dberdinka Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 TR Wrist Twister (AKA An excessively long TR on a 3-pitch rock climb) Somehow I've managed to convince myself that winter never happened. The skis are collecting dust and winter ascents of bone-chilling north walls is something I only read about on CC.com. Kudos to those of you pulling off the big climbs. I managed to escape the confines of my cubicle on Monday. Waking up at 5:30 AM there were big puddles outside my front door, but the sky was full of stars. Not a perfect day, I figure Squish would live up to its nickname...but you never can tell. I cruised past an unusually empty border crossing, through the fog and mist, breaking out into sunshine on the North Shore of Vancouver. Pulled in below the Chief, the rock is dry and temperatures are balmy. No more excuses, time to make it happen. Getting up the south gully involved pulling on several of the ubiquitous Squamish fixed lines, 25 year-old climbing rope tied to a rotten stump, then 4th class dirt and bushes across an exposed ramp. A fat tree serves as an anchor and I'm climbing before 10 AM. On route, you immediately climb out over a large drop making for big exposure on the walls smooth expanse. The first pitch is a mix of rivets, 30-year-old rusty bolts, the occasional retro bolt and some nice cams and hooking. The second pitch is sweet. Clean aid followed by lots of copperheads and occasional bolts, hooks and rivets. I'm all set to lead the third and last pitch. At which point I started epicing. A couple easy moves led to an enhanced hook from where I could clip a fixed head. A few seconds after getting on it the cable snapped sending me for a 25 foot ride back down to the belay. Climbing back up, the crack in this area is filled with tiny dead-heads I can't clean (copperheads missing their cables). After much futzing around I finally topstep on the hook, weld a decent copperhead and move up. Phew!!! Of course 20 feet later the rope jams at the belay necessitating a rappel off rivets to clean up the mess. The climb ends with me gaping and quaking my way up fifty-plus feet of dowels, bathooks and a few more ancient rusty bolts. Sketchy! A little after 4 PM I've managed to get all gear to the top and finally get to enjoy the view. It's warm, the sun is still high above Howe Sound. The breeze through the trees nearly drowns out the sounds of the town below. I'm enjoying the immense satisfaction that comes with pushing through the self-doubt and fear that often accompanies such adventures. I think it is moments like this that always brings me back to climbing. Life is good. Gear 2 bathooks manadatory 1 pointed skyhook very nice offset nuts and cams kept me sane stoppers and a set of cams, #0 TCU to a #.75 Camalot a handful of heads to replace dead-heads the ability to top-step didn't use pins, but blades and sawed-off angles might be handy. a sharp chisel and punch to clean out old dead-heads would make for a good community service project. Grade!! 3-pitch Grade III rated anywhere from A1+ to C4 best I can give you is A-scary-but-safe Quote
layton Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 Was that you up there last Sunday? Either way, nice! Looks sweet! Did you see the pitch of gnar ice on top of the Black Dyke! Quote
Travis Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 Nicely done. I wanna do that route, I have questions. I'm under the impression that it would go clean by hooking on dead heads (beaks?), is this true? How's the bolting job at the belays? thanks, Quote
Dru Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 (edited) That Black Dyke ice was reportedly climbed a few years back... actually there's a 2 pitch 5.10 WI5 at the bottom, and the "upper Black Dyke on Ice" at the top above Bellygood... i bet no one has mixed climbed out the 13b roof and dry tooled to the top to link em up Hey Darin dont you love the sketchy fixed heads? grade changes from week to week depending on how many are broken and how many new ones go in! I have cleaned deadheads with a nut tool and application of a hammer... it might work better than the chisel, or you could scrape them out with an ice axe pick!! Edited March 5, 2003 by Dru Quote
Old_Man Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 Sweet TR...reminds me of old times. Was on WT around 25 years ago...mighta been my rope. Seems like we bailed outta there one time, meaning to go back, and didn't. Guess we managed 2 or 3 pitches--couldn't been shorter piches than yours (not sure if we used 40 or 45's then). Nice beta...makes be wanna go back and try again. Quote
dberdinka Posted March 5, 2003 Author Posted March 5, 2003 Travis...what he said.... Dru said: grade changes from week to week depending on how many are broken and how many new ones go in! I wouldn't call the route clean aid as it is highly dependant on the regular hammering of people before you. Mr Layton, I was there Monday not Sunday. ALERT! MORE SECRET ICE! Even though it felt quite warm out there were a large number of thin ice climbs formed up on the crags opposite the Chief across Shannon Creek. Evidently there is a 5-6 pitch climb here put up by Peder Ourom last year? I didn't see it, but was told the lower half looked in? Maybe a little thin right now but ton's of potential. Quote
Dru Posted March 5, 2003 Posted March 5, 2003 Darin the main climb over there is called "A Scottish Tale" and is from 4 to "9 pitches" long depending on who you listen too. Details here http://www.aranet.ca/icybc/squamish/shannon.html Peder's line is reportedly a 4-5 pitch WI6. But I SERIOUSLY DOUBT that with the high to +10C and strong winds today, that it's in. Scottish Tale is in more of a gully so is helped out by snow accumulation and drainage, hence stays around longer. Quote
bigwalling Posted March 6, 2003 Posted March 6, 2003 My buddy, the one up there on sunday, said that he beaked into one or two of the deadheads. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.