Narrow Arrow

[colt45]

I tried Narrow Arrow on Saturday, and everything was going smoothly up to the first anchor...then I got completely shut down. I was wondering if anyone can supply beta. I had RP's, offsets, cam hooks, etc. Since it is typically confusing to describe a route, here's a photo!

 

 

The red arrow points to the anchor, which is barely visible (it has an orange sling). Up to here it's all good. Now there is a right-facing corner. The corner has a blank seam with a couple of TINY, severely flaring openings. I tried to use a cam hook, but the crack is too narrow and shallow. I did a big high-step off the bolts, and got an incredibly bad #2 stopper (it's still there if anyone wants it...!), stepped up on that, and there were no placement opportunities at all above. So I stepped up higher and looked to the right--there were a couple of tiny openings in a seam up and right but they were severely flaring and very thin & shallow. It *might* have taken 2 cams of a black alien, but I doubt it. Nothing would stay in, although the #3 HB offset came the closest to being a placement. It looked like even if I got something in, I would be in the same situation again for the next move! So I bailed.

 

I thought this was supposed to be C2. Am I missing something? Or is this just the nature of C2? I have probably done just C1's in the past but have never had a problem at that grade.

 

Afterwards I looked at the route from the parking lot with binoculars. There seems to be a fixed anchor between the first anchor and the big roof. This anchor had completely bleached white slings. The anchor about 50' above the roof had similarly bleached slings. Looks like it hasn't been climbed in a while?

 

Does it really go as clean aid at a reasonable grade? Do I really suck at aid climbing?? (don't answer that one as I already know the likely response). Or do I just need to buy some fancy piece of gear, get better at hooking, etc?

[Lambone]

Hello Mike,

 

That whole Narrow Arrow area is a bit confusing isn't it! Glen and I did the first pitch of NA once, but didn't go past the first set of anchors. Can't help much.

 

The C3 variation under that arch just to the right of Narrow Arrow is really cool. Bring some tiny RP's and Ball-nuts.

 

Good dry place to climb when it's raining!

[DCramer]

See attached. I have aided the variation Lambbone mentions and it is a fun climb. My guess is that as an aid pitch it is better than the straightup variation you were trying. I think the variations join at the top "dot" in my attachment. I have not aided it since TCUs, Ballnuts and such were invented, they might make it easier, but from my experience I agree with the C2/3 rating given by Brooks.

 

I have free climbed the straight up variation. At the bottom "dot" I remember there being an old bolt (new ones added later)and slightly above a friend in a flare. From there you bear hug the rock and move up clipping a bolt. At this point sometime later an anchor was created by someone else. At the third "dot" there is a horizontal break and I fixed a small LA there which was later stolen. Higher up if I remember correctly you move to the right crack. From the top dot on the nutting is definately easy and the pitch ends at a nice stance. I always wanted to go back and clean that route up a bit - removing the manky old bolts (leaving fewer good ones in their place) as the pitch is a **** free pitch. If you were using Sky Valley Rock I may have confused you but I didn't intend to give this pitch an aid rating.

 

The second pitch climbs straight up to a roof (formerly fp, now bolts) and has been freed at.12+. This should be easy aid. The roof is wild at.12b and is C2 (rps) if aided. The crack turns into an easy flared chimney shortly after the roof is turned. In the topo in SVR the 12+ section is shown as C1. The overall rating for the route should have been 12b C1, not 12b C2. Of course now it should be .12+ or more likely .13.

Edited March 2, 2004 by DCramer

[colt45]

Yep, that's the way I was going (#2 stopper near the 3rd blue dot, couldn't get a placement by the 4th blue dot). Do you remember what specific placements you used?

[DCramer]

There is a bit of distortion in the photo but the easy nutting starts at the roof at the top of the 4th "dot". Below it is a weird exposed chimney. The obvious rfc is the left wall and there is a 2-3" lfc forming the right. This is the crux of the pitch for free climbing and it sounds like it's the cux for aid too. I can't really remember much. Last time I lead that was in the 80's.

[colt45]

Cool! Thanks for the info. If that pin were still in place it might have been possible for me to continue to the easy nutting. It's good to know that the aid stays reasonable from there on! Since the features in that section are all blank seams with bad pin scars, maybe it has not been done recently as clean aid?

 

In any case, next time I'll try the right variation. If anyone has cleanly aided the straight up variation recently though, please let me know the beta!

[bigwalling]

Hmm, I saw you on this and would have sworn I had done the whole first pitch, but now I'm thinking not. Last time I was up there I wanted to do that little face with the head seam. I wanted to try it clean but didn't think it would go. So I just down climbed. I want to go back and check it out since this was some time ago.

 

Not sure what to tell you about the regular route. Maybe I did the Narrow Arrow Direct or something. It has always looked very cool to free climb. I'll have to try it this spring, since someone has now raved about it. I sure didn't see ya talk it up in the guide.

 

I do have one question for you colt. What was the person with you doing? Looked to slow to be cleaning. Kinda looked like you were instructing them?

 

j

[colt45]

Yuko is relatively new to aid climbing. So, what we typically do is I aid a route, fix the rope, and clean while rappelling (leaving a directional or two when necessary). I also fix a separate rope off to the side.

 

Yuko then aids the route, self-belaying on one of the fixed lines with a gri-gri. I go up the other fixed line on ascenders, giving tips if needed.

 

She's getting the system down pretty well, so I'm pretty much hanging out with her up on the wall instead of sitting around on the ground doing nothing. (I have probably done just 20-30 aid pitches in my life, so I'm relatively new to aid too!) After a couple more toprope pitches, she'll probably start to aid lead.

[dberdinka]

I've done the Narrow Arrow Route you're describing on aid to the next set of anchors and continued up and over the big roof for a second pitch.

 

From the orange anchors I recall highstepping on a very tiny offset to a long reach right and more micronuts. I don't think there were more than two shitty placements in a row. Considering the clean fall and the bomber anchor C2 seems reasonable, though it's probably harder than a lot of C2/3 pitches at Index. If you had HBs, aliens and camhooks you were probably pretty well equiped.

 

The roof pitch should be avoided. The roof is cool but above there it is filthy and not much fun.

[colt45]

I went back today, and solo aided 10% Meteorological Vinculation. Just wanted to report that this pitch is AWESOME--10 thumbs up--and actually seemed like a reasonable C2. If anyone is looking for a good step up after City Park and Iron Horse, I highly recommend this pitch. Super clean and aesthetic. Small nuts, offsets, & cam hooks are useful.

 

The anchor at the base could not possibly be more convenient (huge block, with a pinch to keep a tied loop around it). The crux section where the crack thins a bit has bomber gear below, clean fall, and reasonable but tricky placements in flaring pods.

 

At first I thought the pitch ended at the Japanese Gardens intermediate anchor, but it keeps going and gets even better! The route has several free-climbing bolts at this point, but by avoiding them I was able to maximize the fun (they aren't necessary for aid types, as the gear in this section is bomber). One 30m rappel to the ground.

 

The plan now is to tick off a few more C2's, then go back and try that version of Narrow Arrow again...

[chelle]

I haven't lead above the anchor your arrow points to, but watched my partner straighten out my cam hook in a fall while trying to get to the anchors above so we could do the roof. He eventually got it with some creative aid climbing using another cam hook and small nuts. Like Dberdinka said, the roof is cool, but above that it is really dirty. After my partner led through the roof, we ended up bailing over to the right to some anchors after he took a couple falls on crappy placements. The climbing was over a lot of loose dirty stuff I'm glad he didn't pull off when I was hanging below....

[dr._jay]

yeah, it sure is a drag when your partner falls with you hanging below, eh michelle?

[Crack]

michelle is THE bomb flight attendant when it comes to aiding on the lower town walls