Rad
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The Sleeping Pen
When the pulse of pounding blood,
Tempest tossed in the human flood of tasks,
Ebbs into gentle waves and then still,
It all comes flowing back to me
Like the silent reflection of a beautiful peak
Brought clearly into focus as the wind-whipped ripples
Of the lake are silenced,
I am here,
I can't see in their eyes if they can see her too,
Forested green rising gray granite into windy blue,
Or simply concentric, amorphous rings on a green topo sheet,
Flat in scientific ignorance,
But I can smell the spruce calling beyond my roof,
Needles softly nestling deep in a million silent layers,
Connected like summer snowflakes
Under my sleeping spine,
I will not fight the sea of clouds in blue
Or try to channel the granite wind into human sails,
But simply let go in millions of tiny cells in tune
As it all flows utterly through me
In chaotic rhythms no voice could ever hope to capture
Nor words confine to flat, black lines,
There is nothing I need to know of how,
Only here and now,
How ironic then, the sleeping pen,
When we both are trapped in flatland square,
Craving ever twisting, curving lines,
Only to find in silence sublime
The great glory of life gushing right beside our path,
Burbling clear waterfall pools of mossy stones
In rhythmic, atonal synchrony inside these veins
If only we'd just stop to listen.
................
Perhaps all of us find a piece of inspiration there at times.
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OK. Maybe I'm overreacting and it's all just playful banter from otherwise nice people.
I certainly wouldn't want to censor or sanitize this site as some of the most interesting parts come from the more colorful chacters. Flame on!
I just hope you realize that each of you can influence our public standing for good or bad.
Look at the how the Mtneers deftly managed the press regarding the Sharkfin accident. The post here on cc got more hits (>15,000) than any other post I've seen on cc. Perhaps a lot of those hits were from non-cc folks. I bet if the accident had not involved the Mtneers then it would have been painted in a different color by the press.
Lastly, hats off to Mike Gauthier whose NPR chat on Mt Rainier this morning was both educational and entertaining.
Seems to me, most folks here are independent thinkers who are not going to have their real-life personality significantly changed by something they read/post in a silly internet thread.Let's hope you're right, but then why do they spend so much time here? Boredom at work?
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Did you summit? Where do you sleep? How did the rope get up there? How do you go to the bathroom? We’ve all heard our share of mildly annoying questions posed by people who don’t understand the particulars of different kinds of climbing.
Certain threads encourage flippant or rude responses to these innocent inquiries.
If the sole purpose of your internet fantasy comebacks is to vent your frustration in a safe environment then click away.
If, however, you actually respond to the benign curiosity of the public with disdain, sarcasm, and snobbery then you are shitting in our bed.
The hikers, exuberant scramblers, and others you believe to be inferior to yourself are all out to enjoy the same glorious mountains and cliffs that you are. Is their passion and enthusiasm any less valid than your own?
Their image, and by extension that of the public at large, of climbing and climbers may well be formed by their impression of you.
You are, like it or not, a spokesman for the entire climbing community when you address those questions, whether on the trail, at school, at parties, or in conversations with your republican grandmother.
Those people you scorn probably vote. Their perception of the climbing community, shaped by your comments, is reflected in the popular press and ultimately in the officials elected to public office. Those public officials help determine the policies that govern the uses of the public lands that hold our beloved mountains and cliffs. Your actions may help determine how climbing is regulated, or even banned in certain areas.
What image of climbing would you like to propagate?
Will the public believe that climbers are belligerent risk-takers who degrade our natural resources and wrecklessly endanger themselves at the taxpayer’s expense?
Or will they believe that climbers are legitimate users of our parks and public places who help contribute to the proper stewardship of these treasured natural resources?
The choice is yours.
The next time non-climbers pepper you with mildly annoying questions don’t get annoyed. In fact, you’ve been given a small opportunity to help nudge public opinion in the right direction.
Just please don’t shit in our bed.
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Don't forget to apply your knowledge of physics in setting anchors and rappels.
When possible, sling the base of blocks and avoid anchors that may torque or lever the block out of its resting position.
A back-up anchor is a good idea, but it can be time consuming and impractical to set them at every rap station on long descents.
If you use a back-up anchor make sure it is completely independent (e.g. separate crack system). Stoppers in cracks on opposide sides of a large block are NOT independent.
Rappel separately and avoid bouncing to minimize forces applied to the block.
Don't be cheap! Place a fresh sling, leave an extra stopper and carabiner, or even two, if necessary. Your life is worth more than the $20 you may spend replacing those few pieces.
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I was on Washington late spring and convinced my partners to extend our outing by trying the traverse to Elinor. While we were up there we had hail, mist, rain, and snow, so the rock was rather wet. Here's what we found:
Looks like it is best done from Washington to Elinor. You could probably make it by staying high and climbing on rock for the entire first half. Because it was wet and we didn't have rock gear, we reversed the first part of the Washington ascent route, which is on the E side of the ridge. FYI, Washington is just a scramble that doesn't require any rope of gear.
We traversed Southward under the ridge crest in alpine terrain (E side). At various points we popped up to peek over at the West side but it looked like you'd have to drop down awfully low to traverse around some kitty litter cliffs.
The terrain is too complicated to describe easily here. Use your outdoor skills.
We got to the final steep climb to the shoulder of Elinor and decided to bail. We were looking at a climbing long, steep snow slope broken by a band of wet rock. Because we had no rock gear or pickets and the weather was iffy we decided not to go up that way. There were footptints there so it can be done. Early season might be best so more of the rock is covered.
The first crux of the day is finding the right trail to avoid bushwhacking through broken cliffs up to the alpine zone. I flagged the trail entrance, which starts at a rock about 50yds back from the first obvious parking turnout on the spur logging road for the Washington area.
Have fun!
Footnote: there are some very cool rock towers that would be fun to climb when dry. I don't know if there are bolts or a rap anchor for descending them.
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The first part of the approach is along an overgrown logging road. It is not too brushy and is nicely graded, easy to follow.
The trail crosses a small creek just before the turn uphill. This is a good place to drink and fill your water. The uphill bit is a classic climber's approach, straight up, but it is not hard to follow.
The descent to the camping area from the obvious col that Wazzu mentioned was loose and ugly in August so I hope it is snow-covered for you.
The snow slopes on the approach to the route are very straight forward. We were on there at night, but I remember only one crevasse that was quite small. The ridge has its share of kitty litter.
The Pickets is one of the most pristine alpine wilderness areas in the lower 48. Enjoy it but please tread very lightly.
I look forward to getting back out there.
The flowers should be amazing right now. Enjoy!
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RIP.
More info in the Seattle Times article:
Long night with death for student climber
By Craig Welch and Warren Cornwall
Seattle Times staff reporters
The Mountaineers
As darkness descended over the North Cascades Sunday, Janel Fox faced a night shivering in the rain below a gnarled granite ridge, huddled not far from the bodies of her climbing instructors.
The 28-year-old mountaineering student from Seattle had hiked into Boston Basin as the least-experienced of six mountaineers, and one of two students hoping to summit the 8,120-foot Sharkfin Tower to complete a basic climbing class from The Mountaineers, the Northwest's most storied climbing organization.
By early Sunday evening, everything had unraveled.
Fox's two trip leaders were dead, killed by a falling rock the size of a refrigerator. The only other uninjured survivor, Michael Hannam of Olympia, was racing down a snowfield to get help. And Fox, the rookie, was left holding two seriously injured climbers — one fading in and out of consciousness, and the other so wounded he later died in Fox's arms.
"Janel was amazing," said Pat Timson, a guide for a different group, Alpine Ascents International, who was the first to arrive at the accident scene in the North Cascades National Park Sunday evening.
"She had her moments of falling apart. But she held those guys and took care of them. And then she spent the night freezing her butt off, sitting on a foam pad in the snow with a sleeping bag pulled over her."
The worst accident in the 99-year history of The Mountaineers finally ended yesterday, when a helicopter dropped Fox and Hannam in Marblemount, Skagit County, carried the injured climbing student, Wayne McCourt of Tacoma, to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and took the bodies of the three dead to a morgue.
But it may be days or weeks before the National Park Service, Skagit County officials and members of The Mountaineers can determine the precise chain of events in the first multiple climbing fatality in the national park since the 1980s.
"We've never, ever had anything like this," said Steve Costie, executive director of The Mountaineers.
The dead were identified yesterday as Johanna Backus, 61, of Tacoma, a 19-year member of the Tacoma branch of the Mountaineers; Mark Harrison of Bellevue, a former Marine and a climbing instructor known for being fun and loud; and John Augenstein, 42, of Seattle, who had joined the weekend climb just to help out.
McCourt suffered head injuries and was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview.
The accident began to unfold about 4 p.m. Sunday, when the climbers, all members of The Mountaineers, were retreating from a failed attempt to reach the top of Sharkfin, a knob at the head of the Quien Sabe Glacier.
Backus, who had been to the top of Sharkfin before, was leading the group with help from Harrison and Augenstein.
The trip was part of The Mountaineers' basic climbing course, which draws 300 to 400 people a year. But it's not easy. The route crosses a snowfield and a glacier with crevasses.
"Everyone had a lot of training," Costie said. Especially Backus. "You talk about nail-down-all-the-details — she wasn't going to be frivolous out there in the backcountry. You can really trust her."
But while descending through a gully, Backus was struck by a falling rock. The rest of the group helped her to a lower point. They were re-rigging ropes when a larger rock fell and hit them, said Tim Manns, spokesman for North Cascades National Park.
It's not clear what knocked the rocks free, said Kelly Bush, lead climbing ranger for the national park.
"As rare as these kind of accidents are, there is always loose rock in those gullies, so it's always a possibility," Manns said.
Officials said they believe Backus and Harrison died instantly. Augenstein and McCourt were both badly injured.
The climbers had set up camp below, in Boston Basin. So they were carrying only small packs with little overnight gear. Hannam sprinted down the glacier to the campground for help, finding Timson, who had been preparing to guide his own group into the mountains.
Timson sent his group to contact authorities, and then immediately climbed up to Fox. Fifteen minutes later, Augenstein died.
By 10 p.m., Hannam had returned with more gear, and rigged a series of tarps to protect McCourt.
Fog and rain prevented helicopters from reaching the climbers immediately. But climbing rangers had arrived by 6:45 a.m.
"They were really cold, shivering, and in need of something warm," said ranger Alex Brun. "It was a long night, but they made it."
Backus, a registered nurse, organized everything from climbs to snowshoe outings for The Mountaineers, and founded a group that takes at-risk kids into the woods.
"She was very safe, very sensible and never let good judgment get swayed by desire," said Helen Engle of the Tacoma Mountaineers.
Harrison, who friends say performed hostage rescues when he was a Marine, was remembered as a strong climber who led backcountry ski trips and worked with Backus' group for kids.
"He was a ton of fun," recalled Jim Farris, a friend who had often climbed with him.
Augenstein, friends said, initially came off as a quiet man, probably because he was hard of hearing. But he "was a very warm and funny guy," said friend Ted Baughman, who had gone on a climbing trip to Colorado with Augenstein.
The second-worst accident for The Mountaineers was a two-person fatality on Mount Rainier in the late 1960s.
Recently, however, the club has experienced an unusual string of fatal accidents: a climbing-trip leader died near the base of Lundin Peak near Snoqualmie Pass in 1997; another climber died in the same area on Kendall Peak in 1999 after sliding down a snow-covered slope; and a student on a basic-climbing-class trip in 2001 died after falling on Guye Peak while traversing a section where people travel without ropes.
Craig Welch: 206-464-2093
Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company
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Check out the film Step into Liquid, a surf flick, for info on how these were designed to surf big, choppy waves.
It's a fun movie w/lots of humorous stories, like Texans surfing infinite waves behind tankers.
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Maybe this will alter your view of "French free".
Has Robert ever climber the Space Needle? We should invite him.
See article w/photos here:
International News
Amazing! 'Spiderman' scales 62-story building
Frenchman climbs Hong Kong skyscraper without equipment
Mike Clarke / AFP - Getty Images
French free climber Alain Robert climbs the 62-story Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong, on Saturday.
The Associated Press
Updated: 10:20 a.m. ET June 11, 2005HONG KONG - A Frenchman who calls himself “Spiderman” scaled a 62-story skyscraper in Hong Kong using only his bare hands on Saturday.
Alain Robert scrambled up the Cheung Kong Center in about an hour to find police waiting for him at the top.
They checked his passport but did not arrest him, even though he had not sought permission to climb the building.
“I slipped only once,” he said. “On a scale of one to 10 in terms of difficulty, this would be a five. I really enjoyed the ascent.”
Alain Robert, who calls himself "Spiderman," is seen on the Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong, on Saturday.
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Robert, renowned for climbing without ropes or other equipment, said the building stands 928 feet.
In December, Robert scaled the world’s tallest building, Taiwan’s Taipei 101. It took him nearly four hours to reach the top of the 1,679-foot building because it was raining.
He has also climbed Malaysia’s Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York.
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Good story and photos.
Find time to go climb on Cannon cliff in Franconia notch. There are some fun routes. I used your brand of alpine aid on the last pitch of Moby Grape when the entire thing was running water as the light was fading. The in-the-dark, top-out crawl into the shrubbery and belay from a cluster of twigs was classic!
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The sickers may disgust you, but you're unlikely to get Lyme disease if you get them off you.
From the CDC:
2005 Tick Tips from the Centers for Disease Control
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that some people get after being bitten by ticks that are infected with an organism named Borrelia burgdorferi. It was first identified in the 1970s in Lyme, Connecticut.
Where is the organism that causes Lyme disease found?
The organism is maintained in wild rodents, deer, other mammals and certain Ixodes ticks. It is transferred to people by the bite of the infected tick.
Who gets Lyme disease?
People of any age can get Lyme disease. It usually occurs during the summer in people who work or recreate outdoors and thus have a greater chance of coming into contact with infected ticks. Dogs, cats and horses can also get Lyme disease.
How is the organism spread?
The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are spread by ticks. The most common tick involved is the deer tick, or Ixodes scapularis (dammini). Transfer of the Lyme disease bacteria from the infected tick to a person probably does not occur unless the tick has been attached to the body for 36 hours. You cannot get Lyme disease from animals or other people.
Deer and rodents, such as the white-footed mouse, are the most common reservoirs of Lyme disease.
How common is Lyme disease?
About 15,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year in the United States. Most of these cases come from Atlantic coast states, from northern Virginia up to Massachusetts.
The incidence of Lyme disease in Loudoun County is about 20 times greater than that of the Virginia average. This is most likely due to:
the preservation of our county’s beautiful rural nature and woodlands
our increasing population, which allows more people to come in contact with ticks
a well trained medical community that appropriately diagnoses early Lyme disease, and
a well educated citizenry that knows to see their doctor if they have an unusual rash or had a deer tick attached to them for more than 36 hours.
Lyme Disease Risk Map
(View enlarged image.)
State or County
Incidence
Connecticut 54.2
Rhode Island 37.5
Loudoun 36.0
New Jersey 16.9
Delaware 14.0
Maryland 6.8
Virginia 2.1
* Incidence is the number of new cases diagnosed each year per 100,000 population.
What are the signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease?
Bull's eye rash
In most people, the first symptom of Lyme disease is a “bulls eye” skin rash called erythema migrans (EM) that forms at the site of the tick bite. This lesion is red and slowly gets bigger, usually with a clearing in the center. About 80% of people infected with Lyme disease will notice this type of rash.
People might also have flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle or joint pain, possibly lasting several weeks. If the early disease is not treated, weeks to months after the tick bite other problems may develop such as nervous disorders, heart problems, or joint swelling and pain.
How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?
The bulls-eye rash may appear within 3 to 32 days (usually within 1 to 2 weeks) after being bitten by an infected tick.
What is the treatment for Lyme disease?
Antibiotics are very successful in treating early Lyme disease. Treatment of the EM stage usually lasts for 10 to 30 days. Treatment of later stages of disease may take longer.
How can Lyme disease be prevented?
There is currently no Lyme disease vaccine available for people. The best way to prevent getting Lyme disease is to reduce your chances of getting bitten by a tick and making sure that no tick is attached for more than 36 hours. Steps you can take include:
Avoid tick-infested areas, such as tall grasses, whenever feasible.
When this is not possible, wear light-colored clothing with long sleeves and long pants and tuck pants into socks.
Clothes may be pretreated with a tick repellent called permethrin. Other tick repellents are available for treating the skin. Be sure to follow label instructions before using any repellent.
Do a tick check at least once a day. Remove any attached ticks promptly and carefully by gripping the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and using a gentle steady pulling action. Protect hands with gloves, cloth or tissue when removing ticks from people or animals.
What should I do if I think I have Lyme disease?
You should contact your doctor if you have an unusual rash or believe that you have had a deer tick attached to you for more than 36 hours.
Other Tick-borne Diseases
Spring and summer bring warm temperatures, just right for walking in the woods and other outdoor activities. Warm weather also means that ticks become active, and this can lead to the transmission of tick-borne disease. The tick-borne diseases most often found in Virginia are Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis.
American Dog Tick
In the Northeast, the "deer" tick (Ixodes dammini) may transmit Lyme disease. The deer tick is quite a bit smaller than the American Dog tick, and usually has a two-toned body with no patterning on the back. In comparison, the deer tick also has larger mouth parts than the dog tick.
and
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Warning: I've only been to the Pickets once, and only to the South end. Others can tell you about the North....
Routes we climbed or scoped:
5.9 mortals can easily do the mini-traverse that Ed and I did. See thread below.
Mark, Colin, and Wayne's real deal and our minitraverse
West Mac spire looks pretty casual but beautiful.
E ridge of Inspiration is inspirational. Though the business is really only two pitches, the setting is incomparable.
The West ridge of Inspiration (which we down-climbed/rapped) doesn't look too great and the gully to the Terror glacier looks like a nightmare late in the season.
The NE ridge on the chopping block (aka Pinnacle) is very nice.
Go for it!
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Ozette is gorgeous, but a long drive. You can camp out by the coast, or camp at the lake and then hike the loop w/o packs in a leisurely day.
The best beach IMHO is N of where the N trail meets the coast.
Here are shots from that area to inspire...
Ozette from Garden island tree
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rappelling down with the teenager on a harness and with Ortiz’s legs wrapped around Wisemore’s midsection
Check out the photo. Hey, is that your carabiner or are you just happy to see me?
Perhaps Spokane mayor James West will join the Wenatchee SAR as his next career move...
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Dierdre is a lovely, moderate, multipitch crack climb with good pro.
It is a little greasy at the crux due to high traffic, which brings me to the next point: If you plan to do it expect big crowds and long waits. (See threads about slow climbers on outer space for illustration.)
One way to avoid the crowds is to go do it in the mid- to late afternoon. A lot of people go after hitting starbucks for breakfast, so they should have mostly cleared off the early pitches by mid-afternoon. The route goes fast, and the days are long now so you should be fine with a late start.
I second the pool suggestion. Good way to get clean and relax.
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Was just up there discussing/climbing this with my partner the other day so the details are still fresh in mind:
The roof + corner that leads to the red slings on the rock spike on pitch three is what I did my first time too. It is well-protected but very pumpy. I found it harder than the traverse, but not 5.10. It goes straight up from the tree that's on the ledge.
I thought this WAS the standard/Becky way to go. I do think it's better than the options to the left. These options start about 20ft left of the tree. One goes right around a small bulge on a handcrack/layback (5.9 one move wonder). The left goes up flakes just left of the bulge (haven't climbed but doesn't look bad). Both join together after 20ft in the easy corner system that merges back with the spot where you see Strickland in this photo.
Here is a good picture of Strickland (from the gallery) that shows the steeper option past the slings on the rock spike. It's a good one. His last piece is where the red slings are on the rock spike.
Enjoy!
WS on OS p3 straight up from the tree
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Booty ethics is a gray area where conscience meets consensus. Here’s your test:
You climb a multi-pitch route late on Sunday afternoon and don’t see any other parties on the route. At the crux, you find a sweet cam deep in the crack that is overcammed but wiggles. You hang on the rope and tweak, wiggle, and coax the unit for five minutes until it finally pops out. Booty!
You don’t see any other climbers, descend in the twilight, and return to work the next day where you barely make enough to pay the rent.
What do you do in each of the following scenarios?
1 – A friend suggests you should list the cam on the lost and found column off cc.com. You’ve never heard of that website, and go about your usual day sweeping the monastery and whistling a Gregorian chant.
2 - You hear on cc that someone you barely know, but who seemed quite friendly, lost a cam like the one you found and would 'be very grateful for its return'.
3 - You learn that a very rude and obnoxious cc poster lost a cam some weeks back. The location and description suggest it could be the one you found.
What would Robinhood do?
What would Jesus do?
What would YOU do?
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(Who, what, how, when, why) started ascensionist.com?
Why does it have a layout almost identical to CC?
Why is it deserted? (nobody can spell assentionist?)
Is this where CC-banned sprayers go to die?
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Leavenworth, baby. When it's warm the rock dries fast.
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bolted slabby thing
That could be the Leavenworth catch-phrase. Here are a few others:
Index would be "steep cracky thing"
Vantage would be "bolted crumbly thing"
Static would be "blank slabby thing"
others?
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Footnote:
Gazing through bleary eyes at a sign posted above the urinal in the Albertson's in Monroe, I read:
"The dog wants his house back. Visit our flower booth".
What a crass and cheesy advertising gimmick, I thought.
Then, as our day of climbing was winding down and we were walking through fields of flowers I had a thought...
so Gene and I gathered some lupine to take to our ladies.
Mine did the trick.
Gene?
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Saturday’s forecast was for showers everywhere. It was wet and drizzling for our dawn rendezvous in Monroe, but I convinced Gene and Craig we’d have good weather. Sure enough, it was perfect in the Icicle all day: a mix of sun and clouds with no real precipitation.
We headed for Condorphamine addiction.
Kramar’s second edition guide describes this route as an “alpine sport climb”.
It sounded like an oxymoron to me, and Gene and I spent a good part of the drizzly drive to Leavenworth debating the meaning of “alpine” and “sport”.
We didn't reach enlightenment, though we agreed on the facts: CA is a bolted, well-protected, no trad-gear required, easy rap-off, multi-pitch climb in a beautiful setting that requires a little bit of a hike on the approach. Call it what you will. Craig wisely ignored us and slept. We hiked up through forested and open slopes to the base of the cliff, passing a rainbow of flowers in bloom.
Kramar’s book just says 7 pitches, 12 bolts, 85ft raps, but otherwise has almost no information. We found the topo below to be quite helpful and accurate. We did the climb as basically 3.5 pitches, climbing on 2 60m ropes: I linked p1 and p2, Craig linked p3 and p4, Gene linked p5 and p6, and Craig scooted up the last pitch to the top.
The crux moves on p2, p5, and p6 were quite fun and interesting. The exposure was cool but not extreme, and there were great views up to Colchuck, Dragontail, Sherpa, and Stuart as we got higher. We had a grand old time. It’s worth scrambling a few feet to the crest of the formation to soak up the scene before you rap down. The summit area has a definite ‘alpine’ ambience and looks across toward the Colchuck lake area and up into large cliffs with lots of new route potential.
After rapping down, we top-roped the ‘Opus of the condorian kind’ variation. We felt it was a smidge harder than the p5 and p6 cruxes of CA, which are listed at 10b.
Gear: We had 2 60m ropes, but one >=50m rope would suffice. Lots of quickdraws.
Approach: A good trail leads to bathtub dome, where you follow a rising traverse to the obvious scrub line on the corner of the buttress.
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We were just in Stehekin for a long weekend. The snow level is quite high (6500 ft or so) on most peaks. There's lots of bare ground up to at least 5000 ft in the places we saw. They had rain there the past two days that gave a very light dusting to the 8000ft peaks and probably accelerated melting everywhere else. In sum: very low snowpack that is melting fast, as you might have expected.
I can't speak for the peaks you've mentioned.
The flowers are gorgeous now. Enjoy!
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Anyone been on the Snow Creek Wall lately? Is it dry? I was thinking about heading out there in the next few days. Does it stay pretty dry on "chance of showers" days? Is Orbit really harder than Outer Space? Thanks.
You can bypass the upper Outer Space finger crack by climbing knobs on the face to the left. Then again, it's such an aesthetic, well-protected crack you should just go for it.
I also found the lower, vertical part of the 'crux' pitch to be harder than the traverse. The first traverse move is just mental, not hard at all. Farther out, the traverse has great jams, tons of gear spots, and decent foot friction.
Perhaps the crux is hanging your stash somewhere that the goats can't get to it. Dang varmints!
Off-width on Backbone Ridge
in Climber's Board
Posted
Nice photo of the OW pitch. It shows how a butt scum/chimney/stem helps ease the difficulty.
I remember doing a similar move on the crux corner fist crack on the Braille Book in Yosemite. That one, at 5.8, was greasy and felt harder than this one on Backbone. Then again, I led the former and followed the latter.
So much for your pure onsight!