sobo Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 Ya ya ya, I know what you're gonna say... I am taking a group of newbies from my club out to Peshastin Pinnacles tomorrow (weather permitting) to give them a break from all this eastern WA basalt shite. Should be about 7 or 8 of us. I've been doing this for several years now, and I usually split the group in two, and start one on Sunset (raw newbies) and the other either on GCT or Sickle Slab (not-so-new newbies). We'll be moving about, and won't hog any lines, not that any of you ropeguns would be wanting on anything we'd be doing. TIA for your patience and kind understanding. Quote
sobo Posted May 16, 2003 Author Posted May 16, 2003 Well, it's generally less crowded this time of year, you can count on it for reasonably good weather, there's nice views of the river from the upper rocks, sandstone is a different medium than what they've mostly been on already (basalt/andesite only), and ropeguns that get annoyed by newbie groups stay far far away from PP. After they've been out a few times, and show an interest in the sport and get geared up, I take small groups (2-3) to better climbing areas later in the season. I like to cap the club's instructional season off in the fall with a longer camping/climbing adventure like Harrison Peak near Sandpoint, ID or something like that. Quote
Szyjakowski Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 Necronomicon said: Pashitstain? Why not Lworth? There is nothing wrong with the pinnacles except they are eroding. Quote
sobo Posted May 16, 2003 Author Posted May 16, 2003 I also kinda like the fact that they were "re-acquired" by donations to the Access Fund. Kinda makes me feel all goody about that. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 Necronomicon said: Pashitstain? Why not Lworth? why l-worth and why not peshastin? Quote
Dru Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 peshastin is soooo lovely at this time of year with the fog of pesticides drifting over from the orchard as you climb Quote
sobo Posted May 16, 2003 Author Posted May 16, 2003 I live and breathe (cough! cough!) in Yakivegas, the orchard pesticide capital of Washington! (meth labs inhabit the lower valley) Quote
mattp Posted May 17, 2003 Posted May 17, 2003 Peshastin is a great place for beginners - if they haven't been spoiled by climbing at a gym where all the holds are positive and a different color from the background, that is. I have taken many a beginner up Martian Diagonal and they all had no problem with it and were very excited by the top-out on a narrow crest, and the short rappel to get off. However, when I've taken relative newbies who had some prior experience in a gym, they were all wide eyed and asking where all the holds had gone. Quote
Norsky Posted May 18, 2003 Posted May 18, 2003 I swear to god, peshastin scares the hell out of me. A bunch of sand castles. Lightning Crack was cool. Quote
sobo Posted May 21, 2003 Author Posted May 21, 2003 Norsky said: I swear to god, peshastin scares the hell out of me. A bunch of sand castles. Lightning Crack was cool. Vantage scares the hell out of me. I rode a column down 30 feet there back in 1989... Miraculously walked away with only a "softball" where my elbow used to be, and multiple lacerations and contusions. The biggest chunk of the column ground the rope apart about 3 feet from my harness knot. Later that same day, the best I could do was get TR'ed on a 5.7, and I was doing the Elvis the whole time. And yes, Lightning Crack is way cool. Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 29, 2004 Posted March 29, 2004 I went to Peshastin yesterday with several friends and climbed Lightning Crack. My friend, NW, gave me a nice introduction as we walked up to it, "I was here when I saw this guy fell off the crux, pulled two cams out, fell to the base of the route and died. Then my other friend JH says, "yeah cams don't hold worth shit in sandstone. That's why I brought along tricams." So considering that I'm just starting to lead 5.9, and considering I just watched three of my friends thrash the hell out of the crux, that I have only the three smallest tricams, but a good selection of nuts, hexes, and cams, including Aliens, my belayer is inexperienced, do I go for it? I went for it. I figured, "I'll check out the pro below the crux, if it looks good I go for it, if not, I'll just bail." The corner leading to the crux couldn't have been harder than 5.5. I get to the overhanging crack and look underneath, and I see a tunnel through the stone with a pillar of at least 6 inches in diameter. Hot damn! I put a sling around that, using double opposed biners, and extended with another shoulder length sling and voila, totally bomber protection! Now I didn't care what happened on the crux, I could thrash all I wanted. There were a couple of burly moves, but then the rest of the route was a cruise and a lot of fun. If that crux is 5.8, then it is a 5.8++. Quote
Bug Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I have always been suspicious of protection at Peshastin. The first time I was there, I put in a large stopper and yanked really hard on it. Both sides of the crack broke out and the stopper almost took out my partner's teeth. No thanks. Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Methinks it is better to not fall there and to climb a grade or two below your limit. Quote
mattp Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Just like anyplace else, Peshasting takes some getting used to. However, the same can be said for Darrington or Index (less so for Exit 38 or Vantage, because most climbers these days train in a gym and are used to reaching for horizontal holds and tiny sidepulls and stuff, and they are used to having lots of bolts). Spend a few days at Peshastin in close succession and most people will get their feet on the ground there. Quote
Bronco Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I've found myself off route in the middle of that big slab at Peshastin just wishing I had any pro, even some crappy cam in an exploding pocket. Quote
minx Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I've found myself off route in the middle of that big slab at Peshastin just wishing I had any pro, even some crappy cam in an exploding pocket. ditto. it sucks. period. there's no gear and what gear there is totally blows and is sketchy at best ESPECIALLY on that slab. some of the spacing on those bolts blows too. if you're going to bother to put in bolts, personally i'd like to see them a bit closer than 25' apart, particularly if there's no pro between bolts. but hey that's just me. Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 On Saturday, an acquaintance of mine took a 30 foot grounder at Peshastin when he fell and all his pro pulled out. He walked away with various bruises and abrasions. Quote
mattp Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I hear you, Minx. I've scared myself at Peshastin more than once. However, its not a bad thing to grapple with real runouts once in a while. Just be careful, stick with routes that are below your limit if you don't want to be scared, and it is a fun place to climb. Quote
chucK Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 (edited) Spend a few days at Peshastin in close succession ... Gawd! Why would you want to do that to yourself? I can think of quite a few more places that I would rather burn two days calibrating myself to. The blooming trees are nice, but you really gotta love those buzzing power lines. Beats Vantage I guess, when the trees are blooming. Edited March 30, 2004 by chucK Quote
minx Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I hear you, Minx. I've scared myself at Peshastin more than once. However, its not a bad thing to grapple with real runouts once in a while. Just be careful, stick with routes that are below your limit if you don't want to be scared, and it is a fun place to climb. i don't want to be that sketched on routes that far below my limit. clearly, my limit isn't what i thought it was. we had to go climb nice granite at l'worth to make ourselves feel better after the last outing to peshastin. to quote my partner after a particularly annoying, sketchy ptich "peshastin happens" Quote
mattp Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I once saw a very strong sport climber, who regularly climbs 5.12, shoot sparks and back off a runout 5.8 slab in Leavenworth. Be careful out there! Quote
Jim Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I actually like Peshatin. I don't think I'll be pushing my limits on some testpiece there but the runout 7 - 9s aren't so bad. It's just a bit of a head game, makes you focus a bit, and your ability to slab climbe with confinance. Just keep it a grade or so below and you'll be fine. Unless of course you're used to the gym or Vantage with a bolt always in your face. Quote
Dustin_B Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 On Saturday, an acquaintance of mine took a 30 foot grounder at Peshastin when he fell and all his pro pulled out. He walked away with various bruises and abrasions. I watched the whole thing. He had two cams about 10 feet below that popped without any hesitation when they were loaded. He was very lucky. The two cams he had in (same crack, ~6 inches apart) where the only pro he had. He was level with the first bolt and attempting to traverse over to clip it. That place needs more bolts on those slabs!!! Quote
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