yesterday on the approach to Snake Dike my partner and I were swarmed by bees or wasps (not quite sure), I assume protecting their hive. The problem is that I don't see a way to avoid this as its right when the slabs of Liberty Cap force you to the shoulder of Lost Lake. The group that came up behind us said that they too were swarmed by bees.
-We were definitely on the right trail
-Collectively got stung about 25 times
-No practical way to avoid it (not obvious where it is, slabs to the left and lake to the right)
-Maybe take your chances with the more direct route but less obvious approach between Liberty Cap and Mt. Broderick?
-or cover and run!
By Andrew U
From: Yosemite, CA
Nov 16, 2016
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
|This is truly an incredible route. I wasn't that much of a fan of how runout the route is though. Its pretty intense!
By Ben Murphy
From: Denver, CO
Dec 13, 2016
rating: 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c X
Okay, so this post is for any gumbies like me who want to get on this route. Long story short, YGD.
Expectations: I've been climbing almost 4 years: sport to 10d, trad to 8. Before you flame me too hard, I did my research. Read trip reports. Memorized topos. Practiced multi-pitching in Idyllwild and Cathedral Peak. Talked to people who've done the route. I understood that it was committing and exposed, but was repeatedly reassured by the fact that each crux is reasonably protected and the runouts are "super easy 5.4".
Reality: The "super easy" bits aren't particularly confidence inspiring. When I read 5.4 I'm thinking positive holds and 3 points of secure contact. Even in the old school (sandbagged) world of Joshua Tree, I think the runout sections would go at 5.6. Its steep enough slab that you feel very exposed with almost all slopers of slippery granite and the occasional positive knob. Although I never thought I was in imminent danger of falling, rarely did I feel secure. But realistically, this route has death potential. 150 ft of grinding, bouncing free fall down the dike would certainly break bones and shred skin. Also, the pitch 3 cruz is not protected at all for the second. If the leader clips the intermediate anchors like I did, the second can (and mine did) take a nasty 30 foot pendulum while traversing the 5.7 friction slab. Yes, I know, don't clip the intermediates...but there was no way was I continuing upwards without that security. So between my second falling, which resulted in a sprained wrist and a serious headache, and me being scared shitless of 3 more pitches of that, we decided to bail (which is possible from the top of pitch 3 with a 70 m rope and a little bit of downclimbing at the base).
Conclusion: Who in their right mind decided that these runouts are acceptable? I understand the stonemaster mentality and am all for leaving some spice, but even the best climbers make mistakes and holds break. With those runouts, you're in severe injury/death territory. It's an amazing route, and had it been better protected (even just cutting the runouts in half), it would be the quintessential single day adventure route. But as is, I certainly wouldn't advise intermediate leaders or beginner followers climb it. You're welcome to those who constantly complain about crowded classics.
By tagshell
Jan 13, 2017
Climbed this on a perfect weekend in early November. I'd been climbing for less than a year and had lead maybe 10 pitches of trad before this, but all similar rock (Lovers leap, Tahquitz, etc) and all multi-pitch, we both had a fair bit of experience with belay transitions etc.
P1 we put a cam in at the roof on the right side, downclimbed to the non-polished rock then traversed over. My partner got a micro-cam in on the upward crack but it popped out, then got another good piece in higher up and then proceeded to the bolted anchors. The cam popping out was actually helpful for me seconding, since I didn't have a pendulum potential once I got the roof piece out.
For my lead I started the traverse left towards the dike too early and didn't go high enough. By the time I saw the traverse bolt, I was way below it, so I just kept traversing until I got onto the dike. Really scary given that if I blew it, I would have fallen straight onto my belayer and then pendulumed. Once onto the dike it was a lot easier, but I ended up being so in the zone that I missed the anchors on the left and going all the way to the single bolt and then finishing at the anchors on the right, barely having enough rope with a 70M. That was a lot better for my second, though.
Above P3 it was easy. As the person above said, the dike holds are generally not very positive, but I found it not scary at all if you go one move at a time and make sure your feet are good. Definitely recommend a 70M and linking pitches, just make sure to use the topo and do the math.
On the hike, we started at 4AM from Happy Isles and were at the base of the route at 7:15, first on the route. We reached the summit at 11 and were back down in the valley by 3. I recommend a similar strategy, hiking up the mist trail in the dark was easy and pleasant and the sun was just coming up when we had to go onto the climbers trail and the route-finding started.
By Climber Gal
May 15, 2017
Climbed this route last weekend and had a blast! For anyone worried about the runouts, yes it is run out but the climbing is incredibly easy, and I'm no slab expert. I had been worried about above comments saying how polished the dike was, but I found that there was always great feet, a chicken head or knob, or both to stay balanced. The friction traverse is not that bad, but the undercling on pitch 1 is certainly very polished.
For the approach, when you get to the class three ledges, make sure to follow the cairns after getting out of the manzanita bushes as it looks like you can start traversing a high up ledge, but this is dangerous and dicey. Dip down a bit following cairns and regain the climber's trail that takes you around the corner and up to the base of the climb.
By Petek Saracoglu
Jun 1, 2017
|Did this climb on 5/28/17. There was a 40 ft section of flat snow on the summit that was easy to cross in tennis shoes. Otherwise snow free. The cables are going up soon (will be up by this coming weekend). The last good place to get water is at the top of Nevada Falls. Right now on the descent side you can also get water at several melt streams not far down from the summit.
By Nicole Golden
Jun 2, 2017
|Just climbed snake dike may 30th 2017. There is still snow all the way at the summit, but it is not affecting the route at all. The cables are closed, but not down (they remain up year round but the posts are not up). We hiked in from glacier point left at 3:37am got to the base at 9:00am. Also a women's guide tennie approach shoe came unclipped from our day pack while climbing, it is down there at the base of the route somewhere.... I definitely agree with the comments above about the runouts. Yes it was only '5.4' but the holds are really not that great. It was cool to do the route and say you've climbed up half dome, but I don't think I would try to climb this route again intentionally. After reaching the top of snake dike, it says class 3 slabs all the way to the top, but it is really sketchy, esp if you're not used to slab. If you thought the walk in across the one section of exposed slabs was bad, just wait til you get up there! I'm not trying to scare ppl, the route is definitely doable because I'm still here to write this, but you just really have to watch every step and be careful up there.
By Floyd Hayes
Jun 22, 2017
|A safer, easier and quicker alternate start for pitch 1 is climbing the right-facing lieback flakes about 20' to the left of the standard start. You can place cams in the flakes (or sling a small tree) and then climb the slab to the left edge of the small roof. If you fall off the slab before reaching the small roof (you won't), your highest cam (or sling on the tree) will prevent a ground fall. The alternate and standard starts are illustrated in this photo.
By robbiesrk Kellett
Jul 8, 2017
|Did this last Wednesday over two days approach took 4 hrs and we camped at a nice bivy ledge before traversing the death slabs early the next morning. Amazing hike! The mist trail and the climbers trail is impossible to miss. I thought the down climb off the cables was scarier than the route itself; I'd recommend clipping in on a sling and walking down backwards outside the cables, much better grip and faster!! Don't leave shit at the bottom it's a real pain to hike back in after coming down for 4 mi. Would do it again in a heartbeat
By snowhazed
From: Oakland, Ca
Jul 12, 2017
|If you are confident, then skip the second pitch and just head straight up the overlaps to the dike and continue to p3 anchors. There's a small cam placement in the overlap in marginal rock and some crux friction climbing on polish to reach the dike. No lame traversing. Great way to pass parties as well.
By Jess Foster
Jul 14, 2017
We did this May 8th, started hiking at 3am from Half Dome Village, got wet from the Mist trail (didnt really think that one through), got past the falls just before sun up. We decided to go past Liberty Cap since it was still dark, and since the climber's trail is well traveled it was probably a good move.
We got lost amongst the sea of cairns trying to find the base of the route, but arrived 7am.
I would agree with Floyd on alternate start, slung the little tree and then you have to do a friction-y move to the left side of the roof. Check out his image for beta.
Some how we never found the 3rd belay anchors...which is strange since its right on the dike. The were two bolts on each side of it, but they were too far apart.
We only saw one other party on the route, before getting to the top. Then slab for dayz, but very safe IMO.
Bring 4 liters of water and gloves for the cable decent. My partner and I did the hike in and out in running shoes and had no issues. Hiking boots are overkill on the very well traveled JMT.
By Dan Evans
From: Phoenix, AZ
Aug 7, 2017
The approach (Aug. 3, 2017) -- I felt that the approach was relatively straight forward, but EXHAUSTING. I was in the Marine Corps infantry for 8 years, so I truly mean that--the hike is relentless. Me and my partner are also fairly conservative when it comes to gear, so we brought doubles for the route but this truly can be done with a good attitude, 2 quick draws, 4 slings, and singles from .2 - 1. Just take what you need. Once you step off from the trailhead, follow the Mist Trail all the way until you reach the wooden bridge just after Vernal Falls. We brought a water filter and filtered 6 liters of water each just upstream from the bridge prior to going any further because were unsure about any other water sources up ahead and we still had a ways to go in 90+ degree heat. However, there was a small stream another 30 minutes up. After crossing the bridge, follow the hiker's trail up until you can literally touch Liberty Cap. At this point, the hiker's trail veers right and a climber's trail veers left--this is your left turn. Follow this trail, skirting the side of Liberty Cap and social trails until it takes you up between Mt. Broderick and Liberty Cap. At this point the trail becomes a little lost with brush and talus, so you just have to pick the best route through. Once you get past the two formations, you should see Half Dome to your left at which point you should start heading up until you see an open meadow. This meadow is Lost Lake and several cairns can be seen to your immediate left. At this point there is no obvious trailhead and you may be lulled into going right. Instead, go left skirting the left side of the open meadow and a well-traveled trail will present itself. If you find yourself bush wacking at any point from here on out you are off track. Follow the climbers trail up until you reach another junction with two cairns marking trails going both left and right, either way takes you up but right is more direct. The next junction you arrive to is where these two trails meet. So, if you opted to go right, do not go left at the second junction as this will just take you back down hill. Go up and right up what appears to be a scary slab. Once you take this trail, the cairns mark the way through the slabs avoiding any scary committing moves. Everything felt pretty solid and at no point did I feel like I was doing any actual climbing.
The climb -- Apparently, there is an alternate start to this route however my partner opted for the regular start and ended up climbing into the undercling to place protection. From there he traversed hard left, staying true to the undercling which afforded him adequate protection but felt a bit harder than 5.7. As someone who hates slab, I can honestly say that everything else after this pitch felt really easy in comparison and was waiting for several more "5.7 cruxes" that just never came. Once you get past pitch 1 everything is cruiser and just a mental game of staying calm high above your protection. At the top of pitch 2, you will see a right leaning dike with a bolt 15 ft up--this is a 10a route. Pitch 3 goes left here! From here, just follow the route beta and you should be just fine.
The descent -- Head down the cables and follow the Half-Dome hiker's trail back towards Liberty Cap for 8 knee-pounding miles. This trail will not be the same trail that you took on the approach in, but it will eventually meet back up at the same Liberty Cap junction where the climber trail splits left.
By Evan Glessner
Aug 26, 2017
rating: 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
Snake Dike is tight! Did this climb back in the middle of July. 10 hours car to car.
The approach is solid, I get why it's called Snake Hike. Don't bring too much gear!
The crux of the entire climb was the traverse under the roof on the first pitch. The rock felt slippery but it's well protected and there's a solid undercling to get you through it. It does seem like you could do an alternate start and go straight up the slab, avoiding the traverse, but we didn't do that.
After that, we extended the first pitch and linked the second and the third (using a 70 meter rope). The second 5.7 traverse is bolted and not as bad as the first. Just make sure not to go too far up the first dike you're on.
The SuperTopo map was incredibly helpful, we used it the entire time and it did not fail us.
I was quite scared to lead the runouts on the dike but the climbing truly is easy. Don't let the fear of falling bother you, the rock is solid and there are quite a few jugs. Not only that, but there's no route finding, which is pretty sweet.
After the dike, we simul-climbed the last pitch or so and cruised to the top. The slab surely is a calf burner, but wasn't as long as we had expected. It's not that endless. Plus you're mad stoked, so it goes by quickly!
The cables to descend were a touristic shit storm, we hopped on the outside and had no trouble getting down in our approach shoes without gloves. Much faster.
I've been climbing for a little over a year and Snake Dike was a phenomenal experience. I would recommend it to anyone who feels solid climbing 5.7 in the valley. Get at it!
By Alex Zucca
From: University Heights
Aug 28, 2017
Pretty much all of the bolts on this climb are fidget spinners.
It's a very scary lead the whole time, scary to the point where I didn't want to enjoy the views while climbing because it would remind me that my last piece is 85 feet below.
If I were ever to do this route again, I would not lead it. Following this route seems to be a much more enjoyable experience.


text:
President Obama's recently-released skeet-shooting photo has inspired an action figure of the president holding a shotgun.
Sporting a sweatshirt that reads "clay pigeons," the doll costs $19.95 for the first 1,000 buyers on herobuilders.com.
Herobuilders is the same company that made an action figure of Anthony Weiner, the lawmaker from New York who resigned after a Twitter sex scandal.
"Skeet-Shooting Obama" sports a somewhat demented grin and chiseled arms more akin to Rambo than the leader of the free world.
"It's too complex and costly to make multiple bodies," company head Emil Vicale told The Huffington Post. "Most action figures use just one body."
This is the fourth Obama action figure Vicale has created.
Others include one as the Joker from "The Dark Knight" and the "Rambana" action figure, in which Obama is wearing a black shirt with a skull on it, camouflage pants and holding a machine gun, according to The Huffington Post.
- Obama shooting image gets blasted on Web
- White House releases photo of Obama shooting shotgun
- LZ Granderson: Obama gun photo a mistake
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Olt set for first action in field this spring
MESA, Ariz. -- Finally, Mike Olt will get on the field.
Olt has been limited to the designated-hitter role, as he nurses a tender right shoulder. He's scheduled to start at first base for the Cubs on Monday in a makeup "B" game against the Giants at Cubs Park.
While Olt has played more third than first, playing first should limit stress on his throwing shoulder. He says the soreness is normal for Spring Training.
"It's a little bit of a dead arm," Olt said. "I was working it too hard to get ready."
He much prefers playing than sitting.
"I'm not a huge fan of sitting on the bench and hitting," Olt said. "It'll be good to be back on the field and feel like you're part of the game."
The shoulder hasn't affected his hitting in batting practice or the games so far. Eventually, he'll get into a game at third. Olt, challenging for a spot on the Cubs' Major League roster, is eager to show he's ready.
"If I am healthy, I do know I belong in the big leagues," Olt said. "It's not a matter of thinking about making the big leagues, it's about going out there and doing my thing. Whatever happens, happens. When I do get the shot, I'll be ready."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Whereas much knowledge is departmentally fragmented, history courses examine the development and interrelationships of events, institutions, and ideas. Depending on the specific course (see descriptive listings of particular courses below), history courses examine the evolution of political, economic, social and religious institutions; international relations and diplomacy; science and technology; ideas, aesthetics and literature; and other social and cultural subjects. In each course students examine a significant body of material, analyze its validity and credibility, its causes and effects, its historical importance, and communicate their conclusions effectively. The History Department encourages student leadership in Phi Alpha Theta History Fraternity, and outstanding students may have opportunities for internships in Kentucky state libraries and archives. The department encourages students to supplement history courses with study and travel to important historic sites and archives in the USA and abroad.
(B. A. degree) thirty-three hours in history including HIS 111, 113, 250, and 450. Students must take at least three hours of American, three hours of European, and three hours of Asian/non-Western history. Eighteen hours must be at the 300-level or above. Total hours required: 33.
Eighteen hours in history including at least one course in two of the following three areas: American, European, or Asian/non-Western.
111. History of Civilization to 1648. (3 hours) A study of human origins stressing the continuity of development through 1648. The course will be taught on a chronological or topical basis and attempt to combine historical interpretation with a general knowledge of the significant developments of the past. Fall
113. History of Civilization Since 1648. (3 hours) A study of civilization from 1648 to the present. The course will be taught on a chronological or topical basis and attempt to combine historical interpretation with a knowledge of the significant developments of the past. Spring
211. Asian Civilization I. (3 hours) This course will survey the development of East and South Asian civilizations, covering their origins as well as their cultural influences, from prehistoric times to approximately 1800 AD. Fall
213. Asian Civilization II. (3 hours) This course will explore the development of East and South Asia from about 1800 AD to the present. Students will compare and contrast the similarities and differences among the national experiences in modern Asia. Spring
223. Introduction to American History: 1492-1877. (3 hours) This course is a survey of the political, economic, intellectual, social, and religious development of America before 1877. Fall
225. Introduction to American History: 1877 to Present. (3 hours) This course is a survey of the political, economic, intellectual, social, and religious development of America after 1877. Spring
250. Historical Methods. (3 hours) An intensive introduction to concepts, methods, and issues in the study of history. Emphasis will be on the framing of historical questions and immersion in the actual sources of history. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Spring
304. Kentucky History. (3 hours) The study of statemaking as an important contribution to the understanding of the political, social, and cultural life of the United States. Kentucky as the first frontier state. Spring
306. Colonial and Revolutionary America, 1607-1783. (3 hours) An intensive investigation of the American colonies, their political and social origins, their culture developments, and their subsequent revolution with and separation from Great Britain. Alternating Years
308. History of the Early Republic: 1783-1848. (3 hours) This course is a study of the formative years of the United States. The course covers the early years of government under the Articles of Confederation, the adoption of the United States Constitution, and the political development of the new nation through the Mexican War. Additionally, the course will cover the social, ethnic, economic, intellectual, cultural, and religious transformations which characterized American life in the 1780s-1840s. Alternating Years
310. History of the South. (3 hours) The contribution of Southern civilization to the total life of the nation, with emphasis on the New South. Alternating Years
312. Civil War and Reconstruction. (3 hours) Intensive investigation of some aspect of the period. Topics selected to give insight into the war and its effect on American history. Alternating Years
314. Gilded Age through the 1920s. (3 hours) An intensive overview of America between 1877 and 1930. This course explores the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the period, especially in their relationship to the formation of industrial capitalism. Alternating Years
316. Modern China. (3 hours) This course is a study of modern Chinese history since 1800. It examines the political, cultural, social and economic developments in the last two centuries and offers a comprehensive view of China's unique path to modernization. Alternating Years
318. History of Canada. (3 hours) This course is a survey of Canada's political, economic, intellectual, social, and religious development. Alternating Years
321. History of Japan. (3 hours) This course will cover Japanese history from the sengoku period to the Russo-Japanese War. While covering the political, institutional, religious, economic, and cultural history of Japan, particular attention will be paid to the significant influence of China as well as Japanese social structure and reaction to the outside world. Alternating Years
323. Renaissance and Reformation. (3 hours) This course will cover the intellectual, cultural, political, and economic development of Europe with particular focus on the Italian Renaissance and the Reformation in Germany. The course will continue through the Counter-Reformation and the Thirty Years War. Alternating Years
325. United States Diplomatic History. (3 hours) The course will survey the historical development of United States diplomatic policies and positions which have influenced American attitudes toward other peoples or significantly affected domestic development. American economic, religious, racial and cultural values will be integrated into the study. Alternating Years
329. French Revolution and Napoleon. (3 hours) A study of the causes, course, and results of one of the most important upheavals in European history. The course will also consider the vast body of literature associated with the event. Alternating Years
331. European History 1815-1914. (3 hours) Survey of European history from the Congress of Vienna to the start of World War I. Special emphasis will be given to the topics of industrialism, liberalism, and nationalism. Alternating Years
333. World History Since 1914. (3 hours) Study of some of the major political, social, and economic problems of the 20th century. Spring
335. History of England. (3 hours) Study of the political, social, economic, religious, and constitutional history of England to the end of the Stuart period. Alternating Falls
337. Modern England. (3 hours) This course describes the role of the English nation in the modern world as well as its contributions to modern society. Anglo-American relations will be given special emphasis. Alternating Falls
338. Religion in American History. (3 hours) Role of religion in American history; impact of religion on major social and political developments. Alternating Years
340. Modern France: A Social History. (3 hours) French social and cultural achievements in the modern era with emphasis upon French contributions to modern society. Alternating Years
343. Modern Central Europe. (3 hours) A survey of German, Austrian, and Hungarian history from the 19th century to the present; topics include the industrial revolution in Central Europe, the 1848 revolutions, the creation and collapse of the German and Austro Hungarian Empires, the rise of radical ideologies after 1918, the Second World War, and Germany's division and reunification. Alternating Years
345. Military History. (3 hours) A survey of the role of warfare and the military in Western society from prehistory to the present. Topics will include the origins of war and military institutions; the relationship of military organizations to the state; philosophies/doctrines regarding the state's use of war as policy; the evolution and impact of new military technologies, tactics, and strategies; the role of leadership, organization, and logistics in war; moral and ethical issues of war; and the perspective of the individual combatant. Fall
360. Public History. (3 hours) Introduction to various aspects of public history in a philosophical and practical way. Alternating Years
378. Tutorial Topics. (3 hours) Special topics in History using a one-on-one tutorial method of instruction similar to that used in humanities courses at Oxford University. Prerequisite: History 111 or 113 and permission of the instructor. As Needed
412. Ancient History. (3 hours) Roots of western civilization; primary source material for the Ancient near East, Greece and Rome. Alternating Years
417. History of Modern Russia. (3 hours) A survey of Russian history from the 19th century to the present, topics will include the social and cultural trends of Imperial Russia, Russia's role in European and world affairs, the 1917 revolutions, the Communist era and Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Alternating Years
424. History of the Middle East. (3 hours) Political, economic and cultural events and institutions from the time of Muhammad, with emphasis on the contemporary period. Alternating Years
426. History of the American Indian. (3 hours) This course traces the multifarious history of American Indians with particular emphasis on the course of American history from their perspectives. It is designed to digress from the traditional view of Indian history as one of Indian-white warfare and frontier violence, and explore a deeper understanding of Indians as human beings caught up in dramatic historical events that continue to shape their lives. Alternating Years
430. Recent America. (3 hours) American technological and industrial growth since 1930 and the social, political, and intellectual adjustments which that growth has required. Alternating Years
432. Gender in American History. (3 hours) A study of gender as a determining factor in the roles of women and men in American history. Alternating Years
440. Independent Study. (1, 2, or 3 hours) As Needed
450. Senior Seminar. (3 hours) Historical criticism, historiography and research. Prerequisite: HIS 250. Fall
470. Topics in History. (3 hours) Some topics might include African-American history, History of Feminism, Hitler and National Socialism; History of Revolutions; History of American Labor; History of Race Relations; History of American Business; History of Latin America. Alternating Years
475. Topics in the Social and Intellectual History of the United States. (3 hours) Alternating Years


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FSS Interview: Cody Subido
Foundation Secret Society Interview with Cody Subido
What's up with the super gnarly scar on your dome, Cody?
What's up with the super gnarly scar on your dome, Cody?
Yeah about that haha...long story short, I was assaulted. Got jumped by 5 people at a party. Ended up getting my head kicked for about 10 min. Had a life threatening subdural hematoma (brain bruise) and was put into a coma for 3 weeks. When I woke up I was missing almost 1/3 of my skull and doctors told me I would never walk again do to my brain injury. 3 long ass weeks of physical therapy, with the support of my family and friends, I walked out of the hospital 100% and was back on my board a month later! Changed my whole perspective on life and makes you appreciate the little things.
Backside Tailslide
What was your approach to skating after you healed up?
I couldn't wait to get back on my board! Relearning how to balance and all that was really frustrating, but once I could skate it was on! i wanted to prove to myself that I could get back to skating with the homies again. The thought of hitting my head is always there, but skateboarding is what I love and I don't ever plan on stopping. Sounds cliché but I can't picture life without skating.
How often you get headaches? Anything help to alleviate that pain?
Yeah man headaches on the every other day program. Pretty jacked but a migraine is a small price to pay considering. For the pain, been on multiple anti migraine medicines for a year and a half now. When all else fails some good ol' mary jane seems to do the trick!
Speaking of brains. What's your first memory of Foundation?
360 Flip
You skate with T-Spliff (Taylor Smith) a bunch and you say you're always blown away by his ability on a skateboard (as is everyone else). Why is that?
T-spliff !!!!!! Man don't even know where to start. He'll skate anything you put in front of him. Best Style, best flick... T-Spliff SOTY!!!!!!!
Frontside Feeble
Tell us that story when you first saw T-Spliff at the YMCA.
First day I met Taylor I was at the Encinitas YMCA. We measured 14 feet from a bank ramp into the flat of the vert. I had tried it all day and I was so hyped to roll away, then I look back to see some 3 foot tall fully padded up midget man flying across the park... and kickflips it 1sr try! No joke! Honestly won't ever forget that. Pysched to watch him grow up and shred even more.
Smith grind
Seems like you frequently go on rad side missions with your lady and homies. What do you like to get into when your off the board?
All the photos featured in this interview are shot by Cristian Pirovano. How long you been skating and shooting together?
Damn, I've known Cristian for about 10 years now and have been skating and shooting photos since the day we met.
Nollie Flip
Any projects in the works for you Cody?
Whatever the future brings I'm down! Other than that just keep skating and filming as much as possible.Cody Subido's Sponsors: Foundation Secret Society, Surfride, Bohnam (flow), PIG (flow)
Photos: Cristian Pirovano
Interview: Tyler Culbertson
Posted March 20th, 2014 by Tyler Culbertson


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Backyard Golf Course Owners Find There's No Place Like Home
(continued from page 5)
Reclusive real estate magnate Edward S. Gordon made headlines when he built his own nine-hole course on New York's Long Island. Casino owner Steve Wynn's Shadow Creek is not only a full-scale 18-hole layout, but the course, designed by the legendary Tom Fazio, is considered one of the best in the country. (See sidebar, page 367.) Montana's Dennis Washington, who made his millions in the mining industry, used the firm of Robert Trent Jones Jr. when he added a nine-hole course to his fishing lodge in British Columbia.
Once you've made the investment and had the work done, your biggest problem, as one New York businessman who owns his own course pointed out, is deciding whether to play at home or join the boys at the club.
While only a handful of individuals can afford the cost of a full-sized golf course, which the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) estimates runs between $1.6 million and $4.5 million, almost every golf fanatic who has enough land can put a little bit of paradise on his property. Many individuals choose to put in one full-sized hole, usually a par 3 or 4, that they can play at their leisure. Others invest in just a green, along with some sand traps, so they can practice their short game by pitching to the green from different spots on their lawn. For those who want to play an entire round, but have limited space and resources, multiple tee boxes can be used with each green. This way, three greens can be played from different directions to create nine distinct golfing experiences.
Most home golf course owners keep a low profile regarding their backyard investments--presumably because they don't want to broadcast what might seem like wretched excess or they simply don't want the rest of the world showing up to play on their private links--but the architects who delight in these projects are not as shy.
"It's a novelty, and a hell of a conversation piece," says Peter J. Fazio, Tom Fazio's cousin and owner of Fazio Golf Green Design in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. "I started looking at the home market about two years ago. I did a green with two bunkers, with a tee at 135 yards and another at 160, for a friend of mine who had about five acres. He was a scratch golfer who had gone up to about a seven and was trying to get back down."
Carter Morrish, a golf course designer who works with his father, the renowned Jay Morrish, recalls a project he did in 1992 in Malibu for a man named Bill O'Connor. "He had about 17 acres, but only seven were useable," says Morrish. "He was building a house, and he had me put in four par-3 holes, each with two sets of tees, all on about two acres. It was a neat project."
Another designer, Edmund Hollander, has also left his imprint on backyard golf. "We have done everything from an individual hole, a green with sand traps around it and a tee, to another job where we put in four good-sized greens, with a pond, and eight tees, so there's a lot of back-and-forth play," says Hollander, a landscape architect who has designed several personal golf layouts of varying size in the New York metropolitan area.
Costs can range from tens of thousands of dollars for one hole, to millions for 18 holes, according to the owner's ambition. Creating fairways can mean moving earth, building contours, planning for irrigation and planting golf course grass, or you can simply cut the grass on your lawn short between tee and green. On par 3s, you can forgo the fairways altogether. Each green can have its own tee, or can be played from several directions. The one element where there isn't much room for skimping is the construction of the green.
"For a [United States Golf Association] spec green, you're looking at $35,000 for 5,000 square feet," says Peter Fazio. "Most people don't need it. I can put in a green where you can hone your game and it would look aesthetically good for anywhere from $9,000 to $39,000. The bunkers and tees are not a big deal." USGA specifications are extremely detailed. They require substantial earth moving and layers of crushed stone that constitute a drainage system to move water away from the greens. Following these rigorous design and construction rules, which have been developed from decades of research and experience, will result in a true tour-style green, just like the pros play on. As golf architect Geoffrey S. Cornish wrote in his article "How To Build and Maintain A Putting Green," "When it has been properly designed and planted a golf green represents the final word in man's present knowledge of grass growing."
Because one of the design objectives behind the USGA procedures is the ability of a green to hold up under the traffic of hundreds of rounds per day, strict adherence to these construction rules may represent overkill. Regardless of how much you plan to practice your putting, few home greens will be subjected to that kind of abuse. Many home owners will be satisfied with a quality surface that falls short of USGA specifications.
"Most people are doing just greens, with a couple of bunkers and sand traps," says Hollander. "Fifteen thousand gets you a 1,500-square-foot green with a couple of sand traps. You can usually use the fill from the green for the bunkers. You can go with the real thing, or you can go with an imitation. You can never get synthetic to look like bent grass. On the other hand, you don't have to mow and maintain it."
Two main types of grass are used in putting green construction--bent grass and Bermuda--each of which comes in several varieties. Bent grass, which is usually considered the finest grass, is widely used throughout the northern half of the United States. In warmer climates, where the greens are used all through the year, hardy Bermuda grass is almost always used.
If building a golf course sounds expensive, it is nothing compared to the maintenance. The American Society of Golf Course Architects estimates that a full-sized course requires between $300,000 and $500,000 in maintenance costs annually, not including up-front equipment purchases of several hundred thousand dollars. Even the most modest backyard putting greens are costly to maintain, as they must be cut at least every other day, and sometimes every day, when in use. Regular lawn mowers will not do the trick, and specially designed models intended to cut grass as short as an eighth of an inch can cost $15,000 to $30,000.
"The maintenance is an enormous commitment," says Hollander, who estimates the upkeep for a green, traps and bunkers at $5,000 a year. "You'll probably spend more in three years maintaining it than you will pay to build it."
Peter Fazio concurs: "There are variations from A to Z. Most owners have yard people, and you can just mow down your native grass short for fairways. You can go to whatever extent you want, but what you don't want to do is get caught up in the maintenance. Any home owner who is going to put this in is not going to want to maintain it. Anyone who builds this probably belongs to a club, so go to your superintendent and arrange to have him help you out. The big investment is the mower, and you'll need fertilizer and irrigation as well."
Many putting green owners avoid the expense of buying a mower by hiring either a golf course superintendent or, in some communities, a landscaping firm that owns the special mower. However, bringing in a mower from the outside exposes your greens to diseases, which are a common scourge of golf courses. Getting rid of the problem and restoring the grass can be more costly than buying the mower in the first place.
A low-maintenance alternative to real grass is a synthetic green. While synthetics do not have the cachet of a real green, they offer many of the benefits with fewer headaches, and the technology has evolved to the point where few golfers can tell the difference in terms of performance. "Since we introduced this technology, there's been a shift in focus," says Irving Bookspan, founder of San Francisco-based Tour True Turf Technologies, a manufacturer of synthetic greens. "For a long time, people thought anything artificial was Astroturf. Now people are seeing that we have a surface that rolls true like bent grass."
In the past 11 years, Bookspan's company has installed hundreds of greens across the United States. One advantage of the synthetic is that you can install much smaller greens--as little as two hundred square feet--because they don't require the same extensive drainage systems as natural greens; you can even put them indoors. With synthetics, as with real grass, you can adjust the speed of the green to suit your needs by adding or removing the top dressing that fills in around the blades of synthetic grass. While synthetic greens are low maintenance, and for many applications more flexible than real grass, they still come with a hefty price tag, running $18 to $35 per square foot.
"It's not a cheap process," says Bookspan. "Think about what you're getting. It's a putting green, like the one they have at your country club. Say you build a USGA-spec green that would cost you $30,000. It's going to cost you 10 to 15 [thousand dollars] a year to maintain, so you pay for it again every two or three years. A Tour True green might cost 35 [thousand dollars] to install, but the maintenance is only going to run two to three hundred dollars a month."
But how does it putt? "When you consider the people who are buying these greens, who could afford real grass, and know what real grass rolls like, there are no drawbacks," claims Bookspan, who counts among his clients professional golfers Paul Azinger, John Huston and Larry Mize, as well as famed teaching pro Jim McLean. Golf club manufacturers such as Titleist, Callaway and Karsten use True Turf greens in their test facilities, as do several golf schools. Even golf fanatic and basketball superstar Michael Jordan has one at his house.
Paul Shok, an orthodontist from Meadville, Pennsylvania, swears by his synthetic green, which he installed five years ago and still uses three or four times a week. "I belong to a country club in my hometown, but I also belong to Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. There's a tremendous discrepancy between the speed of the greens, so if I know I'm going to Firestone, I can make my green faster, and if I'm going to play here, I can make it slower. If I get on my green and give it half an hour or 45 minutes, it makes a significant difference when I'm out on the course."
Once you decide which green you want, the next step is figuring how big to make it. Your options depend on the size of your lot and the lay of the available land. Peter Fazio estimates that you need at least two and a half acres per hole, if you have a fairly square lot. An irregular piece of land may require substantially more. Hollander recommends three to four acres for a full-sized hole, and a minimum of 50 acres for a traditional nine-hole spread.
Riley Stottern, owner of Golf Greens of America, knows quite a bit about private golf courses. As superintendent for Wynn's Shadow Creek, he oversaw construction of the nation's premier personal golf project. Sensing a trend, he went out on his own. "We tried to do it on a mass-produced basis, installing USGA greens. There's a lot of golfers out there, and we thought that people could have a green, just like they have a tennis court, but you've got to have the land and the money." Stottern estimates that one par-3 hole will run about $40,000 to construct.
To cut back on expense and space, you can use a green for more than one hole and build fewer holes than on a regular course. Recall-ing work he did in Wyoming, Stottern says, "People in the Jackson area who had 20 to 30 acres would put in a par 3, usually one green and a fairway. We would try to put in two auxiliary tees so you could play it three different ways. Go around three times and you've played nine holes."
These types of compromises are far more popular, and often more realistic, than installing a regulation course. While only a handful of individuals maintain true courses on their property, there are a surprising number of "mini-courses," many designed by prominent architects. Robert Trent Jones II, one of the world's best-known golf course design firms, has done several projects for home owners, including the nine-hole course for Dennis Washington in Canada. Another project was done for Thomas Proulx, co-founder of computer software manufacturer Intuit. According to Steve Schroeder, vice president of operations at Jones, "The Proulxs have an extended practice hole with some greens that allow you to play all the different kinds of shots you would normally play."
Schroeder notes that one of the firm's most famous clients does not even own his own home. This was the case when Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed and installed a presidential putting green. "Bobby knows President Clinton, and Clinton's a big golf nut, and they were playing golf one day and Clinton was saying he couldn't ever get to practice his short game. That was the part of his game that was weak, and Bobby said, 'Well, you know there used to be a putting green at the White House.' It wasn't a big one, but it was there, and Clinton thought about it, and that's where the idea came from." Jones put in a new green on the site of the former one, and now the president can practice his putting in between meetings with heads of state.
Will the new green improve the president's short game? According to Shok, practicing at home makes a real difference, especially for someone with as hectic a schedule as Clinton's. "The most significant thing for me is those five-, six- and seven-footers," Shok says. "It's very convenient, and for those putts I have to make, it gives me a lot of confidence. You don't have to get in the car and go anywhere, and it's great when you get home from work and have 15 or 20 minutes before you have to take the kids here or there."
Using a famed architect like Jones, Morrish or Fazio will add both prestige and expense to your project. In normal circumstances, according to Schroeder, the firm's fee will be 10 percent of the roughly $250,000 it cost to design and build each hole. A nice nine-holer of your own will run $2 million to $2.5 million, before fees or main-tenance.
Designing and building a golf course requires much more than a bit of landscaping experience. According to the ASGCA, whose membership reads like a who's who of golf, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones and Jones Jr., Pete Dye, Rees Jones, Arthur Hills and Jay Morrish, there are only 128 men and two women in North America who are, "by virtue of their knowledge of the game, training, experience and vision and inherent ability, qualified to design and prepare specifications for a course." Golf course design requires a working knowledge of several different disciplines, including landscape architecture, civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, agrostology (the science of turf culture and care) and construction using heavy equipment.
Of course, you do not need a member of the golf course architects society to design most backyard courses, and certainly not for just putting in a putting green. Hollander, who gets almost all of his golf work through word of mouth and referrals, is a landscape architect who frequently works on projects unrelated to golf. "If you are going to put in a residential golf course, it is part of your residence, and has to be approached like any other piece of landscaping. You don't want to put the green next to your kitchen window, so you look for a remote corner of the property, somewhere where it gets full sun and good drainage. Just like building a house, you have to select a good designer, contractor and someone to maintain it. Any one of them can screw it up. We are responsible not only for design, but for getting it built."
If golf's popularity continues to soar, firms like Hollander's should be in luck. The ASGCA estimates that the number of golfers and rounds played could increase by 35 percent by the end of the decade. As more avid golfers are faced with more crowded courses, residential golf becomes an attractive option. Serious players know that the short game is by far the most important part of golf, so even just having a putting green to practice on can result in a substantial improvement in your play. According to David Bishop Sr., manager of information services for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, "we get five to 10 requests a week" from people interested in installing backyard putting greens of some size and scope.
While one green or hole will suffice for many, some golfers crave a little more. One such enthusiast is Stephen Hannah, a journalist, who along with his friend, Bill Wernecke Jr., is writing a book on golf course architecture called Six Who Changed the Course of Golf.
"I bought a little farmstead in a place called Mequon, around 20 miles northwest of Milwaukee, with about 10 acres of land, and I decided that I'm going to put some golf holes in here," says Hannah. "So Bill, who has been studying golf course architecture since he was about 10, comes over, and we scope out the land, and at one point I figured I could put in six holes, using three greens, so I'd be coming back and forth. The longest hole was going to be 190 yards.
"Then I read this article about pitch-and-putt courses of Ireland, and the longest hole they have on those courses is about 65 yards. They hit these terrific wedge shots that back up 25 feet on the green. So I started shifting my thinking and decided what I really ought to have is a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course. You can really do one or the other. You can have a regular hole where you are going to be hitting three and four irons, or you can really practice. I'd probably get a lot more practice and have more fun with the pitch-and-putt."
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Both benches and bullpens cleared in the ninth inning of Game 3 in the ALDS between the A's and Tigers, a rare sight for a playoff series.
And what made the scene at Comerica Park even more bizarre is that it wasn't a high-and-tight pitch or a hit batter that started the incident. Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez fouled off a pitch from Oakland closer Grant Balfour, and stared out to the mound. Balfour, an excitable type who isn't one to back down from anything, barked at Martinez. Martinez yelled back and started walking toward the mound.
MLB PLAYOFFS 2013: NLDS gallery | ALDS gallery | Schedule, results
"It's playoff baseball, and everybody knows in the league, including the Oakland team, that Balfour is an energy guy," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said in his postgame press conference. "He's a hyper guy, an energy guy, and it looked like he came off the mound at Victor. Victor took offense to it, and I don't blame him. I understand that. But other than that, it's playoff baseball and the guy was wound up a little bit, came off yelling at Victor and Victor took offense to it, and I don't blame him."
The MLB Network cameras caught a lot of the yelling from both players, and it wasn't hard to read the lips of Balfour and Martinez. They weren't exchanging pleasantries. Deadspin.com has video (warning, NSFW language) here.
As Martinez and Balfour stomped toward each other, everyone else stormed out from the benches and bullpens. Nothing really happened aside from a lot of animated milling around, and Balfour went on to close out the 6-3 victory for Oakland that gave the A's a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
"It's all good," Balfour told Susan Sussler, the A's beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. "I like a little fire."
-- Sporting News picks the most beloved player for each MLB team