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Testpieces for a Grade


Eerie

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Szyjakowski said:

bird said:

With a slew of 5.9 cracks under my belt I threw myself at Karate Crack 10a at Smiff and got my holy ass kicked. My hope it that it is a testpiece for the grade.

yup- 5.9+ wink.gif

 

nah I'd have to opine that Karate Crack really is 10a. It feels about as hard as some of the shorter index hand cracks.

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In sqaumish, test pieces/ sandbags are located by a particular first ascentionest: Robin Barley.

 

Orfice fish defintley has some tough moves down low but it eases up pretty quickly so I think its not much of a test piece.

 

5.9 test piece: cant remeber the name, barley route three pitch crack 5.9 on the far left of the apron next to calculus crack, maybe the first route on the apron.

 

the YEti

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yeti said:

In sqaumish, test pieces/ sandbags are located by a particular first ascentionest: Robin Barley.

 

Orfice fish defintley has some tough moves down low but it eases up pretty quickly so I think its not much of a test piece.

 

5.9 test piece: cant remeber the name, barley route three pitch crack 5.9 on the far left of the apron next to calculus crack, maybe the first route on the apron.

 

the YEti

 

rolleyes.gif St Vitus Dance is really 5.8. not 5.9 so it cannot be testpiece yellaf.gif

 

first route on Apron? you mean before Diedre? yellaf.gif

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YEti:"maybe the first route on the apron."

 

what, the second, I remember it being one of the first to go up, not that I was around then but I read it somewhere.

 

5.8 huh, considering other routes like sparrow and snake rated at 5.9 i would have too strongly disagree.

 

The YEti

 

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grandwall19.jpg

 

nice picture but ummm....has anyone noticed that there are bolts!! on that clearly-protectable granite crack route? Hardly the definition of testpiece. Thats like bolting Saggitarius or Damnation or.. damn, they don't even pull that kind of shenanigan at Smith!!

 

hellno3d.gif

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yeah. he SHOULD be jamming. and he IS underclinging in the first one while he clips up those bolts. yellaf.gif

 

St Vitus is one of the softest 5.9 around. Campbell guide calls all 3 pitches 5.8s Whereas the crux on Sparrow and Snake are much less secure, and worse pro too, on St Vitus you have gear above your waist for any move you choose.

 

Modern Barley routes have bogus grades anyhow, complicated by the presence of aid ("Barley free") bolts at all cruxes yellaf.gif

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Dreamer (at Darrington) is a good 5.9 testpiece in that it has slab, crack and face climbing, you have to place some of your own protection even though it is mostly bolted, it presents significant rope-management issues, and it is long enough that you have to have your game reasonbly well dialed-in or you won't make it. Very few parties who are only competent up to 5.9 are able to pull it off on their first visit.

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These are testpeices mind you, not sandbags:

Split Beaver 10b, Squamish.

Squamish Buttress Crux Pitch 10c, Squamish.

South Face Jello Tower 8+, Castle Rock L'worth.

Damnation 9+, Castle Rock L'worth.

Cruel Sister 10a, Smith.

Ham Hocks 5.8, Vantage.

70% of the routes at J-Tree.

 

But if you want a sandbag:

Dolphin 5.7 , J Tree. I will never forgive my partner for sandbagging me with this one. First climb and lead at J. Tree, I nearly Puked. Still have the scars to prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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iain said:

split image! chimes in dfa split_image.jpg

 

Hey, that's you chiming in, Mr. Sheep-in-the-Hood.

 

Anyway, apparently when strong Frenchman Marc LeMenestrel visited Smith a few years back, he onsighted a bunch of routes up to .13c or so. The hardest of these onsights, he said, was our little friend Split Image. Just imagine! Must be a pretty ill rig.

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Garfield 5.7

 

Take your 5.7-climbing friend and/or date up that one only if you want to scare the shit out of them and never climb with them again.

 

Not a sandbag, and really fun but if you're not solid at the grade the thought of that swing on the initial traverse is a bit fillyourpants'ish and no one wants their partner backing off on TR due to fear. shocked.gif

 

I found that out watching my buddy get all wide-eyed and ask to be lowered rather than clean the next peice.

 

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The Nose at 11Worth is pretty hard for a .10d, I thought - kicked my ass, and I hiked MF overhang right next to it (.10c).

 

Maybe I was tired from MF, though... wink.gif

 

Fisticuffs at J-Tree is a REAL testpiece, fer sure, also Crimping Lessons...

 

IMHO wave.gif

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ehmmic said:

Szyjakowski said:

the overhang (PP-orchard rx) 5.8

 

Is this still 5.8? It looked like a part of it recently fell off when I was out there a couple weeks ago?

that fell off years ago...doesn't change the climb. but actually made it more strait fwd...

 

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