willstrickland

Eldorado Canyon

The day after a soaker summer thunderstorm or early season snowstorm rolls in, pack the packs and head for your closest super-classic trad climb. Once the rain/snow abates, get on the route and collect the booty. This works especially well on the longer easy Valley climbs. Four cams, eight nuts, and 15 biners in 12 pitches on Manure Pile one day.

That's a good point Maurice, I guess I view it from a standpoint of who am I likely to have things in common with, might actually climb with, burn one with etc. I come from a position of not generally needing or wanting the opinions of the shop personell. Helpful stuff for me tends to run along the lines of turning me on to the lesser known areas, beta on what ice is in, etc. It certainly is a different scenario when you're going in to BS and maybe pick up a few things you already know you need compared to a newbie looking for solid advice. The poster did ask about which shops are helpful with advice etc, so I think your point is well taken. Although I must say, REI is typically at the other end of the spectrum, people jumping on you to dispense their sage wisdom I prefer to relax and wait for the dirtbags/stoners to get a free minute than to fight off the REI gapers.

quote: Originally posted by bobinc: It's amazing how many routes they put up! Its also amazing how many bolts are on that thing (P of D). 14 bolts per pitch or something. Were they hand drilling those?

Can't argue with you there Rob, I don't do the ski-mtneering thing so I was talking strictly about the rock/ice thing. If you go to US Outdoor, and want a non-gumby to help ask for Gavin, he's done some "real" wall stuff in Zion and Yos. They are much more of a snowboard/overpriced outdoor-wear store than a climbing shop though.

Never seen their guide, that sounds pretty funny though...who was the publisher, when was the last press run, etc? I've seen mention of three separate guides to RR (that's 3 different authors, not counting the Swain "select" in these) Anyone know about the third one?

quote: Originally posted by Dru: in red rocks, get ahold of the urioste guide if planning to do long routes, it is a good supplement to the swain book, especially for areas like windy peak, although out of date, it has better pictures and approach beta. And, the Urisotes put up alot of those routes in the first place, so the info as far as crack sizes, etc should be on the money.

quote: Originally posted by b-rock: Mountain Shop on NE Broadway blows chunks. My feelings as well, but I just want to clarify for the original poster, the Mountain Shop on NE Broadway is actually named "The Mountain Shop", this is not to be confused with the US Outdoor Store, which I mentioned above, also on Broadway but downtown, rather than in NE.

Back to the top, c'mon ya'll, this is a swingin deal on a fine std mtn axe. It's served me well, but I'm moving and need to pare down my goods.

My favorite shop is Next Adventure on SE Grand at about Stark (that's 5 blocks south of Burnside), on the east side of the street. They have tons of used/closeout stuff, and some new gear (don't go here expecting to find everything you'd ever want, but it's a cool enough place that I make a trip through every week or two). The place is like a museum of old gear too, it's all on display on the walls. If you meet Deek or Brian, the owners, tell them I sent you. For a good selection of the latest/greatest climbing specific gear, I prefer ClimbMax on SE Division at around 20th, north side of the street. It's less than 2 miles from my house. They carry all the usual suspects, and are a US distributor for Kong and a few other euros companies. There's always a 3 part "bargain bin" in there with like a $5/$10/$15 section. I've picked up a bunch of lockers and some pins from their bins as well as an Alien hybrid once. If Monique is working the counter, tell her to have fun on her east coast trip. Being in the 'Couv, there's an REI at Jantzen Beach Center, that's your closest bet. OMC - the Oregon Mt Community, is a store downtown in the Chinatown area, located at about NW 1st and Davis (couple blocks north of Burnside) they've got tons of gear. My other favorite shop, with very cool staff is the US Outdoor Store on Broadway, just a couple blocks south of Burnside. They don't have the best pack selection, but everything else is there. Gavin Ferguson,the climbing buyer is a good guy and in the know. Tell him I sent ya.

Pickles? Who the hell puts pickles on a cone? No go on the ho-flo yo.

Ok, over 3000 routes, if you need solitude just get out of the immediate area of Hidden Valley CG, Intersection Rock, and Real Hidden Valley's most popular stuff. Single pitch trad on rough quartz monzonite is the game, but bolted routes and multi-pitch exist. Camping is free (no water at the CG), but arrive during the week if you wish to get a decent spot. For guide books, you can go the Falcon route for a select guide, or buy one of the multiple volumes of paperback at Nomad Ventures (the local shop). I had the Hidden Valley CG area paperback guide and it served me well over the course of a 12 day trip. Be prepared for stout ratings, cheese grater rock, and a great time! You can stay busy for a month or more without ever walking more than half an hour from the CG. Wear pants, and if you're inclined, take a mountain bike. If you're freaky, take some fungus...you won't regret it. I can't remember doing any routes that were a "bust", got humbled by some easy stuff, and climbed one of the harder .10 pitches I've ever been on. Beware of the "ball bearing" slabs that you'll often be using for descents. If you've got some of those shoes with heel tread, this is a great place to use them. Have fun ya bum.

Yeah, it works something like this: For routes on Wilson, Rainbow, and a couple of other formations, you can get overnight bivy permits (no charge) up to a maximum of 2 nights, and late exit (up to 3 hours later than official closing) permits at other times. We had exhausted our 2 nights, and our late exit permit which we had phoned in. So, there's no more early entry, and limited bivy opportunities, but this system also allows the covert to camp for free whether you intend to be on those formations or not. Just get a good ways from the parking area to bivy and don't be building fires and stuff, stay low key or you'll f-it up for all of us. There are other places to camp for free as well, but I'm not telling you where (at least not in a public forum like this), if you need to know you'll find out through the "channels". 13 Mile CG is like a white-trash trailer park, with zero visibility screening, overpriced sites, and 4 new shiny and exciting pit toilets to compliment the existing ones from the past. I avoid the 13mile like the plague, although if you need a partner it's the best place to look.

quote: Originally posted by Dru: too bad about res arete. how were the temps? cold or ok? did you manage to find some mota down there, or should i say 'dank mc nuggets' find any booty? lots of people getting in over their head and backing off i guess. Dru:No go on the mota, partner was on a self-imposed year long herb break (huh?) so I didn't even bother looking. Temps were great, cold at night high 30s, warm days mid 60s, cold in the shade. Amazingly, no booty (other than all the hotties walking around Vegas). There were a couple of fixed cams on Orpheus, both on one of the pitches I led (the 7th if I remember). One I didn't bother to clip...old ass rigid friend with ratty cordage, the other I used and I guess my partner couldn't clean it or didn't bother trying. Getting in over their head...that'd be us. Res arete looks awesome though, definitely recommend it. There are two great bivy ledges halfway up the route on 11 and 12, and you could rap to a bivy from the top of 10, but do it in a day if you can. Also, I'd recommend two sets of cams due to the fact that you'll be building your belay anchors. For the approach, just walk left around the Wilson pimple, pick up the dirt road/trail, head toward Mt Wilson and basically follow the fairly good cairn system. We rebuilt quite a few cairns that had been kicked over/washed away (on the 4th class sections). Expect 2 hours or more on the approach, if you don't get lost. Also expect a good bit of 4th class on good rock with no serious exposure. Bivy ledge at the base is cush, you can bivy 4 there on perfectly flat spots, and could bivy 20 there if you had to. The ledge is huge, no need to be roped in. The bivy ledge is about 1/3 of the way up Wilson, and ignore the approach beta about a big pine tree, it's there, but there are so many big pines on the face it won't do you much good. Follow the cairns and your nose, it really is obvious. This was my 4th Red Rocks trip, and the first where I didn't climb any sport routes. The only bolts I encountered were a few 1/4" with old SMC hangers. It was the first trip where I felt sandbagged on a couple of pitches, usually RR feels a bit soft. I will say that a season on basalt here in the PNW allowed me to get some funky drop-knee stemming-smear rests on a couple of chimney style pitches.

Some Fear, Mostly Loathing The short version: we suck.The long version: Arrived in Vegas Saturday about noon after a daze of 5am alarm clocks, a smelly taxi ride, and machine gun toting military folk in the airport. My partner, who shall remain nameless, picked me up and we were off, straight to the canyon. Agreeing upon Resolution Arete as the first hit, we pull into 13 Mile campground to eat, strategize, and rack-up. By 2pm we've decided to hike in, bivy at the base, and blast the next day. Around 4pm we're off. We floundered trying to find the base, ended up in the wrong gully system altogether, and after an hour of HEINOUS after-dark bushwhacking threw down the bags and bivied. Rising at first light we resolve to find this damn thing and then figure out logistics. After knocking out the approach, my partner offers to lap the approach to get more food and water. He sets off and I'm left to chill on the bivy ledge and soak in the desert I've missed so much. The approach was no enjoyable affair and I'm in awe that he's ready to lap it. I flake ropes, set a belay anchor, set up our bivy, arrange the rack. All we have to do is get up, eat, and take off. Homeboy comes back with a stove, water, food, a third backpack, canned food, a newspaper, and other random shit. I still haven't figured out why he didn't cook at the truck and just bring back the food and water we needed, but whatever, he lapped the approach, that's his business. First light arrives and after a quick breakfast we're off. Or sort of. Or maybe not. Our strategy was to split this 20 pitch route into 4 blocks of 5 pitches, one set of nuts, one set of cams, dozen slings, lead on 8.8 half ropes, a jacket each, water, GU, no bivy gear. Oh, did I mention, no fixed anhors on the route...you bail, you leave gear. He would lead the first and third blocks, I would get 2nd and 4th, giving me 4 of the 5 hardest pitches including the crux roof, as well as the burden of turning up the speed or finishing in the dark if time ran short. The first pitch involves stemming off the bivy ledge between a sub-tower and the main wall for about 15ft, then pulling onto the main wall and traversing another 10ft to a crack system...with no pro, over questionable rock. Partner stems out, pulls onto the face, doesn't move. Backs into the stem, pulls onto the face, backs into the stem, stares at the pendulum, looks back at me. "Oh shit" I think, "Here we go". "Uhhh, hey would it throw your game off if I turn over the lead on this one, I just don't feel good about it". I grit my teeth a little and say "No problem, give me the rack." I grab the rack, swap rope ends, stem out. Look at the pendo...yet that would suck if you blew it, suck it up and make a downward traverse into the crack. 5.7 moves, if that. This is supposed to be the only sustained pitch of the route, rated 5.9. I cruise up the fucking awkward mix of flared squeeze chimney moves, intermixed with some actual jams placing six pieces in the 55m pitch. Topo says 3 to 4 inch crack, topo is full of shit, yes a crack but in the back of this funky flare. Partner follows. Swap ends, get back onto our plan. 15 feet out, he's got in five pieces of gear. Fuck. Slow, we're moving WAY TOO SLOW. I look at my watch. I look up the pitch, I make the call. Next ledge or stance, bring me up, we're bailing. We bail managing to get away leaving only three nuts. We hike out. We discuss what's next. He's amped to get on the Rainbow Wall, my entire reason for taking this trip. I'm skeptical. He reasons that it's aid, and time isn't a big issue on this route. I reason that he's not a very experienced aid climber, the inevitable cluster of aid will slow him/us down and that I want to free most of the route, not aid it. I nix the wall from our plans. I would rather save it for a better time/team when I can give it a legitimate free shot. Hmm, what next then. He really wants to do Black Orpheus. We spend the next day screwing around in Vegas. Sometime during the approach a couple of days before, I stuck a barrel cactus spine about 2 1/2 inches into my leg just above the ankle. It was getting more and more sore and red, clearly getting infected. Ankle was getting mighty stiff. Ok, Black Orpheus it is. After reading the descent options, we head up the approach slabs...about 600 vertical feet of 3rd and 4th class, a drag. Ok, my pack is the climbing pack, but for some reason he brought his haul pack to the base...weird I think, he just read aloud that if descending blah blah, leave pack in the streambed. Whatever, lets climb. Black Orpheus, 10 pitches, 5.9+ crux, 2 pitches of 9, a pitch of 8, two of 7, two of 5.5, and the rest fourth class. I take the first, he takes the second. I lead us simulclimbing from 3 through 6. I lead off on the 5.9 pitch, another "don't fall" traverse to start then sweet...a vertical thin hands crack that ate .5 and .75 camalots, some chimney moves, a funky roof bypass on shit rock, and then a face traverse on bongo flakes. He takes off on the next lead, the crux, if that even appplies. The .9+ moves are 4ft off the belay, with two bolts in 3 1/2 ft. I follow with the pack, stretching to my limit to make the move without resorting to a dyno. The next pitch if a 5.7 lieback in a dihedral, smearing with the feet and a finger crack in the back of the corner. Sandbag, solid 5.8 ending with another no pro traverse across bongo flakes..."I'm the king of bongo baby,I'm the king of bongo yo" I yell out while tapping one after another shitty flake and finding nothing I would stand on...smear and tread lightly on the feet. He leads out the final 5.5 pitch, face with bolts then good nuts and cams, another sandbag, probably 5.7 face moves unless you're dumb enough to stand on the crumbling flakes on this pitch. We summmit, we make two raps, traverse way right on 3rd class slabs, getting close to dark. I call for a rap to the streambed. We rap, bushwack a litte and gain the streambed. I've had 3 packs of GU since breakfast. I'm tired, I hate these long ass descents. We reach the approach trunoff and he heads up under headlamp to fetch his pack. "That's sketchy, better him than me" I think. I take off trying to beat the rangers to the truck to avoid the $50 fine. I'm in the streambed bonking, out of water, getting irritated, ankle is now really bothering me. I reach the truck, find the ticket, say fuck it and drink and eat for a while. Two guys from Arizona hit the parking lot who just finished Levitation 29, they're raving. Add one to the "hit list". Next day homeboy wants to do Prince of Darkness. My ankle is so stiff when I wake up, I fall over trying to piss. I don't want to climb some hanging belay sport route anyway. Next day I agree to do the route, out of boredom more than anything. Wake up and the ankle disagrees. I bag. At this point I have zero motivation. I have him drop me in Vegas and he heads to Lander. I hole up in the Luxor, shower and head down for free casino drinks...it's 10am. By noon, I'm shitty. Take nap, change my flight (this was Thurs, my flight was orginally Sat, changed to Fri). Head out and check out a few newer casinos...New York New York, Paris, etc. That night I hit the Luxor Casino...pimpin hard. I end up with a local on my arm, both of us drinking like a fish. I hit the roulette tables and proceed to TEAR SHIT UP. Made my plane ticket in about 90 minutes, got comped for food, got so drunk I dismissed the local honey at 4am to get 3 hours of sleep before getting up to go to the airport. So, 2000 miles, a total of about 30 pitches of 4th class, 10 ptiches of 5th, $500, and 4 days of vacation leave. One route ticked. We suck, or more accurately I suck. Sidenote: Many thanks to Matt Anderson for entertaining my questions and proving awesome beta. Thanks to Wes Dietsch for getting plowed with me a few days before I left, and thanks to the well wishers who I train with. All for naught I guess, but live and learn.

Catch ya'll on the flip-side, I'm off to Red Rocks to get my ass kicked on a couple of long routes. Many thanks to Matt Anderson for copious and detailed beta. Matt H. - mail should hit your door Sat or Mon.

quote: Originally posted by tomtom: The post office has digital scales available for weighing gear and such. Can't beat the price. This is what I use. If you're feeling a little weird about it, just go after the lobby closes. There usually is a self-meter digital scale you can access at all hours. I've also used the supermarket produce scales, and one gear shop I frequented in GA had a digi in the store for weight comparison.

No prob there Lambone, 4 days is plenty worth it, especially with the cheap flights/hotel/food. I just basically am after some beta for the crux roof, how long and what size, any hidden or sucker face holds under the roof. Everything I've heard indicates about a 6ft roof hands and off fingers to a big exit jug. Supposed to be the longest route at RR with about 20 pitches. Should give us a great secondary goal and warm-up for Rainbow. Two big routes in a week will be plenty, and I'm sure with the logistics involved will only give us about two or three free days.

'Bone: Solar Slab Gully (5.3, 4p) to Solar Slab (5.6, 6-9 pitches) can rap off of the new rap anchors on the route Johnny Vegas) Cat in the Hat (5.6+, 6p) Black Dagger (5.7+, 8 pitches including the 300' scramble) Olive Oil (5.7, 5-7p) Black Magic (5.8, 4p) Frogland (5.8-,I think we did it in 5p?)Physical Graffiti (5.7, awesome night climb with Vegas views) Tunnel Vision (5.7, Did this one in 6p?)

Hey fred, why not check out these sites, you sohuld be able to come up with a Maxim 10.5 60m for around $100 bones. The first site has 60m bi-color dry treated Maxims for $115,that's a pretty decent deal. Second site I know has 60m 10.5mm std Maxims for $93. I prefer Maxim personally.1stgearexpress.com2nd Northernmountain.com

Resolution Arete V 5.11+ Red Rocks, NV Anybody done it? Beta (free not aid) for the roof? Suggested rack? Any "wish I knew that before I did it" beta?

FRom a Zappa tune of the same title...

It's just liability concerns, and considering the litigous(sp?) society we live in, can't say I blame them. I think the Club Sport, here in PDX actually has a cafe inside that serves beer, I could be mistaken. That doesn't stop us from getting straight faded before the training session though....

D. Cramer: I won't argue with you that I may be an asshole, in fact I probably am worse than that. As for the other "assholes" that's between you and them. I don't honestly see how you can call the argument behind our actions to be "bs". You may not have liked the posturing, as many people did not, but what do you expect from people of action? Nobody is perfect, ya know? What part of "retro-bolting doesn't meet the challenge, but lowers it" is confusing? What part of "established methods at particular crags should be respected" is confusing? Those were my arguments. Hell, you want to climb that grade and aren't up to the runout, go get on ROTC or go to Smith or Exit 38 or wherever. I'm not trying to engage you in a shit-slinging contest, just kind of wondering why I should give a flying f$%*^ about what someone who bolts cracks thinks(not implying you DC). So the guy climbs hard trad routes, bully for him, but to me, that only makes it that much more confusing why he would want to eliminate an area testpiece. I don't feel in my heart that bolts "destroying" the rock is much of a concern. Grid bolting destroying aesthetics is another thing altogether. If I said putting a bolt in is destroying the environment, I'd be a big damn hypocrite because I've placed belay bolts, driven pins on aid climbs, etc. My view is to respect the traditions of the area and the climb, period. If the FA says add a bolt, or bolt the whole thing, great maybe they couldn't stop to, or ran out of bolts, or placed a now questionable fixed piece. Calling us assholes because you disagree with us is not exactly conducive to a productive discourse. I thought my views were pretty clear, if they weren't they should be now. [ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: willstrickland ]

Nice Jon! LMFAO!