Plaidman

Go climb there. You will see. Pictures don't tell the whole story. Plaidman

I returned a pair of climbing shoes there. It was my bad technique and not the shoes. So I was smart and took it straight to the returns window and not the rock climbing equipment area. If anyone that climbed had seen the damage I had done to the shoe they would have laughed me out of the store. I had been climbing at Vedauwoo, Wy. http://www.mountainproject.com/v/wyoming/vedauwoo/nautilus/105757027 I was on Ted's Trot and was facing the wrong way. I needed to jam my hand in overhead and then stem out with my left foot and smear a large crystal. To get fully turned around I cranked on the crystal in a turning motion and fully corkscrewed a hole all the way through the bottom of the shoe to the leather. Wish I had a picture. R.E.I. replaced the shoes. Love those guys.

Trip: Colorado - South Platte - Pikes Peak - Cynical Pinnical - Center Route - The Martyr Date: 8/26/2009 Trip Report: South Platte Slapped 8/20 – 8/25/2009 Granite brings to my mind good rock, memories of great climbing, and Colorado. I had been invited for another climbing trip with my friend and climbing partner Chris. The plan had been in motion since he bought my plane fare 4 months previous. We would climb for at least 5 days and try to keep the driving to a minimum. As the time got closer Chris had a knee injury and the plan needed to be revised. Flexibility and patience are attributes that I find helpful in climbing and life in general. We decided that a day of rest and acclimatization would be helpful. So we started out slow. Friday the 21st we drove up to an area that we had climbed before and decided that we would re-climb a classic crack climb. Classic Dihedral is a as the name would indicate a classic. I had led this climb several times and remembered it well. I would lead and Chris would clean. The day was hot and the rock was warm. The crack was in the full sun. The lead is 160 ft. and very straight forward. My confidence was up, so off I went. A few bouldery moves off the deck and then up to the shelf. Good so far. Engaged the crack and there it was. Ouch my feet. I forgot that the first few moves after establishing yourself in the crack had teeth. Suck it up get the first two pieces in and move. Stay calm I coached myself. After a few moves upward the flow was on. It felt good to be on granite again after a diet of Andesite (a rock type typical to the Pacific Northwest). The climb was hot and being in the full on sun made it a grade harder. If we had waited a couple of hours it would have been in the shade. It was good training, maybe not good training, but training none the less. The top of the crack widens to a flake at the top. I had a choice lay it back or toe heel. Toe heal was the way to go today. As it continued to widen I employed a chicken wing and knee bar. Lay backing on lead is so committing. Stepped left and I was at the anchor. Bliss. What a beautiful spot being on top of Bucksnort Slab in the sun with no wind. Chris cleaned the route and we rapped and left. Classic Dihedral 5.7 Classic Dihedral http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/south_platte/pine_area/105751567 Saturday we decided to go to Eleven Mile Canyon another favorite from my early days of climbing. A short approach to the base of the rock and more Granite crack and face climbing. We chose Arch Rock Direct. This is a fun 5.8 with awesome cracks and the crack eats up gear. It was requested by Chris that I use no nuts for protection as the route is easily protected with cams. Climbing like this would be easier to clean and faster for both of us. I tried to lead the direct start. Made a couple of attempts and finally pulled on a piece of gear and made it over the difficult and awkward 5.9 start. It will remain on the list as unfinished business. The 1st pitch was a warm up. The second pitch requires a run out chimney that you can protect with a mental piece of gear. The consequences of a fall would not be good. As I neared the top I needed to move left out of the nice ledgey filled wonderful chimney and out to perform some dicey face moves. I arrived at the belay spot at the top. We chose this location so that we could communicate without the interference from the wind. Chris followed and lead past me to the summit and then the walk off in our climbing shoes. At this point I felt a pain in a muscle above me knee. Ow. Not now I have two more days of climbing to do. I hobbled and tried to walk without a limp. I surmised that it was going to hurt whether I favored the leg or if I walked normally. Suck it up and make my body obey. It works sometimes. The mind is a terrible thing in the wrong hands. We moved on to the next climb. Hollow Flake was open with no climbers on it, and the 2nd pitch is a route named Persistence. Hollow Flake 5.6 is something that I had led before and is a fun layback flake that eats up gear and has good rests all the way up. It was fun and more Granite. I was getting a full plate of what I wanted. Made it to the belay and brought Chris up. We set up for Persistence. Persistence has 10 bolts to the anchors. I placed a #3 Camalot just under the roof and proceeded up. This is a real balancey move on a small crystal. I made it up to just under the 3rd bolt and came to a screeching halt. The sun was baking me. This was friction slab at its best or worst depending on your point of view. Chris was wondering why it was taking me so long. He was sending up encouraging information on how to get it done. Kind of like a football coach. I was about 6 inches below the bolt reaching up as far as I could. I had to do a high step from a stance and get my foot above my waist. The leverage was wrong. My shoes were not sticking on the 70 degree Granite slab. I was unwilling to go up and unwilling to fall. The combination of sun, adrenaline, and the lack of commitment had fried my mind and body. Finally after lowering off and climbing up again to the same point I was done. I was slapped down by the South Platte friction slab Granite. I was disgusted with myself. Chris was not happy as he thought I should have finished it and his knee was killing him. After he got to my high point he realized after easily reaching up and making the clip on the bolt, that my arm length could have been a deciding factor in why I was having so much trouble. He is a tall 6’ 2” and I being a stubby 5’ 7”. Even with that I could see that I have a lot of work to do. I am certainly not the badass climber that I had thought I was. I had been South Platte slapped. Ouch. It was a good thing though to get a reality check as to where I really am as a climber. The rock will tell. We were done after finishing that climb. It was time to rest for tomorrow. Arch Rock Route 5.8 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/south_platte/elevenmile_canyon/105764490 Hollow Flake 5.6 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/south_platte/elevenmile_canyon/105753064 Persistence 5.9 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/south_platte/elevenmile_canyon/105763968 Sunday Chris tried calling a few climbers to see if anyone was available to do climb Cynical Pinnacle by way of the Center Route. We got a call from Ben. Ben had been referred to us by another climber. The recommendation was enough to instill confidence in his ability to lead the route. We interviewed him and he checked out with us. We met in the parking lot at 1:45 p.m. and headed off by way of what we thought would be an easier approach. Almost 2 ½ hours later we were at the base of the climb. We had waited so late so that the route would be in the shade. It was 4:00 p.m. before we started the climb. I gave Ben the first pitch as I thought it would give him momentum going into the 2nd pitch crux. Besides I had already led the 1st pitch last year. I did not tell Ben that I was dizzy and felt like I was going to puke on his shoes. Altitude and the heat were taking it’s toll. He flew up the 1st pitch I followed and cleaned. He smoked the 2nd pitch crux of the route in 16 min. I took off after managing the rope I was dragging. I needed to pull it and flake it in a pod to make sure the wind didn’t get it stuck in a crack. The crack was beautiful. Hand over hand. Great feet. Were my feet got tired I was able to smear on the face. About have way up I was huffing and puffing so hard that I had to stop. My mouth was a dry gapping hole and my tongue was starting to swell up to the point that it was difficult to force enough air into my starving lungs. I had water so I made a jam with my hand had a solid stance with my feet stuffed in the crack grabbed the water and took a long drink. Chris was down at the base with binoculars and a stopwatch. He said as he watched he could not believe what he was seeing. “Did he really just stop to take a drink of water?” It was either that or collapse from heat exhaustion. I continued up and finished the pitch with no falls and no tension on the rope in 17 min according to Chris’s stopwatch. Ben had threatened that he was going to make me lead the last pitch. Upon arriving at the belay he wanted me to lead past up to the pod above him. Making that move was very interesting I used the nest of webbing as a step of an aid ladder and hauled myself up and pleaded with Ben to take the next pitch. He said he had always wondered if he could lead all three pitches. I said today is your day. Ben took off and finished the pitch and put me on belay. I French freed the last few moves by pulling on gear and flopped up on the top of the 3rd pitch. It was 7:00 p.m. and we needed to get off. Darkness was approaching and the crux of the route is the approach to the base and the trail leading to the bottom. It has to be one of the worst trails ever. The trail is covered with exfoliated Granite the size of marbles. To descend this in the dark was torture. To add to the misery my knee started acting up again. The muscle was cramping and threatening to just seize up, while my pack was attempting to throw me down the hill. We made it off with headlamps. I carry two with me and gave one to Ben. We made it off thanked Ben and got into the car. I felt like I had been beaten with a bat. We had made a date to go out in the morning with another climber. I made up my mind that I would not even decide whether I was going in the morning or not. I knew in the state of mind I was in I would not be making a rational decision. I was cooked. Another great climb ticked off the list. But not really I would like to have done it in better style. So this route stays on the list. Center Route 5.9+ http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/south_platte/cathedral_spires_area/105748816 Morning came too early. Chris woke me up and I shuffled to the bathroom. I could hardly move. I thought when I get to climb El Cap I will certainly feel just as bad. Just keep moving I told myself. As I moved I felt better and better. We were meeting David at Starbucks at 9:00 a.m. He and his wife and I were going to climb the Martyr. One of the best crack climbs in the state. When we arrived I shook David’s hand and I knew I was going. I could tell this guy can climb. He informed us that his wife would not b going with us as the rain was threatening and we would need to climb fast. I ran in to get my go juice. I got a Grande coffee with 2 shots of espresso and an inch of ice so I can drink it fast. Chris told me “This guy moves fast so you will need to really move it to keep up.” That fired me up and I just focused my mind to keep moving. We made it to the base of the climb with the clouds threatening. David led off and finished the first pitch in 16 mins. He built the anchor pulled up the rope and yelled on belay Scott. 20 secs later I yelled climbing. I cleaned the pitch and was off belay in 12 mins. Chris was again timing the climb. We exchanged gear and David lead the 2nd pitch crux in 10 mins I followed and cleaned it in 10 mins. The goal is for the 2nd climber to clean the pitch in half the time. But to match his time was good. The rock on this pitch was beautiful. The rock was the most amazing Granite. Every hand jam was perfect. Feet slotted into the rock easily. I was climbing so smoothly. I was flowing up the rock. Not thinking just moving dynamically. Every hold was there on demand. I was one with the rock. We got to the 3rd pitch and David had a hidden treat. We needed to make a traverse about 300 ft off the deck on little ledges for the feet and almost nothing for the hands. David gave me specific instructions on what to do. He made it to the belay and yelled “Off belay”. It was my turn. I climbed. I did not think about climbing. I moved. It was like I was in a meditative state. Everything was so clear and right now. I was so present. The rock and the movement was all I was conscious of. The rope led up into a small upside down cave. It was like bomb bay doors. There was nothing below me for over 300 feet. The holds were large and the foot holds were there, but the consequences of a fall would have been a swing into space. It is just better not to fall in some situations and this was one of them. I would have been fine as long as my heart did not explode from an overload of adrenaline. I removed the last piece and moved out with feet and hands engaged. Out of the Bat Cave I climbed. I reached the end of the roof after 5 or 10 ft and slammed my arm into the crack above with an arm bar. I was locked in and was not coming off. I continued by throwing my leg around the arête at the end of the cave and threw my other arm into the crack. Moved my feet up, made a couple of more hand jams and I was at the summit. Combined time between us 20 mins. 10 for David 10 for me. WOW!!! This had to be the best climb of my life. I figured the best way to thank David and Chris was to climb well. We got ourselves off the summit and back to the packs just as the rain started to spit. David was a very inspiring climber and I was able to rise to the challenge in the face of physical pain and mental fatigue. I was so ecstatic it was really a privilege to have been able to climb such beautiful rock with a master of the stone like David. The Martyr 5.9 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/colorado/colorado_springs/old_stage_road/105756922 I had to thank Chris for putting himself out there to find partners for me to climb with. I had the time of my life and climbed 4 out of 6 days. This has to be one of the best climbing trips yet. And the adventure continues. Scott Peterson/Plaidman August 26, 2009

Dean Fidelman, Mike Graham, John Long, Royal Robbins, Jim Donini and Dean Caldwell -- Slide Shows

This is an official post from The Vershke Group. Whack+Dangle and Simon King After months of planning and the completion of several recent slideshows in Portland and Colorado it has become painfully obvious that I must cancel ALL future shows that I am producing. This decision is based solely on financial concerns. I want to be CRYSTAL CLEAR that this decision is made by my business and myself personally. In NO WAY were ANY of the speakers responsible for this decision. Let me be clear that Glen Denny, John Bachar, Dean Fidelman, Mike Graham, John Long, Royal Robbins, Jim Donini and Dean Caldwell have been 100% supportive and helpful at every step of the way. They have all been a wonderful crew of people to be associated with both professionally and as fellow climbers. This decision is mine alone and should not reflect negatively on any of these fine people or their companies. It was my intention all along that these shows would be first class; from the selection of speakers to the presentation venues, I wanted a show that the climbing community could be proud of. I may have set my aspirations too high. I spent many thousands of dollars pre-booking venues, marketing, travel, etc. in hopes of presenting the community with top-notch shows. This was never intended to be a huge money-making machine; but it did need to cover costs. Sadly, costs were not covered, attendance was minimal and a massive correction had to be made. Let there be no confusion on two matters: 1. All individuals who purchased tickets and raffle tickets for all future shows will be fully reimbursed. The process of notifying every customer individually by e-mail (or post if we do not have an e-mail address) has begun and will be complete by July 6. Refunds will be completed no later than August 1. 2. The speakers I worked with have been stellar and my decision is not something that they had anticipated. Needless to say, I feel I have let these individuals down with this decision and for that I offer my public apology. I want to extend my sincere happiness and satisfaction with the climbing community that has supported my efforts through purchased event tickets, show attendance and written word. Thanks! For those of you who did come to the recent events, you all had a VERY intimate evening with a great show! Finally, why did this happen? Perhaps it was just a set of eyes that were too big. In my 30+ years as a businessman I have tasted great success and abject failure. In each case I was able to identify what worked and what didn’t. I just didn’t see this one coming. While some might argue it would be wrong to hide behind the state of the current economy, I believe it would be ignorant to ignore the effect a shrinking paycheck has on people’s ability to spend money on slideshows. However, I should have foreseen that and planned accordingly. If anyone has any question at all please contact me directly at simon(at)Vershke(dot)com. ----------------------------- I found this on SuperTopo.com and got permission from Simon to repost this announcement. Plaidman

You are correct. The current cam I have has not been fall tested. I take great care with cam placements as noted above. The right gear for the situation. As to falling. I try not to fall as I believe it is called climbing and not falling. Not that falling is a skill that should be neglected. I have not mastered it to the greatest degree. The nuts that I place are always bomber in a downward fall, but I was neglecting the outward pull on the passive gear previously. I normally place long runners on my passive pieces and in this instance the runners were not long enough. I now set my nuts and passive gear more vigorously. The place of this incident was at the crux move at the top of Jill's Thrill at Beacon. Always learning and applying the lessons learned. Plaidman

Thanks Michael I love the purple link cam. It is my oh shit piece and I have throughly tested this piece in falls. I fell 20 feet off a crux and all my other nuts zippered and the link cam held. My partner also took a fall in the same place with a long fall and he out weighs me by a bit and the link cam saved his ass. I have always placed cams for downward fall in most situations and I guess I was taught well. I am not an expert but I will still use this piece of gear keeping in mind the information shared. By the way I am setting my nuts much better these days. Setting them with outward pull in mind. Plaidman

Thanks Bill. You rock. Very Niiiiccccce Plaidman

Looks interesting. As if there aren't enough interesting things going on on a big wall climb. SuperTopo http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=495312 Has anyone tried them? Plaidman

Still interesed in the Talon's if you have them.

Can I get tickets at the door still?

Working on it. The hot guy may be a problem though.

i like to climb in my sleep plaidman - badass! but not at the summit dude, land of the little people! i'll help you rig the keg-lowering if need be choada boy - just because you lost grip and dropped your favorite crusty sock down the wall doesn't mean you "lost your wife in a climbing accident" Maybe the after party at the land of the little people. I need to have my daughter there at the wedding and she doesn't climb or repel. She is only 8 yrs old and her mother would have a fit. It is a nice thought though. Thanks

And you have very good reason to be. Each individual item in those two pictures brings back a flood of memories. Without question, that is just some of the gear stolen with my crag pack five years ago from Minnehaha: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/331327/Searchpage/1/Main/22928/Words/stolen/Search/true/Re_My_crag_pack_stolen_from_Mi#Post331327 Bug, thank you very much. Not sure what course of action I can take, or should take, if any. I had all my gear stolen out of my car in Portland Oregon and files a police report. The police told me if I saw any of my gear I could just take it back because I filed a police report. Hope that helps. Plaidman

Now that is some funny shit. Question is: "will she let you go climbing more than once a month now that you are married" I am getting married soon to a woman that climbs with me, will belay anywhere. Even from a semi hanging belay and not complain. She has a dowry that includes a 60 meter rope and two cams and all her personal gear (helmet, harness, daisy chain, and shoes). She aspires to live in a tent and is an awesome camp cook. We plan on getting married on top of Beacon Rock after climbing the South East Corner Route. We both wear helmets.

My son when teaching him the commands associated with climbing. When I taught him that when falling you should say falling. He said do you then say fall on. Plaidman

I love this. I am going to learn Morse Code tonight so I can use it the next time I go out. Great idea! Plaidman

I like Fred's helmet.

Gotta check out the Climbing Gear Ninja at: Comments? This was after sorting gear and a few belts of whiskey. Plaidman

Drying out some as of 5/15/09

Trip: Pete's Pile - Even Date: 5/15/2009 Trip Report: Jumped up on Even at Pete's Pile on Friday. The bottom was wet and mossy made it feel more like 5.10 than 5.7. The top was fine. The other routes near by were in similar condition. The Guillotine was soaked from top to bottom. The approach was dry no snow.

Where on the Smithrocks.com site do they post the closures? I did not see them. So there are no closures on the Red Wall?

I stayed off the mountain and did some moderate rock climbing. Damn it!!! It looked so good. I was going by the high avey warning. Bummed now. I am going to get up there. The Gates look sick. Thanks for the photos. Now I won't be able to sleep until I git er done.

Did anybody summit?

I want to be in too. Myself and my son Noah can help move Jim. Scott/Plaidman