matt_m

Dru needs to write a squam history book. Like Camp 4 but with Dru wit. Roper... not so funny. I'd buy it.

Man - now I am all confused. When I did the Sword pitch in Summer of '05 here's how I remember it. Leave the belay (Bolts) on top of the Split Pillar and climb a right facing corner with wide gear (old #4 camalot). As you get higher the corner leans back and the gear gets thin - small nuts. The Crux on the pitch is pulling over this overhang onto the ramp that leads up to another right-facing corner. Here, corner pinches down to nothing but seam for gear and there is a single bolt there. This protects the moves LEFT out onto the face. Once on the face you laugh as you work higher on 5.8 jugs (You can sling the top spike of granite). The jugs run out and you are forced to move right back into the right facing corner. Here is where you lean around for a blind gear placement (.5 camalot or red TCU IIRC) Then you cast off on the lieback pictured You can see the clipped bolt far below. Then you keep going until the corner makes a dramatic turn right ( Here, you reach out left and grab the chains on the face where you start the bolt ladder upwards. See the full blow by blow here: Matt Buckle's page

I guess what I mean by "alpine style doesn't work" is that, in my mind, there comes a point when you cross over from "alpine style" to "suicide style". At some point in the high mountains you're really just rolling the dice - no amount of skill and determination mitigates the hard facts that high altitude climbing kills you at some point. Routes of extremely high difficulty such as the K2 route above cause the climber to walk a razor sharp line and at some point it turns into blind luck they survive and succeed alpine style. It's at this point, where success in an alpine style ascent becomes more luck and a willingness to die trying, that I no longer care about it being "done in good style". Now this is admittedly an impossible point to define but for me personally, fixed ropes and siege tactics will earn my respect more than wining a game of "russian roulette" with the mountain.

Exactly - people make it sound like this climb was EASY because they didn't do it alpine style. Whatever. Alpine style whiners are like wine snobs. They'd miss out on a great bottle of table wine because it wasn't pure enough for them. Fact of the matter is there are some routes / faces that alpine style doesn't work on. There may be a party here and there that can prove that statement wrong most of the time but I maintain there are routes that are not in the realm of non-suicidal alpine style.

anyone catch on his blog Trotter made a stop at index? Got on City Park and Amandala - Did he send? Did say he liked it. Any world class project hidden away in index still?

Man - that would be a HUGE day - Wear your comfy shoes! I was almost in tears after Stairway to Heaven having worn my "hard slab shoes". I would work left to right (NN->Crest->Buttress->Stairway) less walking each time back down. Though doing the link into Millennium Falc at the end of the day might be proud. Maybe NN, Crest, Stairway, Buttress. Yeah... that's it.

Any tricks or things to keep in mind when rapping off DH-LA with a 60m rope? (first time rapping the UTW) yeah - don't! just barely might be the case with his 60m but I know of others that came up 5 feet short and had to flip upside down and clip the anchor with a 4' sling. not good. IIRC my 70m had TOPS, 12 feet to spare on one of the raps (the anchor beneath the roof - top of P2 I think). So 70m minus 24 feet = 63m if I'm conservative. Close but, man, that's a suck ending if you don't have the "long 60m"

I would suggest that some of the crack-bolters are sport-climbers who don't know how to climb cracks. Crack climbing is an art that takes practice. Given that a lot of sporto's are gym-graduates, many probably don't have the appropriate skills. Last time me 'n "pope" went to a gym (some place in Seattle), there was a just a little section in the giant complex with a hand crack. We walked right up this thing and most of the gym-rats stared at us like we were a couple of aliens. Not only aren't the sporty masses trained well (or at all) for cracks, they're not trained well to place protection. They learn, in the gym and at the sporty crags, that clippin' bolts is "how it's done". Crap like this is why I find myself defending the gym person more than the "old school tradie" I learned "pre-gym" for the record and go out of my way to teach the kids that climb in my gym about gear, natural climbing ethics style etc. Unlike raindawg, who seems to think a holier-than-thou, demeaning attitude is the answer to his "issues", I try to be positive and encourage the "newer generation" to see, do and respect all types of climbing. I climbed with them at smith (the spawn of the devil area to dawg) - got on the bolted climbs with them, had a great time and they were psyched. Then I said - lets go do these cracks. Guess what, they had a great time and were psyched. Now, they respected my views and as time goes on, I'm able to share my thoughts on grid bolting (negative) slab climbing (positive) etc etc. Guess what? two just started racks and asked when I was heading out to index next? Weird huh? Now imagine if I called them un-skilled sporto gym rats and mocked their abilities while praising my own. Yeah, they'd ignore any advice on ethics or anything else and the rift would grow. Great way to improve climbing knowledge and respect of the natural way. Stop being part of the problem.

Pretty sure the "don't know any better sportos" are responsible for what seems like 50% of the routes in the Guide. areas like Pearly Gates were also done by the "sport climbers" weird... Javelin FA is listed as 1995. The others named in 2001. All these lines have been climbed over and over and over again. Little late to whine now... East Buttress of Mid Cathedral has a bolt ladder on it that can be freed! We should go get that too! IF it's the same crew I've met - they're very thoughtful, experienced and knowledgeable about route development. Did some FANTASTIC lines they had put in the day before that were mixtures of gear and bolts (all I thought, very well done - gear for the cracks, bolts for the chicken head climbing etc)

Done the route numerous times. The first bolt is located above the good gear and keeps you from decking from 20' up. There is a good cam lower BUT marginal gear at best where the bolt is. Small flared 0 TCU placement. Also of significant note: even if you could get gear in a bit lower, you have to pull up onto the slab above out of the corner. If you blow the moves getting to the next bolt, you'll ground out before the "gear" ever catches you. IT'S BS that a route that's been un-screwed with for a good 4-5 years and is a quality line is being messed with now.

If you're just now noticing that leavenworth has everything from stout old school trad to "Friendly" climbs for the masses you missed the "whaaa mbulance" a long time ago. Leavenworth has been mixed ethics for a long long time... You want something to spend energy on? Go do some anchor and bolt maintenence at midnight when it opens and a good ole scrub scrub. Croft just told a bud of mine he skipped an entire summer in squam to climb up there.

I'm surprised this hasn't come up before. How do those in the "anti-IB" camp feel about climbs similar to IB. Crest Jewel Direct for example? It wasn't rap bolted but is certainly in the same camp. How does IB differ from some of the stuff on Mt Yam etc? (never been there but have friends with reliable descriptions) Joseph - just a heads up, having looked my self. The "natural" line you seek will mainly be low quality and loose climbing. Bring pins. Frankly, IB is so ingrained in CC.com history and legend that it needs to remain so a good bolt debate can occur every year. If you take down the lightning rod it may strike elsewhere and do more damage. As I do every year, it's worth pointing out to all the new readers (if you've made it this far) that IB is really only a big deal on CC.com. The VAST VAST majority of climbers out there don't know about it or know enough about it to realize it's a not an issue to loose sleep over.

The cruxes are bolted like skaha - the other pitches like tuolumne

Well put Matt.

For all you new CC.comers - this is the same post as spring 06, spring 05 and spring 04 - IB only comes up on radar here - as stated above it's a non-issue. Some people still think West Face of leaning tower should be chopped....

I've been hearing this a lot lately. "Oh man, Index was totally crowded. It ROCKED!" Weirdo. Not crowded - everyone had a place to climb and it wasn't bothersome - it was great to talk to other index fans and see people out - I'm not a solitude climber I guess - hate the yosemite crowds though - don't get me wrong...

Dru's right - I saw one or two last year - deffinitely rockfall related...

predictions on the # of posts this seasonal cc.com (non)debate will get? INDEX was hopping this weekend which was great - if you're gonna do ANY community "service" work - come scrub some stuff at index!

Any good camping spots up there? Thinking of hitting 3 oclock and ggb this weekend as well. 20% rain means 80% sun right?!?

Beal used to have issues with sheath durability. They were soft catches but also soft sheaths that fuzzed up pretty fast. Beal listened to the bad feedback and came out with their "DryCover" system a few years back (03? 04?) Anyway, the drycover is much much more durable. In fact, brand new they seem like they have a hard outer coating sometimes that takes awhile to fuzz at all. (now - no going to josh or l'worth, TRing the crap out of it and saying HEY! IT FUZZED! Yeah, cheese grater rock will do that...) Being a rope connoisseur myself - these are my top rope brands, I won't buy anything else right now... BEAL - hands down the best rope maker out there. Low impact, high fall and quality. A season vet told me he felt the same way a while back and I've never doubted him on gear since. Edewelweiss - their PURDUR coating and "sharp" protection make these bomber anywhere there are sharp edges to worry about (MY big wall rope is a 70m Sharp) BlueWater - Their Excelerator line is top notch - not quite beal but good. Mammut - always a good rope but I don't look at them much anymore other than the supersafe (never on sale) because the impact forces are too high for my taste. Ropes I've heard good things about / like their impact forces. Cousin (Petzl I think) Tendon. Never even felt one though. NOT Impressed with the Metolious brand tendon ropes though.

rcnw is low key and low bandwidth to keep the wanking to a minimum. There it's only about route info and pretty much that's it.

That pic looks AWESOME - PM the goods if they're not for mass consumption please!

Great route - the 2nd 11a pitch is AWESOME. Have yet to check out the other DG route up there Heavens Gate but have heard great stuff about it as well

70m all the way down works although I haven't come down the Sportfishing wall with it. I've have done and rapped the Senseless thoughts of Paranoia w/70 too.

thanks off white