matt_warfield

Well, I'll add my thanks to Jon for organizing this event and coming up with the best beer "special" I've ever seen. That Manny's is one of the best Pale's I've had....and I've had my share. Kudos to all the slide presenters- it was a late night but well worth it!

No, there are a few mixed pro routes in this area so no "bolt everything" strategy and the subject route looked like it should be a standard bolted sport route. It's a bit of a mystery.

It appears that most if not all of the other routes in this area are intact and the subject climb has been completely removed (not just hangers or some of the bolts) so don't know what the scoop is. Perhaps the guidebook author will know.

pun intended????????????

Well, the Burgner-Stanley route also climbs very close to the left arete and the topo in places doesn't indicate much separation of the new route from that route. In particular, the large left facing dihedral of the last pitch also contains the last pitch of B-S. The front cover of (I think) the Metolius catalog also shows climbers on Prusik, somewhere left around the corner from the S. Face arete on a "new" route. Anybody know anything about that?

As Erik says, the new one doesn't have as much information. Missing are topos and pitch information. Included are many new routes, probably forcing efficiencies. There will be more adventure with the new book as climbers discover on their own things which previous books would have divulged.

Agreed, especially when the 5 star route is crowded and the 4 star route is lonely.

If you've never been in the area, Outer Space is mandatory.

I believe Sig Isaac climbed Freeway, Grand Wall, and U. Wall, leading all pitches, in 1 day. This is a little thread drift, as it is not exactly a "moderate" linkup!

Dustin_B's relayed account clears up one issue at least. On that pitch, the belayer can't see the leader (or hear them well either), so if the leader falls and gets tweaked physically and mentally he is on his own and the pitch is too long to lower from near the end. Also, that pitch has poor gear for the first half at least- although it doesn't sound like an anchor failure. We'll see what the accident analysis concludes. Also, many guides write that pitch up as a gimme, but the pillar dihedral near the top is probably 5.8 and is no giveaway.

RuMR: Don't you mean "right" of Karate Crack? If so, you are probably talking about a second pitch to Cinammon Slab, of which there are several options.

Well, if the reports are accurate, it appears that the lead climber fell, got shaken up physically and probably mentally, and then made a mistake in setting up the rappel, which requires good judgment and a clear mind especially in the middle of a pitch. A better solution would have been to double up pro near the high point and then get lowered to the ledge. As has been noted previously, it is important that the climbing community analyze accidents to better facilitate safety because gravity indeed is in charge out there. My condolences to all affected.

1. getting divorced (I've never been climbing more) 2. Birds of Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park (lil ol' 6,000 calorie car-to-car day on an awesome wall) 3. taking 4 newbies on their first multipitch climbs (Da Toof and Midway) and enjoying their big smiles Cheers!

W. Ridge of Prusik sounds like a longer trip than you had planned: 20+ miles with 6000+' of elevation gain......plus the climbing, which is moderate but exposed (might be a bit much for your inexperienced partner) and includes the unprotected 5.7 slab. Good luck and have fun on whatever you decide.

The first pitch can be done 2 ways: up to the webbing and the roof and a traverse right to the ledge..... or traverse right partway up and climb cracks more or less straight to the ledge. They are both listed as 5.8 in various places, but in my opinion traversing under the roof is 5.9. But's it short, well protected, and has been around a long time so gets old school 5.8. Either way, the second pitch start will test your mettle and air out your skirt.

DFA, you must be more specific for the gearheads on this thread- break it down into short, medium, and long quickdraws.....and don't forget about a bail 'biner for those desperate projects, and some kind of anchor slingage. Who said sport climbing gear was easy!

However, I wasn't aware of the "pebble in the cam" issue with GriGri and appreciate the info from PP. I will definitely take care to keep the ol' hunk of steel clean!

I refuse to read this entire thread and mostly agree with mattp's assessment above, but..... I have witnessed 3 ground falls (no serious injuries luckily)- all with ATC type devices. I have witnessed and held many whippers with a GriGri with nary a problem, on ropes varying from 9.5mm to 11.0mm. It seems clear to me that the GriGri, when used properly, is the ticket, and a safe ticket at that, for sport climbing, and that other devices are best for cragging and alpine. As an anecdote, I was at Little Si this summer and watched a young lady lowering a beefy guy off a sport climb with an ATC, with both hands held up (i.e. rope not locked off by the anchor hand). As she squeezed the rope to try to slow his descent, she uttered one word: "hot....." as he rapidly picked up speed toward the ground. I yelled over for her to lock off the rope, which luckily she did in time to slow the dude's descent a few feet off the ground. The moral: you can screw up with any device, but I'll continue to enjoy using both GriGri and ATC where they are most appropriate.

One can tie another overhand inside the first one for extra security. The 4-6 in tails are together by the way. This knot is used by many guides for rappels because it has a low profile opposite the tails and rarely gets hung up. Don't be fooled by the name: it for rappels!

I agree 100%.

Yabbut what if there was a way to combine the power you get from the gym with good technique outdoors too. It's called being a real strong all around climber. Gyms don't suck- especially if the weather *does* suck and you remember that the gym isn't an end in itself. Ain't going to get any good at cracks though..... Those gym cracks do suck.

5.7 Klahanie Crack, Squish 5.8 Classic Crack, Leavenworth 5.9 Classic Crack ('cause it's so good but also a little sandbaggy at 5.8 ) 5.10a Karate Crack, Smiff 5.10b Split Pillar, Squish The Pillar is definitely one of the best crack pitches anywhere!

The Feathers have much greater glaciation than what's in Dru's pix!

They had that big snow in March so the high peaks have been slow to clear. The Diamond got a later start than normal but things are picking up on the drier routes, with most climbers opting to rappel rather than top out.