telemarker

Hey, great information all. Jake, what's a keyhole hangar? Also, can you give me more informationo on swaging devices to make your own heads. Thanks!

Aren't those hybrids very difficult to come by?

What's your aid rack look like? 1) What piece(s) do you find yourself always using? 2) What piece(s) are least useful?

There's a blue alien placement 10 feet up the dank chimney in a flaring crack right in front of your schnozz if your back is against the main wall, then a perfect, vertical 1.5 tech friend placement 10 more feet above that's just above your head, after that the main wall protects until the gash narrows above. I think the hardest part is the two/three layback moves off the deck with sweaty hands on polished rock in mid afternoon in the middle of August. Maybe the coolest route up there.

Thanks! You're right, the color in that picture reveals practically nothing about the first pitch. And yes, I think we'll bivy at the 6th pitch most likely.

I'm thinking there was rock fall that changed the lower 1/3 of the first pitch, and if you look straight up to the anchors from the ground, it's clean and protectable, thus no reason to traverse in from the right on friable rock. As for nailing, the only TR I was able to come up with was a 1999 ascent, in which the party used sawed off angles in some of the pin scars. Beta search on CC.Com most recommendations were to bring pitons. Finally, Nelson's guide...So, yeah, we brought and very spariningly used pitons. In retrospect, ballnutz and more cam hooking will get us by the two placements we previously nailed.

Hmm, 3rd person is pretty simple if you do it right, but that said it sucks if you don't short fix. Also, glad to see you did clip cleaning, I've seen so many people out aiding that don't do it and struggle greatly. I'd reccomend you check out Index for aiding. Here are my recomendations: Lower Wall -Narrow Arrow Roof thingy, start on the direct and join the overhang route -Shirley Upper Wall -Green Dragon -Town Crier True, 3 person aiding should be easy, we just didn't agree beforehand on the process, like sending the 2nd up immediately on the next lead while the 3rd cleans. The "vibe" just wasn't there for us that day. Thanks for the suggestions on Index routes. BTW, outstanding pictures of your new route on Snowpatch Spire!

I'm sure it can be done in a day, but "easily"? Why do you have to be in such a hurry? The Nose was climbed in under three hours. Are we all held to that standard now? As far as nailing, when we get on the route again, we'll definitely look to hook more to try to avoid the nailing.

The first pitch done correctly:

Climb: Liberty Bell-Thin Red Line, sort of Date of Climb: 9/25/2005 Trip Report: Taking inventory, it's been a decent climbing season for Kyle Flick and me. Learning to aid climb has been a bonus. With visions of The Nose on El Cap next spring, we knew we had to step up the difficulty. We had been climbing efficiently lately, with comfortable day climbs of Colchuck Balanced Rock and Liberty Crack, the latter being my first serious aid climb. Where to find a harder aid climb? Literally right next door to LC: Thin Red Line. Along with our 3rd, Steve Tift, we had our goal. We had never hauled, nor climbed a serious wall as a threesome, but hey, aid climbing as a party of 3 always worked out great on paper. The amazing E. Face of Liberty Bell Round 1, 9-17, we're at the base looking for the start of the damn route. Kyle ends up taking the suggestion of the Nelson guide by starting right, then traversing back left. It's a tedious, frustrating experience in routefinding as he climbs, traverses, hangs, lowers, assess, then reclimbs. By the time Kyle reaches the belay, he's damn well spelled his name with the lead rope. Hauling 80 lbs of gear is a goddamn nightmare on the overlapping, off angled pitch. I get the 2nd pitch, A3 over a small roof. Just above the roof, a sawed off angle gets me past a flared pin scar and Aliens work their magic on the rest of the scars. Kyle cleaning to the 2nd belay. The long corner above is reachy but solid to the bolted belay just below the third pitch roof. The hauling isn't so bad on this pitch. Steve jugs the haul line and reaches the belay. We haul knowing we're going no further. Knackered. So, this is what it's like to have your ass handed to you...It's a huge cluster and we've taken way too long. Naively, we planned on making M & M ledge today, but half the day's gone and M & M ledge may as well be the moon, plus I don't want to lead the A3 5th pitch in the dark, so we're headed down. Round 2, 9-25, Kyle and I are back to climb up to at least the 4th pitch, with light hauling of a day pack. Kyle starts off the right way this time: Directly below the pitch one anchor, following mixed gear and bolted climbing. Kyle throws in a couple hook moves between bolts to keep the pitch a respectable 5.8, A1. Pitch 2 goes quicker than last week, though it still feels like it goes on forever. Kyle gets the 3rd pitch roof, and is stymied by a long reach between a fixed pin and a solid cam placement. He hammers in a partially driven angle in rotten rock right above his head, wills himself to miraculously lose 20 lbs, and rocks over onto the pin. It holds, and he's off clipping and stepping out of the roof. On this pitch, Kyle utilizes a couple of the bolts from the adjacent 5.12 sport route. Psyching up for pitch 3 It's my turn to test the crappy pin when I have to clip clean the roof. I roundly curse Kyle as I step onto it, and am pleasantly surprised it holds me as well. We're in a rhythm now, and again climbing efficiently with clusters at a minimum. Pitch 4 is a short arch, A2 with some flaring placements, but again Aliens are incredible here. I even get my first cam hook on this pitch. This belay hangs your butt straight down a blank face to the ground. PItch 4 belay Jugging 4 Kyle jugs and we get a good look at pitch 5. Intimidating as all hell, with its double roofs. However, the pendulum and hook moves to mantles look fairly easy, being only 10 to 15 feet away, which probably makes it more of a tension traverse than a pendulum. However, our day is done. I beef up the anchor for the rap. We're so pleased with our progress, we don't even bicker over whose cordelette we leave behind for the rap. Three double rope raps take us to the ground, and a good jump-start on a complete ascent next spring. This route is burly, just from the first four pitches. There is no where near the same amount of fixed gear as LC, and the placements not nearly as straight forward. Also, we learned if you don't know what the hell you're doing in the first place, don't add a 3rd person to the mix until you've practiced 3 person technique: You'll go 100 times slower than as a twosome. Gear Notes: Lots of aliens, tripled small to medium cams, double on larger stuff to 3.5 inch camalot, some HB offsets, small camhooks, one grappling hook, one skyhook, 3 or 4 sawed off angles, some KB's, a few LA's, a few heads. Approach Notes: Can it get any better?

Climb: Icicle-Air Roof and Alphabet Rock Date of Climb: 9/11/2005 Trip Report: Kyle, Ed and I spent the day-for me a new-father 1/3 day-cragging up the Icicle in perfect weather. We started out on some A1 on Air Roof, then headed down to Alphabet Rock for some shameless posing (Kyle) on Meatgrinder. Perfect weather and great day to be out! Kyle jugging the Air Roof lead. Meatgrinder Kyle face to face with the pod. Committing to the offwidth.

The traverse could use about four more bolts, in the spirit of condorphamine addiction.

I saw these bolts just above 2nd belay, kinda where one climbs left of the crumbly flake.

What a cool find!

You'd have to put a lot of outward and upward pressure to pop a piece, probably very difficult to impossible on vert to overhanging ground. Tensionins off a fi-fi from the penultimate step is much quicker than adjustable daisies. Don't waste time struggling to your top step unless absolutely necessary.

Didn't they used to inscribe new route names/grades at the the base of Indian Creek cracks?

So, were you tempted to climb the NW Corner on NEWS by headlamp on the hike out?

I have a 4 month old son, and in fact I feel more inspired to climb classic alpine routes. For the most part, on classics I know protection will be abundant and descents safe. What's changed is my desire adventure climb. When on the rock, I think about how good the gear is these days and trust it. B/C skiing, now there's risk!

Who is Steve Risse, and why is this name familiar? I found a used (duh!) Climber's Guide to the Interior Ranges of BC South (Kruszyna, Putnam, '77) with his name written in it plus written notes on some of the climbs. Just curious...

You came oh so close to the FA...you couged it, man!

thanks...Nope, I couldn't even get to the crest...My in-laws wouldn't let me borrow their car. But hey, I got lots of jogging in I sent a club-wide e-mail to NMMC and thought I'd get at least one response, but they didn't know if I knew how to belay or not, so they didn't want to take the chance of climbing with me. Longest week of my life thus far...

Hey Smith, what's up? Yep, shorts over poly-pro. Steve wanted to wear his steel toed boots and logger's helmet, but we talked him out of it. Cragging Sunday?

Climb: Juno Tower-Clean Break Date of Climb: 8/21/2005 Trip Report: Driving north on hiway 97 at 1am on Sunday under a full moon, I realize it's been a while since I've been this motivated to get into the alpine. And Clean Break promises to be an especially rewarding treat. It's amazing what spending a week with in-laws in Albuquerque will do for one's motivation to climb. Worse, their home is within easy view of the Sandia Mtns.. Now, God forbid you seek a climbing partner through the New Mexico Mountain Club WITHOUT first having your TOP ROPE CERTIFICATION!!! Between Wenatchee and Chelan, I try to rationalize alpine climbing with fatherhood/husbandhood to my 4 month old son and wife. I conclude that it would be more detrimental to me and my family to NOT climb. At least a large part of the risk in climbing is in my control. My biggest fear is the day I quit climbing to be safer, I get run over by a Guiness truck. From Chelan to Pateros, I merely enjoy the empty hiway and illuminated hills. From Pateros to the TH, I quit zoning out. I'm white-knuckled and alert, thinking at any moment a suicidal deer will jump out in front of me and I'll never make it to Juno Tower. I reach the TH at 3am, and Ed Hobbick is there already, having slept a few hours. I've gotten one hour's sleep but it doesn't seem to bother me yet, but I know at some point it'll hit me, hard. Ed chows down breakfast while I hang out in the middle of hiway 20, taking it in, glad to be back in Washington. We're hiking soon by 3.45am. Ed is one of the more literal minded persons I know, but we always seem to have thought provoking conversations on the approach. This helps the upward slog fly by. By 5am, we're within radio distance to Kyle Flick and Steve Tift. Kyle climbs by the book, and Clean Break is no different. He and Tift came up the evening before and fixed the first two pitches, as Burdo and Nelson suggest. We catch our first glimpse of the route. It's damn long, but looks like it kicks back up higher. It's good to see Steve out here. You want him on your climbing team. Steve learned to climb at the Pinnacles in Peshastin, he never complains or turns down a pitch. He'll just a plug a piece in and go type of climber. LYSMASTFU. One of the best all-around climbers I've met. Flick, well he's been on a successful streak lately. It's been a prolific summer for him. Steve and Kyle jug the first two pitches, and I arrange for Steve to set up a top rope for Ed and me for the Paragon. I climb it clean, and immediately regret not leading it. The next pitch is eery, in that the entire slab (the break) seems hollow. On Clean Break, every belay is on a spacious ledge where you can kick back and relax. The climbing has short, hard sections interspersed with much easier climbing. Steve leads the delicate traverse pitch. I wait in vain for him to peel off. It's not fair, he can jump off the couch and lead alpine 5.10 after taking a couple months off from alpine climbing. I lead the same traverse, and find the foot and hand holds to be too positive to be 5.10. In fact, I find the hardest pitch to be the diagonal fist crack to delicate face climbing up higher, which Ed leads. The pitches fall away without too much fanfare until we summit to perfect weather and gusty winds. As is Kyle's custom, he mumbles something about being slow and is booted up and descending before we've even taken off our harnesses. It's 3.30pm, and we want burgers in Twisp so we all hustle off. Of course, we catch up, and relax below Sunset Col, knowing tons of ground to cover to get back to our gear, then down to our car. I don't mind, I'm just lucky to be out here and not in Albuquerque. L to R: Ed, Kyle and Steve Gear Notes: Gear to 3.5 inches is sufficient. No 4 inch piece is needed like the Kearney Guide suggests. Approach Notes: Very nice approach, over a well trod trail.

I think the rule of thumb on new gear is to wait a year to let others find the problems, inform the company, and have them produce the "final" product the following year bug-free.

Nice going Flick. It's nice to see an aging climber keep up with the youth and pull his share of the load ...but shouldn't you be taking a break sometime here? Take a weekend off for Gawdssake. Work on the landscaping around your office, it looks neglected.