tradclimbguy

What's funny is they seem to think that idiots aiding free lines is only specific to Jap Gardens or that the mid anchors have something to do with it??? I would agree that if you aid climb (which I do myself) then you should at least have enough respect or common sense to stay off ultra popular free lines on the weekends. That said if you get up early enough and your plan is to go aid Jap Gardens go for it but realize people may be irked when they find you moving at a snails pace up a common free route. To the troll who posted this... Tuff shit, get up earlier next time, come back another weekend, show up mid week or just stop being such a dumbass. As for the TR crew just ask if they'd like a TR on the whole pitch. It's worked for me numerous times in the past. If you aren't an idiot you can pretty much get on Jap Gardens anytime you want by just offering to set their rope up at the top when you finish climbing the whole thing.

It all depends on how you want to do the route. We short fixed the whole thing and were back to the car before dark. All I was saying is that it depends on how you want to do it, we chose to practice our short fixing. If you can work out a way to hit 30 minute pitches without short fixing let me know, but I can't simul 5.12 like Hans and Yuji Good point though if you are both taking your time and climbing/following everything that a bit of french free will get you through the route.

Well then he's all set I missed the question and didn't notice it was in climbing partners forum If I could break out during that time I'd love to make a round. I think I'll be down for a few days in September to make another pass on the big stone. I say go for a link up then. The Nose to Steck-Salathe or just go for The Nose to Salathe in a day, ouch. I would love to get that one if I could.

Kind of a big difference between doing something on El Cap vs. Steck Salathe. One's pretty much just a long alpine type route (steck Salathe) while the other (anything on El Cap) is a bit more of a big wall. Have you done either yet? If you just want to go do a big wall I would highly suggest the RNWF of Half Dome, its kind of an intermediate between the two classics.

Is it just too obvious or something? Rapping off one bolt is stupid unless that is your ONLY option. Why not just carry thin 1/2 webbing and carry enough of it to set a few equalized rap anchors off two bolts if you have it available along with a few rap rings or some biners. I have a 20+ft chunk of it wrapped into a very tiny ball that weighs all of a couple oz's. Enough material for a number of rappels too, no American triangle needed and no need for a single bolt rap. I've always been of the mindset that the few bucks I lose on biners or sling is minimal when compared to blowing an anchor or the unlikely chance that single bolt fails while bailing and falling to my death. As for falling on "one bolt". Yes I fall on one bolt all the time but NO I don't trust just one bolt. Usually there are multiple bolts or pro clipped between me and the single bolt if it fails, that or an anchor that should be bomber. Now if I rap on a single bolt and it fails, thats all she wrote, end of story. I see the point your trying to make, its just flawed.

Well, you bring the napalm and I'll bring a big ass tooth brush and we can go to it

Good point. I always like to tell people to go scrub something We were also up on HG recently and noticed the fixed lines on the "Mossy Corner" That thing is such a mess, I give major props to whomever is working on cleaning that thing up. Gonna take a very long time, but it might turn out to be another fun route. Looked at it on the way down, looks like depending on where the line runs it might be a fairly continuous sustained route. I think some of that rock up there like on HG is some of the best sport climbing I've ever done anywhere. Lots of other large overhanging ominous rock up there too. Haven't been up on much of it aside from aiding way back when and I'm really not sure there is that much up there that is easily doable unless you climb 5.12 hard and don't mind and aid pitch or two to get you to some of the possible lines. I'll take your word though that there are lots of things still up for grabs. sometimes I wonder if we are seeing another wave of popularity hitting index like in the 80's when so much was bolted up, cleaned and listed in the guide. Still tons of stuff lost in the moss that I think was probably only climbed once by whomever projected it. Unfortunately not enough people climb hardman 5.11/5.12 but maybe that will change.

All very good points made so far. It's nice to see we can actually have a conversation instead of an all out spray war. I would agree that if they were trying to make some point this really wasn't the best way to do it especially since it was such poor form. Like I said, why pick and choose what you pull on the route, I mean they pulled the mid point anchors but not the other bolt and pin on the route??? How hypocritical is that??? Jens is right that the route will probably get a little mossier and there will undoubtedly always be a longer line on the other couple easier routes now. Great thanks... Why not pull the anchors on Rogers Corner, Sagitarious, Bat Skins, Thin fingers, Model worker, Iron horse and GM while you're at it??? Those are just a few off the top of my head all on the LTW that have "intermediate" anchors or even multiple intermediate anchors. I mean everybody climbs with a 70m at index, why not pull every intermediate and force everybody to be hard men. We all know that works real well. So as far as putting the anchors back, if that is going to happen. What about tossing in a set of the Petzl Long life bolts and a pair of Metolius Rap hangers? More or less tamper proof, much less visual impact, no chains necessary and people could still TR the hell out of it with a couple draws clipped in. Just a thought.

We ran into a huge guy laying on the trail to the Pearly Gates about this time last year. Looked like he'd just eaten a small dog or something too I usually run into them mostly around Tieton it seems. It almost seems like you could bring two 5 gallon buckets to stand in while belaying sometimes

First off I never train in the morning. Can't stand waking up and trying to run or climb. Only time I do hard activity early in the morning is if I'm out doing something Alpine. Even if I do get up early to do a route or something I can't choke anything before about 11am except for coffee. With Coffee or maybe a Red Bull I'm usually good for a long approach and still usually can't choke anything down till after a good number of pitches. I usually load up the night before and call it good there. High fat and protein dinner with carbs too. I try to stay away from too much greasy foods though and if I can help it I go light on the meat. Studies have shown your body is most active and productive for training in the late afternoon and early evening, so if you've got the choice working out then will get you more benefit over the long run.

I guess I mine as well drudge it up. Early this season still one chain. Last weekend two chains Yesterday, no chains, no bolts Still put a rope up on it although lugging two 4's was fun to protect the start and middle of the OW. Not sure what to think. I enjoyed pumping out the first short pitch on lazy days. Got an awfully self righteous crew out their chopping things lately. They should have also chopped the 1 bolt in the middle of the first pitch and pulled the pin too while they were at it, but I guess their ego's must have been enough of a load. Discuss...

How about Phast Children I still give it a 10+/11-. I think the slab moves over the first roof is way more than just a 10b and the traverse under the roof is definately more than a 10c with gear and smeary feat, but I think getting on the nubbins on the face to make it to the jug in the top roof and then pulling the lip puts it into the 11 range. I mean sloe children is listed at what? 10d? I can't remember, but either way I think it's a step up from that at least. Then again I'm old, fat and can't climb very hard anymore

So does that mean Alpine climbing dies when all the glaciers melt?

How about those funny crack climbing gloves. I see people wearing those sometimes, never anybody that really climbs hard though. I bet you could find a pair of those to soothe your aching vag.

I'd go for the Beal. Last mammut I had I tore the sheath the second time out on rock. Not very awe inspiring for sure. Definitely couldn't pay me enough to get on a Big Wall with something like that either.

I'm trying to grasp how exactly his spray is anymore or less annoying than all the crap each one of you gives already? Seems to me like we'd have to shut down CC.com if we really wanted to solve the problem of useless spray, trolling and mass quantities of BS all with very little relation to climbing. Then again thats just my worthless opinion because after all I most likely don't have the post count to back anything worth while here as I've found out. -TCG

It's documented but not listed here on cc.com. DCramer has a site thats got pics of the route and descriptions. I made a link to it, but I guess it was too much for the site and my post got deleted The route is an 11a, no name that I know of and there are other routes newly cleaned and setup to the right as well. If you want to actually visit a climbing site that talks mostly about climbing and lists routes and info go check out rcnw.net and look up this route under Sky Valley on the Lower Wall. I think the site is great! Too bad it's so low bandwidth right now. -TCG

Also, just keep an eye out for sales. Full sets of nuts go on sale all the time and so do the sets of Metolius TCU's. Just stick with some standard sizes and work to odd things like tiny cams and huge cams only when you have routes that require them. Can't go wrong with .75, 1, 2 and 3 Black Diamond cams if you do decide to throw down for some.

I beg to differ. I thought we learned from these cool cats that Mountaineering is way cool. Learn to climb slab

I think that's probably the closest determination in the pile too. I think it depends more on what you wear. Shorts over polypro + boots and gators = Mountaineering ratty pants + running shoes = Alpine shorts + flip flops = Rock Climbing Prana Pajamas = Bouldering So when you see me running up to SCW to do OS in my flip flops I'm out rock climbing, but if I toss on approach shoes and pants it's alpine. If I'm walking down a flat chunk of rock in my boots and gators with polypro I'm probably being made fun of in that "other" thread

I just can't believe I actually waded through all 25 pages. Somehow those pictures are entertaining and addictive at the same time. Kind of like watching golf on TV. You catch it while flipping channels then before you know it you've watched 4hrs of golf! My personal favorite is when they setup in the grass working rope techniques over by the UW rock. One day both the mountaineers and the karate doods showed up. What a hoot!

If we want to keep up with your spew of post counts then we have to blabber on with as much nonsense as we can. obviously I suck at it though since I've still only got a hundred forty posts after this much time, hehehe.

We did CBR and liberty crack with two ascenders and Metolius speed aiders. I guess it really depends on the style you plan to climb them and how "light" you want to be. If the second isn't jugging then just a set of alpine aiders is all you need really for the leader and the follow can climb/french free. If you actually plan to aid and jug most pitches you mine as well give the second a full set of ascenders to work with at which point both of you will need something to aid and jug on. You are missing one set of etriers though from your list, unless your leader can lead climb everything you get on where the second is the only one who will follow on jugs. Don't forget fifi hooks either Sometimes I have a hard time making myself take it off for regular routes

You're probably right. I never thought of it like that. Then again there's Slesse I don't know of anybody that doesn't complain about that descent. oohhhhh my legs still hurt from the last time I did that like 3 yrs ago. hahaha

I've used a little of each setup. I have a set of the Metolius speed aiders and would definately vouch for those as being the fastest jugging setup. I've run a couple big walls with them in a day and thats by far the setup I'd stick with. They are very light and since there isn't much to them it's easy to keep your setup clean from turning into a cluster. They definately get worn out after a hundred or so pitches of jugging but are good especially in the dark or when you're tired since you can strap your feet in. They absolutely suck for aid though but they've found a permanent space on my rack for big wall pushes with all the short fixing and jugging that goes on. If you break things into blocks then it makes for only a couple change overs with them, but if you do stuff like pre-mark them for "your" length then it's easy to swap between you and a buddy without thinking much. The 1 jug + grigri works but if all you are doing is jugging and cleaning fast it gets tiring and old really fast. I've practiced on both setups before and can never go as fast with the grigri as I can with just two jugs. You just never spend much time doing completely free hanging jug pitches anyway and you can't really "shuffle" very well with that setup like you can with two ascenders, which is especially helpful if you also have a heavy pack on. That said, if you are really coordinated a regular set of etriers should do you just as good as the set from Metolius, but then again not all of us can jug like one of the Huber brothers