scott Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 does anyone know about how long the 'death slabs' approach to half dome takes? i am trying to figure out if i should do the approach and fix the first few pitches, bivy at the base, go to big sandy the next day, then summit. or do the approach and try to get to big sandy in one day. i don't really want to carry gear to bivy the base... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_Puget Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 It depends fully on if you have done that approach before. I started up it once just to check it out and figured it was not worth the effort and went swimming instead. I am not sure if you plan to spend the night on Big Sandy or not? In any case the bottom pitches are very straight forward and easy. The first one or two might be worth fixing but I wouldn't fix more than that. If your mind was set on a bivi you might consider a bivi lower on the route. Big Sandy smelled really bad when I was there and the ledge on pitch 11 had excretions from all human orifices - male and female. I was grossed out and glad I was passing thru. Other people planned on sleeping at those locations. I heard that the night beofre we started seven people were on Big Sandy. Of course the view from Big Sandy can't be beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted February 26, 2004 Author Share Posted February 26, 2004 i would rather not bivy at all... but think that we might end up sitting at big sandy overnight. i just read a report on na classics that said the slabs took 2.5 hrs by a party that had scoped the approach. Â i am thinking of scoping the approach, going light and just not bringing bivy gear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willstrickland Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 PM Texplorer. I know he went up the slabs approach and did the route in a day 2 or 3 years ago. I believe he also went up the slabs last fall at some point (seems like he mentioned the approach had changed a little). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancegranite Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Supertopo for half dome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 supertopo has a good map of the slabs. quite a few people do this route in a long day. (that's definitely how i want to do it!) just be solid with your "easy" ow/chimneys. and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastrami_noel Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 Went last year for a one day ascent try. Did the slabs in ~3h (following ST map, first time in that area), climbed the first pitch and installed a top-rope on it. Slept at the base, next day did the first pitch top-rope and then continued; went a little bit slow in the chimneys and got to Big Sandy ~4pm, with 3h of daylight left. Figured that night would catch us on the pitch before the last (you want to do it in day-light if your first time up there), so we decided to spend the night on Big Sandy. Topped out next day, hiked to the base, got the packs and hiked down on the slabs, in time for the pizza. It should be a one-day affair next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 OK Scott, here's my suggestion. If you go late in the spring the days will be long. The death slabs can be tricky. If you go with intentions of a one-day ascent (which I would recommend) then you can make it up the slabs in as fast as an 1.5 hrs. I dread to think hiking up those things with a haulbag. However I would allow 2-2.5 hours and another hour or so to hike in. The supertopo guide is actually pretty good. It is not a well beaten path up higher though. Be sure to take the time to get it right though because there is ONE way up in a few places and just bushwacking might get you into trouble on this one. Â My suggestion is that you start hiking about 2:00 am. Head up the death slabs early and try to make it up to the base by sunrise. If you move at a moderate rate you'll be able to finish the route in the light. I disagree with lawgoddess about there being OW chimneys. There are chimneys but they are actually really long and fun. Linking lots of pitches is possible if your not short fixing and there is actually a good bit of real 5.9 climbing (as opposed to normal hard Yosemite 5.9) You'll top out and be able to take the 9 mile trail back down or take the short cut back down the death slabs if you feel confident. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 I disagree with lawgoddess about there being OW chimneys. There are chimneys you disagree ... but then you say they exist. i said there is ow/chimneys - which means both ow *and* chimneys; not "offwidth chimneys" ... although you could argue that chimneys *are* offwidth if you really wanted to do so. whatever. some people can cruise them; some can't. i know people who went for it and had to make an unplanned bivy en route because it was harder than they thought it would be. for a one-day climb i'd think you'd want to be solid on the grades of the styles you'll encounter. if you can free most of that stuff you'll save a lot of time. Â here's a tr for ya: some guy's tr on the internet. sounds like good times!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lummox Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 death slabs can take a couple hours. your first plan is the most reasonable one and only requires a couple more pounds of food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted February 28, 2004 Author Share Posted February 28, 2004 right-o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 FYI- a big rock fall pumbled the death slabs last season, should be ok after the snow melt though. I wouldn't count on any fixed ropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I went down the death slabs this fall after the rockfall. All the fixed ropes are in place still and in good condition. Another option is to hike up the night before to the base. (There is also a spring at the base flowing in spring time) You could camp at the base and even fix a pitch or two then start juggin in the dark the next morning. Â Oh, and I don't think there is any OW on the route. Chimneys yes, but not OW that I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallstein Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Ya i don't know about any OW on the reg. I didn't bring anything bigger than a #2 camalot last time I did it. The chimneys are very straight forward for Yosemite. There are some short fist crack sections but nothing longer than a couple of bondy lengths. Â As for the slabs. The supertopo beta is pretty good. I think the approach took around 1.5 hours. But we had to stop and have numerous safety meetings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Â The crux of the chimney section on Pitch 14. Â SuperTopo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassgowkiss Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 did reg nw 3 times. hiked in one time over the back trail- it sucks! use slab approach for sure. depending how big is your pack it takes from 1 hour to 3 hours. the route can be done by a competent party in 8- 10 hours at leasurly pace. if you hurry you can do it in 6. chimney pitches can be done as one with 70m rope (3 pitches in one). they are a grunt, but quite easy. do it in a day, hauling on this wall would suck ass. there is a lot of low angle, broken up rockand it would take a huge effort to do it. in the spring/summer it is warm enough to sleep without bivi gear if you need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt45 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 What's the scoop on crowding of the route? I was hoping to climb HD in a day either mid-June or late August. I'm worried about getting up super early, hiking all the way to the base, and finding 5 other parties ahead of us! Â Is that a valid concern? If so I would probably bring food & supplies so we could wait it out for a day for the crowds to thin...but I would rather not bring all the extra gear along if the overcrowding is typically not that much of an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_Puget Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Crowds are a pain on HD. When I arrived at the base one team was fixing and there were 15 other climbers higher on the route. Â Honestly,I think the West Face of El Cap is a much better route. HD gets alot of free points because of its historical position and it gets some more because of its physical position. My advice and I know it is not the popular way anymore is to spend the night out and see the sunset over the Valley. Astroman will never look like such a short route again. If you are climbing the route you might as well hang out and enjoy the view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallstein Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I second the West face of el cap being a better route. The posistion isn't as good as the reg though. But the rock can't get any better on the west face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Â The crux of the chimney section on Pitch 14. Â SuperTopo and looking down 13 Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Texplorer said it all except for one thing. If you sleep at the base area and shoot for an early jump. Make sure you bearproof your packs, hang them up or you will be awake most of the night f*en with the bears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 this is all good beta. if i bivy at the base for the sake of not getting up at 2pm to do the approach (which i have checked out), how do you return to pick up the bivy gear after descending the cables? i only have a weekend. thnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted April 2, 2004 Share Posted April 2, 2004 Go left when you can from the base of the cables (as you step off) and follow the path of least resistance. My recollection is it's less than an hour from base of cables to base of route. Â Â My friend Rob woke up during the night at the base to find a bear hanging from a lieback hold 40 feet up the start, swiping at the food bag Rob had hung. Rob pitched a rock at the bear, nailing it in the back. The bear lost it's grip and decked. Rob went back to sleep only to wake again later to find the bear yarding on the fixed rope with his teeth. Another rock and the bear split again. When Rob grabbed the fixed rope in the morning, the remnants of his food rained down from the shredded bag the bear had eventually managed to get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted April 2, 2004 Author Share Posted April 2, 2004 thanks scottp, i;ll check that out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted April 2, 2004 Share Posted April 2, 2004 What's the scoop on crowding of the route? I was hoping to climb HD in a day either mid-June or late August. I'm worried about getting up super early, hiking all the way to the base, and finding 5 other parties ahead of us!  I would say it's not going to be crowded but you are going to get scorched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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