gosolo

The ear on primrose is short but way gnarly. i aided the sucker.

moving to Kansas....I did it from 1988-1995 and there are actually climbers there. OH MY GOD THOSE PEOPLE WERE CRAZY!!!

One other thing: I used to just grab partners for various crag routes, but I would definitely be familiar with the person you are going to climb with. I would rather solo El Cap than be up there with someone you can't depend on. Good Luck!

One bit of advice: practice the art of "french-free". On the Salathe there are only 7 pitches you need to break the aiders out on (Pitches harder than 11d). When you jump into aiders your speed is about 10 times slower. You can cover a lot of ground by grabbing and pulling on some pro. Texplorer is also correct: be ready to climb the Hollowflake sans pro. Get psyched, when climbed as a wall it is the crux. Retreat above there may be a bit tricky. The Nose is easier and is also an awesome climb. It is also much easier to retreat. I rapped from the great roof in a snow storm one time and while initially frightening, the rapps were set up quite well. Read one of the latest issues about last falls storm on El Cap so you know what you are getting into.

All good sage advice. I once wore out a brand new pair of painters pants in 1 pitch on the Priest in Southern Utah. (An offwidth that goes into a chimney) Wore holes all the way through the pocket and ass and the knees. The only other effective way to climb some offwidths (ie:the hollow flake on Salathe) is to lieback them. You dont wear out your knees but you do need really big kahunas!

Hi, these things may seem prehistoric, however, they were the bomb! remember in 1982 the only cams we had were FRIENDS wi the rigid shaft and the smallest was a #1. When 0.5 tricams came out they were the greatest thing going for horizontals and difficult placements. Used a #6 and a #7 for off-widths too; however, the big tricams had a tendancy to fall out of the crack. Thanks for the post - remindsx me of the old days.....

Hi, I may be interested but am on the other side of the state. I have been climbing a while so trad, sport whatever, I like it all. Currently interested in ice (tis the season) but can rock out too....just need to pick the times right. G