Rad

RAD Did you climb the many routes on the horn of the Unicorn? Not quite sure what you mean. I chose a line climber's left of the rap line because it looked harder and more interesting- and we'd humped rock gear up there so by golly I was going to use it. It was still only a few moves of 5.6 or so protected by a couple of nuts. I'd agree that the rap route is probably low 5th class and could be easily soloed by a competent party, though a fall wouldn't be pretty.

A wonderful birthday indeed. Nice.

Matt's right about sandblasting. It will wear away softer material much, much faster than hard material. Obviously, concrete is WAY softer than those granite chips. More labor, but scrubbing holds by hand with 409 or goof off or something should work and be less obnoxious than large volumes in the sprayer.

Holy Smokes! Amazing story. Thanks for posting. So you took a 100 footer a mile up and were unscathed. Then you took a 200 footer sans cord and sans helmet (lost in first fall) and crawled away with one fib fracture. Then a plane appeared just as your last fuel was running out. Sounds like you still had some luck after all. Bummer about your foot.

Fantabulous!!!

Hopefully I'll get in the alpine without exposing myself or partners to these risks. This is exactly why I prefer rock to ice/glacier and why I refuse to do Slesse until the Pocket Glacier has slid. I'd guess that within a decade the glacier(s) on the S of Forbidden will be much like the Slesse Pocket Glacier, sliding off the slabs entirely by late summer and creating terrible hazards during the June/July transition period.

Sweet! Thanks for the TR.

Nice positive post Dawg. I've taken my kids there twice, and am grateful the Mtneers made this open to the public. It would be easy for lawyers to get in the way of that. The only thing that could be improved is holds. It looks like there are t-nuts all over the main wall but no holds on any of them (last I checked). Are there plans to put holds on them? That would make the 5.4s more friendly for small kids. Don't worry Pete, the UW rock is still there, and it just gets slicker every year. If you're affiliated with the UW you can get in the gym and boulder there too.

Cool Lance. Dawn patrol rocks!

Thanks a ton Don. So are these approach notes right? cc thread on Steinbok/Les Cornes approach Dru, any word on current conditions or whether fires have/will shut this area down? Thanks

So do you bounce off that tower if you fall at the crux? That could ruin your day.

Agreed. The best practice for NR is to get your simulclimbing dialed in so you can totally cruise the easy sections.

Well, I thought of GM for general crack challenges and difficulty. Warning: unsolicited beta/spoiler alert: GM P1 off the ledge has a cool committing undercling and then when it gets wide there is a hidden crack to hold (yummy). Solid crack and jams to the belay. GM P2 has a squeeze/OW that is awkward but short. But I was really thinking of GM P3. It starts with committing moves past a crack and then to a dihedral with a large crack in back. That crack reminded me of the Gendarme p2: fist or a bit larger and strenuous. Either go straight in or, as I did, work some liebacking in there. A few easy lieback moves got me past the OW crux on the gendarme. Others may find other solutions. Basically, if you have some crack skills and the instincts about when to abandon one approach and switch to another (e.g. lieback vs jam) then you'll be totally fine. Worst case is you hang on solid gear and french free it. AND you should do the FULL NR because the second pitch of the lower N Ridge is the best pitch on the whole line IMHO. Heart of the Country is fun, but it's straight-in hand jamming that isn't really like the gendarme.

Yep. The Gendarme is not as fearsome as some would have you believe. BOTH pitches are short, with good rests between moves. If you can do Godzilla and Toxic Shock you'll have no trouble with the lieback moves of Gend p1. If you can do GM you'll sail up Gend p2 (actually, I thought parts of GM were a good bit harder than the gendarme, though rated the same). Go get it! (and write a TR)

Thanks for the TR. Great peak and setting. Too bad the rock is so crappy.

Hey all, Looking at this route and wondering if there is any update on the approach roads etc. Also, is the green line in the following topo the one that contains the direct start? And is the blue ramp line the chossy early pitches? Thanks much, Rad Alpinist topo for new Steinbok routes

Fools, reason will not work against his force field of immutable principles. Set phasers to ban.

Great pics. I'll echo Berdinka. I had some wonderul adventures when I was homeless and unemployed. Glad to hear you are too.

Ratings schmatings. This perennial debate is boring, particularly when people feel that the so-called hardest rated area is somehow the most valid. Why is no one arguing that the so-called easiest area is the most valid? The answer = ego. It's all about your ego. Get over yourselves. If a route is rated 5.9+ and it kicks your ass does that make it cool? If the same route is rated 11a will your griping about its soft rating somehow diminish its quality? It's the same freakin route! Just shut up and climb your 60m.

You might emphasize to your sport partners that the 'rock climbing' on this hike is short, very easy, and uninteresting. At least that was my impression of the uphill lines. Combine with Castle and Pinnacle for a nice x-country outing. The real reason to go is the front row view of the big R.

Fabulous. Congrats. Got any pics of you freeing the roof? That would be, well, Rad!

That's about right, minus the ugly audience chicks flashing their boobs, thank goodness. I kept seeing this as the current thread but hadn't clicked on it in a few days. This is out of control. Certainly made me laugh. Just don't die on us out there Josh, you're the Sanjaya of CC.com and we're rooting for you.

So are you supposed to wait until after a serious injury to intervene? That doesn't seem like the best strategy. Bug and Mythos have good points. As a climber yourself, at least you can help them adopt practices that may minimize the chance of finger and other injuries. It's encouraging that you're being mindful of these issues now. Good luck. Many will judge you no matter what path you choose. IMHO, the most important people to answer to will be your kids themselves years from now.

Well, I'll take the opposite view and suggest this is headed for classic status. A few sunny ascents will clean it up and lessen the intimidating nature of these clouds-brewing photos. This looks like a far more interesting route than either the Girth (which I haven't done but seems like a long approach for a short section of real climbing) and the N ridge, which we know is endless simul climbing for most parties. It doesn't sound like any bolts are needed, unless you want to bolt anchors so the route can be rapped instead of having to continue to the summit. I would be inclined to respect the 11 rating as as these kids easily hike hard 11s North, South, East, and West.