Where to go for chimneys

[Gaston_Lagaffe]

Ok, so I went to Index on Saturday and absolutely positively SUCKED at getting up (on tr mind you) the 5.8 flaring chimney by Great Northern Slab. However, since I will inevitably come across more chimneys in my climbs, I need to develop some skills. So my question is this: where should I go to practice? Plus, where can I get suggestions on how to climb them?

 

Thanks in advance,

Cheers

 

 

[erik]

few and far between in these parts

lworth has a few good ones. only ones that come to mind this very second is hyperspace and madesens chimmeny.

 

there is no real specialized technique.

 

stemming, wedgeing, footwork, friction all play important parts. stay calm and try to investigate all your oppertunites and features.

 

[Attitude]

Vantage has Seven Virgins. Tammie Fay was a good one...

 

...until the pillar was jacked.

[Bronco]

At index, there's a short chimney on the GM route and don't some consider Battered Sandwich an off widthy chimney? You should come back in February or March and climb that Lizzard chimney with green slime all over it, that's fun..

 

There is no technique, just wrassle that sucker. I've found that crying does not really help very much...

[Rodchester]

Yeah, Vantage's Seven Virgins is a good fairly long and vertical chimney. It is FAIRLY clean and an enjoyable climb....I think it goes at 5.7...it is not bolted.

[gnibmilc]

Lower Castle has an okay starter chimney.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/503/3285timchimney-med.jpg

Edited July 22, 2003 by gnibmilc

[j_b]

husky peak has a number of corners that can be climbed using chimney techniques (esp. stemming)

 

what about slow children?

[snoboy]

Try the Bulletheads area in Squamish... chimneys galore.

 

Fun to scary.

[RuMR]

sloe children a chimney? Not really...

[gnibmilc]

Second pitch of Town Crier?

[mattp]

Slow Children is not a chimney.

[j_b]

it seems to me one has to use lots of the same techniques, especially the beginning and last 30'. granted there is a finger crack on slow children, aries chimney has a hand crack, so what?

[gnibmilc]

Sloe Children may be climbed with a dropped knee or two...but not by me...and not with a knee bar like the Butt Lips Chimney.

[j_b]

you must be fairly tall if you don't use opposition techniques at least for the last few moves in the corner.

[AlpineK]

There is no technique, just wrassle that sucker.

 

There most certainly is technique to climbing off widths and chimneys. Arm bar, stemming, chicken wing....etc. However technique can vary wildly depending on your body part size. Also more than one technique may work

 

The Fault was one of the first chimneys I ever led. After that buttlips then I don't know.

 

Take a trip to Yosemite

[bobbyperu]

washington pass / wine spires,has some classic chimneys thats the chimney techni, then and feel -bp

[Jens]

If you trying to learn chimney technique, I would stay with granite for right now as the other areas (vantage, etc.) often let you use face holds inside the chimney.

 

Between buildings works great.

 

Next time you head up to Givler's dome in Leavenworth, head about 5 minutes to the right. About 30 feet left of Mastadon roof is a short widecrack that works you though all of the techniques and gets easier the higher you get. Plus it has pine needle/dirt landing so you could go over to it and clmb by yourself for an hour and really get the techniqe dialled.

 

For chimneys, relax and take your time. Rest every move if you can.

______________

And even though I told you to go to granite, at Vantage, there is a 5.10 bolted chimney called "satan" that is one of the best routes at the place.

Not like the entablature sport , trad crack, and column sport routes that all seem the same after a while (same schema of moves).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dru]

Petgill Wall. Great for learning moss technique and bushwacking and tree climbing too!

[Off_White]

You can do a great wide stem chimney between the pillars at the concrete version of Stonehenge near Maryhill, but topping out is tough. But really, Yosemite has some great examples. I don't know that there is anything tougher on this earth than a 5.9 chimney, except maybe for a 5.8 chimney.

[rock-ice]

Seems to me that vantage has quite a few good ones. Stems and seeds stand out (kinda tough for learning) and Martha something or other. Check it out. Good luck.

[EWolfe]

we have two as-yet unused chimneys that are 45' tall on the new construction job I'm on if you want to try the real thing....

 

 

[Fence_Sitter]

burgundy spire... nice clean struggle fest on good gear... only one pitch of it tho

[Bug]

Halfway across North Dakota on I90 there is a ten ton block up on four pillars at a rest stop. You have to chimney up btween the pillars and grab one of the bore hole grooves that are now horizontal to pull up.

[mattp]

Red Square at U.W. There is a cool chimney between two of - what was it? - three? - some number of towers there. An old bolt is visible many feet up the thing.

[fleblebleb]

Want more already?

 

The red square towers on the UW campus look gnarly, and big. Too bad the cops chopped the bolts.

 

Check out http://students.washington.edu/dbb/uw_buildering/index.html - quote, "The primary techniques that are involved in building climbing are mantelling and chimney stemming, [...]."