MrGecko

All this talk of soup and not much about the routes to the left or right of it. Left of Stone Soup is a route called Smoke Signals, 10c from what I can gather. Bill Coe made reference to it having 13 bolts and being called Crossdressing Fool but I think that was his April 1st post. Right of Soup is what, anything?

Kenny thanks so much for posting this, what a great article. Joseph you rock! Thank you so much for risking your freedom and well being for a cause that you believe in and which many other people believe in. It makes me proud to know that you took to protesting in a peaceful manner that brought attention to the harm and destruction that is happening to our environment. I think of all those folks who recently hung from the St.John's bridge in protest of Arctic drilling and like you they too were willing to hang it all out there for the benefit of us all. Bravo man!

Is this up the valley towards the terminus of the Nisqually Glacier? The same valley with Mikey's Gully? Thanks!

I wanted to post this here for those not in the various FaceBook climbing groups and since I know a bunch of you guys are local if not all. [font:Century Gothic]Big Wall Tips & Tricks with Mark Hudon[/font] Saturday, December 5th, 2015 ..... 1:00-5:00PM Mazama Mountaineering Center 527 SE 43rd Avenue Portland, OR 97215 Last spring we held this class through the Mazamas Clinics & Special Presentations. It was a full house, packed with great information and very well received. Mark is just back from a full season of climbing completing one of his projects by sending all the 12a's in Rifle on Colorado's Western Slope. This fall he spent yet another long session on the big stone climbing some serious El Cap routes in Yosemite. Please spread the word. Thanks SIGN UP: http://mazamas.org/education-classes/clinics-and-special-presentations/ CLINIC DESCRIPTION, $45 ----------------------------------------- If you have already embarked on your path to big wall climbing, have a few or many ascents or are just about to open that door but have a good idea of the logistics involved then you might want to join big wall master Mark Hudon for an evening of big wall tribal knowledge. Topics to be discussed and/or demonstrated include: Advanced hauling and docking Solo bag movement Packing a haul bag Nice to have extras and specialized tools Unique/uncommon gear placements Cheaters Efficient leading and following Fast belay setups Communication or lack of Preferred aiders and ascender setup Big wall racking Fast ascending/following Portaledge setup Faster transitions . About Mark Hudon Mark Hudon first climbed El Capitan in 1974 when he was 18 years old. Over the next 6 years Mark would climb El Cap 8 more times by a number of different routes such as the Mescalito, Magic Mushroom, New Dawn and the Zodiac, not to mention nearly free ascents of the Salalthe Wall and The Nose. In 2009 Mark was bitten by the big wall bug again and lead The Nose route in a 15.5 hr push. The next spring he soloed Grape Race to Tribal Rite in 11 days and has done 15 routes since, including two more solos. With various partners Mark knocked out six El Cap routes this year including Tempest, A4+ and Genesis A4+ . Mark was recently featured in Climbing Magazine - http://www.climbing.com/…/el-cap-pioneers-hudon-jones-plan…/

[font:Century Gothic]Big Wall Tips & Tricks with Mark Hudon[/font] Saturday, December 5th, 2015 ..... 1:00-5:00PM Mazama Mountaineering Center 527 SE 43rd Avenue Portland, OR 97215 Last spring we held this class through the Mazamas Clinics & Special Presentations. It was a full house, packed with great information and very well received. Mark is just back from a full season of climbing completing one of his projects by sending all the 12a's in Rifle on Colorado's Western Slope. This fall he spent yet another long session on the big stone climbing some serious El Cap routes in Yosemite. Check the http://mazamas.org/education-classes/clinics-and-special-presentations/ website for signup information. Please spread the word. Thanks CLINIC DESCRIPTION, $45 ----------------------------------------- If you have already embarked on your path to big wall climbing, have a few or many ascents or are just about to open that door but have a good idea of the logistics involved then you might want to join big wall master Mark Hudon for an evening of big wall tribal knowledge. Topics to be discussed and/or demonstrated include: Advanced hauling and docking Solo bag movement Packing a haul bag Nice to have extras and specialized tools Unique/uncommon gear placements Cheaters Efficient leading and following Fast belay setups Communication or lack of Preferred aiders and ascender setup Big wall racking Fast ascending/following Portaledge setup Faster transitions . About Mark Hudon Mark Hudon first climbed El Capitan in 1974 when he was 18 years old. Over the next 6 years Mark would climb El Cap 8 more times by a number of different routes such as the Mescalito, Magic Mushroom, New Dawn and the Zodiac, not to mention nearly free ascents of the Salalthe Wall and The Nose. In 2009 Mark was bitten by the big wall bug again and lead The Nose route in a 15.5 hr push. The next spring he soloed Grape Race to Tribal Rite in 11 days and has done 15 routes since, including two more solos. With various partners Mark knocked out six El Cap routes this year including Tempest, A4+ and Genesis A4+ . Mark was recently featured in Climbing Magazine - http://www.climbing.com/…/el-cap-pioneers-hudon-jones-plan…/

At least no one has resorted to taking each other out with a suicide vest but man you guys get cranky with each other. :kisss:

Me and Arent have the second ascent from the ground to the top. It was originally done in pieces. 3rd and 4th pitch was put up years before the first and second. So I have " Jim Opdyke and Michael Jackson and they worked on it for years... I think Ken Pasquinelli did the 3rd Pitch..." does anyone know the year(s)? Is there somewhere to look it up, a guidebook not in publication for Beacon perhaps?

Climbed the original line of Right Gull today. The second pitch went fine protecting with a couple cams (see earlier post 1 page back) where the pin is now missing. This was the first time I climbed the wide hand sized crack on the far right instead of the hand crack section of Seagull on the left. Awkward in places but definitely likes 2"-3" cams. The rest of the line is fairly benign. Personally I'd recommend the Vulcan variation, the far left Seagull crack variation and adding in Muriel's Memoir for the best combination up this route. I was looking for the Crazy Horse pitches after the short stiff section on pitch 2 of Right Gull, does anyone know where that route goes? From the ledge above where the pin popped out you can look right and see the top of Fear of Flying. Somewhere on the wall is another wide crack but I couldn't figure out what was what. I know that the thin finger crack left of the last pitch of Jill's is the upper section of Crazy Horse but wonder where the original line went. I also started up Left Gull with a pruner but there was just way too much invasive Himalayan Blackberry stuffed in the cracks. This needs a top down effort. Anyone up for a day of cleaning and seeing if we can relink the line where that pillar fell off? Steve - I have a fun line waiting for you if you want to get out. There is still a stuck cam down low on Little Wing if anyone wants to go booty it.

Anyone know when Young Warriors was first climbed and by who?

And who might be that beastly green monster?

Took sometime to give the internet a break and got out on Right Gull with Joseph today. I wanted to check out if the fixed piece should be replaced. Right off the belay one could place a Blue #1 MasterCam and then just above that there is a good slot for a Black #6 MasterCam or Green 0.75 Camalot. If you are experienced at placing gear then you won't have any issue. The remaining pin is only a few moves away so there is no need for any replacement of fixed gear for that pitch. We also did some maintenance on the belay on top of Ten-A-Cee Stemming. This consisted of 2 pins or a bunch of old tat around a big block. One of the pins I funked out with one swing, easily, the other seems pretty good. But none-the-less a nice long 3/8"x6" bolt and rap hanger went in to supplement the good pin. A bit of work on the Black Berry bushes and the Old Warriors Never Die and surrounding lines should be in much better shape and this will offer a rap station should one want to descend off of Right Gull. Lastly, I will fess up that the 100lb block that came off of Young Wieners was me. We were rapping off the second belay and it was dark. Just above the ledge to the left and above of the YW's first belay anchors I stepped on that block and it was very loose. At first I caught it with my foot enough to tip it in and give me a chance to clear the rope before it shot off into the dark. At least that time bomb is gone now.

I was out there when it happened and posted on CCC about it if you want more details. Perhaps Ivan and write up a report in that prose of his. In the meantime we will be gluing and screwing on Beacon.

Saturday I was back out to Wolf Rock to finish rebolting the Barad Dur line with Juan. After climbing this line a few weeks earlier and noting that there were still a few 1/4" bolts on route as well as at a couple belay stations, I thought it was time to complete the upgrade. A number of older Leeper 1/4'ers got chopped as did the thin hanger SMC 1/4" time bombs. Some of the bolts snapped as I tried to loosen the hangers and others broke with a single hit from my hammer with maybe 50lbs force! Any remaining 1/4" bolts are either close to newer bolts (ie. you don't need to clip them), in places where gear could be used or are located at belay stations as a third bolt (I typically use those to hang, flake & organize the rope but not much else). The route is still "sporty" in places but at least you have the same level of protection as when those older bolts were first put in. Apart from having to climb with a couple of heavy packs of bolting gear, we had a great time on the route and made fairly good time getting back to the car in about 7 hrs including all the rebolting. Thanks to the Portland Vicinity Re-Bolting Group, The Mazamas and the American Safe Climbing Association for their support with this project. This 1/4'er is no longer This old SMC now replaced with this stainless steel beasty. Belay station with 1 x 3/8" and 2 x 1/4" bolts. That 1/4" in the center looks reasonable but with about a half turn or so the nut it snapped off in my hand. Belay station is now bomber. These might as well been just glued to the face...snapped with one hit of the hammer at about ~50lbs force I would estimate. Note that these bolts protected a 40-50' run out and that the belay station below was also relying on a 1/4" bolt!

Joseph, there is a good AAJ article that Tom Frost compiled along with his concerns about pins long before my time and it included areas beyond Yosemite, I just used Serenity as a convenient example. If you can't read the post here I can send you the article although I believe its all searchable on the AAI website. Regarding Beacon, I was on Fear of Flying and the upper pin on the first pitch no longer exists. Apparently it is no longer needed because where it used to sit is now a place for gear which didn't exist before. The second pitch also is missing a pin and I suspect the situation is similar but can't confirm as I am not that familiar with that route. I'm relaying this second hand as I don't really know where the pins were placed but was informed that this is the case. This could be conjecture and feel free to set the story straight if you know more. If I come across more examples I'll make note and share. I'm not advocating bolting all the cracks but am thinking alongside with the rest of our community on how we address climbing, safety, maintenance and preservation of the routes as best we can. Bill's experience shines a great perspective on a particular route and reminds me that often there isn't a one solution fits all to these issues. Appreciate all the fodder.

The problem is that routes eventually lose old pins, when the pins are replaced they damage the rock further and then on some next cycle those old pin holes become hand holds and/or gear placements. It might not be in our generation but maybe in the next cycle or thereafter.

"Serenity Crack would not be climbed free by 99% of the people it is today if it had not been pinned out for years aid climbing, and creating bomber locks and clean placements. " Does that validate the fact that the rock was damaged by pitons? If so then why can't climbers head out to Beacon and beat the shit out of a route with pins until its nature becomes similar to that as Serenity? That way more of us could climb those harder routes.

I've been thinking about the discussion above and pins in cracks vs. bolts beside them. I suppose if bolting was easier than pounding in a pin climbers would have taken that option way back when as a first approach to fixed gear, however that wasn't the case. But pounding pins has a major drawback vs. bolting, it permanently scars the rock feature that the climber is attempting to ascend. If you have ever climbed Serenity Crack then its obvious that you are mostly climbing pin scars and not so much a natural feature at times. Had the crack been bolted then the same fixed protection locations would have been afforded but the climbable feature would have been left natural and unaltered. Should the bolts ever need to be removed because of advancements in clean climbing gear, the holes could be filled and following climbers would be none-the-wiser. In addition, if a policy was adopted that bolts being used alongside cracks as fixed pro were pulled/cleaned and the hole reused this would minimize the damage to the natural state of the route. So I'm starting to view pounding in pins, which may or may not be replaced at a future date more akin to chipping a route and that, from what I can tell, is definitely frowned upon in the climbing community.

Couple of questions for the locals. When climbing Jill's Thrill there are three belays that can break the route up. Assuming one uses all of them, what crack is the final pitch of Jill's Thrill? Does it take the flaring crack on the right of the belay for pitch 3 or the thinner finger to hands crack on the right of the belay? What route is the other crack? Secondly, there seems to be two pins on the lower Fear of Flying pitch but the topo shows four. The upper section has one and the topo shows two. Were those pins pulled or ???

Step & Fetch It (5.10a) now has its own top anchors. The route to the right of it called The Martyr (5.8) and which goes through the roof was extended and now shares the top anchors with Step & Fetch It. Mountain Project has been updated to reflect the changes. The image/topo is shown below.

Just go climb it PINK and get your own pics

Joseph's point regarding the maintenance of fixed anchors whether they be bolts or pins is spot on. Both are effective forms of fixed protection but without a plan the responsibility falls on the individual climber. I don't have an issue with that myself but working with the Portland Rebolting Team it's obvious how much more efficient it can be with an organized plan. Costs, time, records, etc. are all easier to keep track of when we do it as a collective. Hopefully the latest Beacon Committee will recognize and address that issue. Rescues cost much more than regular maintenance and I don't mean in purely a monetary way.

I will let you know but that would be a great alternative. I might buy stock in BallNutz if this works and mark them up for Ivan.

I'm positive that when we climbed there you swore you hated the place and thought the rock absolutely sucked. Glad to see you give it a second chance.

OLD LINE GETS NEW LIFE AT BEACON ROCK - "CLOUD NINE, 5.9" Each time I was up on Grassy Ledges I would look over and wonder what route were those old rusty homemade hangers on? A dirty, lichen covered, uninviting slab led up to the first one I could spot but the line looked like it hadn't been climbed in a long time. I kept thinking that it would be cool if the SE Corner route had a bit more climbing and less scrambling after the first 3 pitches and so I started my exploration to uncover Cloud Nine. The first order was to replace the three old homemade hanger bolts with some fresh modern day material. Next was a bit of cleaning to uncover pockets, slots and cracks that would allow for gear placements and to expose some of those edges you will need to dance your way up the crux section. Today along with Matt, I got out and led the line and I must say it makes for a fine alternative to the scrambling portion after Grassy Ledges of the original SE Corner. There are a couple of popular ways that one could get this pitch in: Option 1 - Climb the first 4 pitches of the SE Corner route, stopping at the top of Grassy Ledges just before it dips down to climbers left. Set a belay here using cams; an old bolt stud can be seen at eye level. The route heads out right along a cleaner line of rock which should be obvious at this time. Option 2 - Climb the first 2 pitches of Young Warriors but on the second pitch finish up left to Tree Ledge and belay here. Then merge into the fourth pitch of the SE Corner and follow that up to Grassy Ledges. Just before the Grassy Ledge trail dips down to climbers left. Set a belay here using cams; an old bolt stud can be seen at eye level. The route heads out right along a cleaner line of rock which should be obvious at this time. Cloud Nine, 5.9, 50m Head up right following a shallow ramp and finding good pockets for gear. Continue up the slab trending right until below the first bolt. Climb up through the bolts (crux) finding good edges and a fun series of moves until the terrain eases. From the last bolt step left and continue straight up the corner and crack until you pull up on to a clean slab with a piton to the right. Traverse right to the piton and join the Young Warriors line from here; onward and upward through more fun climbing. Do not stop at the intermediate belay ledge but instead move right up another slab ramp and continue up passing a piton and one last bolt. Belay from the ridge and note that this pitch is about 50m in length. Gear: 0.1 - 2.0 Camalots, 1 Set of Nuts An extra 0.2 & 0.3 is helpful

Freak Freely has now got its own set of top anchors. This avoids the need to traverse to either of the adjacent route anchors. The bigger questionable blocks were jumped on and tested and are fine and secure. A bunch of gardening was done to clean up this route.