Aid cragging at Index

[Sol]

I've been doing some very wet aid cragging on the lower town wall at Index, some solo, some not. I'm wanting to expand on the aid routes on the lower wall and am in need of beta. I heard that Iron Horse goes clean at C2, is this true, does it go through the roofs or to the first anchor only? Does the first pitch (A2) of ten percent meterological vinculation go clean, at what? Finally, is the 5.9 on the Narrow Arrow Overhang Direct first pitch mandatory, or can I aid through it? thanks for any info you can give.

[Alex]

Iron Horse is C2. The crux is between the first Saggitarius anchor (close to the ground) and the two fixed pins. If you want to continue up to the ringing flake anchor or the higher Saggitarius anchor, its C1 on cams the entire way. Dont know about whats above the second Sag anchor. This is a pretty fun first pitch, as the gear is extremely solid except for the few placements near the crux.

 

The original A2 start of Ten Percent does go clean. I have hammered it before (placing one tied off LA) but was told later by a person on the ground that that pin scar goes on a Lowe ball. The gear is pretty good, from the #1 camalot at the small roof at the start to good nuts to the pin scars, then a few tricky moves past that. It would be around C2 or C2+

 

Dont know about Narrow Arrow.

[dberdinka]

No mandatory free on the lower pitches of the Narrow Arrow Overhang routes. Bring a good select of little HB Offsets, camhooks and a regular hook.

 

Darin

[DCramer]

Iron Horse is C2 to the ringing flake. I imagine the v-slot above the ringing flake would be easy clean aid too. Passing roof may be a bit harder. I have only viewed the roof section from a free climbing perspective but I think it might be harder than C2 and an aid line past the roof might not follow the free line. It would be easy to avoid the roof by aiding Sagittarius.

 

A ball nut is not mandatory for 10%.

 

You might consider aiding Shirley. It is a really good aid climb. There is no anchor at the top of the first pitch; however, the second is easy clean aid.

 

Have you aided Steel Monkey? It is on the left side of the Country and stays fairly dry even in the rain. It is easy clean aid. It requires some small pieces and it is pretty short.

[Sol]

wow, that was instant cc.com aid beta. Haven't done the steel monkey, i'll have to go give it a try. thanks for all the killer beta folks. back to index.

[bigwalling]

Iron Horse C2??? Hmm more like C1, I was more scared on the Park than it. I imagine Arachnid arch would be nice C1 too.

 

Have done Steel Monkey. Real nice varied crack. Nothing over a #1 camalot. But beware it depending on how windy it is, it seems to run water at times(rarely). I think it's from the Quarry Wall right above. Since there is a massive dark wet looking streak.

 

Never done the other 2 at least not that I remember. But I seem to forget everything. Too many head problems.

 

Best practise aid route I've done on the lower wall is the short pitch of Skin Graph. I removed most of the pins out of it so you get more placements now. I think it could go clean, heck I might have even done it clean last time. For even more climbing start it by the Dysfuntional World variation and be very pissed that nice feature isn't a loose surfboard.

 

If you want a good C5 go aid the Great Northern Slab on a nice sunny saturday. Prepare to Die!

[lancegranite]

 

Steel monkey is home to millions of ladybugs, please do not harm them by nailing the route.

[bigwalling]

Steel Monkey should not be nailed! It goes clean easy.

[DCramer]

Steel Monkey should not be nailed! It goes clean easy.

 

I thought we were talking clean aid?

 

Anyway another reason besides ladybugs for not nailing is that the rock over in the quarry area is just about as brittle as Index gets. It is very easily scarred and even a single pin placement can have a significant impact.

 

Bigwalling brings up a good point about ratings. Aid ratings have become somewhat messed up or at the very least confusing. The ratings do not mean the same thing as they did 25 years ago. I think the ratings at Index may be off current Yosemite standards in many cases. Any suggestions for rating adjustments? You can post them here but an email that I could print off and file away for future reference would be even better.

[Dru]

closed aid rating are like the john gill bouldering rating system

 

hey i know, lets switch to an open ended system! that way the hardest aid rating numbers can go up to A-15 to match up with 5.15, V15 and M15

[bigwalling]

Daryl, lance talked about nailing. Funny that I have never seen a ladybug up there and I have hung out in every season there. I saw an owl there though, but someone else had to show me him, and it still took a couple minutes to see it.

 

Now that I got my license, I'm going to try and climb a bunch of the aid routes in Index this spring and winter. I'll then be spending my summer in Yosemite climbing stuff, so I should be to fix some ratings. Rateing are all messed up no matter what though, but I tend to follow new-wave style. I've been on A3 of that and it's way thin and dangerous compared to the 2nd pitch of Abaraxe!

 

Daryl, did you rate that first part of Skin Graph(unknown in book) as A2/3? Cause that thing is A1 max.

 

The Quarry rock sucks, but the place is kick ass at the sametime! An interesting place to say the least. I find that hooking is kinda freaky up there.

[fredrogers]

Last time we were out at Index in late November, the two fixed pins below the V slot on Iron Horse were gone. If they haven't been replaced, I'm sure some aid trickery will get you through...

[lancegranite]

Maybe I did not see the ladybugs...a dream prehaps?

I am just making it all up so I can keep people from nailing a 40' C2 crack.

[mvs]

We saw no ladybugs on Steel Monkey this morning, but found fun C1 nutting. We also looked for Shirley on the lower wall, but couldn't decide where it started.

 

Some big rockfall blasted the Quarry area. Here is a picture of me belaying.

 

[Bill_Simpkins]

A ball nut is helpful on the first pitch of Iron Horse. Even though most of it is C1, I would say there is one C2 move between the pins and the anchor. But the gear around the move is solid. A sky hook was helpful for the flake below the first anchors.

[Sol]

wow, that was instant cc.com aid beta. Haven't done the steel monkey, i'll have to go give it a try. thanks for all the killer beta. back to index.

Went and solo-aided Iron Horse and Steel Monkey on Friday. Both routes were super-fun. Iron Horse was much easier than I had anticipated and proabaly doesn't deserve the C2 rating. Thanks again for the beta folks, good Index fun

[backcountrydog]

Last time we were out at Index in late November, the two fixed pins below the V slot on Iron Horse were gone. If they haven't been replaced, I'm sure some aid trickery will get you through...

are u referring to the 2 fixed pins closest to the ground? i hope that those were replaced and not just yanked as they were pretty ineffective for free climbing due to being pounded too far in and every time a sling was left it was usually pulled too (which made clipping them while attempting to free it a real pain). every time i attempted to free it and the slings were taken off the pins i would have to hang on a nut below them and use a nut tool to push a sling in to tie to. i plan on replacing them this spring. i just hope no one takes it upon themselves to steal the new pins once in place

[eric8]

as of late december the pins and the attached slings closest to the ground were still there

[colt45]

Also as of december, the pin at the upper free crux is gone. It was there a few months ago though! (ie after the crack ends, jogs right, and continues again, there is a roof on the left which continues as a right-facing corner which formerly had a fixed pin at its base).

 

Aiding this section is not difficult, but it would now be fairly strenuous to free climb if you want to protect this part since the stance isn't great.

 

The section where the crack ends, jogs right, and continues could be considered a C2 move if you're short, as this would likely require a hook move off a sloping knob. Of course I'm 6'3", so I can just reach through the blank section!

[backcountrydog]

ya i saw that the pin up high was removed. my Guess is that it was removed by someone aid climbing because if u are AIDING it doesnt necessarily have to be there. However, for free climbing, i think it belonged there. it kinda sucks that it was removed because putting it back in (and the pin looters removing it) will only further scar the rock. If whoever removed it is reading this, please leave the pin if and when its replaced. ya it might take a C1 placement out of the aid climb, but what the hell, its only C1 anyway. i see this trend at index on other climbs too which brings up the old 'aid vs free' debate which is as played out as bolt bashing on this sight. im not talking about AID climbs here im talking about FREE climbs that people still aid. pls leave pins in rts that were 'originally' there for the sake of protection for free climbing. (notice originally is in " ")

[colt45]

I agree, although I also need to admit that those pins are not necessary for freeing the route. Having fixed pins at both cruxes essentially turns Iron Horse into a sport climb. Personally I don't have a problem with this! But does anyone know when the pins were originally placed, and by whom...(first ascensionist?) I've always wondered how this sort of situation works out ethically.

 

ps. Speaking of annoying missing fixed gear, last I saw Sloe Children was missing the fixed pin off the belay--and this part CANNOT be protected otherwise (ledge fall!) which makes it a bit scary.

[chucK]

ps. Speaking of annoying missing fixed gear, last I saw Sloe Children was missing the fixed pin off the belay--and this part CANNOT be protected otherwise (ledge fall!) which makes it a bit scary.

 

Those pins have been "missing" for 10 years. And yes, it does make it a bit scary. What I think makes it scary is the fact that even though you're not that high up, you are right above the anchor setup so there's a good chance of getting your feet all tangled up and flipping over onto your head, or possibly disrupting the belay.

[chelle]

Someone once told me that they have seen someone pull their small nuts in the thin seam above the first fixed pin and below the next fixed pin on the first pitch of Iron Horse. This would mean high probability for a ground fall. If that 2nd pin is now gone, I think it could make for a pretty scary aid climb. I remember being pretty happy when I clipped that second pin last year. Is this the same pin below the ringing flake that you guys are talking about?

 

That first pitch 5.9 pitch of Narrow Arrow is fun to lead on aid, especially the traverse from the two bolts on the slab when you're a shorty like me. The only mandatory free climbing on it is to get to the first ledge about 12 feet off the deck which was really interesting when it was all slimy. maybe you could use hooks on the little ledges, but it only felt like a v1 boulder problem with boots on. Probably one of the funnest pitches I did last year.

Edited January 22, 2004 by ehmmic

[backcountrydog]

ehmmic the pin i was referring to would actually be the 3rd pin, as there are 2 fixed pins within a ft or so of each other about 25ft off the ground. those 2 protect the 1st crux below the roofish type feature that has a horizontal crack above it which runs right to the 1st Sag. anchor. the pin that seems to come and go in the last year or so is the one above the hand to finger crack Above this, which is at the beggining of the V slot (and 2nd crux) which is about 15ft or so below the anchor. im not sure how that pin missing could lead to a ground fall though as the gear below it is bomber. However the pin missing has remained there because once u get to where u would have clipped it, its pumpy as hell and placing gear off that hold (and above it) probably adds more of a crux than without. which is why i think it WASNT pulled for free climbing purposes...

hope this answers your question

[chelle]

I'll have to check it out next time I'm out there. I'm not sure we're talking about the same cracks. Who knows though. Maybe when you're blowing through it free climbing it feels totally different than when you're hanging out with a bunch of gear standing in aiders. It's been about 14 months since I was on it.

 

I recall one pin that generally has webbing on it about 20' off the deck, up from the flake at the base. When I've aided the route I've gone out right from that pin over to the 1st anchors on Sagitarius. Then back out left to a crack that starts about 6' above the first fixed pin and haven't found the pro in that crack to be hand to fingers. 'Cause that wouldn't have sketched me out. I recall small nut placements that weren't that great and a couple cam hook moves. The crack goes up to a left facing corner that eventually brings you up to the left of the ringing flake anchors. The pin I was saying should not have been pulled is at the start of the left facing corner (which may be your v-slot). If the pin isn't there and the pro below it pulls out to either the Sagitarius anchors or to the first fixed pin, you are risking a ground fall.

 

I need to get back out and do some aid climbing. Anyone willing to show me the ropes (system) for solo aiding? I've been hesitant to get out there and try to figure it out on my own.