tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49916894248581924552024-03-18T15:36:20.894-07:00Blake Herrington- Climbing & Writing-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-74058432069168875982021-06-10T17:21:00.011-07:002023-04-19T17:09:00.424-07:00Freerider Beta Share<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj6KoIQLyZsrMCYYfwLTOK2ec1Ry2BqAKqoQg7kdgDBezarWvca8Rg5-NbthcWTr4cUylYh6yVJHfgcTorrpstSXW-lYtFnjmwoeH07kp1HfKbDyRtKeZF7RSkMNFCziWRSqDHNcWzDYN/s1280/IMG-1781.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj6KoIQLyZsrMCYYfwLTOK2ec1Ry2BqAKqoQg7kdgDBezarWvca8Rg5-NbthcWTr4cUylYh6yVJHfgcTorrpstSXW-lYtFnjmwoeH07kp1HfKbDyRtKeZF7RSkMNFCziWRSqDHNcWzDYN/s320/IMG-1781.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b> (If you're here for beta to help <i>your</i> climb of Freerider, and not to read the account of <i>my </i>climb of Freerider, scroll halfway down.)</b><p></p><p>This spring I got a chance to climb in Yosemite for a week following a family trip to California. The summary is that I managed a lifetime climber's goal of freeclimbing (the easiest route up) El Cap with a friend (this was my second attempt, Scott's First and we pre-stashed some food and water just above Heart Ledges before climbing the route in 4 days). I didn't climb much in 2020 with COVID and life stuff, but built a garage Moonboard last Thanksgiving and I was curious to see what some real rock felt like again after fingery indoor limit bouldering for the first time in my life. Luckily my family reunion time in California coincided with the end of a work contract for my longtime pal Scott Bennett, who had been building TV show sets in the LA. We decided to try Freerider, the upper pitches of which neither of us had seen before. Scott and I have climbed together all over the world and across the USA and Canada for more than a decade, but never in Yosemite, so it was a real treat to get to team up on this famous objective in the center of American climbing. Scott had done the Salathe as his first big wall and first Yosemite adventure, circa 15yrs ago. I had climbed the first ~85% of the route in 2018 with my pal Nathan Hadley before bailing from where Salathe and Freerider separate for the final pitches. Scroll down for some Freerider beta that isn't ubiquitous elsewhere, including my own personal grade suggestions, bivy ledge reviews, gear beta, etc. Sorry to ruin your onsight. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Full Story</b>: Scott and I climbed Freerider, the now famous easier variation to the Salathe Wall, which is ~31 guidebook pitches and has a crux of either a short .12d stemming corner, or a left-traversing ~v7 boulder problem (given .13a as a 3 bolt pitch). We pre-stashed water and food on a ledge about 1/3 of the way up, accessed (mostly) via the quasi-permanent fixed lines running up a blank slab below Heart Ledges. Scott hadn't ever tried free climbing any of the pitches, and I'd tried/done most of them 3 years prior. Together we once practice climbed the relatively relaxed first 10 pitches (Freeblast) while my family was still in the Park. Freerider is the easiest freeclimbing route up El Capitan, but still one of the longest climbs in the country and in addition to the crux it includes a couple 5.12 pitches and a couple physical 5.11 offwidths. Our ascent took us a bit less than 4 days and involved 4 bivies using natural ledges. We began the first day in the evening and finished up the last day around lunch time. This allowed us to climb just ~5 pitches/day following our evening ascent of Freeblast (the first ~10 pitches). It took a lot of luck with the weather and lack of crowds for us to fit things into my pretty slim timeline between family leaving ahead of me, and me needing to get back home. The difference of a few lucky (or not) breaks on a couple days reinforced how contingent many climbing accomplishments are, especially when travelling.</p><p>When my friend Nathan Hadley and I made an April attempt in 2018, we had colder and windier weather (30s high on the wall, with wind and thick cloud cover) and 3 pitches had run with water. Nathan and I were both sending the route up to the Enduro corner with Nathan falling just once on the crux, and me following it cleanly after probably 10 quick-succession attempts. Sadly, we both fell trying to lead the Enduro (I fell liebacking just below the anchor while climbing in fleece pants and jeans plus a hooded puffy, stocking cap, and 3 other long sleeve layers.) With a warmed up body and beta I toproped the pitch cleanly and hoped to continue albeit it with a large asterisk if neither of us lead this 2nd-hardest pitch. Nathan wasn't motivated to attempt to redpoint it either, and didn't want to try and follow it, so we bailed. I've believed that with warmer and dryer conditions or more determination we could have finished the route, so I've had it in my mind ever sense. But after climbing the final few pitches with Scott, it is certainly possible they could have shut us down as Nathan and I were both wet from the Sewer pitch, our rope was wet, and the long exposed final belays would have been frigid between difficult climbing. One benefit of the bad weather on that attempt was that Nathan and I mostly had experienced the wall to ourselves and I had now done all but the final 6 pitches.</p><p>Scott and I experienced some marginal weather of a different sort, and we also had the wall entirely to ourselves until encountering folks ascending up as we rappelled from the summit. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 1:</b> <span> I had just a few days before needing to to return home to Washington, so we began on a day which was a calm sunny 88 degrees but with increasing clouds, showers, and cooler temps forecast. We were still sore from pre-hauling our water and food up fixed lines during the heat of an afternoon 2 days prior (Scott doing about 90% of the hauling labor). So rather than start super early AM and sacrifice sleep (plus be forced to fester all afternoon on an oven-like ledge 800' up) we spent the day chugging water and sitting in the river until </span>I began leading my block of the climb shirtless and still sweating at 5:30pm. I lead the first 4 guidebook pitches, Scott lead the next 4, and we were simulclimbing up the 90m of 5.8 terrain atop Freeblast to west end of Mammoth Terrace by 8:30. Unfortunately our headlamps were with our stashed bag on a ledge 400' away, but I had grabbed a tiny Petzl E-lite from my car at the last second and I handed it to Scott to finish leading the simulclimb then downclimb 130' from Mammoth to Heart Ledge while I climbed and belayed "by braille". I was alone atop Freeblast in blackness shouting down to Scott who had accidentally downclimbed 10m too far, waking up 2 aid climbers already bedded down for the night on a lower ledge. Shouting into the windy darkness below didn't produce reliable communication between anyone and I didn't think I could throw a rope end down for Scott to reach even if I were able to get him to untie from the rope and tie our e-Lite to its end for me to pull up first. So I rappelled the fixed line between the 2 ledges rather than downclimb the blocky ~5.9 section with no light or belay. Scott re-ascended 10m properly to Heart ledge and met me, and then just a single pitch remained between us and our sleeping bags. Skipping this downclimb in the dark (or choosing to not climb up and back down it after meeting Scott and getting our E-Lite) is an obvious asterisk on my ascent. From there, Scott went first and quickly sent the evening's final pitch with a tiny headlight to illuminate the 4 key holds (this pitch is basically 5.10b V4 slab boulder) and luckily there was some old mystery rope between these anchors too, so he clipped the E-Lite to a locker and slid it down the mystery rope to me on Heart Ledge to use. I cleanly followed the pitch on self-belay as Scott broke out our sleeping kits and we were soon bedded down for the night on Lung Ledge. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 2:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>We didn't bother setting wakeup alarms since our schedule had us climbing just 4-6 guidebook pitches a day. On day 2 we hauled a bag and wanted to finish up by climbing the Monster Offwidth in the shade, which meant before 11:30AM. The first time up this section of wall I had been surprised how FAR one climbs down to begin the Hollow Flake pitch. I'd also forgotten how hard/tricky the very start of the pitch is, though maybe it was because cruxy blind downclimbing moves are a strange way to start the day. I had lead the Hollow Flake previously, and did so again, placing no pieces but walking up a borrowed #7 cam which made the climbing feel much more relaxed. On the prior outing Nathan and I had lost a #6 camalot into the void of the giant flake when Nathan had untied from one end of the rope and retied into the other while transitioning from cruxy downclimbing to easy upclimbing. With the cam itself no longer clipped to either rope, the #6 in a tipped-out spot had been bumped loose and fallen to its demise in the gutter of El Cap. After Scott did the downclimb (belayed through a carabiner we left behind at the anchor) I untied from my end and lowered it down to him so he could up-climb the hollow flake itself. I lead off again through an easy runout chimney pitch, then Scott lead the next 2 pitches quickly (follower microtraxing, and leader hauling.) We were soon at the Monster, which Scott styled onsight, finishing just before the sun came around the corner. He took just a #6 from the belay, then tagged over some water, a #5, a #7, and a couple QDs at a bolted pedestal 1/4 of the way up. I had lead this pitch the prior outing and both times was glad to have a neoprene sleeve on my left knee and left elbow. We both wore them again (sending them down the tag line from leader to follower) and I think they are especially helpful if your pants or jacket are a lightweight "technical" fabric rather than canvas or denim. Scott set up the (now much heavier) haul, since it included both bags and all our gear, water, and food. Since the pitch begins with a ~10m diagonal downclimb, it requires belaying rather than microtraxing, and as I took rests at 3 spots on the pitch, Scott would resume hauling as I watched our gear getting drug up the now-vertical wall 20' to my right. I lead the final short OW/stem pitch to the alcove and we made some lunch and called it a day. ~20 hours after starting up we were halfway up the wall camping in the empty alcove with plenty of food, water, and enthusiasm.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Day 3: </b>I woke up sore in weird and little-used core and hip/thigh muscles from the bizarre wrestling match of wide climbing, and from a night of sleeping in an inverted hammock position, with my waist higher than my head or feet. I should have brought a more plush thermarest to pad out those kind of things on the rock ledges. I lead the block of 3 pitches up to the crux, where we planned to take turns trying the boulder problem. The first pitch I've seen uncharitably rated 5.9, and it's not actually shown on most topos. I'd call it 5.11- and blue collar and noticed it is shown and rated .11a in the new Yosemite Big Walls book. It's 50m and requires a generous rack and running it out to start in order to avoid rope drag. Don't step foot on El Cap Spire but stay to the right up the corner with flakes. The next pitch is a very soft 5.10d (Euro Huber grade for perfect hands in a corner) and I found the 3rd pitch ( called .12a or.11c R, but probably more like 5.11c w/5.10R) much more pleasant this time around, as it was dry and not as cold, and I knew the rack beta and remembered some moves. Overall this section seems to confuse people about the easiest freeclimbing path, and it's worth figuring out where to go in advance. Scott followed cleanly and soon we were at the Boulder Problem (V7? .13a?). He went up first to hang draws and started working the pitch. I had written down my sequence from my first outing with Nathan and Scott was trying it as well as some other beta that might be tall-person appropriate. The only real difference between my beta (I'm 5'8" w/normal reach) and the more "tall" beta is I never match the left-hand thumb undercling, and I step my right foot past (and under) my left foot after I grab the sloper. The crux is the reachy karate kick while pressing off a sloper at the left end of the traverse, and I find that turning my left palm down into a press/mantle really helps. I wore both puffies to belay as Scott tried various moves and positions, as it was probably in the high 40s and breezy, with rain clouds building. Scott took a rest and I tied in, first just warming up with a few moves here and there as I brushed holds and retried the sequences. I soon took off a coat and tried it from the belay (I think toproping from the anchor) and did every move up to the Karate kick, where I fell. I took a rest and let Scott keep working it. He kept having his left foot slip off during the left-hand move to the thumb undercling, and perhaps this move is easier for shorter people who can perch more on their right foot. He lowered off the crux bolt after sticking the individual moves multiple times and I quickly tied to his end and started up, wearing a hooded fleece, softshell, and light puffy, relaxedly toproping the first few meters. The cold rock felt grippy and I was soon hanging from the matched sloper, foot pointed left, crux bolt clipped, and ready to try my semi-mantle into a karate kick. I palmed in and down with my left hand, smashing jacket cuffs against the rock. I turned out my right hip, brought up my right foot, hollered an angry yell, and kicked the wall hard. My foot stuck and I kept pressing hard off the sloper, spanning out to latch the edge with a whoop of joy. I carefully clipped a green camalot after a few meters and then cautiously finished up the 30' of .10- jugs to the anchor - then lowered to brush holds while thinking of things I could do to help Scott send. I settled in to belay and let Scott go at it, willing to live with my asterisk of toproping the start of the pitch. Scott attempted the moves and sequences for another few minutes, but still wasn't reliably able to keep his feet on during the leftward traverse. The threatening rain clouds made themselves known as fat drops began hitting our helmets. We fixed our climbing rope and rapped to the alcove, our haul line had already been left tied to the first pitch above the ledge. We had brought a silnylon tarp that we set up into a pretty good crosswording and Ramen shelter during the afternoon, and Scott managed to download and solve (via smartphone) <a href="https://crosswordfiend.com/2010/06/12/sunday-61310/">one of the greatest crosswords of all time</a> as the rain fell. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEZrLrSUnUT6e8kI8qPwgjeadx0Dr3uk6qgvYHXYVL6CIZGiEHopgu-fYWvIT17jAerS4l2WLkf23dGj6i995BS3H4CU5sk7Kv5NZhu6XEj-5JpaORsSD4Fl6By7jGap80vE4cjh6rDfM/s355/Screen+Shot+2021-06-12+at+9.17.40+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="354" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEZrLrSUnUT6e8kI8qPwgjeadx0Dr3uk6qgvYHXYVL6CIZGiEHopgu-fYWvIT17jAerS4l2WLkf23dGj6i995BS3H4CU5sk7Kv5NZhu6XEj-5JpaORsSD4Fl6By7jGap80vE4cjh6rDfM/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-06-12+at+9.17.40+AM.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>But foolishly we had gotten optimistic that evening thinking things had cleared (I was beneath the tarp in the cramped cave space in the Alcove ledge while Scott was on his 1-person inflatable pad in the open when nighttime rains started and stopped and started again, requiring lots of midnight shenanigans in order to keep semi dry.) We rousted ourselves in the AM having spent the prior 18 hours lounging, but with very little sleep achieved. </p><p><b>Day4:</b> Scott was determined to try the crux again for a while and then continue regardless of outcome, so we packed up most of our stuff into 1 bag, and used our in-place rappel rope to return to the boulder problem, hauling via 1:1. After 30 minutes of fairly demoralizing attempts, he was close to calling it quits until I again suggested he check out the Teflon Corner crux option somewhere to the left, and out of view around an arete. This parallel pitch ends at the same anchor/ledge as the boulder problem, and is reached by walking left 2 pitches lower and doing a 5.10 approach pitch instead of the .11cR pitch we'd done the day before. Scott lowered down out of view, clipped something as a directional as he didn't have a single carabiner on his harness, and told me he was at the base of the Teflon. It was interesting to belay a famous pitch without actually seeing it, but I could tell Scott was quickly looking at redemption after his frustration on the Boulder Problem. After brushing some holds and chalking some smears, he was able to quickly make progress. In just 2 real tries from the belay ledge he managed to toprope this alternate crux option without falling - and though I was belaying I only ever saw the fingertips of his right hand as he reached the end of difficulties. He said there were 3 fixed steel draws and about 20' of hard climbing above the belay, so he'd probably have fallen farther on our circuitous blind 50m toprope than if I'd grabbed our bags, swung over, pulled the rope and belayed him from below as per normal. Given how quickly he climbed this, I think more folks should try the teflon corner, especially if you aren't an avid boulderer and it's not wet due to early spring runoff. He never tried the alternate approach pitch (P.20 or so) that leads to the Teflon, but he had already climbed a much harder approach pitch to the boulder problem. So he earns a couple asterisks as well. :-)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyumOBunQ2-46gOW3C4KZMe_kwBBD2l4Ph6rxplak3lZSN7rnxFXyNlTKHjbpbKOAjPl8Ruv4gddAPLABGCz-M-B4BiigWxxo9OcvwGaHybVxtJ8pims3P808iEHmS1lJkEmxM7iBKNSYM/s1024/1173_AMF9811.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyumOBunQ2-46gOW3C4KZMe_kwBBD2l4Ph6rxplak3lZSN7rnxFXyNlTKHjbpbKOAjPl8Ruv4gddAPLABGCz-M-B4BiigWxxo9OcvwGaHybVxtJ8pims3P808iEHmS1lJkEmxM7iBKNSYM/s320/1173_AMF9811.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfwn1rpt98TGSo90cyrylcEAN0LnNctFMrkNo38j8hBCg-z743VSx0dals5ImkGvNgUpaeX_WVw-0Ox2idSrwuwnlKP08zli5cy9s9FHgj7LfX1qn36LuGnAw_FlMPNikyDmgPxUZ5920/s730/BoulderTeflon-10-of-12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfwn1rpt98TGSo90cyrylcEAN0LnNctFMrkNo38j8hBCg-z743VSx0dals5ImkGvNgUpaeX_WVw-0Ox2idSrwuwnlKP08zli5cy9s9FHgj7LfX1qn36LuGnAw_FlMPNikyDmgPxUZ5920/s320/BoulderTeflon-10-of-12.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p>(I recognize the black stripe of rock from seeing its continuation out right - it marked the end of the Teflon difficulties)</p><p>Scott then lead the 45m (Dry! Fun this time!) "sewer" pitch to the block ledge, and hauled our bag and set up camp as I followed. Later that morning we did 3 more pitches, with Scott leading the first two (.10c Flakes, and .11c/d corner) and me leading the 5.12b Enduro corner, Freerider's 2nd hardest pitch. This had been my high point 3 years prior, and I told Scott via text I wanted redemption and a chance to redpoint it after coming a body length of laybacking from flashing it in the cold. After jumaring, belaying, and following, it was my first lead of the day and it loomed large in my mind and on my nerves. The sun had come out after the first corner pitch but it still wasn't too hot. Remembering some very insecure pin scar pods just above the hanging belay, I nervously aided off 2 weird cams in bashed out holes, then clipped cord slung around a deformed square of metal before lowering back to the belay to stretch out, shake my nerves, sort my rack to my left hip, and begin with a "stick clip" to avoid the chance of falling onto Scott's head and calm my nerves. The thought of freesoloing this or the next pitch makes me want to vomit. I was a half-second shy of saying "take" after shakily placing a yellow alien 10m up, but fought the impulse and kept fighting, soon clipping a string of fixed wires that I assumed were at least mostly bomber since I couldn't see them but knew this pitch sees frequent traffic from aid and freeclimbers. After the thin stemming and tips laybacks, the world's pumpiest hand crack (thin, flaring, leaning, smooth, and shallow, yet accepting of bomber cams) stood between me and the anchor at the Salathe roof. I placed a piece or 2 more than I needed to, and was hyperventilating with adrenaline, fear, and lack of cardio fitness as I laybacked the rounded flake and got a few feet above a #3 camalot where I'd fallen on 3 years prior. Scott was his classically supportive self, telling me to gun it as I was "super safe", and I managed to keep pushing and hang on by the skin of my teeth to clip the anchor and yell "rope fixed." Scott narrowly fell when trying to follow this pitch, but worked out some sequences and would return in the morning to follow it cleanly 2nd try. We rappelled (50m+ 45m) to the Block Ledge and did crosswords.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day5: </b>I used my nearly powerless phone to text full-spraydown beta begging requests from our awesome friends Kerwin and SJ, both of whom had generously loaned us a big cam for the climb. Neither Scott nor I had ever seen the upcoming 3-4 pitches (the independent "Freerider" ones) as he'd only aid climbed the original Salathe Wall years ago, and I had rappelled from this point on my other attempt. Armed with some great info and SMS encouragement, we began the final morning with just a light bag of snacks and some water and puffies. Scott jumared first so he could try and cleanly self-belay both of the prior day's 2 final corner pitches. Having spent so much of the previous morning trying (and then climbing) the boulder problem and Teflon corner as I rested, he had run out of steam and fallen at the top of both the .11c and .12b corners. As I cleaned up camp and then slowly jumared to meet him, he reworked these pitches in the cool air and did them clean on minitrax self-belay. I soon racked up to begin leading the final 5.12 pitch of the route, second guessing my decision to never have watched the 'Free Solo' movie. Our day would consist of 3-4 real pitches and 3 cruisers to finish up the wall. At this point we were both sending with a couple asterisks. I'd been told the upcoming traverse pitch connecting the Salathe Wall to Round Table Ledge was soft for .12a, and required only a few cams but lots of long slings. I agree with that assessment, but since you are climbing up and around some aretes and corners, it is impossible to see moves, rests, or gear beforehand and would be logistically very difficult to clean and redpoint after a fall anywhere beyond the opening moves. More cruxy layback downclimbs with smear feet soon had me out of view from Scott, but I took my time on the short pitch and overgripped my way to the anchor, hauling over the lowered-out bag and belaying Scott with whom I couldn't really communicate. I'd heard Round Table Ledge called a "great" bivy, but thought it was too multi-tiered and exposed. Unlike Hollow Flake, the Alcove, or the Block, you wouldn't ever want to untie and you might not be able to sit/eat/cook together with your partner. And you are only a few pitches from the top. Scott followed cleanly as I shouted beta and encouragement down and across the void. The next pitch, given .11d, seemed also graded based for Euro/Huber crack climbers. We both thought it was a great meat-and-potatoes ~.11-, reminiscent of Cynical Pinnacle or Turkey Rock in the South Platte. This pitch is also sheltered from the wind and doesn't really have exposure out over the wall of the pitch before or after, despite starting with a section of overhanging red camalots. But the final hard pitch, which features a 10m "Scotty B" offwidth, is probably the most exposed pitch I've ever climbed. It's basically an overhanging finger crack splitting an arete on the left edge of the Salathe headwall, which disappears from view 40' above the nearly hanging belay and widens into a flaring #6 camalot crack. The first section is an overgraded 5.11d, which transitions to offwidth after a small stance with a bolt. Scott styled this pitch after a battle to free a large cam he'd gotten stuck, and he was glad for the info to save his #4 camalot for high on the pitch, near where a variation of the Salathe Wall comes in. The wind had really picked up by the time I began following, and I could barely hear a yell I assumed meant "rope fixed" before the tag line came tight and I watched our small bag go flying out across space, tail of the tag line whipping 3000' off the ground. With 50m of skinny rope to stretch in the event of a fall, and the tail end of my rope flapping horizontally across the wall to my right, I tied a backup knot in the microtraxing line (something rarely done) and focused on the job of finishing up the final challenging pitch. After the initial finger crack Scott had clipped his helmet and some superfluous rack to the bolt, so I took on board this extra kit, tied another backup knot, and laybacked into the Scotty B offwidth, making sure not to layback too far since it looked as though the smears and foot chips were ending. After a crux move establishing into the crack, it really wasn't long until my left hand could get jams at the end of my reach, and I was soon motoring up geologically bizarre but easier final section to a sunny ledge. From here it was a couple easy glory pitches to the summit, and 4-5hrs of rappels as we recollected our gear, ditched surplus water, and zipped down the fixed lines to hot dinner provided by Scott's girlfriend on the ground, and some champagne and oreos, provided by some tourist el-cap watchers we befriended.</p><p>Upon hitting the 800' fixed lines from Heart Ledge to the ground, I verbally contemplated ascending to Mammoth Terrace and then downclimbing the blocky corner to the right that I'd rappelled in the dark our first evening. Scott's reply was to enjoy myself and self belay - and that he was headed down the rope to a cold beer. I had the opportunity. I'll live with the asterisk. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM3Fdx80jMTqmvZQQxWisONka1LwhFn5ACIY3RBJ4b2gIqckgo2EWPCVDsoqFulBhmQHWFKFUER0FqyPWcrSRQQE-s19WrY-aPtS8qVn9-wCNPGTLLa3dHjBVIdPn2EWEnKv-mJHqyLUY/s320/64308413120--4DB095B6-902E-4F7A-A00F-CC0DF3618BD3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to be back at Heart Ledge</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOSHvhFETeNJa6pe4rZA_24XBKtLE4qfuFB6ZvS4s0oX6C5huPneqgVlEHy9dTDrivdlw-fa_75gt2bqHSTZ4U34uADRgg1ZGHkZOrb0GUlItttVp05DK5P509-fHxLlcOLSAgipGhRou/s2048/IMG-1783.JPG" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOSHvhFETeNJa6pe4rZA_24XBKtLE4qfuFB6ZvS4s0oX6C5huPneqgVlEHy9dTDrivdlw-fa_75gt2bqHSTZ4U34uADRgg1ZGHkZOrb0GUlItttVp05DK5P509-fHxLlcOLSAgipGhRou/s320/IMG-1783.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed for a beer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM3Fdx80jMTqmvZQQxWisONka1LwhFn5ACIY3RBJ4b2gIqckgo2EWPCVDsoqFulBhmQHWFKFUER0FqyPWcrSRQQE-s19WrY-aPtS8qVn9-wCNPGTLLa3dHjBVIdPn2EWEnKv-mJHqyLUY/s1280/64308413120--4DB095B6-902E-4F7A-A00F-CC0DF3618BD3.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>[Soapbox Alert] - El Cap has never been onsighted or flashed, by any route, by anyone, ever. A few climbers have come close. Each is a much more skilled and accomplished climber than myself. But nobody has started up a route they hadn't tried before and climbed to the top (even sharing leads) without falling on at least one pitch. Here are a few close calls - at least one of which had the climber publicly claiming he Flashed the route despite climbing the route in 2 parts between a rest on the ground, and after a fall on the crux pitch he chose to attempt. [/Soapbox]</b></p><p>-<a href="https://www.climbing.com/news/twins-free-el-cap/">Mike Anderson</a> (of training guru fame) came very close, but had already aided most of the route on a prior trip, and then on his free ascent of Freerider he climbed for a few days, got halfway up, descended, travelled to a different state, returned, jumared back up, and did the remainder of the climb. I believe he climbed every pitch on the route in 2 halves free during 2 different outings, after previously aiding many of them (and I'd imagine freeing a few during that prior aid climb).</p><p>- <a href="https://www.climbing.com/news/free-rider-virtually-onsighted/">Cedric Lachat</a> - Climbed the first 10 pitches, then came off the climb and spent some time on the ground, then began (via ascending fixed ropes) atop the first 10 pitch. He then fell on the crux pitch that he chose, rappeled down, climbed to a separate pitch he could have chosen instead, and did that first try. He fell nowhere else on the route. That isn't flashing El Cap (and I don't think Lachat made that claim).</p><p>- <a href="http://wideboyz.blogspot.com/2014/10/beards-bagels-and-big-walls.html">Peter Whittaker</a> - Peter seems to have done the exact same thing as Cedric Lachat, just 5 years later and with a lot more publicity. When you have options of how to ascend part of the route, part of climbing and trying "flash" the whole wall is choosing correctly the one that you can do first try! You don't get do-overs on your decisions or your climbs. Route finding (both on a pitch, and among options for pitches to ascend through a particular stretch of wall) is part of the skill of a climber. Some pitches can also be climbed in 2 completely separate manners via totally different difficulty levels and physical demands (stemming or face climbing outside a chimney vs squirming in the back of it, hand traversing a narrow rail vs foot traversing, etc) - of course it would be nonsense to fall using one method, then attempt a totally different method to reach the same end and claim you did something "first try" - and it's the same on a larger scale in the climb - if you fell after trying "Pitch A" to reach a given point on the route, you stopped flashing the route. Just because you then descend and choose a backup option to reach that same point on the route doesn't mean you're flashing the route. It means you did your backup choice first try. Gold Star. </p><p>-Ueli Steck nearly onsighted Golden Gate, leading and hauling on every pitch. He fell only on a sandbagged .11c pitch off El Cap Spire (which was wet, and which he didn't actually need to climb, since there is a .10+ corner a little to the right. But you don't get any do-overs on choosing pitches on your route!)</p><p>- Ondra and Yuji - I believe that the Czech and Japanese climbing gurus both tried to onsight the Salathe Wall and fell on the headwall. Ondra hadn't fallen until then, and I don't believe Yuji had either (but as Chris Farley says - "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVmybhXqtU">I don't speak Japanese</a>") - It seems highly probable that 1 or both could have onsighted El Cap if choosing to finish via the Freerider option. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZueiGMv4x6w" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZueiGMv4x6w"></iframe></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><i><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;">Freeblast BETA OVERLOAD</span></i></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Bivies:</b> For most of us who aren't honed valley locals nor people making many attempts and rap-in recon days trying a route way above our heads, it makes sense to climb FR in ~26 pitches over 3-4 climbing days with bivies for 2 (not requiring a portaledge) atop P7 ("Peanut Pitch" off Heart Ledge) or P8 (Hollow Flake) then P13 (Alcove) and P18 (Block Ledge - sloping but spacious). It's also possible to bivy atop P22 (Round Table Ledge) but that spot seemed exposed to wind, only got very late sun, and at that point you are only 2 non-trivial pitches from the top.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Rack: </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1x Purple C3, Green C3, #4C4, #5C4, #6C4, #7C4 (or merlin 8, or VG),</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1x offset cam from tips to #.5/#.75combo, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2x Red C3thru #3C4</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Single set offset nuts, 8x alpine qds, 4-5x normal QDs, 1-2 48" slings. You don't need anything bigger than a single #3C4 for Freeblast.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Other weird skills/gear: </b>Layback downclimbing w/smear feet, left-facing layback upclimbing and downclimbing, left-side-in right-facing offwidth, vert bouldering. Consider wearing a burly cut off 1/2 sock (no need for the front/toe half of the sock) on your left foot for the Monster, Scotty Burke, and pitch above the alcove, and on your right foot for the Hollow Flake, in order to protect ankle bones from scrapes. Consider neoprene volleyball elbow/knee sleeve for the Monster, especially if it's too warm to wear layers and longsleeves. Nice to have 1 large haulbag and 1 small one, as well as a ~5mm tag line and a ~9mm static 60mm rope. Hand Jams and/or tape are useful only above P13 (Alcove). The second #3 camalot is really only helpful for the 2 pitches off Round Table Ledge, maybe the pitch off the Alcove.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P1: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">10c 50m Link P1/P2. Varied cracks. Save #3 for top. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8199996948242188pt; margin-right: 4.72320556640625pt; margin-top: 11.749374389648438pt; margin: 11.7494pt 4.72321pt 0pt 0.82pt; text-indent: 0.190002pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P2: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.11- 50m Link P3/P4 Wires/cams from smallest to #.75. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Low crux then chill stemming w/many fixed pieces.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8199996948242188pt; margin-right: 2.9237060546875pt; margin-top: 11.749359130859375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 2.92371pt 0pt 0.82pt; text-indent: 0.190002pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P3</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">35m 5.11b Offset cams + single set tips to #1C4. T</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ricky flares w/offsets. Crux @ bolt 4-5, moving right w/good feet, no hands. Stay right at ending.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P4: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30m 11a </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Draws and slings only. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay high and right at crux, traverse straight left at the pin.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.39pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.39pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b> P5 85m 5.10b </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Full Rack Mostly 5.8-5.9, the only 5.10 portion is turning "half dollar" roof, and next 8m. Face out, use arete. Simul to make </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.39pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">link happen or break up w/belay before roof. Anchor is pitons/gear.</span></p><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin: 11.7494pt 0.579285pt 0pt 1.01pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.0800018pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P6: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">60m 5.8 to the top of Mammoth Ledge. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Downclimb is 5.9 and blocky/loose, start 10' skier’s L from the anchor with fixed rope @W. end of ledge. Stay "outside" edge of corner on <br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">downclimb. Down-lead or other weird shenanigans for 2nd climber. Leader needs device to belay 2nd (can't Microtrax)</span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.970001pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">HEART LEDGE</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.9300003051757812pt; margin-right: 3.85540771484375pt; margin-top: 11.328033447265625pt; margin: 11.328pt 0.93pt 0pt 3.85541pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P7:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5m5.10V4Slab(.11c</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>)</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1xGreenC3 to #2. Semi-blind step to large match foot below crux bolt. Key right foot smear crystal for crux. There are 2 </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.9300003051757812pt; margin-right: 3.85540771484375pt; margin-top: 11.328033447265625pt; margin: 11.328pt 0.93pt 0pt 3.85541pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">anchors atop this pitch. The right one works fine for belaying or rapping to heart w/70m.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.9300003051757812pt; margin-right: 3.85540771484375pt; margin-top: 11.328033447265625pt; margin: 11.328pt 0.93pt 0pt 3.85541pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P7.1: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20m 5.6 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">M</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ove belay, bring a .4 or .5 to protect leaning to clip anchor.</span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 5.31512pt; margin-top: 11.328pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P8: (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Hollow Flake)</b> ~60m 5.11(down) 5.9+ (up) RACK: only #7BD CAM, LEADER BRING ATC. C</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lip tat or put a leaver biner on stuck locker L. of anchor to protect downclimb. Crux of downclimb is at start, then downclimb long 5.10 LF finger crack. Where crack thins to tips, move left to face hold flakes then back into corner</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> to lowest terrace. Walk left and easy climb up. Bump along #7BD on final 50. Follower gets down-belayed through carabiner <br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">on anchor, then climbs up. Belayer atop pitch unties and throws his end down to the follower who switches ends then gets <br /></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">belayed up final ~60’ on the strand not going through first anchor. (If leader brought and placed a #6, beware that your untie <br /></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and rope switch doesn't dislodge tipped out cam into the abyss.) Leader may need to rappel down/right a few meters from <br /></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">anchor to swing their end of rope to the follower. Can't Microtrax</span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 5.31512pt; margin-top: 11.328pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-indent: 0.0800018pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P9: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0.0800018pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">45m .10a Full Rack. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0.0800018pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start up chimney face out, after 10m move left around arete into easy cracks and flakes. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0.0800018pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clip first anchor in corner. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0.0800018pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Move left and use gaston at short 5.10 crux.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.9300003051757812pt; margin-right: 21.21685791015625pt; margin-top: 23.248382568359375pt; margin: 23.2484pt 0.93pt 0pt 21.2169pt; text-indent: 0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P10: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50m .10a Full rack. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Really easy up/right at first, then pass ledge with anchor, then up smooth shallow RFC with polished stone - some short airy laybac</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ks, save #4 for high on pitch. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.9300003051757812pt; margin-right: 21.21685791015625pt; margin-top: 23.248382568359375pt; margin: 23.2484pt 0.93pt 0pt 21.2169pt; text-indent: 0.0800018pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P11: (Ear) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25m 5.9 cams from #.75 to #5 ~7 slings (+longs)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Place #.75, climb to top of corner, clip pin, reach way left blindly around corner. In Ear, traverse straight left face out froggy/scrunchy using double kneebars + improving edges. Flip tag/haul line outside ear.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.7400054931640625pt; margin-right: 6.2021484375pt; margin-top: 11.7493896484375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 0.740005pt 0pt 6.20215pt; text-indent: 0.269997pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P12: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>(Monster)</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50m 5.11d Rack: #.4 or #.5 then #5C, #6C, #7, 3 slings 2 Qds, leader ATC, 5mm tag line, neoprene sleeves, #6 on tether to harness, left hip. Tag over other gear + H2O @ bolted pillar stance, leave H2O for 2nd. #7 fits above this, or bring 2nd #6. Can't Microtrax (5.11+ downclimb, 5.11 sustained OW upclimb)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P13: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10m 5.9+ </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short easy </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">OW stem chimney into alcove. Just take #5, #6.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-indent: -0.239998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P14: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.239998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.11- 50m full rack to #6, hand jams. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.239998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chimney behind tower - run it out for rope drag. Stemming and liebacking on right. T</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.239998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hin cracks on right flake. Save #6 for squeeze chimney at top. Weirdly hard about 30m up laybacking above #5.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.239998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This is the final use for #6 until Scott Burke (last hard pitch). Fix tag line down this pitch if sleeping @ alcove.</span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin: 11.7494pt 23.7894pt 0pt 1.01pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.110001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.110001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>P15: 5.10- 15M Thin hands</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (no jammies) Rack 2x #1, and 2x #.75. Go left after bulge - easy to big ledge. (get to Teflon by walk left then up after</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.110001pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> this )</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: -0.110001pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.7700042724609375pt; margin-right: 2.44549560546875pt; margin-top: 11.749359130859375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 0.770004pt 0pt 2.4455pt; text-indent: 0.239998pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P16: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20m .11c (.10 R, wet) Rack: RPs and Tips to single #1 Thin corner then</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> good #1 in base of flake, marginal tips cams higher in flake. Blind moves right then runout to anchor. Belay under boulder. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 23.2484pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P17 :(Boulder Problem) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20m 13a (3x draws, 2 slings, #.75) (Can fix a 60 from atop this pitch to top of P14)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 23.2484pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good beta around 18min here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CikzYN0z4zU</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 23.2484pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are 3 bolts. There’s a nice flat ledge 1 bolt up (basically a 2nd tier belay ledge you could use instead, less windy), then a thin no-hands rest at bolt #2 by leaning right, then bolt #3 before the crux. If you’re under 6’ it is likely hard to aid up from bolt #2 to #3 to hang draw and pull through without doing the move. From the anchor atop the BP, you can lower hard left down into the Teflon. I didn't match the thumbercling, just kept my right hand on the crimp. Palm down/in w/left hand on sloper @ crux kick.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8600006103515625pt; margin-right: 3.36370849609375pt; margin-top: 11.7493896484375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 0.860001pt 0pt 3.36371pt; text-indent: 0.150002pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P18: (Sewer) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.10+ 45m (30m + 15m) Full rack to #5. Hand jammies </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ewer when dry is a fun face climbing pitch on black rock. Crux final 15m (Save #2, #1, #.75, #.4or#.5) </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P19: (Flakes) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.10c 45m Rack Tips-></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> #1C4, all slings. Easy loose flakse up to flat ledge. Look up/right and see a flake leading to lower off aid mank. Ignore that. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Go left->Up (blind & straight left at first) on runout flakes. committing mantles and reaches to fingers/hands in a crack. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7494pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Crux is ~⅔ height where a bomber pin w/reinforced tieoff protects a reach. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8199996948242188pt; margin-right: 13.487091064453125pt; margin-top: 11.7493896484375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 0.82pt 0pt 13.4871pt; text-indent: 0.190002pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P20: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25m 5.11c </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rack: 1x blue alien, 1x #3, doubles thin fingers to #2 & 5-6 draws. No nuts. Crux is ~8m befo</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">re top, at rounded leftward bulge. First half of pitch very easy, rest up then punch it. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.328pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P21: (Enduro Corner)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 25m .12b Rack 1x cams/nuts tips to #3, 2x #1, #2, ~7 draws, larger offset cams</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8600006103515625pt; margin-right: 6.98052978515625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.860001pt 0pt 6.98053pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.200005pt; text-indent: -0.200005pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Funk st</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">art (#2, #1 in pods off belay, fixed bashie, kneebars), stemming and jamming in the middle (fixed wires or tips cams), jam then </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8600006103515625pt; margin-right: 6.98052978515625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.860001pt 0pt 6.98053pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.200005pt; text-indent: -0.200005pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">layback the top (hand cams thin->#3). Crux high.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.94000244140625pt; margin-right: 16.386138916015625pt; margin-top: 11.328048706054688pt; margin: 11.328pt 0.940002pt 0pt 16.3861pt; text-indent: 0.0699997pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P22: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20m 5.11+ Rack: 1x cams .4-#3, no nuts, 6 slings, ATC belay follower.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Movement easy for grade but can't preview moves or gear + cruxy to reverse/redpoint so fall is consequential. Can't Microtrax. End @ Round Table Ledge (OK Bivy)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7493pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P23: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5m .11- Rack: Single #.4,#.5 Doubles .75-#3, single #4. ~6 slings. Hand Jammies. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(11d is euro/Huber grade)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Jam (w/stem,chimney) thin hands to #3s. Rest in chimney. Pop right out of chimney (#.75 here) hands/fingers to belay. #1 is </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7493pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nice for the end. (P23, P24, and maybe P14 above alcove are only reasons for 2nd #3Cam).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 11.7493pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1.01pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>P24: </b>(Scott Burke) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LAST REAL PITCH!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 50m 5.11. Rack: 1x Red C3->#6, doubles #3, doubles #.4,#.5,#.75s for start TAPE hands plus crack gloves </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8100051879882812pt; margin-right: 8.52691650390625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.810005pt 0pt 8.52692pt; text-indent: 1.12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.11- start burly finger locks w/ many jugs, little corner switches. Possible cramped nook belay 40’ up. Pull over bulge into </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">W #6. Clip bolt on R. No-hands stance under bolt. Possible to layback and smear via foot chips, especially for 2nd. Burn #6, </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8100051879882812pt; margin-right: 8.52691650390625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.810005pt 0pt 8.52692pt; text-indent: 1.12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">walk #5, then walk #4, place #3, save #4 on harness. Left side in, reach way back for LH jams. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8100051879882812pt; margin-right: 8.52691650390625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.810005pt 0pt 8.52692pt; text-indent: 1.12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After crack convergence/chimney, place #4. After you reach the OW+bolt you don't want anything smaller than #3 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8100051879882812pt; margin-right: 8.52691650390625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.810005pt 0pt 8.52692pt; text-indent: 1.12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">on your harness, so you could clip leftovers to bolt. Hard to hear follower, microtrax works fine. If super runout near top on </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8100051879882812pt; margin-right: 8.52691650390625pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 0.810005pt 0pt 8.52692pt; text-indent: 1.12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">easy terrain below anchor, look right and there’s a bolt where a Salathe variation comes in from Long Ledge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.8600006103515625pt; margin-right: 9.99676513671875pt; margin-top: 11.7493896484375pt; margin: 11.7494pt 0.860001pt 0pt 9.99677pt; text-indent: 0.150002pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">P25: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5m .10+ thin hands R</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ack</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">: 2x .4-#2 Crack/flake, easier for small hands. No tape gloves. Up 5.5 slab in alcove.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P26: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">20m </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5.9 V2 (or 5.11-) Rack: smattering of gear, few long slings, no big gear. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clip pins, grab horizontal near pin, heel out left, rock up and mantle. Wiggle into chimney, clip tat, wiggle out of chimney into layback. Good feet on left wall. Face west. 12’ of layback, juggy hands to summit slabs, then 20m 5.6 glory knobs to summit. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span><p><br /></p>-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-80239974922304085402020-01-02T11:01:00.001-08:002020-01-02T11:03:48.502-08:00Kyparissi/Leonidio Climbing & Travel<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://climbgreece.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/01_angy_leodokardos_8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://climbgreece.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/01_angy_leodokardos_8a.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tufa madness of Leodokardos at Babala. It's like a kneebar/pinch 201 class.</td></tr>
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I recently spent 3 weeks on mainland Greece, climbing in the newly developed areas of Kyparissi and Leonidio about a 4hr drive SW of Athens. There was a fair amount of recently posted info on Leonidio online, mostly from European sources, but quite a bit less of Kyparissi. I have read, enjoyed, and benefited immensely from travel blogs in the past and figured our experiences there would be of benefit to others planning trips. I was with an eclectic (skills and motivation-wise) group from the northwest, so we ended up sampling quite an array of walls in the area.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">General Greek Travel/Culture</span></b><br />
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<li>We spent nearly all our time in small towns and villages and the people of Greece, even in town now being semi-overrun by infusions of (mostly europe) clown-pants looking goofy climbers, are some of the warmest, most welcoming, and patient people I've ever met.</li>
<li>The environment (natural) along the beaches, forests, and crags, was very clean and there was much less trash and human impact than most crags I've seen in Spain and most beaches in the USA.</li>
<li>Prices for lodging and food are very cheap relative to the USA and Canada. We had private apartments in small towns and/or adjacent to beaches for $25-$35 a night.</li>
<li>I had no idea how much climbing amid diverse landscapes exists in Greece. After reading various guidebooks and travel book I'd love to visit Crete and some of the inland Crags northeast of Athens.</li>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Climbing</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/18/47/52/20181028/ob_b0c68f_dsc-6895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/18/47/52/20181028/ob_b0c68f_dsc-6895.JPG" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carpe Diem (8a) Babala Wall Kyparissi</td></tr>
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<li><b>Leonidio</b> itself had a huge number of fairly moderate European climbers. Most of the walls face south/ish. That combination made it difficult for the newer or more moderate members of our group to find walls to go to. There was often a hurried or stressed vibe at the walls due to crowds and/or short time periods before or after the sun.</li>
<li>After now 4 trips to Europe for limestone sport cragging, I've never really seen climbs or a wall with climbs under ~7a+ (.12a) that I though was worthy travelling for. Most of the routes in that grade seem legitimately bad. I think granite or gneiss generally produce better 5.10 and 5.11 sport climbs than limestone.</li>
<li>It was definitely too hot to climb in the sun in November.</li>
<li>Of all the walls around Leonidio, the only truly "great" (and I don't use that standard lightly) sectors with at last 6 excellent travel-worthy routes were: Elona, Twin Caves, and Nifada. I heard mixed but at least some good things about Limeri and H.A.D.A. but I didn't get the impression that either really compared with excellent walls one might encounter in Spain.</li>
<li>At Elona climb "Kopa Cabana" (.12+/.14-), at Nifada climb "Forever Wings" (5.13) and at Twin Caves climb everything on the left side of the amphitheater. </li>
<li>Overall I'm not sure of the ideal climber for a visit strictly to Leonidio. I think it would be a group who highly valued beach access (5 min drive), cute town elements, and didn't mind some crowded cragging with a lot of variety and hopping around from wall to wall to wall different days.</li>
<li>Our group thought probably the best wall in the 5.11 and low 5.12 range was Jupiter, which faced due north and had millions of pockets, with most climbs in/around vertical. It was great but not typical Euro limestone.</li>
<li><b>Kyparissi - </b>This tiny town about 35k (and 70min drive) south of Leonidio had far fewer people, higher quality climbing, and mostly harder routes than Leonidio. All of these factors made it less crowded. The beaches were stunning and most of this climbing was very shaded in November. It could be a good spot for climbing even in Apri, May, or September.</li>
<li>The "Watermill" wall is practically in the town of Kyparissi itself, and is good but quite small. It basically has 6 good put not great mid-length climbs, all a little soft, in the 5.12/5.13 range. It's a nice diversion but not destination worthy.</li>
<li>Babala wall is definitely the best wall in the region. It faces ENE and sits ~2000' above the coastline, reached by a 15 minute drive and 40 min hike from Kyparissi. The wall has endurance marathon climbs on tufas and pockets. There are probably more truly excellent 5* routes at this wall than all the other walls within 60 miles. The climbing mostly starts at .12+/.13-. Every route I tried or did there was good to great so I recommend anything there. If you want tufa madness of crazy kneebars and pinches, "Leodokardos" is described in a guidebook as justifying a trip to Greece on its own. For something with steep pockets and power moves, check out Carpe Diem. </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babala Wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://goclimbing.ida.gd/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kiparissi-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://goclimbing.ida.gd/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kiparissi-5.jpg" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Babala wall</td></tr>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-84134683941421853072019-09-16T08:53:00.001-07:002021-06-10T12:59:57.015-07:00Miracle Whip TopoWith buddies Mike Pond and Austin Siadak I recently scrubbed, reconnoitered, and made a free ascent of the headwall atop the "Miracle Whip" route on Colchuck Balanced Rock, which finishes a line first attempted by myself and Scott Bennett 7 (wow!) years ago. After freeing the first few moderate pitches quickly ground up (2 are good, 2 are forgettable, it's all a bit scruffy) I took an enormous fall while standing on a pillar trying to build a belay. I ripped out a cam in some grainy rock and badly hurt my ankle.<br />
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A couple summers ago I went back up there with Max Tepfer and we reclimbed the lower pitches and placed a couple bolts below the crux section of the headwall (Scott and I certainly would have been shut down in this section on our attempt even in full aid mode, as we had only cams and nuts) but neither Max nor I freeclimbed the headwall. I believe I only tried TRing it, and failed.<br />
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A couple weeks ago I returned for a day trip with friends Mike Pond and Austin Siadak, who both helped scrub and brush and chalk and prep the top of the wall and hammer in a 3rd protection bolt at the crux plus one at the pedestal belay under the headwall where a small stance exists a couple feet left of a crack.<br />
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I redpointed the pitch (though there were 2 directional pieces left over in a non cruxy lefward section from our cleaning/bolting/rappel work.) Overall we all agreed it's possibly the best single pitch in the Enchantments, with a very sport climbing or endurance-based feel to it. Take care to sling out your gear and manage pump and rope drag. There no single killer crux if you're at least 5'8", it's just an unusual style for the mountains. The gear-protected climbing is probably .12a or so, and the crux comes after a 3- bolt long boulder problem near the top, something like v5-v7 depending on height and beta.<br />
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For the headwall in particular (which realistically is worth rapping in or doing via the west face start) I'd suggest triples (even 4 wouldn't go unused) of yellow aliens and/or stoppers in the #9 BD range, and nothing larger than a couple #1 camalots. Both obvious flakes seem quite stable and were pulled on, kicked, and knocked with a hammer. For a good challenge, and certainly the hardest route in the area, it would be possible to start via The Tempest P1,P2,P3 into the Miracle Whip finish. This contrived combination would feature 2 memorable hard pitches of very very different styles. I suspect if it does see traffic it will mostly be via the first couple hundred feet of the West Face which is a very fast and clean approach allowing for quick access via pleasant warmup.<div><br /></div><div><i>Edit - after a repeat by Nathan Hadley and a couple attempts by other experienced climbers, this might be more likely .`13a, especially if you aren't tall.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmQQXUJuorJeyVix3LpFaexjoZLam3kglmCR86eCBMKNtNlf_3oJKo2YGJtckK0HtWeshswLOUEiH_xMo0xDqIfTqI8JY1-EcIPCebGOecAD9Ss-mvxpY27OettYVaCqWYmc0RPvIBtT4/s1600/CBR+Colchuck+Balanced+Rock+Miracle+Whip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmQQXUJuorJeyVix3LpFaexjoZLam3kglmCR86eCBMKNtNlf_3oJKo2YGJtckK0HtWeshswLOUEiH_xMo0xDqIfTqI8JY1-EcIPCebGOecAD9Ss-mvxpY27OettYVaCqWYmc0RPvIBtT4/s320/CBR+Colchuck+Balanced+Rock+Miracle+Whip.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEx3YXGuz_27GpxXOw5O236Bu75h7A0v/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">LINK HERE TO FULL SIZE TOPO</span></a></div>
</div>-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-59458014685480146932018-11-14T19:59:00.000-08:002018-11-14T19:59:21.537-08:00Getting Better at Getting Better<b>What expenditures of your time or money are the most efficient at generating improvement in your totality of climbing accomplishments?</b><br />
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<li>Guidebooks - Buying a book and consistently browsing through it for inspiration and information is an underrated mechanism towards actually getting yourself to the top of something.</li>
<li>Meaningful partnerships - Climb with ambitious climbers who challenge you. Be reluctant to consistently climb with others who are complacent or who are worse climbers than you.</li>
<li>Learn your weaknesses - When you team up with a climber who is (broadly) worse than you, find specific ways that he or she is more competent. Learn about their specific strengths.</li>
<li>Guiding - Find a specific <a href="https://www.realclimbingguide.com/" target="_blank">highly-accomplished guide/instructor.</a> Pay them for a day of climbing on a specific route or at a new crag that you feel would otherwise be slightly above your ability to tackle. Ask many many questions. Include the question "How would you be doing this if I were your partner and not a paying student". </li>
<li>Classes - Be reluctant to <a href="http://flashfoxy.com/wcf" target="_blank">substitute social and political capital</a> for competency in choosing <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BqIlqyqBC8v/" target="_blank">instruction or knowledge sources</a>.</li>
<li>Advice Skepticism - The person who "achieves the most via the least" likely has far greater insight into achieving goals than does someone who has "achieved the most with the most".</li>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-41179362460989934732018-11-06T07:51:00.000-08:002018-11-07T08:25:11.581-08:00Dials Not Switches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just spent a weekend instructing climbing skills at an American Alpine Club event in Bishop. One takeaway from talking with a wide range of climbers: binary thinking (all/nothing, single solution, etc) is far too common and usually misses the point of a change or improvement.<br />
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Most challenges in life aren't going to be solved by "a solution" or "the solution" but instead by a variety of complementary nudges that move us in one direction via small increments. Hearing someone on the radio talk about "THE solution to climate change" is as silly as being asked "THE way to climb long routes faster". Often we may not even know for sure that these changes will steer us directly at a solution so much as slowly steer us away from an error or distraction. (It's why this well-reasoned website is called "<a href="https://www.lesswrong.com/" target="_blank">Less Wrong</a>", not "More Correct".)<br />
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After suggesting to someone that for their upcoming planned goal climb they don't bring along their cumbersome and tangleable personal anchor daisy chain or several very large HMS lockers, they incredulously looked at me and asked "Will that really make the difference?" But this question misses the point. They were thinking in switches, not dials. It will make <i><b>a</b></i> difference, and that difference will help move the dial towards where they want to be.-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-36267502799265448002018-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:002018-11-01T11:42:02.626-07:00Footwork and Headspace: Underrated. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freedom or Death 5.12a</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Earlier this year I got the chance to climb around on the East Face of Liberty Bell with my friend Scott Bennett, who had just completed a <a href="https://ropeandsummit.wordpress.com/2018/06/27/rainier-infinity-loop/" target="_blank">continuous push of running the 100+ mile Wonderland Trail while climbing Mt. Rainier twice</a>. Scott was in very very good cardio and "suffering" shape, but had hardly been rock climbing and basically lacked any kind of forearm or finger strength, and was barely able to comfortably wear rock shoes. We decided to go rock climbing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Despite having (a couple days earlier) fallen off a .12a permadrawed sport climb that he'd done before, Scott was able to style his was up the onsight of the long crux pitch of "Freedom or Death" while fighting off heinous mosquitos and despite already having just climbed and rappelled the whole East Face via "Live Free or Die!". The mosquito swarm, tiny holds, and sloppy shoes didn't hold him back because the long crux pitch relies on intricate footwork, careful planning, slab balance skills, and maintaining a cool head. It's also a pitch that I'm sure would be more difficult than the .12a sport climb for 90% of climbers. It was a stark reminder that for most granite climbing, knowing how to climb correctly and calmly is far more important than what you have on your feet or how many pounds you can dangle off your waist while you fingerboard.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">(Freedom or Death - climbers is Chris Allen, photos Forest Woodward)</span></div>
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-73617647348556799592018-10-27T12:16:00.000-07:002018-11-01T10:55:03.794-07:00Stop Trying So Hard (AKA the TC Production Function)<i><span style="color: #cccccc;">Blogging generally, including this blog, has seemed to fall out of use. I do think that blogs are generally underrated and deserve somewhat of a comeback, as a good means of posting frequent updates or links which will remain searchable, browsable, and commentable, without the self-obsessed nature and privacy concerns of facebook or instagram.</span></i><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">You are probably falling off "easy" terrain at a sub-optimally low rate. You're probably trying too hard when you climb, and it is making you unnecessarily tired. I know I am.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Alex Honnold stumbles onto a peculiar and little-discussed element of the Tommy Caldwell long route performance algorithm: don't try any harder than minimum necessary. Be barely not falling, even on easy terrain.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">"I've seen him just randomly fall off many times."</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">"In some ways that's the more efficient way to climb."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">The exception would be on extremely runout and non-steep terrain, when a fall on easy ground would be disastrous.</span><br />
<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-31880250475457811682018-06-17T10:57:00.002-07:002018-06-17T10:59:04.919-07:00Fred's Legacy<img height="505" src="https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/images/articles/Fred_Beckey_legacy_1.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700;">Last October, I was tethered to a tree just one pitch below the summit of Liberty Cap, </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">in Yosemite National Park, when I learned that Fred Beckey had died. I learned it from my wife, back home in Washington State, when I’d called asking her to google the words “how to descend Liberty Cap.” I had no idea how to get down from the dark summit, which loomed a pitch above, but I thought we had our route in the bag. Just a mossy 5.8 slab to go. My friend Austin and I had climbed a recently-freed route named </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Mahtah</em><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> on an obscure face high above the valley, because we wanted a shadier, higher elevation adventure to escape the heat and crowds of El Cap. We hadn’t scoped a descent, but hadn’t spent much time scoping the route either. I hung in the darkness realizing that I was only up there, clipped to a manzanita 1500’ off the deck, because of my connection with Fred Beckey. I had just chosen this route on the suggestion of friend I’d met three years prior, while out toproping in Leavenworth with Fred.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I’d lowered Fred down from the wall into a dusty and smiling heap below the slab, listening to him talk about wanting to get back up there and give it another go, when a dark haired solo climber cautiously walked over. He quietly introduced himself as Pedro, and asked in a Spanish accent if that was THE Fred Beckey. Pedro, an alpinist from southern Spain, was fresh off an expedition to Alaska. He ended up climbing and staying with me in Leavenworth, and sharing updates from the Revelation Mountains with an ever-inquisitive Fred. I kept in touch with Pedro even while Fred’s health declined and he never made it out climbing with me again. I stayed with Pedro on a trip to Spain and climbed with him, and again in Yosemite Valley. Pedro had recently suggested that I check out Liberty Cap’s route </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Mahtah</em><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">, and there I sat: a pitch below the summit, having flashbacks to a grinning Fred and our initial chance meeting at a roadside slab in Leavenworth. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700;">What makes your climbs memorable?</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> What makes them worthwhile? What brings meaning and significance to our days consumed by schwacking through the wet woods, post-holing around mountains and clawing up rock walls? What makes me, in a recent particular case, want to blindly pad up runout mossy slabs in the dark, with more and more damp, grainy granite between me and the safety of that last bolt? The more I climb—having now been at this sport for 13 years—the more I find its lasting value to be not in the climbing, but in the friendships and human connections sparked when the chips are down. When we inspire one another to try harder, learn more deeply, listen more honestly and send something gnarlier than we could have alone, those partnerships transcend sports.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">As a full-time nomadic climber for roughly eight decades, Fred Beckey, who died in late 2017, almost certainly roped up with more individual climbing partners than any other human being. Ever. Those partners include essentially every prominent alpine and rock climber in the USA and Canada from the 1930s to the 1990s. His teammates came from around the world and stretched from the era of jingoistically competitive FAs in the Alps to the expansion of plastic walls into shopping malls and rec centers. Fred made, lost and maintained partners through all of it, without ever tweeting or hashtagging the outdoor industry’s trending topics, and despite having zero Facebook friends. Fred’s partnerships were made by actually speaking with other human beings, either face to face or on the telephone. He’d even meet strangers in person at a climbing area, speak with them about climbing, and then just go climbing. In real life! His major climbing accomplishments have been recounted many times, but his full list of partners is impossible to know. His lists of friends, partners, hosts, local conditions experts and sordid couch mooching opportunities were stored across index cards, rolodex files and his encyclopedic brain. His partners would then often connect when Fred didn’t (or eventually couldn’t) keep pace with his own ambitions and frenetic goals.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It wasn’t only through Fred’s personal climbs that he created these connections. By writing meticulous guidebooks and magazine articles, establishing outstanding new routes and giving reports and photos to the American Alpine Journal, he inspired countless adventures and friendships among people whom he never met, and who haven’t yet been born or picked up a carabiner. The list of best friends and best days on Beckey routes is only going to grow.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700;">It had already been dark for three pitches of the 14-pitch route when I started up the final slab on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mahtah</em>. </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">But earlier pitches had followed cracks and corners, features to stick your hands and feet into, or to chimney against. The topo showed two bolts on the last pitch, one of which was just a few meters off the belay. The other sat somewhere in the darkness. I’d done very little pitch-black climbing with just a headlamp. Embarking on the slab I realized how much the ambient reflection from snow and moonlight often aided in nighttime climbing, as well as how much it helped to be following a crack or dihedral in order to orient oneself to the pull of gravity. On the blank friction slab, I couldn’t tell what was nighttime condensation, and what was crystalline mineral. Lighter-toned lichen might blur with cleaned off footholds or quartz bumps. And most disorienting was the lack of true sense of straight up and down, leaving little clue as to how steep the slab was, or how my body angle should be. After a pulse-reducing double quickdraw clip of the lone bolt, I actually tried to downclimb and traverse my way out of the situation by circumnavigating Liberty Cap to an easier summit exit, but all I found were more dead ends and my frozen belayer wondering why my headlamp was growing stronger and closer. I explained the situation to Austin, telling him I was pretty gripped but about to go for it. And then I channeled some Fred Beckey try-hard, figuring that he’d probably managed more than one such feature in climbing boots.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Commiting to the darkness above the bolt was a frightening decision. I tiptoed and balanced my way along faint quartz seams and grainy overlaps, stepping with heightened nerves, caution, almost certainly terrible technique. I feared something as simple as a quick high-step would actually topple me over backward for the ride of my life. After reaching a stunted pine on the summit and and letting out a holler of joy, I cheered on Austin and thanked him for the very frigid and very patient belay. Several days later, re-reading the route description, I saw first ascenionist Cedar Wright call that pitch “the hardest 5.8 slab I’ve ever climbed.” That’s hard for me to say, but it was certainly my slowest. I later told Pedro we’d done the route and finished up in the dark. His response was simply “that slab!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am glad to have briefly spent time climbing and skiing with Fred, but even more grateful for the friends like Pedro and Austin, connections made through him and through climbing, who inspire me to try hard and who support me, even when I get gripped on the easy pitches or lose my way in the darkness.</span></span><br />
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<img height="480" src="https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/images/articles/Fred_Beckey_legacy_2.jpg" width="640" />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-80783119588373339642017-11-16T11:16:00.000-08:002018-06-17T10:51:37.571-07:00Live Free or Die!™ on Liberty BellHere's a topo for a new route on the east face of Liberty Bell from summer 2017, named Live Free or Die!™ after this New Hampshire state motto was suggested by a visiting friend native to the granite state. The route was constructed by Seth Keena-Levin, Nathan Hadley and I last summer. Much heroic toproping and many epic trundles were spread out across 6 weeks of summer. Since about 18million random people used our ropes to rappel from other routes, we expect to be paid back via Mazama store breakfast sandwiches, interest compounded weekly. Nathan and I had originally just thought it would be worthwhile to make an alternate start and/or finish to the Independence Route, via a splitter 5.10 hand crack at the tip of the wall, that had been cleaned and worked on by a mystery party many years ago. But we realized that there were enough grips and grabs on the wall to basically create a separate route nearby.<br />
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Live Free or Die!™ shares a few meters and 2 belay stances with the Independence route, so it's possible to do a combo of the routes. The climbing is nearly all techy edging or working along thin flakes, featuring predominately bolted protection. Most will find the first 3 pitches, and pitch 5, to be adequately protected with just QDs, and maybe a finger piece or two. P4, 6, 7, and 8 require a standard cam rack. The crux is a reachy sideways sequence, ending with a downclimb. It features 2 bolts and would be easy to cheat across. It might be more like 5.12b for taller folks.<br />
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I made a couple minor freeclimbing changes on the Independence Route. I added 2 non-hanging belays to replace hanging belays (adding a total of 3 bolts) and I removed a piton+fixed head, replacing it with a bolt. These changes were done after much consternation, as I think in general that climbers should be very cautious about changing routes, especially after they've been free climbed. If anyone had issues or concerns about these changes, I'm more than happy to talk or reconsider.<br />
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Changes from the Independence: reference the topo in Cascades Rock:<br />
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P3: End this pitch at the new 2-bolt anchor on the nice ledge on the right, even with a dead snag, and below a chimney.<br />
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P4: Begin this pitch with the short chimney above the snag. Clip the Pin+Bolt anchor in the triangle alcove, but don't stop and belay. Climb out left (5.11c, original way) for full credit on the route. Or else step right past a new bolt (it replaced a fixed head/KB combo), then past the previously existing bolt.<br />
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P5: Same<br />
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P6: Crux (or maybe that's really P4) - Stepping right to the flake is much easier if you go across while high. Done this way, I thought the move felt about V3 (I'm 5'8"), making the whole route go at 5.11something. End this pitch at a bolt/pin belay on a subtle no-hands below the original hanging belay.<br />
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P7: 5.11+ This pitch now begins with some of the 5.11+ type climbing that had previously ended P6. After a few meters, you'll encounter the 4bolt+tat hanging belay on the left. Clip the best bolt or two, and keep climbing up the steep overhung corner to M&M Ledge, or a tree and stance a few meters below M&M. I never came to this old aid anchor with a hammer or crowbar, but a good community service would be to remove the 3 oldest bolts, or even better, remove all 4, patch the holes, and place one modern bolt where it makes sense for clipping while leading. Since these old bolts are thin or buttonheads, a hammer and small crowbar should be sufficient.-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-79553999973721156342017-09-18T13:43:00.002-07:002017-09-18T13:43:37.247-07:00The Best Water Bottle for Climbing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1iwXWPjC3hMqgVMFtq-yrDmLAvhVCW8QP7HmcJRpGmPFLunE6jVI-9f-qhAFxVtfH62RngRPg54XDaTxGF0QJMpNPj-qwSA_QlHbpX0xPHfERS25MZRGGIdyo7r-XSdd0WlzJo_O9z0/s1600/IMG_8300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1iwXWPjC3hMqgVMFtq-yrDmLAvhVCW8QP7HmcJRpGmPFLunE6jVI-9f-qhAFxVtfH62RngRPg54XDaTxGF0QJMpNPj-qwSA_QlHbpX0xPHfERS25MZRGGIdyo7r-XSdd0WlzJo_O9z0/s320/IMG_8300.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<li>Almost free (though the 24oz of Gatorade costs a few bucks at a gas station)</li>
<li>You can open and close them with just your teeth and hold them 1-handed while belaying</li>
<li>If you lose, forget, drop, or don't pack it on a trip, it's not a big deal to get another</li>
<li>40g (including tape or cord) vs 187g</li>
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That difference of 147g is equal to 2 Snickers and a GU! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2x:</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGarSBTvAJtUkYYXZe4i7Q_ot1uU9VR7BBpek7AD7CSSY4mfexQGkuk8DZ0TXBwX0N-SW41njZg3gUJ9xceBdri1dgV4EapWfdnj7J-G54T148pXe5SR99TeLvVlQ_-ZXoFNG1Grs8DiX/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-02-02+at+07.16.07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="801" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGarSBTvAJtUkYYXZe4i7Q_ot1uU9VR7BBpek7AD7CSSY4mfexQGkuk8DZ0TXBwX0N-SW41njZg3gUJ9xceBdri1dgV4EapWfdnj7J-G54T148pXe5SR99TeLvVlQ_-ZXoFNG1Grs8DiX/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-02-02+at+07.16.07.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1x: </span><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718qBe0xEIL._SY355_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718qBe0xEIL._SY355_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-50518685277087455422017-06-14T09:51:00.003-07:002023-04-20T12:52:25.012-07:00That's Not Alpine ClimbingI've done a lot of rock climbing in the mountains, but I've done very little of the much more specific and serious style that I think should be called "alpine climbing". It's a term that is typically meaningless because no 2 people define it the same way, so we often end up talking past one another and implying different definitions with the same words.<br />
<br />
The fancy chart (not to scale on the continuum) lists most of the possible variables people use to decide if a climb is an "alpine" one or not. Many of the variables, such as distance from road/rescue, operate along a continuum, not a yes or no answer. In my opinion a climb needs to be skewed toward the right side of the chart in order to be "alpine", and the exact same route can reasonably be considered an "alpine climb" during some times of year, but a "backcountry rock climb" in mid summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbhPjMuPV_O5TXTZIWYCH0N1aL51eZT1UV2JjYUJ-jb3fsI_A5af5XXWbC1as8mVy3AziQkWX7UtURC1kZVH9TKI99F5zzwGN6Pz-pMG3OjZDNsHxjdxPpW1wvLdqy8ddvhyphenhyphenH_TJLzYF8/s1600/Alpine+Chart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbhPjMuPV_O5TXTZIWYCH0N1aL51eZT1UV2JjYUJ-jb3fsI_A5af5XXWbC1as8mVy3AziQkWX7UtURC1kZVH9TKI99F5zzwGN6Pz-pMG3OjZDNsHxjdxPpW1wvLdqy8ddvhyphenhyphenH_TJLzYF8/s320/Alpine+Chart.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogs.dw.com/adventuresports/files/Latok-I-Nordwand.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="http://blogs.dw.com/adventuresports/files/Latok-I-Nordwand.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A climb of the N. side of Latok I (none have succeeded) would deal with every single one of the "alpine" metrics/challenges listed above, as well as others I probably forgot about.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/107006206_large_1494158139.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/107006206_large_1494158139.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A climb of Hallett Peak in Rocky Mtn National Park or Crescent Spire in the Bugaboos won't involve nearly any of the challenges/metrics above</td></tr>
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Just because you are on a rock route at or above treeline, you aren't necessarily alpine climbing and what you are doing isn't likely much different from climb a 600' route in Eldo, or a 1000' route in Red Rock. Most US and Canadian climbers who aspire to succeed on testpiece routes in the Wind Rivers, at the Incredible Hulk, on the Elephant Perch, or on Snowpatch Spire, will benefit from improved rock climbing skills, and shouldn't waste their time focusing on the fairly minor additional challenges presented by alpine elements on these routes. ( an exception for folks with very little backpacking experience at all)<div><br /></div><div> Phrases like "weather windows" and "speed is safety" are used to describe summertime conditions in places like the Sierra, or the Stuart Range, which don't require one to climb quickly in order to succeed or to be safe, where there aren't summer avalanche or snowstorm worries, daily serac falls, and which generally have warm, calm, and dry weather in the summer, minimal mixed climbing or mandatory steep snow, and solid, popular rock climbs from 4-14 pitches with walk-off or equipped rappel descents. These places (as well as basically everything summer in the lower 48, SW BC, much of the Bugaboos near Applebee/Kain, etc) are more accurately backcountry rock destinations, with some of the peaks and walls in these areas nearly roadside. <a href="http://www.colinhaley.com/minivan-alpinism-in-canada/" target="_blank">Colin Haley briefly touches on his alpine definition here, which he specifically provides in order to contextualize his assertions regarding such a vague term</a> - year round snow and ice on route with potential summer new snowfall is a key factor.<br />
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We all love to be able to slap labels and categories onto parts of life which are very nuanced. The label allows us to let our guards down and quit spending mental energy on the details. This is especially true when stepping outside our comfort zones where we want to be able to call something simply "safe" or "unsafe", "sketchy" or "bomber", etc and then be done thinking about it. I notice this with climbers asking about the best "trad" shoe, or the best "multipitch" shoe -- both being additional distinct definitions that don't define anything about the climbing or one's footwears. And as summer rolls around in the northwest, it's easy to see and hear folks talking in distinct divides between their "normal" climbing and their "alpine" climbing.<br />
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<b>For the vast majority of climbs in the US and Canada referred to as "alpine routes", there are few or no "alpine" challenges. These are usually multipitch rock climbs with nice views and potentially long walks to get to.</b> One doesn't need to put these routes and ranges on a separate pedestal apart from the multipitch rock in places like desert towers, Black Canyon, The Needles, Red Rock, Zion, etc.<br />
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If you want to succeed on these routes, I suggest ignoring cardio-first expeditionary style training program like those described in <u>Training For the New Alpinism.</u> (Which is probably an amazing training guide for a separate activity like high altitude mountaineering or ultramarathons or long ski-mo races). Simply be a good rock climber, be good at climbing granite trad pitches specifically, and be good at climbing these trad pitches onsight and quickly, without stressing yourself. Then be in decent enough overall fitness and understand the activity/hobby of backpacking so that you can handle the approach and hike back to the car without getting destroyed or too tired to rappel and descend safely. Don't focus on what you are already good enough at (the hiking, the glacier walk approach, making coffee at 4AM) if it's the difficulty of the movement on rock that will shut you down.<br />
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In my time climbing, I'd say that the only "alpine" climbing I've done has been on Fitz Roy and Cerro Pollone in Patagonia, in the Waddington Range and the Stikine of British Columbia, and in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska. I'd actually say that some of the climbing and attempts I've made in Patagonia during good weather have not even been "alpine climbing", as I've tended toward rock-only routes on some of the smaller peaks there, and the area has good rock, published info, no altitude challenges, many fixed anchors, no lightning, much well-protected climbing, and some short routes with easy descents. I've done a couple long Cascades water ice routes but I've never climbed a difficult or committing mixed/mountain route in the Cascades in winter, which I think does including some real alpine climbing, and nothing I've done in the lower 48 or Bugaboos in the summer has had very many of the alpine climbing challenges shown above.<br />
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My point is not to have folks simply ignore potential challenges or dangers in their way, and not in any way to attack mountaineering, or backcountry summer multpitch rock climbing, but instead I'm trying to encourage everyone to examine the meaning behind the labels which get thrown around, in order to see what we are all trying to actually communicate. Do these categories make sense to use and hold separate in your mind? You might find that the big, scary, boogey-man term of "alpine climbing" is actually a sheep (or mountain goat) in wolf's clothing.<br />
<br /></div>-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-60549170998693780932017-01-14T07:15:00.002-08:002017-02-05T16:52:58.417-08:00Fitz Roy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSORygLnqUNWaNB0dOpacP2F-EJEhH344bzYeMRu6vM1YlXY2InvUoSMjvAXfrIK0mg-W7KYOsyvYXulwtEv5xoaMMl_OznYGyWyDUpC0wo9fseiIr3Vd93tNo2goAYQtSfa2Ofe6_bguc/s1600/Screenshot+2017-01-14+at+11.05.46+-+Edited.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSORygLnqUNWaNB0dOpacP2F-EJEhH344bzYeMRu6vM1YlXY2InvUoSMjvAXfrIK0mg-W7KYOsyvYXulwtEv5xoaMMl_OznYGyWyDUpC0wo9fseiIr3Vd93tNo2goAYQtSfa2Ofe6_bguc/s400/Screenshot+2017-01-14+at+11.05.46+-+Edited.png" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself following the final ridge pitch on the Supercanaleta. Austin Siadak photo</td></tr>
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I've now spent parts of 4 seasons (Austral summers) in Patagonia, at the southern end of Argentina/Chile. Although this region has become en-vogue as the popular rock climbing center for folks chasing splitter granite, my experiences here have always been more along the lines of waiting out weather, making empanadas, glaring at bad forecasts, cleaning ice from cracks, and lots of windy hiking. It's an amazing and beautiful area, but don't let the insta-tweet-gram-book feeds fool you, it's mostly a bunch of stir-crazy smelly climber dudes complaining about the weather.<br />
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In the past few years there have been a few excellent 3-6 day weather windows allowing for access to (in the words of guidebook author Rolo Garibotti) the area's "most precious gift" - its splitter and clean granite. But there has been a lot of storming as well. My first time here (Jan/Feb 2008), not a single team from any country climbed Fitz Roy or any of the peaks in the Torre group. My second season, in 2011 with Scott Bennett, I experienced my only good rock-climbing weather, and we accomplished a long rock route for which we'd won a grant. I returned with Scott in 2014, climbing a bit (and getting snowed on at our camp below treeline) - that year saw mostly very bad weather until a single very good week in mid February, when the Fitz Traverse was done, but after we'd left. This year has been a return to the cold, wind, and low pressure that I think is more honestly representative of Patagonia. An update from Rolo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iiLu8q-gwogdII8kRCPRzVGw4x78RowNhFPtqF4XzSAhybOQggo6KyUZ4GUmfrcKy8r7yc3-FisTmklTbD-Urd95-Rbr4SfTKeRUbqERDxO9hAIEKIFggYmm514Pp89RBTdA-15FtQSG/s1600/Screenshot+2017-01-14+at+10.54.06+-+Edited.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iiLu8q-gwogdII8kRCPRzVGw4x78RowNhFPtqF4XzSAhybOQggo6KyUZ4GUmfrcKy8r7yc3-FisTmklTbD-Urd95-Rbr4SfTKeRUbqERDxO9hAIEKIFggYmm514Pp89RBTdA-15FtQSG/s400/Screenshot+2017-01-14+at+10.54.06+-+Edited.png" width="323" /></a></div>
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In deference to the reality of these mountains, I recently teamed up with fellow Washingtonian Austin Siadak to climb a long snow, ice, and mixed route, the Supercanaleta ("massive chimney") on the area's tallest peak, Cerro Fitz Roy. The weather was predicted to be ok (sea level pressure about 1005, no precip, winds measured below "10") for about 30 hours. It ended up being good for about 18. Our climb took us 21.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVsscV29HTBYnWmTMY3M5-JrOo_6m-pG6fiIXGHTZGukDvwysCoh0QDPmbk3NLVEa3L9T0QnldGjz99CL0AnNAeBJwrNKPxoUmI1BsY1ghiMi2Xf_-fbgzxb58kGo36uuL98u6PaMaoFI/s1600/IMG_7884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVsscV29HTBYnWmTMY3M5-JrOo_6m-pG6fiIXGHTZGukDvwysCoh0QDPmbk3NLVEa3L9T0QnldGjz99CL0AnNAeBJwrNKPxoUmI1BsY1ghiMi2Xf_-fbgzxb58kGo36uuL98u6PaMaoFI/s400/IMG_7884.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical weather forecast - the obsession of Chalten climbers.</td></tr>
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We hiked in (7hrs - 4500' gain) during the afternoon, reaching our bivi site about 9:30 PM. After putting up the tent, sorting gear, boiling water, eating, melting snow for the next day, and getting our ducks in a row, we only laid down for about 80 minutes (neither of us slept) before our 1:30AM alarms sounded and we began to go.<br />
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We made a great team and most of our decision making -- from gear, to timing, to risk tolerance -- was in sync from the start. The route ascends about 5,000' of climbing, with a long singular snow and ice couloir, some water ice, then a total of about 18-20 pitches of iced-up rock or rimed-up rock. The technical pitches are very traversing and wandering, mostly back and forth across steep rock faces. If one found this section in dry and "rock-climbing" conditions, I think that the climbing would be fantastic and pretty easy. But given that we did the whole thing in boots, 'pons, gloves, and puffy jackets, it was surprisingly slow and difficult. I haven't done much climbing like this, and found it exceedingly awkward, though fun to wrap my head around the "anything goes" style of frontpointing on pitons, double-cascades-knee mantles while pulling on a camalot, etc. We both definitely ice (and mixed) climbed like "rock climbers". High in the couloir, when it was still dark, I got smashed in the face with an ice chunk and blood instantly started pouring from my mouth and nose. It rung my bell a little bit to be sure, but also made that part of my face go numb. I reached up wtih a gloved hand to feel my nose and see if it felt "broken" (whatever that would feel like") and I inadvertently turned off my headlamp. I knew Austin (and 3 other teams) were down below me in the chimney, so I had a serious fear of passing out from exertion/blood loss/grossness, and tumbling, sans headlamp, down the couloir into them. I slammed both tools into the sinker neve, and hollered down to Austin to come have a look while I breath deeply and kept my eyes closed and nise pinched. Like many head wounds (especially amid physical exertion) it had bled profusely but really wasn't too damaging. I got things clotted and we soon finished up the singular couloir as daylight emerged. After a weird off-route adventure leading the first or second roped pitch, I turned the sharp end to Austin, who, despite also having limited experience in this style, was psyched to lead after drafting my steps up the long couloir. Austin CRUSHED, and ended up leading the whole remainder, zigging around the upper mountain with speed and confidence. We realized at one point that it would have been easier to climb many of the pitches if they were 5.12 tips cracks, rather than leaning 5.9 or 5.10 hand and offwidth cracks, since the "rock" ratings, topos, and styles meant basically nothing given the condition of the pitches, and our tools and crampon-clad feet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSEcItH1FtmeluKwmNxf0NFoynYNOJ0Pp_N1ydGngU-cjGi4nj8oDujfqHjz-AdLa-PBvpEpD_Nd9rgSif7y9PYunqUmcCz_Y-woclz21JDQU7RAKqFkYWFWqqb8F9Sk54Ph-BPUNkNCn/s1600/IMG_7891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSEcItH1FtmeluKwmNxf0NFoynYNOJ0Pp_N1ydGngU-cjGi4nj8oDujfqHjz-AdLa-PBvpEpD_Nd9rgSif7y9PYunqUmcCz_Y-woclz21JDQU7RAKqFkYWFWqqb8F9Sk54Ph-BPUNkNCn/s400/IMG_7891.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our route follows the deep cleft in the peak's right side.</td></tr>
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Summiting Fitz Roy and staring down at the entire range, as the ominous "wall of hate" engulfed the western peaks, was a surreal and amazing experience, and we spent about 2 minutes on top. I lead the rappels (about 30 in all) back down the Supercanaleta direct, building a couple stations from stoppers, and relying on just one "dubious" anchor (a single so-so knifeblade, which I had bounce-tested). The rappels took us about 5 or 5.5hrs, though with better weather and visibility or knowledge, we would have stopped rapping a bit higher, to downclimb the initial 200-300m. The weather shut down us a few hours from the bottom, but we managed to fight the new snow and raging spindrift to make it down around midnight. We crashed in our tent 40minutes from the base (limping and cramping massively from dehydration) and made hot drinks and food until passing out from exhaustion. Apart from the 80 or 90 minutes of laying down prior to our ascent, we'd been on the go for 36 hours, and had ascended a total of more than 10,000'. It snowed all night and all the next day as we packed up and trudged the 6-7 hours back to the road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEFdCXFrPaDx2wG20PzEelcF9gN7td9q0XAXRI44EJafekHC8yrGXovbTV70R_biGsTzJBhCcbtlzdhNZnSX1MMvCI1c95LQiTdGK_T07P2Z1n3op7dClj5h-ufiOvRnZ7sFYx98ywBZB/s1600/IMG_7917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEFdCXFrPaDx2wG20PzEelcF9gN7td9q0XAXRI44EJafekHC8yrGXovbTV70R_biGsTzJBhCcbtlzdhNZnSX1MMvCI1c95LQiTdGK_T07P2Z1n3op7dClj5h-ufiOvRnZ7sFYx98ywBZB/s400/IMG_7917.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After parts of 4 seasons here, I'd never summited Fitz Roy, or eaten at the local ice cream shop, "Domo Blanco". First time for everything!</td></tr>
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<b>Nuts and Bolts</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<ul>
<li><b>1x 60m 8.4mm half rope, 1x 60mm esprit escape static tag line</b></li>
<li><b>1x cams from red c3 to #3, with 2x #.75</b></li>
<li><b>half rack of stoppers</b></li>
<li><b>2 scews</b></li>
<li><b>10-12 slings</b></li>
<li><b>Could have used a few more small stoppers, or another red camalot</b></li>
<li><b>1.5 liters of water carried on route, with 2 JB brewing/melting stops</b></li>
<li><b>2 Packs on route, but both super lightweight (20L, 35L)</b></li>
</ul>
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-43816869192221873922016-11-02T11:57:00.002-07:002016-11-02T11:57:34.503-07:00Washington Pass in Rock&IceI wrote an article for the August 2016 issue of Rock & Ice about some of the best summer climbing in the region - new routes at Washington Pass.<br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B331Jn1EQRyzeGlHTFplYnoxb0k/preview" width="640"></iframe>-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-77576430155091658342016-10-27T10:43:00.003-07:002016-11-04T08:53:19.822-07:00Washington Sandbags<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b0-ZpcpOLH74Q0P9ogH92NKEV2UhHapmk7m-EAJ3yKinAJMLHops9cl_SG48WTkeHsv-ywkJvU6LLYvYt7iW8QNwbHHvExekH1Trrmw_41TYMfaslJ8torb7p4n1WIIsiLfZsFNh_nZz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-27+at+10.47.54+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b0-ZpcpOLH74Q0P9ogH92NKEV2UhHapmk7m-EAJ3yKinAJMLHops9cl_SG48WTkeHsv-ywkJvU6LLYvYt7iW8QNwbHHvExekH1Trrmw_41TYMfaslJ8torb7p4n1WIIsiLfZsFNh_nZz/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-27+at+10.47.54+AM.png" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica Campbell gets after it on a local testpiece</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Washington IS a sandbag!" </span>said my friend Jessica Campbell, after returning <br />
from a trip to the New River Gorge and Red River Gorge. </blockquote>
And I somewhat agree, although I'd say it's more specific than that. To me, Index and Leavenworth have tough grades (the dreaded Hwy 2 vortex!), but so does Smith Rock and Trout Creek. Meanwhile, Newhalem, Washington Pass, and Little Si aren't nearly so tough, and ovciously neither is vantage or a lot of the roped climbing in the Icicle Canyon (or further afield, squamish). But we in Washington do lack a stacked crag of simple, friendly, juggy, and easy-to-read 5.11, 5.12, or 5.13 sport routes. There are a lot of strong folks in the area who would have certainly ticked far harder grades if they climbed with the same frequency, skill, and strength, but lived in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, or many other states. On the subject of grades and sandbags, I wanted to come up with the biggest sandbag at every grade from 5.8 to 5.14. After chatting with a few local friends, here's a start:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZcqmWb3YHOHP0-X0epN1WaV7qlq05urqYylRZcY4_7yMWOA7qeCNE166aHCa-RudWZEsDTprpbYBuBb9TFISQ12qvoUVazhyphenhyphenzE3PvivUdPkIUgC55J3bU6203Qxyx9OsFVUd0oaU2fqa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-27+at+10.50.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZcqmWb3YHOHP0-X0epN1WaV7qlq05urqYylRZcY4_7yMWOA7qeCNE166aHCa-RudWZEsDTprpbYBuBb9TFISQ12qvoUVazhyphenhyphenzE3PvivUdPkIUgC55J3bU6203Qxyx9OsFVUd0oaU2fqa/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-27+at+10.50.49+AM.png" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat McNerthney - CBR - Photo: Supertopo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.8 - C<i>himney on the West Face of Colchuck Balanced Rock</i></span><br />
More than a few 5.11 climbers have called this pitch the crux of the .11+ route.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.9 - </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Damnation Crack Leavenworth</i><br />
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The classic old-school 5.9 wide pitch. Want to climb 5.9 in Yosemite? Here's your training tool.<br />
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Honorable mention: Prusik Peak's Burgner-Stanley Route (retro upgraded to .10- in Cascades Rock)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.10a - <i>Sagittarius - Index</i></span></div>
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To the first anchor at the ringing flake, this pitch gets the nod for the most intimidating and hardest .10- in the area. The full .11b version is no pushover for the grade either.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.10b - <i>The Sting - Leavenworth</i></span></div>
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The "approach pitch" to the 5.11 splitter classic R.O.T.C. </div>
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This pitch might be the harder of the 2, and is often wet, always a little grainy, and generally a slap in the face.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.10c - <i>P1 Boving-Pollock - S. Early Winters Spire</i></span></div>
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This is one of the few serious/sandbag pitches at WA Pass. <br />
Honorable mention: Lamplighter P1. (AKA P1 of Heaven's Gate)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.10d - <i>P3 NAD - Index </i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mike Pond on Ellen Pea, P2</td></tr>
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There are always a lot of tough routes with "d" grades.<br />
Honorable mentions: Ellen Pea P2, Slow Children - Index</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.11a - <i>Newest Industry - Index</i></span></div>
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A bolted 5.11a on perfect rock. </div>
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Sounds like a nice warmup for the real climbing later on...</div>
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Honorable mentions: Toothless - Leavenworth, Hang Dog - Leavenworth, Rhythm & Bolts - Index</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.11b - <i>Heironymous Bosch - Index</i></span></div>
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Hard vertical boulder problems that you can't read.</div>
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Honorable mentions: Full Sagittarius, Phone Calls from the Dead, Narrow Arrow Overhang (to 2nd anchor) (all Index)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.11c - <i>Tadpole - Index</i></span></div>
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Good no-holds flare training for Yosemite!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.11d - <i>Swim P1 - Index</i></span></div>
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Honorable mentions: basically every .11+ at Index, especially on the upper wall</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.12a - <i>Rise and Fall P1 - Index</i></span></div>
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Given either .12a or .12a/b, this one's a laughable sandbag. Both hard to decipher and hard to climb, it took prolific Index strongman Mikey Schaefer more effort than the nearby newly-freed Town Crier (.12d) or Green Drag-On (.13a).</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.12b - <i>Numbah Ten - Index</i></span></div>
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Just push apart the two halves of the lower town wall...</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.12c - <i>Last Waltz, Smith Rock</i></span></div>
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Not Washington, but why does Smith have so many hard 5.12c pitches? Is this the hardest? </div>
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Honorable mention: Technicians of the Sacred, P1 - Index.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.12d - <i>Never Never Crack - Leavenworth</i></span></div>
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Todd Skinner overhanging thin-hands testpiece. Redpointed just once or twice more. Will never be downgraded.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.13a - <i>Rock a Rolla - Leavenworth</i></span></div>
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A simple 20m overhanging and well-bolted route, climbing a plumb line with lots of big holds. AKA a nonstop barrage of quality V4-V7 bouldering with a single quasi-legit stem stance.</div>
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Honorable mention: Narrow Arrow Overhang - Index</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.13, 5.13+, 5.13-</span></div>
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Anything at Little Si or Equinox stand out? Amandla (short) is no pushover at .13b/c<br />
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City Park should probably be on there somewhere, but it first needs an established grade before that grade could be considered a sandbag or not.</div>
-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-20125027914344740882016-10-21T10:45:00.004-07:002016-10-21T11:03:58.418-07:00The Fine Line of Bailing - 3rd Pillar of Nalumasortoq<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocywjKlTtfJKjaGguGpg07bwFxrtkhYEDKbrFV7oegFpyUcYK0aabEY-zeKzjvNGFRyiyuLG_zrQqXMTldStC-uDWfeFF7pnXuZQt6P5E2c68Gf3TSZt7nXF7L0wYIowxGCMCJWJ6px0i/s1600/IMG_0382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocywjKlTtfJKjaGguGpg07bwFxrtkhYEDKbrFV7oegFpyUcYK0aabEY-zeKzjvNGFRyiyuLG_zrQqXMTldStC-uDWfeFF7pnXuZQt6P5E2c68Gf3TSZt7nXF7L0wYIowxGCMCJWJ6px0i/s640/IMG_0382.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQ11UrKXmEBSPkCst82FhPxhK27Aw2WJ9hZyg5ZjVhEEdnEDEy_jklBp-hfB2ewKXIp8qoEHlMPKANl3NWNLlz11IuEQNxBLbgDaTLWUSWu-1M2c9dwmoSKGPRdpWQP1bTmaAMtMHVJgi/s1600/IMG_0834+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQ11UrKXmEBSPkCst82FhPxhK27Aw2WJ9hZyg5ZjVhEEdnEDEy_jklBp-hfB2ewKXIp8qoEHlMPKANl3NWNLlz11IuEQNxBLbgDaTLWUSWu-1M2c9dwmoSKGPRdpWQP1bTmaAMtMHVJgi/s320/IMG_0834+%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a>I spent August in Greenland, specifically along the Tasermiut Fjord of SE Greenland. The area was breathtaking, with some of the largest granite walls on earth. Despite both succeeding and failing on bigger objectives during our trip to Greenland, the most memorable climb of the trip in my mind is one that ended after just half a day on route, but included nearly everything I love about remote, adventurous climbing on huge mountains and walls. Writing about those ups and downs of emotion and ascension has been much more memorable than simply recounting our team's obvious success or failure. These in-between "gray areas" are where climbing becomes contemplative.<br />
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Scott Bennett, Bryan Gilmore, and myself had set out to climb the south pillar (the right, or 3rd pillar) of Nalumasortoq, as seen from our camp along Tasermiut Fjord. We figured that this route would be a fast-drying and great choice for our poor weather, as it had recently rained for 10 days or so, and several of the non-rain days still held fog and swirling clouds trapped against the peaks. We'd left much of our climbing hardware stashed in a boulder cave below Nalumasortoq, and we wanted the fastest-drying terrain in the area, and figured that a SSW-facing overhanging pillar would be it.<br />
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A day before we set out to climb, we started up the valley from our camp, and hiked for 5 hours or so up a river valley and across a small rubble-strewn glacier. Amid creaking rocks and receding remnant ice we created a bivy site for our small tent, and took some sunset photos before settling the alarms for very early in the morning. We'd try to climb the 750m 5.11+ route "<a href="http://www.planetmountain.com/english/Expeditions/greenland/02.html" target="_blank">Non C'é Due Senza Tre</a>" (AKA the Italian route) on Nalumasortoq. Normally a route of that length and difficulty wouldn't be a huge challenge for us, but the huge amount of unknown is what makes remote, expedition, and alpine climbing so difficult. Seldom is the topo (or simple list of length and grade) a complete picture of the challenge. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wY09J2GLhk_XddCxNQANV1tJuBsoi-7dVMtp8-ZmRkxwtZ4k1tGg5753sTwmqMXfd-67Cs7_rEQ0CQhnzRzIJQfZ4dT_YEtgaZTVPAHG5NzSVlZHQ32QGMY_nHnC2WWkVSkFOXUilAgr/s1600/IMG_0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wY09J2GLhk_XddCxNQANV1tJuBsoi-7dVMtp8-ZmRkxwtZ4k1tGg5753sTwmqMXfd-67Cs7_rEQ0CQhnzRzIJQfZ4dT_YEtgaZTVPAHG5NzSVlZHQ32QGMY_nHnC2WWkVSkFOXUilAgr/s320/IMG_0650.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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This route has a convoluted history, which we didn't know until coming home and doing more research. <a href="http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1997_files/AJ%201997%20252-254%20Greenland%20Notes.pdf" target="_blank">It was attempted, up to pitch 8</a>, in 1996 by a British/Welsh team. A British climber ended up taking a long fall aiding up P8 and badly injuring his back and leg, resulting in an end to their attempt and expedition. The pillar was "completed" (given a name, and graded 5.11c and A3) by an Italian team 4 years later, and I somehow eventually acquired and read about the route in the 2001 AAJ (published years before I was a climber, but featuring American uber-crusher Mike Pennings on the cover).<br />
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However, 2 years after that, an american team (<a href="http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP01/climbing-note-menitove" target="_blank">Steve Su, Ari Menitove, Chris Chitty</a>) attempted a "repeat" and came close to freeing this line, while also realizing that the Italians had almost certainly not completed the route, instead rappelling from a narrow, sweeping ledge 200' below the top. The Americans bivied and finished the route via a very steep, wet offwidth located 60m right of the pillar's crest. Ari and Steve Su were nice enough to fill us in on some beta about the area before our trip. A few years later (in 2003) Americans Micah Dash and Thad Friday made 6 separate attempts over a month to complete the route, and eventually finished the climb (and made an all free ascent) over 2 days. It was 23 pitches, 5.11+ R. In reality, both the FA and FFA of the "Italian route" were done by American teams. There remained some hardware placed by the Welsh party ('96) the Italians (2000) and the American FFA team (2003). Reading <a href="http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200404000/print" target="_blank">Micah's article about their half-dozen tries on the route</a>, I was reminded of wisdom my partner Bryan had picked up from the great Steve House: "You never get up anything the FIRST time..."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott finds the safe path (and avoids the fixed mank)</td></tr>
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Our morning of ascent began, as it always does on these alpine starts, with a too-early alarm wakeup, scalding hot Via coffee gulped down between gluey dollops of oatmeal, and some last-minute packing and wondering if the weather would finally clear. <i>Our previous climb had been an all-frozen and mostly-free (I think Bryan freed the whole shebang) ascent of Nalumasortoq's 'Left Pillar' (<a href="http://grmoclimb.net/javno/smeri/grmoclimb_nalu_british_all.jpg" target="_blank">650m 5.12+ FFA Martin/O'Neill</a>), its 19 pitches had taken place amid some snow flurries and near-frozen fog with zero sun or blue sky until low on the descent.</i> The three of us donned axes and pons over our approach tennis shoes and made a quick jaunt up a small pocket glacier to the start of the climb. The route began with an amazingly clean and splitter thin hands crack slicing up a scoured slab. Although this would be a 4-star pitch at any crag in the world, all I can remember was how cold my hands and feet were, and trying to race up this splitter without having to take off my shoes and socks or thin gloves. It might have been 5.10- or 5.7, but as pitch 1 of a route of this size, it was just about climbing as fast and casually as possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhYFDSVTTQ1SNub633NHI8M_7eEhwjcV0m4Q_w_K_PJfsA2x2liwSz3C1su3SLKDkQaJWo3EM4bC2DIU8qogQ9sYLtt7d9l6kiLPcm7okEo7nDYKqlvHjwpM4HKtAGMr4JuNNnz94l6mt/s1600/IMG_0717+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhYFDSVTTQ1SNub633NHI8M_7eEhwjcV0m4Q_w_K_PJfsA2x2liwSz3C1su3SLKDkQaJWo3EM4bC2DIU8qogQ9sYLtt7d9l6kiLPcm7okEo7nDYKqlvHjwpM4HKtAGMr4JuNNnz94l6mt/s320/IMG_0717+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Many or all of the belays were bolted (the route has been rappelled), but <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=8781" target="_blank">a British team had recently ripped half of the p2 belay anchor out of the wall</a> on their attempt. It wasn't clear if the threaded machine bolt ever even had a sleeve on it, or if the sleeve was somehow detached and still in the wall. In order to remedy this situation, we wrapped the bolt shaft in some duct tape and smashed it into the wall with a rock. Alpine shim = Bomber!<br />
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After three pitches we did a bit of scrambling and arrived at the base of the main pillar itself, unable to find a belay anchor shown on our topo. Maybe this talus-covered ledge had previously held 10m of snow, which would have allowed us to reach a bleak-looking piton (and maybe one bolt?) anchor now hanging above our heads on an otherwise blank wall, but we found ourselves unsure of where to go. Scott continued leading his block, and wisely chose to follow his own routefinding and FA instinct, beginning on the far right and making a long, loose, marginally-protected traverse left above the (apparently off-route) fixed hardware, gaining a tat-strewn belay perch. Despite having 3 different bolts (all in fairly significant stages of decay) and a possible jingus piece of pro behind a small flake, we hung nervously and gingerly from the 4-piece anchor, which Scott had wisely set very low under this arrangement of dubious anchor points. In retrospect, I think that the 2 completely rusted rivet bolts were relics of the '96 Welsh team, while the mis-drilled aluminum petzl hanger was placed for some free climbing protection in 2002 or 2003, as the start of the next pitch could easily have resulted in a factor-2 fall. Above we could see at least 1 more bolt, but reaching it looked like it would require at least 10m of wet and very difficult face climbing straight above the belay. And given the state of decay, corrosion, and bad location of fixed hardware we'd encountered in Greenland, it wasn't clear if Scott should even climb toward it. Scott eventually climbed straight right off our belay and methodically whittled in a bunch of halfway-decent pro behind flakes and grooves, veering steeply upward and then back left into the bomber corner we'd come to reach. These two pitches involved key routefinding and judgement moments, and I feel like Scott did a great job getting us through them quickly and safely, rather than blindly charging toward the old (off-route, or aid) bolts. Since we were climbing in a team of 3 with 2 dynamic ropes, these pitches actually were dispatched by switching over into half-rope technique mid pitch, and having both followers belaying the leader on one rope each. The overall challenges of these pitches belied their moderate freeclimbing grades.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolPSv23PM3puDoQ-mNZ7_6wfCRckyeN9AOda8Zze5v04B8plZLGcCRFvQUAi96xzaAhA-seo1wW2qEuu5McOjSZp-5v0gN9FEFZ2m4AijKfB2OsHLaHDvoqBlzkjQ0hcMCV3QjPsMUT8v/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolPSv23PM3puDoQ-mNZ7_6wfCRckyeN9AOda8Zze5v04B8plZLGcCRFvQUAi96xzaAhA-seo1wW2qEuu5McOjSZp-5v0gN9FEFZ2m4AijKfB2OsHLaHDvoqBlzkjQ0hcMCV3QjPsMUT8v/s400/IMG_0724.JPG" width="400" /></a>After a straightforward steep corner, I took the lead for what we though would be the heart of the route - several hundred meters of amazing-looking cracks and corners on the pillar crest. It appeared to have water streaks in many spots, but we were happy to have routefinding challenges over . I began up an immaculate huge white corner, like something out of the Needles in California. Although this pitch was just marked as 5.11c or maybe 5.11+ on our topos, it exemplifies so much that I love about these kinds of routes. Low on the pitch, upon looking up at the long stretch of tips or sub-tips looming overhead, I had Bryan and Scott grab a rock off the belay ledge and clip into into a chalk bag on the tag line. I hauled up the rock while perched on a small stance, and used it to bash vigorously on a couple pitons which were coated in a healthy layer of rust, the only fixed pro on the pitch. The corner looked to remain mostly a seam for the next 50m, but without pitons. Above this point I climbed steadily if nervously. Luckily for me, both sides of the very obtuse corner would occasionally hold a small and squared-off crimp edge, making for great footholds to complement the tips and finger openings. However, I was having a rough time trusting the smears of tiny feet while feeling wool socks, cold toes, and oversized shoes slipping on slick or wet granite. I came very close to trying to bail out of this lead, either by finding a good piece and lowering off, or resorting to aid and taking my shoes and socks off to warm my feet, depump, and get my head together. But I kept whittling away at the lead, and after ~30m I arrived at a small ledge where I could finally get in a bomber red camalot. I'd placed nearly every small cam or RP on our rack (a double set from tips on up), but was still looking at another 100' of the same.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5eeg7d4oRaGM6cC5kWB8yALLX9vsqX3dAmMOzEmYARpGa2KSAKvGtO6QBbwUUSpgR0pA33UUMdQMSKbvxLdnLfuUHNhrYTL_rFjLojrUMfM5eV-17okcBUgB3tSw_PqY7erOaUGUNVBV/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5eeg7d4oRaGM6cC5kWB8yALLX9vsqX3dAmMOzEmYARpGa2KSAKvGtO6QBbwUUSpgR0pA33UUMdQMSKbvxLdnLfuUHNhrYTL_rFjLojrUMfM5eV-17okcBUgB3tSw_PqY7erOaUGUNVBV/s640/IMG_0735.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself near the end of a long, demanding lead </td></tr>
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Rather than belay on this small sloping stance, I lowered 15m or 20m down the pitch and cleaned most of the small cams that I'd placed. I wouldn't bring up Scott and Bryan to where I was, but instead would keep heading up towards what I hoped would be a bolted belay. In this silly yet fantastic world of trying to freeclimb routes like these, I'd still consider this to be free climbing. Rather than belay up my followers and do 2 separate 30m pitches via natural ledges, I'd resupply with gear from below and then keep going. The friction and rope weight from dragging up 20lbs of ropes would add some real challenge to the top of the corner. To climb the entire 60m without back-cleaning, I think most folks would happily place at least 4 or 5 each blue and green alien sizes.<br />
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The next pitch is almost certainly the pitch where the initial Welsh attempt stopped due to a long, injurious fall. I moved 5m up and left from the belay, and found myself peering up a very shallow and obtuse corner, which was running with water. Rather than a finger or hand crack, there was a closed-off seam which wouldn't accept cams, and which featured a string of 4 bashed-in copperheads. Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 had been rusted and broken, no longer featuring a cable to clip as protection. I gingerly reached up and clipped the only remaining head with my tag line, and down-stemmed to the belay. After pulling on the rope with about 15lb of force, the remaining hardware snapped, and the rope came whipping down to the belay. Test result: negative. This pitch had been the aid crux, and also perhaps the mental freeclimbing crux, but had gone free at 5.11a R by Ari Menitove. Micah Dash and Thad Friday had also freed this section. So I hung at the belay staring down at a soaring thin corner I'd just push us through, having climbing past my self-doubts, but now hesitating beneath a short section of climbing that I'd been excited about testing myself on. We had no pitons (though the presence of 4 copperheads gave us doubt that the flare would take pins) and no bolts. If we had bolts, would we feel justified in placing them? Would we feel compelled to ask the Italian non-FA "FA" team? The Americans who actually made the FA and freed this pitch? Or the other Americans (one now deceased) who made the FFA of the whole route? I looked up at the pitch again, tested a few smears along the wet sides of the corner, accepted that we'd have at least 10m of factor-2 terrain above some sharp ledges and flakes, and decided that I didn't want to commit to the corner. Knowing that others before me had sent this pitch, climbers I'd long read about and admired, I was feeling pretty low. As Bryan and Scott both also demurred from committing to the runout, we set up our harness for going down rather than up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbakINfqMd5eXqgQfUQFaWD-UdTLMbHfnPykmlipFN4U6zk0dOvqn4fp4JhnywXwk8zga298lB5OSCaFkcipVgVWq7S7dTWtED7N3524v3v6s5J3wfMXQ_YK2200SS6rt37EV3tfPVxFR/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbakINfqMd5eXqgQfUQFaWD-UdTLMbHfnPykmlipFN4U6zk0dOvqn4fp4JhnywXwk8zga298lB5OSCaFkcipVgVWq7S7dTWtED7N3524v3v6s5J3wfMXQ_YK2200SS6rt37EV3tfPVxFR/s640/IMG_0745.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pouting as we prepare to bail</td></tr>
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When the route was freed, the 4 fixed heads above the belay were at most 7 years old. Now they are likely 20 years old and in a natural watercourse, which likely explains why they are all now broken stubs of metal. I'd like to think I can climb 5.11 R, but that day and in those conditions I couldn't. In the end, I think we made the right choice but I will never know if we could have pushed through and sent or not. I'd certainly suggest that the next team bring a few (stainless steel) bolts and hangers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3yKoY0QjZ1JuxrUXHSvCaY8Qt1CEBg2YbiWfzriZq3HtwrGPzBEAyv9uMxzJxmmhcSc8uBTMNulGraUfmQT4D8rGGllyuZ6AcP-zJC2yDd37mS5hY0knidTSWzh4hoYLE-Lim5US1eLI/s1600/IMG_0402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3yKoY0QjZ1JuxrUXHSvCaY8Qt1CEBg2YbiWfzriZq3HtwrGPzBEAyv9uMxzJxmmhcSc8uBTMNulGraUfmQT4D8rGGllyuZ6AcP-zJC2yDd37mS5hY0knidTSWzh4hoYLE-Lim5US1eLI/s640/IMG_0402.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movies in the tent</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnwCcdc-0h9djDQgs8bDRDKJ1E3S6v0cmOuni-_l1BSwzxzI05ec7Dt6-oyoTVYQpP4drKUXAePnHiZM6w9171Q9fCTIK_jiKGBEtrAGLVu8TlnRtE0vI2ul30fs3ZY07hvDfPhaWukm7/s1600/IMG_0680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnwCcdc-0h9djDQgs8bDRDKJ1E3S6v0cmOuni-_l1BSwzxzI05ec7Dt6-oyoTVYQpP4drKUXAePnHiZM6w9171Q9fCTIK_jiKGBEtrAGLVu8TlnRtE0vI2ul30fs3ZY07hvDfPhaWukm7/s640/IMG_0680.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Nalumasortoq</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tl56dsHCC5FfgdjPDSgPR4-vjCSHLMK7Z24L2wxZHy16C_h25ulVoJqynr3XzTH6Pcu-qrCq7jBjO8V_pP_JYGxXHmc7qW03HLGJ8_GL9I-bpJPR99FNVlfEU0n89taNnZ6wQ5sLHvoG/s1600/IMG_0698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tl56dsHCC5FfgdjPDSgPR4-vjCSHLMK7Z24L2wxZHy16C_h25ulVoJqynr3XzTH6Pcu-qrCq7jBjO8V_pP_JYGxXHmc7qW03HLGJ8_GL9I-bpJPR99FNVlfEU0n89taNnZ6wQ5sLHvoG/s640/IMG_0698.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrlXDjFxsKYH-Kl28Q6Bjs4TuY1yb4Ubpxb0vScGtSHWdEVXIhbIPADGZpqYCOW7JGk7c8K-b6x5XwrJEppE-04Vt101s9RX6MbVf0NnPH2uBN3-rWobMqCLKjZ7Dq_Mx9BPE8XgrB3k5/s1600/IMG_0702+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrlXDjFxsKYH-Kl28Q6Bjs4TuY1yb4Ubpxb0vScGtSHWdEVXIhbIPADGZpqYCOW7JGk7c8K-b6x5XwrJEppE-04Vt101s9RX6MbVf0NnPH2uBN3-rWobMqCLKjZ7Dq_Mx9BPE8XgrB3k5/s400/IMG_0702+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More nice weather on our climb day</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht94jeJwPzz2WMsXh9ZQIUKvSSwsHnJp5FGyRqCztAewBl410a7q1_D2njH91UltKoCg7RMgzK4oiAp8lQp-2MBFSA1UYJNQhTXHL-NYcT1FbZ0CrqhgCVaNuwE-G8A0gnJx3vQfRn2G3k/s1600/IMG_0578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht94jeJwPzz2WMsXh9ZQIUKvSSwsHnJp5FGyRqCztAewBl410a7q1_D2njH91UltKoCg7RMgzK4oiAp8lQp-2MBFSA1UYJNQhTXHL-NYcT1FbZ0CrqhgCVaNuwE-G8A0gnJx3vQfRn2G3k/s640/IMG_0578.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-15572344961564397342016-09-22T12:05:00.001-07:002016-09-22T12:05:28.862-07:00Friends Don't Let Friends BelayI've just returned to Washington from a trip to Greenland with friends Scott Bennett and Bryan Gilmore. Among bunch of climbing, fishing, crosswords, bailures, and tent-sitting, one of the biggest revelations from the trip was that <b>multipitch climbing shouldn't typically involve belaying a follower.</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Lead, and clove hitch to the belay. This automatically puts the leader "off belay" and fixes the rope for the follower to begin immediately.</b></li>
<li><b>The follower should then TR-solo the pitch, and not be tied in to the rope.</b></li>
<li><b>Upon reaching the belay, the follower should clip in with a tether or daisy chain, and then simply pull up a few meters of the dangling rope, clip it through a progress capture device which is hung from some part of the anchor, and throw the leader on belay to lead the next pitch. As the the leader moves up, the follower/belayer just pulls up a few meters at a time of rope, which is never all brought up to the belay or stacked.</b></li>
</ul>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-41400825436366815822016-07-22T10:29:00.001-07:002016-07-22T10:31:33.981-07:00Next Step Climbing Clinics in WAIf you are stuck on a plateau in your climbing, want to get faster and lighter on multipitch climbs, hone your crack technique, or prep for some larger alpine goals, I'm offering a series off 100% personalized instructional clinics in September - and I would be able to meet up with you at various climbing areas around Washington for a day or two of specific instruction in whatever area you want to improve!<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Any days September 2nd - 12th</li>
<li>Index, WA Pass, Leavenworth, or any PNW route you want!</li>
<li>Run via Mountain Madness guide service</li>
</ul>
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-72183435060060782092016-07-01T12:42:00.003-07:002019-09-10T21:56:12.853-07:00Liberty Crack - First/Third Free Ascent 1,200' 5.13b<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHkHiijdK-mcMqlXHsSJkEfVRJNejpSJaZB32uejNHudYrgWXgZ2imh3iLGBxCgSSkG5xaNvrHukTQtDQVlbc8BUlc6R2j832r2TAs8Fv6Gczfr1cxXeRpva7WxJBv24hAXOJB3H_wdHI/s1600/P9190279+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHkHiijdK-mcMqlXHsSJkEfVRJNejpSJaZB32uejNHudYrgWXgZ2imh3iLGBxCgSSkG5xaNvrHukTQtDQVlbc8BUlc6R2j832r2TAs8Fv6Gczfr1cxXeRpva7WxJBv24hAXOJB3H_wdHI/s640/P9190279+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donni Reddington - http://www.donnireddington.com/</td></tr>
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Liberty Crack, on the East Face of Liberty Bell, is one of the most famous routes in the pacific northwest. It's an obvious natural line up a proud feature. While researching the history of the route for a guidebook ( <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cascades-Rock-Muiltipitch-Climbs-Grades/dp/0692552413/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467398312&sr=8-1&keywords=cascades+rock" target="_blank">Cascades Rock</a> ) I learned that the crux pitch (a crack climb and by far the hardest lead) had never seen a redpoint ascent, but had been climbed *free* two times in two different ways. My interest was piqued and I set out to try and make a free ascent of the wall. I installed a new belay bolt high on the stance above the Lithuanian Lip, below where the bolt ladder begins. This bolt supplements an older Mammmut bolt (doesn't match any other bolts on route), and a blue alien or equivalent can be placed here as well. This comprises a free climbing belay above the crux.<br />
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The following slab pitch avoids a bolt ladder and is in the .12b/c range, and has 4 protection bolts. It forms an arcing backward "C" shape. It would be possible to clip the first 3 of these bolts and then climb straight up to the anchors atop P3 of Freedom or Death to join that route or even out right into Thin Red Line or Slave to Liberty. There was already one single bolt on this pitch (maybe an abandoned attempt?), but it was actually in an amazingly bad spot. It was removed from the pitch. This pitch features some nice subtle patina crimps and a crucial thumb-press divot that looks like a jam cookie embedded into the wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3URdKYCjeQGuomDzn3ZETR3xQnsLv_8Y88ymWcGLHu7o1gF2KpoKyYf692R0I7mDV57esEFeIjZcLs-UuSWUZfNMfFRZAWjuYoIO2LpxnvzqnlGCTyRUmv-FfQnc2Oj6eQAUP4f4FPFL/s1600/Libety+Crack+Free.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3URdKYCjeQGuomDzn3ZETR3xQnsLv_8Y88ymWcGLHu7o1gF2KpoKyYf692R0I7mDV57esEFeIjZcLs-UuSWUZfNMfFRZAWjuYoIO2LpxnvzqnlGCTyRUmv-FfQnc2Oj6eQAUP4f4FPFL/s640/Libety+Crack+Free.png" width="377" /></a></div>
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After equipping the pitch for freeclimbing, I returned to Liberty Crack with my friend <a href="http://www.brnathan.com/" target="_blank">Nathan Hadley</a> to attempt a free ascent. Despite being new to the area and multipitch routes, Nathan is an impressive granite climber who has already flashed .12a at Index and recently joined me for day in Leavenworth, warming up by onsighting Rainshadow (5.12), the hardest pitch at Castle Rock. He works at the Seattle Bouldering Project and can pull much harder moves than I can. Being fairly new to trad and crack climbing, he would routinely stop mid pitch to ask me which cams were bigger or smaller than other cams, then proceed to fire in the wrong size and send anyway. He proved to be a great partner.<br />
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Nathan and I needed to let the wall go into the shade, and we had ended up climbing the wall on a very warm day. After an 11AM start, we began climbing around noon, and were soon trying the Lithuanian Lip and tips crack (P2). My first couple attempts were pathetic. Unlike Nathan, I was reluctant to whip onto the upside-down piton at the lip of the roof, and I was having a hard time switching gears from delicate stemming to full-on power mode out the roof. We traded lead attempts, and on my 3rd go I pulled the roof and <i>barely</i> missed sticking the first good finger lock out on the face. With a blood-curdling scream and a little profanity, I flew through the air and was soon lowered to the belay, again trading rope ends with Nathan. Nathan tried again, but was again unable to complete the pitch. I think that this particular crux sequence is harder for lanky/taller folks. I racked up for my 4th go of the day (now probably about 3:30PM) with our small selection of gear (along with the 3 pins and a bolt, we were using one green alien in the roof, then one red c3, one green c3, and one small stopper). This time I was really really angry. I hadn't come this close on a pitch and then fallen off in a long time. My patience was worn thin and I was ready to be done. I managed to stick the kneebar and pull out and over the roof on try #4. With Nathan screaming me on, I linked a couple sections of .12- tips crack up to the belay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU10eVKYAhxxbEdeB8mGtLLFS0tQfnsG2GdWp-pimoN5LBXnVNQuiREuh-x0YdTeHxAeKe_PNdhVXnyok-HpXKFZ7LIHTiBXSjgmbxuQm8WeCXWniTEm-c4MdMCA8YBgenmfdiTAQy0Bwk/s1600/IMG_3121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU10eVKYAhxxbEdeB8mGtLLFS0tQfnsG2GdWp-pimoN5LBXnVNQuiREuh-x0YdTeHxAeKe_PNdhVXnyok-HpXKFZ7LIHTiBXSjgmbxuQm8WeCXWniTEm-c4MdMCA8YBgenmfdiTAQy0Bwk/s400/IMG_3121.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hauled our gear and belayed Nathan, who was still just shy of making these moves free. I know he'll be able to get them after some skin recovery and another couple days on the pitch. He gamely said he wanted to continue up the wall swapping leads as we'd planned, and off he went on the slab.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaI3Au3GURfMubEEafxtXmgDFFqvaUdP5c2DpT4gQ5WXqlTxOPKhO88hfDuks8M3dqHQ2lKGtTjaisqlqlnsHE-Sotbj8zxrs88YWijDKUOnbpyfPHMK-tYbx_YT689XoiF370qKmdpTF/s1600/2016-HADLEY-LIBERTY-CRACK-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaI3Au3GURfMubEEafxtXmgDFFqvaUdP5c2DpT4gQ5WXqlTxOPKhO88hfDuks8M3dqHQ2lKGtTjaisqlqlnsHE-Sotbj8zxrs88YWijDKUOnbpyfPHMK-tYbx_YT689XoiF370qKmdpTF/s640/2016-HADLEY-LIBERTY-CRACK-8.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan Hadley photo</td></tr>
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He had a couple slips on the 5.12 slab, which were likely due to simple fatigue, heat, or wanting to move very fast on my account. I came pinging off the wall after the jam-cookie thumpress, but ticked a few more small holds, lowered down, and managed to send the pitch on the 2nd go. Now just the long 5.11c/d pitch remained, but it was around 5pm and some sprinkles of rain began.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1UvWTuKQxD3pB0ZojT-s8kdCSV-VzpZxJUFcRUqhR42hHe_wwr6Q_iuDYuOLyAuuoILLjst4bZ-UUYInKNtybuInwfCjWsT0KbT0wR0ZrBgHkbOZkN48CzQBBHrf5e4bTVuO7uMCMOpq/s1600/2016-HADLEY-LIBERTY-CRACK-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1UvWTuKQxD3pB0ZojT-s8kdCSV-VzpZxJUFcRUqhR42hHe_wwr6Q_iuDYuOLyAuuoILLjst4bZ-UUYInKNtybuInwfCjWsT0KbT0wR0ZrBgHkbOZkN48CzQBBHrf5e4bTVuO7uMCMOpq/s640/2016-HADLEY-LIBERTY-CRACK-10.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan Hadley photo</td></tr>
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I hadn't taken off my shoes before I was racked up to lead. Just above the first fixed copperhead, I could feel myself sweating off the quartz edges and unable to clip a bolt while freeing. I aided up to hang a draw on the pitch's lone bolt, and lowered back down. Now armed with a little more courage but still sweating buckets and fairly exhausted, I started up the pitch. Despite some nervousness I managed to get past the 2 fixed heads and fire in a textbook #3 camalot. Thinking the pitch was over, I relaxed for a few bodylengths until things steepened again, and I found myself with a very real possibility of a big whipper onto a questionable brass wire, arms failing and sweat pouring into my eyes. I tried to get my breathing under control, placed a stopper (of course filling the best lock), and actually downclimbed and upclimbed about 4 times to try and get a decent shakeout. I could not get ANY power back and was feeling properly worried about blowing the whole ascent. In desperation I removed the stopper I'd been trusting for pro, which allowed me better purchase into the crack, and deadpointed with everything I could muster, barely sticking a finger lock near a half-driven angle piton. I again came within a hair of whipping off the pitch near the end, stabbing my cramping arms toward a finger lock while sketched out above a purple C3. The mix of too many layers of clothing, too tight of shoes for too long, and some late day adrenaline surges amidst heat and raindrops, had all turned this pitch into one of the hardest fought battles I'd done in a while.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWKIzXwR46RrJRb66i0JHWOEA4uLaBII6w8ABfEer_Ij-i-1Uf5KrHvTBgdai2XteEBS0MV5mu587LMqj7PiousAZC2DGNM5tVa9SgaZS49xQERz_JI5idueGNm6nZW_om_4b5YkqUhWU/s1600/IMG_3137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWKIzXwR46RrJRb66i0JHWOEA4uLaBII6w8ABfEer_Ij-i-1Uf5KrHvTBgdai2XteEBS0MV5mu587LMqj7PiousAZC2DGNM5tVa9SgaZS49xQERz_JI5idueGNm6nZW_om_4b5YkqUhWU/s400/IMG_3137.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I belayed up Nathan while I caught my breath. It was almost 6pm and we'd have about 7 pitches and many rappels to manage with 3.5 hours of daylight and one headlamp.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvFVLIbkBF_XZrds4VhM6xJhV3R2Qaxe4pMk7qInWErR7Ht2bP6WuEkeFuJjNZYZgdGX5vR2142yTaj9arQJk8t5WSr-1EZTv7U4iuNYuSlzol86P8bamVFRilaFrSlXfiBotNYzAlNqT/s1600/IMG_3143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvFVLIbkBF_XZrds4VhM6xJhV3R2Qaxe4pMk7qInWErR7Ht2bP6WuEkeFuJjNZYZgdGX5vR2142yTaj9arQJk8t5WSr-1EZTv7U4iuNYuSlzol86P8bamVFRilaFrSlXfiBotNYzAlNqT/s400/IMG_3143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Luckily, the route massively kicks back after this point, and despite some rain drops here and there, we topped out at dusk and managed the dark descent ok. Drinking chocolate milk and sharing some Ramen back at the car around midnight, the moon illuminated the east face of Liberty Bell and I never thought that 25 cent noodles had tasted so good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkkw29uumMAIGHOol5fAP0Um17epBbqjLx-aE7sEFTT67ulCoPMe1t29S7P86W5cnypl6zfsdVrK8H9KszfZgkcqLutc9cZk13NJ00DpyEJKFJ0tTKeCQOb4to_ePT90qhzvQJWUN3bXM/s1600/p961116310-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkkw29uumMAIGHOol5fAP0Um17epBbqjLx-aE7sEFTT67ulCoPMe1t29S7P86W5cnypl6zfsdVrK8H9KszfZgkcqLutc9cZk13NJ00DpyEJKFJ0tTKeCQOb4to_ePT90qhzvQJWUN3bXM/s400/p961116310-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy Porter Image</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">A little history:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Brooke Sandahl had sent the route with pre-placed protection on the crux crack pitch, and then freeclimbed where the next pitch bolt ladder ascends, backing up the original bolt hangers with a short bit of fixed line tied to newer anchor boltsd above. Mikey Schaefer had sent the roof/crack pitch with protection in place, and then TRed the erstwhile protectionless slab to the right of the bolt ladder. (<a href="http://web.stanford.edu/~clint/wa/libcrack.gif" target="_blank">this topo is wrong</a>) Both then went on the complete the next long 5.11c/d pitch and the entirety of the route. My only minor improvement in style was to place the protection on the crux pitch. And I did the community service or sacrilege of making the free climbing version of P3 (right of the bolt ladder) leadable with a few protection bolts, as a logical freeclimbing pitch. </span></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">25 years ago, famous Oregon/California climber Brooke Sandahl and a couple friends set out to free the route. They used portaledges 150' up and spent a few days working the route. Brooke was generous enough to provide some photos and an account of their time on the route. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></li>
<li><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yf4fsgASd1lyhcKiaG4mXm2zYy6kmQ-RzjSAQGhRDCmLN3HdsyMSL9PUrpqozZ1eOqYdhgP65XtGTePM68K5iZ24ovC-ySS4QNDyXBtUU_j6g58sEdD0z0umWCYMP7Bp99Zxk62_1C22/s1600/LibertyRoof2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yf4fsgASd1lyhcKiaG4mXm2zYy6kmQ-RzjSAQGhRDCmLN3HdsyMSL9PUrpqozZ1eOqYdhgP65XtGTePM68K5iZ24ovC-ySS4QNDyXBtUU_j6g58sEdD0z0umWCYMP7Bp99Zxk62_1C22/s400/LibertyRoof2+%25282%2529.jpg" width="270" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCigLnkWbhDF9UUUk9GH3uOUdjKkmfvr3_lki5VD1XCy16u3ZTuRbzGEkR8SUHpbyws9x3Gdaxu9SIIuYEHI_NplKRUeITP1aCVy0JpMyPLnewCte96aD1ci48iE95PtzxATTf7hWwKNMS/s1600/LibertyCrack_Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCigLnkWbhDF9UUUk9GH3uOUdjKkmfvr3_lki5VD1XCy16u3ZTuRbzGEkR8SUHpbyws9x3Gdaxu9SIIuYEHI_NplKRUeITP1aCVy0JpMyPLnewCte96aD1ci48iE95PtzxATTf7hWwKNMS/s400/LibertyCrack_Roof.jpg" width="267" /></a></li>
</ul>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Brooke:</b> <i>Y</i></span><i>es, sent the roof with the gear left in place! I graded it 5.13a - and I tend to grade things for someone with no knowledge of the route (ie trying it onsight) who would go up there and figure out the sequences and place the gear on lead. I think if that was done - then 13a is fairly close! Generally I could care less about grades/numbers, I use them only to give people a general indication of around what difficulty they may find. I had done a number of 13a's onsight at that point...but wasn't even close to doing the roof (even) in a day, (took me three days of cleaning, placing the gear, rehearsing and then sending) - regardless its a really cool sequence of moves!</i></div>
<div class="p1">
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Bolt Ladder:<b> </b><i> I followed the old devil horns (1/4" bolts), very closely & just under them on the original aid ladder. They were in very poor shape, some more than halfway pulled out & seriously bent over...so I didn't want to fall on them and pull them all the way out or slam in a bunch of new ones. To me, part of the allure of an alpine route is using the things you find along the way. Those original bolts had a lot of history and character...and they were part of that route, if one pulled while you were climbing...then you'd have to improvise ( way before cheater sticks were common place) to get past it to the next bolt or not. Didn't feel like it was my call to alter this for others. </i></div>
<div class="p1">
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<i>I also didn't think people would be lining up anytime soon too free the route either and my assumption was correct...as I think Mikey is the only one to even get tr linkage. The bolt ladder section is pretty freakin' hard...but totally my kind of climbing, bouldery, on really small crimps..and I did it my first try with the rope on (after totally dialing it the day before). Again, since I went through it first go I felt it to be around 12c. But, its pretty low percentage, easy climbing to fall off of & condition dependent...so may in fact be harder than the roof section itself?? To me personally the roof section felt a bit harder! Again, need more people doing it to really reach a concensus! I was really stoked to get through it first try...as I could see flailing on that thing pretty easily! </i> </div>
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<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><b>Mikey:</b></span><span class="s3"><b> </b></span><i>I quickly free climbed up to the lip and promptly pulled on a few pieces up and over the lip again. I continued on to the bolt by the little stance and had Kate lower me from there. I made sure all of the gear was where I wanted as I went by. A pinkpoint attempt would have to do right now.Back at the lower belay I pulled the rope, gave myself a little inward motivational talk, laced my shoes a little tighter and started upwards. For some reason I had the heebee jeebess inside me, which is something I usually only get when I’ve been trying really hard to redpoint a pitch. At this point my attachment to sending this pitch wasn’t that high so I was surprised to feel this way.As I reached the base of the roof a strong breeze kicked up cooling the stale morning heat. I stuck the entry sequence better than I had previously and was quickly and blindly pinky locking over the roof. A few primal screams, a heal hook and deadpoint to the good lock brought me over the roof. I shook out from the good lock in a state of amazement wondering how the hell I just pulled that off. Kate says I have a knack for pulling shit out of my ass, this may have been one of those times. I finished up the next short tricky sections with less thrutching than expected.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
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<div class="p3">
<i>I chilled out on the stance for a bit trying to decide what to do. I ended up yarding past the original bolts to get to the anchor on top of pitch 2. Kate quickly followed with some good french free technique.I had to figure out what to do about the steep slab section below. There was no way I was going to lead that thing and I really doubted that Brooke Sandahl (who did the FFA) had lead that pitch with the single bolt. </i><b>[He had not]</b><i> He must of done some sort of monkey trick to protect it. I had heard stories of him fixing a line from some anchor and using that for pro but I had always figured that was for the section past the Lithuanian Lip. I have no idea what he did but I don’t know of many people that would lead that pitch in it’s current state. If it were me doing the FFA I would of had a total of 4 bolts protecting the slab. I need to email Brooke and find out more details.I decided I would have to settle for the toprope for the time being if I could even pull that off. After an hour or so of toiling on the pitch yesterday I still had a couple moves I couldn’t do and a move I only pulled off once. As I lowered down with my nose 6 inches away from the rock inspecting every fleck, chip or bump for potential I realized this was going to be really hard. I worked the upper moves on the pitch for almost an hour before I could figure out the 10 foot traverse back to the anchor. This was the move I couldn’t do yesterday so I figured I had it in the bag after lapping the move 3 times in a row. After a short rest I lowered down to give the whole pitch a burn. To my dismay I fell off the lower portion of the slab over and over and over again. I had done this part somewhat casually yesterday but that was in the shade. It was now approaching noon and with high’s in the 80’s things weren’t feeling very sticky. I can’t even count how many times it took me to figure out the moves on the lower bit. Again after 3 straight laps I figured I had it wired. Up at the belay I rested for awhile pondering my chances of sending. I wouldn’t of put 5 bucks on the table saying I’d send next go. But luckily i beat my own odds on my next attempt. It had all the makings of good redpoint (though i was only on TR) , blown sequences, deadpoints to crappy holds, fighting back the urge of the Elvis leg and just barely sketching it out to the belay. I was glad to have that one over. Even though it wasn’t in the best style I’ll take it for what its worth given the lack of info and time I could put into it. The pitch could really use some more bolts if anyone besides the likes of Tommy or Honold are going to go up there and truly redpoint it.</i></div>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-51575636937467859132016-06-16T08:56:00.000-07:002016-06-16T08:56:00.126-07:0010 Non-EssentialsI recently spoke at the Boeing Alpine Club in Seattle, which is a really supportive and enthusiastic group of climbers with a wide range of abilities and experience levels. It was fun to chat with the group, and one of the topics I was thinking about is the variety of items that I don't typically use or carry, but which many people bring along.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Camelback systems - These are heavy, cumbersome, hard to fill (relative to a bottle), hard to pack in/out of a full bag, horrible in the cold where they freeze up, bad amid bushwhacking, and make it hard to know how much of the liquid you've got left or have consumed. I'd only bring one if there's simply a long casual summertime hike into a basecamp area, from which I'd be doing short climbs. (Wind Rivers, Pasayten...)</li>
<li>Quick Links - These get rusted shut and are hard to remove from the bolt that one uses them to bail from. Just bail from a wiregate with a sticky gate. It's far easier and doesn't require you carrying around a special "just in case" gizmo for months or years beforehand.</li>
<li>Rap Rings - See above. When rapping from new cord or webbing, you don't need to leave any metal at all.</li>
<li>1" Webbing - Use ~5mm cord</li>
<li>Nut Tool - For long routes or difficulty backcountry rock climbs at or near my limit, I often wont bring a nut tool. I don't place or fall onto too many small wires amid this kind of climbing, and don't mind having to leave the random piece behind if needed.</li>
<li>Maps - Don't bring a paper map, download a super cheap phone map APP like "Topo Maps" - It lets you download all the maps for the area where you'll be, then you can put your phone in airplane mode, and the internal GPS will show you just where you are on the map.</li>
<li>Water Pumping Gizmos - Drink from small feeder streams or tributary sources that are running from snow patches or terrain not crossed by popular trails. You'll be fine.</li>
<li>Dishes (on serious multiday climbs) - Just eat a freeze dried meal from a durable pouch on day1, and then use the bottom half of that bag/pouch for future meals.</li>
<li>Knife - It's easy to cut webbing or cord with an ice axe, lighter, cam lobe, or small rock. Just hold the piece taut and hack away.</li>
<li>Pack Frame - Use your foam or inflatable pad and fold it into the frame sleeze.</li>
<li>Hexes, Medium-Large Tricams, Cordelletes, Padded gear slings, Large Lockers, Snowshoes, Gaiters - Nerd Alert!</li>
</ul>
-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-49039627765872147582016-04-20T16:34:00.000-07:002016-04-20T16:34:07.640-07:00Cascades FilmOver the past 2 months I've done about 12 slideshow events around the PNW related to the release of my new guidebook to the multipitch and alpine climbing in the Cascades. It has been great to see friends and meet new climbers everywhere from Bellingham to Beaverton and Spokane to Vancouver, BC. If you're interested in buying this book, <a href="http://cascadesrock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">you can get it here</a>. At these events I've given a slideshow and then shown a film about climbing in the Stuart Range.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0En9ysKuoFY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The subject of the film was a 24 hour alpine rock climbing marathon conceived by myself and Jens Holsten several years ago, when we realized that our 3 favorite area routes were all amazing new freeclimbs, all with roughly the same grade, and all on different mountains near our home. It would become our motivator to try and complete ascents of each of these peaks and routes in a single day from the car. The 20 miles of hiking and the necessary transitions and rappels meant that we'd have to do each route in under 4 hours. This wasn't something we were very confident in being able to do. A couple days before we set out to try it, we sat down for a beer at the brewery with local ski/bike/paddle <a href="http://www.icicle.tv/" target="_blank">photo and video guru Shane Wilder</a>. Shane was moderately interested in the idea of a climbing film, but knew we'd need a lot of help. And as much as Jens and I though it would be rad to make a video, we weren't going shift the focus away from our climbing challenge by taking time or added weight required to film and pose down on our attempt, or go back and re-create stuff later. Fortunately, good friends Max Hasson and Shaun Johnson agreed to go film. Those guys did all the technical shots, achieved by climbing easier routes up the first and third mountains and fixing ropes from the summits toward where Jens and I climbed. The footage of the middle peak (Dragontail) came from distant shots that Shane managed from the trail, and our small point-and-shoot. (Dragons of Eden has spacious belay ledges). Without Shaun, Max, and Shane, this movie wouldn't have happened. It's the only film I know of that shows climbing in the Cascades. As these areas grow in popularity, let's all strive to keep them as clean and pristine as ever.-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-91677191558066703682016-01-27T18:29:00.003-08:002019-01-26T14:04:42.224-08:00Back to Chulilla, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Chorreras' zone, with 'Masters' zone behind.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I went to Spain for some amazing sport climbing over the holidays, and climbed the entire time (maybe 18 climbing days?) at the gorges around the small town of Chulilla, roughly 40 minutes inland (west) from Valencia on Spain's Mediterranean coast. </span><br />
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Single-pitch climbing doesn't get much more fun, and Chulilla has a great lineup of classics. Most of the really world-class climbing is in the 7c-8b range (Basically mid 5.12 to hard 5.13). If you can climb .12- you'll have a good time, but there's not a lot of great (or uncrowded) climbing easier than that. I spent most of my time trying to onsight or flash routes. Mostly I failed at that, but did manage to do quite a few routes 2nd or 3rd go! Highlights were onsighting a 40+ meter super-soft vacationy 8a (even hanging the draws like a true vacationer), and sending an 8a+ on 3rd go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3_wBaiSvfF8DqkWh5uk-qbSZTBIsNyIDqsGgod-WZ39GO3qg0YK66WmqRuQaRrh1IQdzEBGbsM6aDkTCI7zMc_XqfUi0wslDSmQaOrPzlnfmLntQfCNC_zeAXh0ff4VmB8YRqoZsD4xv/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3_wBaiSvfF8DqkWh5uk-qbSZTBIsNyIDqsGgod-WZ39GO3qg0YK66WmqRuQaRrh1IQdzEBGbsM6aDkTCI7zMc_XqfUi0wslDSmQaOrPzlnfmLntQfCNC_zeAXh0ff4VmB8YRqoZsD4xv/s400/IMG_3040.JPG" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scopin' Lines</td></tr>
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Here are a list of 5-star classics that I'd suggest for anyone visiting the area. Each of these pitches is truly fantastic.<br />
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Front Side (AKA Pared Enfrente wall, AKA the wall that faces the town) - We could see this wall form our balcony.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTIUdkZyevx4QGLx7QaQ1fW_SqZZzR7719Oh_oOVT9Qx7jdcx-iiMy14DwGwB2WgLZ-dDiFnh67pQZ3oYgw74eeLivDFlFw9qwzRCQpPBs-mg-6TXLMwHtHGwvaYloq1QbTiIzcEBgmm5/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTIUdkZyevx4QGLx7QaQ1fW_SqZZzR7719Oh_oOVT9Qx7jdcx-iiMy14DwGwB2WgLZ-dDiFnh67pQZ3oYgw74eeLivDFlFw9qwzRCQpPBs-mg-6TXLMwHtHGwvaYloq1QbTiIzcEBgmm5/s200/IMG_3007.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allison and I. We need a selfie stick.</td></tr>
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<b>Conflicto Territorial </b>- 7a+/.12a Excellent technical stemming and pockets in a long warmup with a high crux.<br />
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<b>Los Franceses</b> - 7b+/.12 A double or triple-roofed corner with some crack climbing, leading up to 10-15m of overhanging tufa pinches and pockets.<br />
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<b>Ramallar</b> - 7c/.12+ A 40+ meter marathon! Amazing technical overhanging face climbing for 20m to a kneebar tufa, then 20m of tufas and pockets out a final bulge. A contrived direct finish variation is a bit harder. Skip the first few draws to make belaying easier.<br />
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<b>Remanso de Las Mulas -</b> 7c+/.13a Thin face climbing and commiting crimps lead into sustained tufa pinching and a hero finish.<br />
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<b>Las Clochas de Targa -</b> 8a+/5.13 Pumpy and sequential climbing for 25m (with a few rests) leads to an OK shakeout before suddenly confronting a relative slab crux, where barely-overhaning stone is dotted with too many tiny, upside-down holds. This is one is all about keeping it together as you probably wont be clipping the final bolt if you send via some tenuous trickery.<br />
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<b>Entre Dos Caminos - </b>8a/5.13-<b> </b>Stellar twin tufa climbing to a rest, to some technical and blind cruxy climbing 10-20m up, to a rest. The final half of this route is immaculate and just hard enough to keep your attention, as folks were blowing the redpoint on the final few moves.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzgKj8w_8U75ESAub4ahRMlwZ8bo-WGgCssAmlk8YMQU0AxdXveolRF9IJa0VWwKWCcAb1-4tkc5UIMAfrWgy5H-kuC8RqfuVeIc_lsnDhebdPXBnMzSRLD02eQcZnFGpN2yy7g2JU_ZA/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzgKj8w_8U75ESAub4ahRMlwZ8bo-WGgCssAmlk8YMQU0AxdXveolRF9IJa0VWwKWCcAb1-4tkc5UIMAfrWgy5H-kuC8RqfuVeIc_lsnDhebdPXBnMzSRLD02eQcZnFGpN2yy7g2JU_ZA/s400/IMG_3062.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My friend Moritz and I went "Dawn Walling" -<br />
(rope trickery and bandalooping to reach the belay ledge)</td></tr>
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Back Side (AKA the mile-long shady wall that holds every "sector" from Pared Blanca to Masters)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHfkMgGNPJKekvcyk8azFKtJhw72u6bpXmiXweJTUGgVkdXiUd7GSCphd1iblqSxfTuYfeaQEnbu8ONw197F1BDWggkqmjjQz9Myvf1Ali8c_v3HLorQ2USQZ-F5QD6_9FvE2r856IbDE/s1600/IMG_3048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHfkMgGNPJKekvcyk8azFKtJhw72u6bpXmiXweJTUGgVkdXiUd7GSCphd1iblqSxfTuYfeaQEnbu8ONw197F1BDWggkqmjjQz9Myvf1Ali8c_v3HLorQ2USQZ-F5QD6_9FvE2r856IbDE/s400/IMG_3048.JPG" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">There are about 100 amazing routes in the image. Note ropes hanging 50'+ out from wall.</td></tr>
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<b>Plan Z </b>- 7a/.11+ Excellent barely-overhanging technical face climbing.<br />
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<b>Danos Colaterales </b> - 7b+/.12 This one is 25' of thin, granite-ish techery, then an amazing long stretch of overhanging pockets and pinches, with a final crux gunning for the jug under the anchors as the holds get worse and worse.<br />
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<b>Barrieros</b> - 7c/.12+ The top route at the newly-developed Masters zone, on the far right (west) end of the gorge. This climb is world class, ascending dripping tufa flows past numerous roof and bulge features.<br />
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<b>Super Cantina Marina</b> - 8a/.13- An unforgettable marathon (43m?) combining technical tufa stemming, voodoo crimping, and steep flakes.<br />
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<b>Nibelungalos</b> - 7c/.12 Gently overhanging 30m of dripping pinches, pockets, small flakes, and some major committing movies with the chance for enormous airtime. Hardest moves are low down, but everyone was falling up high.<br />
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<b> El Diablo Viste de Prana </b> - 7c+/.13- Several cruxes include numerous places where you've got to fight or fly. There are some small/sharp pockets and a bit of real crimping on this one.<br />
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<b>Planeta Namek </b>- 8a/.13a This one is somewhat unusual for Chulilla in that it's got a definite stand-out crux down low (V5?). A couple of the higher moves were reminiscent of granite no-hands standups.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzB4hqvu3SfErSypVt-ohbHMdAta3pdsIcQNj9A0BuNXYBm_bl7JfbM7qzhZQS1UL9BbTZODOXSuIPv6A7bQROHX9iWfXeweKUGQ9UoK8ELhuVUrp3SdHRMV3nixHbWfIrtKWDD31yWu_/s1600/IMG_3030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzB4hqvu3SfErSypVt-ohbHMdAta3pdsIcQNj9A0BuNXYBm_bl7JfbM7qzhZQS1UL9BbTZODOXSuIPv6A7bQROHX9iWfXeweKUGQ9UoK8ELhuVUrp3SdHRMV3nixHbWfIrtKWDD31yWu_/s400/IMG_3030.JPG" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steepness is evident. Climber on Tequila.</td></tr>
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<b>Tequila Sunrise </b> - 7c+/.13a This is the easiest line (but an amazing one) on the overhanging Balconcito Wall. Crux climbing is down low, and learning the left-knee kneebar is crucial. Really fun single steep tufa to begin. Tie knots in the ends (or have the belayer tie in) even with an 80m.You've got to have a second rope handy to throw out to the lowering-off climber so you can reel them back in to the belay ledge.<br />
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<b>El Bufa </b> - 8a/.13b A powerful boulder problem off the get-go leads to a nice tufa-chair rest. The upper 35m is a marathon of minor cruxes, culminating in a committing compression boulder problem. Tie knots in the ends (or have the belayer tie in) even with an 80m.You've got to have a second rope handy to throw out to the lowering-off climber so you can reel them back in to the belay ledge.<br />
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<b>Montana Magica </b> - 8b/.13+ Basically a parallel and harder version of El Bufa, with sustained long reaches on crimpy .12/12+ headwall climbing up high. Tie knots in the ends (or have the belayer tie in) even with an 80m.You've got to have a second rope handy to throw out to the lowering-off climber so you can reel them back in to the belay ledge.<br />
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<b>Los Veteranos</b> - 8a/.13b This is a steep route by Chulilla standards, tackling a series of powerful roofs and bulges. Really gymnastic and powerful climbing! If using the tree just before the anchor isn't allowed, I guess I'm a Washington climber and couldn't help myself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPFVG-3iifFgVvyYWXcWi4VByABvXt_sivhB5XMCrvFeozLbtJOW1pctlSNcCQj5GAQ8X22x8RoOfbo_4pP52F2CVlGOvnGmddx4hiQjz_Z3V2VFGHXA7E_C-cFtP7zE12ITDplLkRJuC/s1600/IMG_3051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPFVG-3iifFgVvyYWXcWi4VByABvXt_sivhB5XMCrvFeozLbtJOW1pctlSNcCQj5GAQ8X22x8RoOfbo_4pP52F2CVlGOvnGmddx4hiQjz_Z3V2VFGHXA7E_C-cFtP7zE12ITDplLkRJuC/s400/IMG_3051.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself exploding a foothold off Veteranos</td></tr>
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<b>Agente Naranja - </b>8a/.13b One of the proudest and most varied lines in Chulilla. 40m of everything, including a steep boulder start, techy face moves, stemming, and a wild arete up high. The final bolt is REALLY hard to clip without a long draw.<br />
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<b>Super Zeb</b> - 7c/.11+ This route is an excellent stemming and face climbing pitch right above the trail. And although it's 40m and never truly easy, I think it demonstrates the differences in style/familiarity for different climbers. It's a stemming feature and I swear it'd be .11+ at Index or Trout Creek (it gets .12+ in local grades). There aren't always handholds.<br />
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<b>Altos, Guapos, y Fuertes</b> - 8a/.13- This thing is powerful and bouldery down low, but doesn't much relent. You'll have to fight for any rests and keep it together on all 40m. One of the best in Chulilla.<br />
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<b>Siempre Se Puede Hacer Menos - </b>8a/.13- I only climbed to anchor #1, there is an anchor #2 and a anchor #3. The whole thing is 64m and 5.14c. I was worked after managing the numerous cruxes and style switches on the 40m first pitch. Excellent, varnished stone and cartoonish tufa daggers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKelfOzQT3P17_YLU14j3H4Uxq9QKOvSetpAiSeiSMkZ9K98eqNWzUinE49emXfqu92nDPDiOxRemgC206RtLlLiwyyxz_gaQgDR5WGyZi_gsLxtIF19f1BhTZKkGSVs225Uwr0VSVsYid/s1600/IMG_3056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKelfOzQT3P17_YLU14j3H4Uxq9QKOvSetpAiSeiSMkZ9K98eqNWzUinE49emXfqu92nDPDiOxRemgC206RtLlLiwyyxz_gaQgDR5WGyZi_gsLxtIF19f1BhTZKkGSVs225Uwr0VSVsYid/s400/IMG_3056.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High up on the Balcon sector, east end of the far gorge. Camera is tilted to make it appear slabby.</td></tr>
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-20479764045987801712015-12-01T18:34:00.000-08:002015-12-03T07:54:02.033-08:00Cascades Rock : A New Guidebook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qriWheLniB5fyxpnhH9Eka3hBKKPlQtazvaxLQ9lp0ec7czVJ6C9XsUo6ijz7PPTBl7TuPZokNRyEQ8SLPyWnveErCNhF6DsZGStNwB6iezIT2xxfmjqdS9MdfKi4k2VDBIZAwYTUaIH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-01+at+6.43.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qriWheLniB5fyxpnhH9Eka3hBKKPlQtazvaxLQ9lp0ec7czVJ6C9XsUo6ijz7PPTBl7TuPZokNRyEQ8SLPyWnveErCNhF6DsZGStNwB6iezIT2xxfmjqdS9MdfKi4k2VDBIZAwYTUaIH/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-12-01+at+6.43.13+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://cascadesrock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I wrote a book!</a> It's been about 3 years in the making and is the product of thousands of hours of writing, editing, design work, and begging friends and climbers partners for beta-revision and to use their photos. I hesitate to use the term "select guide" because my goal was to include EVERY worthwhile alpine and alpine-ish (Snow Creek Wall, Darrington, etc) multipitch climb. I wanted all good routes of<br />
<br />
All Grades<br />
All Ages<br />
Known Classics<br />
New Obscurities<br />
Across WA and southern BC<br />
<br />
The finished product is 272 full color pages, 160 routes, dozens of topos that exist nowhere else, and interviews or contributions from well-known climbers and photographers.<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=Y95C3KRGSmb4rtM0TT4BMEyNzL4BH1c1bgGSH6Cx4L0OIZFupGR_F0D202G&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b081984719ecfa9a8ffe80733a1a700ced90ae" target="_blank">PAYPAL LINK TO PRE ORDER</a><br />
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<b>Bad news:</b> The books arrive for distribution in late January.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<b>Good News: </b> Everyone who orders before Christmas will receive a confirmation with the cover image, and an additional 4 pages of expanded descriptions, photos, and exclusive detailed topos for two routes that do not have illustrated topos in the book itself. (Serpentine Crack on Liberty Bell, and Davis-Holland to Lovin' Arms on Index's Upper Town Wall). This bonus is a way to thank anyone for pre-ordering the book, and will ensure that if you're buying Cascades Rock as a holiday gift, you'll have something tangible to put under the tree or in a stocking to keep climbers psyched until the new year!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://cascadesrock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Check out the website</a><br />
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-14944286206993937522015-11-18T17:10:00.000-08:002015-11-18T17:10:02.504-08:00The Best Small Cams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://totem.totemmt.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Basic-home-resized.jpg?5b9b37" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://totem.totemmt.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Basic-home-resized.jpg?5b9b37" height="186" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't write much about gear. Overall there is a huge amount of good or great outdoor gear for whatever you want to do, be it fly fishing or ice climbing or rock cragging. Even the low-end stuff of today is probably better than the high-end stuff from 15 years ago. But one type of gear that DEFINITELY makes a difference is cams.<br />
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About 80% of climbers (and about 100% of climbers whose opinions should be trusted) prefer BD Camalots for cams thin-hand size and up. (#.75-#4) But in the smaller sizes, where placements get trickery, more finnicky, harder to inspect, easier to blow, and generally weaker, there isn't very much consensus. I learned to climb on a mix of cams, and still prefer a mix, but my favorite model is the <a href="http://www.rockandsnow.com/58058/Totem-Basic-Cam/" target="_blank">Totem Basic Cam</a>.<br />
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The Totem Basic is essentially a CCH Alien without all those pesky flaws (made in a garage by drunk Wyoming rednecks, tendency to explode under bodyweight...). The Spanish gurus at Totem took everything good about the Alien design (flexible, durable, works on 2-lobes for bodyweight, somehow alway seems bomber) and made them better by swapping in:<br />
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<li>An actual UIAA/CE certified manufacturing process where they don't forget to weld or braze the pieces together, and there is testing.</li>
<li>The trigger wires are different and better than the old CCH version</li>
<li>The Trigger is shaped and colored to match the cam, as are the lobes</li>
<li>And the new BLUE ALIEN (AKA Blue Basic Cam) is much narrower than the old CCH, which was actually wider (even though it only worked in thinner cracks) than the old next size up, the green.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.outdoorgearlab.com/photos/11/38/235292_19905_XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.outdoorgearlab.com/photos/11/38/235292_19905_XL.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old CCH alien (right) was really wide, yet only fit into thin cracks. That was fixed with putting spring inside the lobes, and making the end-caps slimmer.</td></tr>
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Another Spanish company, FIXE, also is making similar models. They actually bought the rights to legally call their cams Aliens. But despite making good bolts and hardware, their FIXE Aliens are atrocious, with lots of pretty obvious problems.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mountainproject.com/images/45/10/111254510_medium_28aed7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.mountainproject.com/images/45/10/111254510_medium_28aed7.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This (FIXE model)is NOT the alien you're looking for...</td></tr>
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I've bought a full set of the Totem Basics online from <a href="http://www.rockandsnow.com/58058/Totem-Basic-Cam/" target="_blank">Rock&Snow</a>, a shop in New York which shipped free across the USA and charged no sales tax. They often have 20% off sales. Backcountry.com stocks totem basics and has these sales often as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/images/53/85/108365385_medium_2294d6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mountainproject.com/images/53/85/108365385_medium_2294d6.jpg" height="130" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totem Basic and BD C3. BD is narrower, Totem is more flexible. They contrast nicely.</td></tr>
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I think the perfect small-cam rack is a set of BD C3 cams from purple to Yellow (they are stiff, really narrow, and a good contrast to the Totems), a set of Totem Basics from Blue to Red, a a couple of the offset Totem Basics (blue/green, green/yellow).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/images/62/56/108156256_medium_11545d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mountainproject.com/images/62/56/108156256_medium_11545d.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totem Basics (green is shown) are slightly narrower, and more flexible/durable than the BD X4 cams.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://www.thealpinestart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_2973-edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thealpinestart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_2973-edited.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This (Fixe model) is NOT the Alien you're looking for. These breakage happened one day1 with mine and many others.</td></tr>
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-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-79506725709410125112015-09-28T13:49:00.000-07:002015-10-10T10:46:15.743-07:00Supercave Wall Free RouteOver the course of 3 days this summer, my friend Max Tepfer and I freed the original 1969 route on the Supercave Wall near Washington Pass, just east of Liberty Bell. I had previously sent what would become P4 of this route at ~.12b, and thought it would all be easy below that. However, at a leftward traverse which had been done at A4 via upward-driven knifeblade pitons, we were stymied and unable to send. With cooler temps and some clouds in the sky, we freed this section at 5.12- and it involves a horizontal slab dyno to a fishbowl hueco. Not your normal granite slabbery.<br />
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This route was put up by some true PNW hardmen who climbed it with about 1.5 billion pitons (some of which we removed) and 1 bolt. We added 3 protection bolts (these sections had been done at A3 or A4 on pitons) with the permission of Jim Langdon of the FA.<br />
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The route is definitely a modern classic and features flawless stone and some amazing pitches. Here are a few photos and a topo:<br />
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4991689424858192455.post-25337328188556917602015-05-13T10:10:00.001-07:002015-05-13T10:11:30.994-07:00Rock & Ice ClassicsIn the past few months I've gotten out and climbed on a few trips to classic areas that were new to me: Yosemite and the Canadian Rockies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Tirrell working the line</td></tr>
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Before those trips I managed the FA of a really fun thin face/bouldering pitch at Trout Creek on the day thatthe wall closed for the seasonal eagle nest intermission. I love crosswords, and crossword-puzzle-builders love the word "Aerie" - which is an eagle nest. The route was named "aerie interlude" in deference to my crossword obsession and the much more famous "Airy Interlude" in the Needles of California. It goes at .12d or so (V5 to a V6/V7) and protects with very thin but bomber cams and wires. Again, no bolts have been used or needed on any route at Trout Creek. Trout opens back up for climbing in a few days (May 15) and I definitely suggest this climb, even just as a great end of the day TR after climbing Gateway or one of the 5.10 routes over to the left.<br />
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Jens Holsten and I took a trip to the Canadian Rockies to climb some long classic waterfall ice routes, and we were graciously hosted by our friend Steven Swenson who fit us into his schedule of guests and itinerant dirtbags who overwhelm his condo in Canmore Alberta.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jens gets us going on Carlsberg Column near Field, BC</td></tr>
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We were both amazed by the scale, beauty, and access of the peaks in the Rockies. The ice was fat and blue. Screws actually would hold a fall. This was not Washington slush ice. The first day in the area Jens and I climbed Carlsberg Column in the Field, B.C. area, and then we stopped by Lake Louise and strolled past the amazingly ornate lodge, walked past kids skating and playing hockey, and found ourselves under Lake Louise Falls, which we climbed as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The view from one end of Lake Louise</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBEcPwGnrnQ0cLgvZspBXv7PIZ5SmdTBeu-cmQbSC96rBG9ksaxutGICTa6r0H4VAE79PBo1e4NZzUaWwh6qkfXQR2DZs_e4typm8cOtd7ZZqLCAEFoVJbcCP9szG4fwM7z8vA2zPvMiv/s1600/IMG_2527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBEcPwGnrnQ0cLgvZspBXv7PIZ5SmdTBeu-cmQbSC96rBG9ksaxutGICTa6r0H4VAE79PBo1e4NZzUaWwh6qkfXQR2DZs_e4typm8cOtd7ZZqLCAEFoVJbcCP9szG4fwM7z8vA2zPvMiv/s400/IMG_2527.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The other end of Lake Louise</td></tr>
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The second day we drove up to the Icefields Parkway and began to climb the Weeping Wall, but realized that there was a reason we had the place to ourselves - the ice was turning white and getting sun baked. After reserving a spot at the Rampart Creek Hostel, we backtracked to the trailhead for Murchison Falls, and climbed a route just left of Murchison, a stunning and scenic WI5 called "My Daddy's a Psycho". By "we climbed" I really mean "Jens climbed" -- I basically lead the easier (WI3 and WI4) pitches, while Jens took the WI5 pitches.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjIUnoDdS9ye9qETxkRoKgS9y0DpkapQ1heU6SuYswkoWOOgqaH_P7yH6QmqcHCoFBx_5i5QrwwhyifUFUI8YFgyehjetbByLc4eGiuZQRQdTrUmLeIoe4fbn-ZVtwDfDWN18F29o-DR3/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjIUnoDdS9ye9qETxkRoKgS9y0DpkapQ1heU6SuYswkoWOOgqaH_P7yH6QmqcHCoFBx_5i5QrwwhyifUFUI8YFgyehjetbByLc4eGiuZQRQdTrUmLeIoe4fbn-ZVtwDfDWN18F29o-DR3/s400/IMG_2537.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Jens on a WI5 pitch of a Murchison Falls variation</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_n-jGe4Rqvz50dHDPL3_utJ7I7B-x8n3E80rS5lbPHShJdiUi2Iems-VV-J5Qh99bfs1GZBe4WDfXrN78SXgi5KW79JuLzTqF0vMsqTVk8jdq6kNi4IbUoiQZmIVfBeoBtrArqRIJpf6/s1600/IMG_2535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_n-jGe4Rqvz50dHDPL3_utJ7I7B-x8n3E80rS5lbPHShJdiUi2Iems-VV-J5Qh99bfs1GZBe4WDfXrN78SXgi5KW79JuLzTqF0vMsqTVk8jdq6kNi4IbUoiQZmIVfBeoBtrArqRIJpf6/s400/IMG_2535.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Murchison falls is 1-2 miles above the road in a beautiful setting</td></tr>
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After a sleepless night in the noisy and sauna-like atmosphere of the hostel bunk room, we got up early and climbed the amazing Polar Circus route, a long and ever-steepening series of frozen waterfalls that is among the most famous ice climbs in the world. After driving back to Canmore and resting for a day, Jens and I were joined by Ian Yurdin of Bend, and our guide/rally car driver Steve Swenson for a trip into the fabled Ghost Valley on the eastern front range in Alberta. Steve's Subaru Outback made it pretty far, despite falling snow, large drifts, semi-frozen river crossings, and 3 terrified passengers. I realized that I had forgotten my crampons, but Steve realized that he had climbed our intended route 3 times already this year, and was happy to let Ian join Jens and I on the climb. We completed a very cold and snowy ascent of The Sorcerer, complete with frozen eyelashes and eyelids on the final steep headwall pitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUvOhNBsF4yDnOI9G4M85zcTR5Tet2ArUKJotegAPWT9GauTZNyDgrFzqgE6gLkadPb9DdiOZZuxH5HhFO8wXMvcbaPa4D322cU0kYD4W6UgMKGzV-7tWK_EWIL5qSeyYoPbSbITIb-Ai/s1600/IMG_2552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUvOhNBsF4yDnOI9G4M85zcTR5Tet2ArUKJotegAPWT9GauTZNyDgrFzqgE6gLkadPb9DdiOZZuxH5HhFO8wXMvcbaPa4D322cU0kYD4W6UgMKGzV-7tWK_EWIL5qSeyYoPbSbITIb-Ai/s400/IMG_2552.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GpDRojrekSEe8GY4SrPWnukEQBUo8zvPNZ7gq2wspT7XiKp0_a6ng_icV41bX_wgXtXGE6YXKCxjlZ74dK73ZR7OHD4Y5xoIBLFEf7u6RwC9DgnoXjZ1PZ1YyQlce-sr8dlCwyO2Nl-y/s1600/IMG_2686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GpDRojrekSEe8GY4SrPWnukEQBUo8zvPNZ7gq2wspT7XiKp0_a6ng_icV41bX_wgXtXGE6YXKCxjlZ74dK73ZR7OHD4Y5xoIBLFEf7u6RwC9DgnoXjZ1PZ1YyQlce-sr8dlCwyO2Nl-y/s400/IMG_2686.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I heard they designed that rock based on the North Face logo...</td></tr>
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Later this spring, I final made a trip to Yosemite where I had the amazing opportunity to climb the Zodiac Wall on El Capitan with Dan Nordstrom who owns Outdoor Research, and with Maria Hines, who owns 3 of the premiere restaurants in Seattle, not to mention being a champion of the Iron Chef TV show. I was mostly along for the ride as a dabbler in all types of climbing, but I learned a lot about hauling, portaledge camping, dawn-walling, harness-sleeping, and aid sketchery. The most memorable event was catching Dan's near-factor-2 fall midway up the route, as his GriGri and 1 jumar were knocked off his harness and free-fell over 1,000' to the deck. The Zodiac Wall is steep, and water falling off the final pitch lands dozens of feet out from the base of El Cap on its steep right side. After a couple days of resting/cragging/bouldering I teamed up with new friend Ricardo Varga, a Mexican sport climber from Portrero Chico, who was just learning to trad climb. We rallied up the classic Astroman, despite getting jammed up behind (5!) teams on a wednesday, including a Euro party engaging in classic Euro shenanigans such as laybacking all the cracks, yarding up a haul bag, and falling out of the Harding Slot and spending hours dangling in space under the gaping maw. I got to lead the whole route apart from an approach pitch, and felt good about on-sighting the famous climb and my first real Yosemite experience. 5.9 is physical, hard, and calorie-intensive in Yosemite!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwHsAc87Wynz4FhJtrM0DDbmqsyO8ECwrQemThQqu6pKiWEYWGh0_tVKANNi0JFuzMhUX4AO_ayXjxHiEsMr3-eIVFLX8IvJ_NOtnvy-rklFbFNlXRTwNhrPP8GBAmmON98-LaC2qNirm/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwHsAc87Wynz4FhJtrM0DDbmqsyO8ECwrQemThQqu6pKiWEYWGh0_tVKANNi0JFuzMhUX4AO_ayXjxHiEsMr3-eIVFLX8IvJ_NOtnvy-rklFbFNlXRTwNhrPP8GBAmmON98-LaC2qNirm/s400/IMG_2654.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ricardo follows the Enduro Corner on Astroman</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w99AIpiOgQkONAVIC1rhLFCEgOVbjM0VYlQfTClsx3UbZWID-ZZApY61N4GvM7YMxVt43uHZgYR4Nk6CvUm0JrLNlUnfu7D816WB-H2pg2G7hk1WXW_KFC4Ssk3HdT3ic0B2czaoSvWy/s1600/IMG_2705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w99AIpiOgQkONAVIC1rhLFCEgOVbjM0VYlQfTClsx3UbZWID-ZZApY61N4GvM7YMxVt43uHZgYR4Nk6CvUm0JrLNlUnfu7D816WB-H2pg2G7hk1WXW_KFC4Ssk3HdT3ic0B2czaoSvWy/s400/IMG_2705.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ricardo on the Changing Corners pitch</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsgZ0ohLu2gq6M1KLWaUUimfDccrWtWpltLpZduCiFwvDeoAM_UbixeXj6XVp9lEAloUUxaG_6UGhghWoOQhgGV51W8LwDkf6PpqrofKJ285p91GY4oMaxoHj8vU0eb0eBaGD_nF13mQ/s1600/IMG_2677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsgZ0ohLu2gq6M1KLWaUUimfDccrWtWpltLpZduCiFwvDeoAM_UbixeXj6XVp9lEAloUUxaG_6UGhghWoOQhgGV51W8LwDkf6PpqrofKJ285p91GY4oMaxoHj8vU0eb0eBaGD_nF13mQ/s400/IMG_2677.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Slotting myself into the belly of the beast, and executing the 180-degree turn. Index flares have taught me well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeIkHP1fRfMfnFbmnXfMBwwcIXEijAcIzeCdqhonLnKLpn6Bqz0ab2Ncrf7SEvBmal8EV6sDvxDZUL1UqnSMxxSkGGwnJUYeOh-_x-YCCvdEQhg-NwasVM6KrI-HlYitA6XDWhXH3lQHk/s1600/IMG_2666-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeIkHP1fRfMfnFbmnXfMBwwcIXEijAcIzeCdqhonLnKLpn6Bqz0ab2Ncrf7SEvBmal8EV6sDvxDZUL1UqnSMxxSkGGwnJUYeOh-_x-YCCvdEQhg-NwasVM6KrI-HlYitA6XDWhXH3lQHk/s400/IMG_2666-001.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Laybacking under the Harding Slot</td></tr>
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<br />-http://www.blogger.com/profile/15623921487703130941noreply@blogger.com0