Midway, Castle Rock

[mattp]

Snugtop, her friend Michael, and I climbed Midway yesterday. In my view, it is the best truly moderate rock climb in the State. Midway has great exposure, comfortable belay ledges, good pro without bolts, and varied climbing. The rock is great, and the exposure on the last pitch is impossible to beat!

 

I believe the route may have been incorrectly depicted in five or more successive guidebooks. Fred made the first ascent in ‘47 or ‘48, and he can't really remember how they went but I'm starting to think they probably climbed straight up after the famous step-across and then traversed right into the chimney corner system above the narrow slot that the guidebooks direct you through. The "standard" Midway route is technically easier, but that slot sucks and the higher traverse is definitely the way to go. Most parties climb it via this higher traverse.

 

I think that Brooks/Carlstad may have been incorrect in the first place, and that their "error" may have been faithfully reproduced by Brooks/Whitelaw, Smoot, Smoot, and two successive books from Kramer. Does anybody have any info on this?

 

[klenke]

I have no information for you Matt, but I would like to point out the cool little Hot Wheels cars at right.

 

Do I see snugtop's snugtop? I know I see the outlaw's Outback.

[catbirdseat]

Snugtop has come a long way.

[mattp]

Michael had made a grant total of two or three trips to the gym before this climb. That's it. Both of them appeared to enjoy it, and we had a pretty good day!

[ken4ord]

Alright Snugtop the blue smurfette making another apperance at the crags. Matt Midway may be the best moderate in the state, but the first pitch should not be taken lightly by a new leader. I found it somewhat difficult to protect and the rock somewhat polished. The second pitch is a gas, just plain fun.

[mattp]

The first pitch protects just fine if you have one or preferably two #4 Camelots on your rack, but you are right that Midway should not be taken lightly by an inexperienced leader. There are lots of polished, flaring cracks and someone who doesn't know good pro from bad would definitely be at risk. Having said that, I don't think there is a place on the route that you can't plug in every three feet if you want to (maybe the last 30 feet of 5.1).

[catbirdseat]

You guys gotta stop filching each other avatar images. There is only one "effortlessly cool", Santa Claus Climber.

[Figger_Eight]

I was leading that first pitch once, and had my belayer anchored to the detached flake. Halfway up I noticed 3 of my 4 nuts that I had placed had pulled out and were resting nicely against my friends belay device

[ken4ord]

You guys gotta stop filching each other avatar images. There is only one "effortlessly cool", Santa Claus Climber.

 

Where are you, what have you been smoking? WTF are you talking about?

[fenderfour]

Hmm... MattP says #4 camelots, Figger Eight says nuts. Figger Eight must have really big nuts.

 

my hypothesis is based on deuction, not observation.

[MisterMo]

.

 

I believe the route may have been incorrectly depicted in five or more successive guidebooks. Fred made the first ascent in ‘47 or ‘48, and he can't really remember how they went but I'm starting to think they probably climbed straight up after the famous step-across and then traversed right into the chimney corner system above the narrow slot that the guidebooks direct you through. The "standard" Midway route is technically easier, but that slot sucks and the higher traverse is definitely the way to go. Most parties climb it via this higher traverse.

 

 

Don't have a clue about how the FA party did it but the 1965 Becky/Bjornstad guide describes going right to the bottom of the chimney as the normal route and the other possibilities as variations. I've always thought the funnest way to do P2 is to go more or less straight up to the big ledge, but I'm a bit of a fat boy & don't do well in tight places.

[Dru]

back in the day the unprotected chimney was almost ALWAYS the "normal route"

[richard_noggin]

The first pitch protects just fine if you have one or preferably two #4 Camelots on your rack, but you are right that Midway should not be taken lightly by an inexperienced leader. There are lots of polished, flaring cracks and someone who doesn't know good pro from bad would definitely be at risk. Having said that, I don't think there is a place on the route that you can't plug in every three feet if you want to (maybe the last 30 feet of 5.1).

Sling the chockstone

[EWolfe]

Post deleted by Off_White

[Cpt.Caveman]

Midway is one of my most favorite routes around here. It's fuckin kick ass like many other climbs on the Castle formation. If only Saber had a better second pitch it would be in the same league as far as rating and climbing are concerned. I think I have done some variations to saber and stuff near it left and right but they aint as good as midway.

[Jens]

I agree 100%.

I think it is the best truly moderate multi-pitch route in the state.

[chucK]

This is twice now with the "truly moderate" label. If Midway is considered a moderate, then what do you guys consider a beginner/novice climb?

[thelawgoddess]

heh, heh.

[mattp]

In today's world, Midway is not usually considered a "beginner's climb," Chuck. It has three pitches and you gotta use gear.

 

However, coming from a gym and sport-climbing performance mentality, I hear lots of people calling 5.10 moderate. In my book, 5.10, even in the gym, is not "truly moderate." 5.10 cracks can rip up my hands and 5.10 crimpers on some sport climb can tear tendons. The hard men will call me a chump with poor technique, but I just don't call that "truly moderate."

[tomtom]

This is twice now with the "truly moderate" label. If Midway is considered a moderate, then what do you guys consider a beginner/novice climb?

 

Well, there are people on this board who consider Outer Space a good beginner climb.

 

Not me, though.

[chucK]

Saying 5.10 is not moderate (I agree with that) does not imply that 5.6 is moderate.

 

There's a big gap between 5.10 and 5.6. My view of "moderate" is somewhere strictly within that range.

 

Are you saying that if a route relies on self-placed pro it is automatically excluded from the novice category?

 

Your description (3 pitches, gear) basically makes every climb at the Gunks at least a moderate. Are there no novice climbs at the Gunks? Where does a novice do his/her first lead at the Gunks? I think our first lead at the Gunks was "Baby", 5.3 at the Gunks, probably 5.6 out here in the West.

Edited April 13, 2004 by chucK

[dberdinka]

People with no climbing experience follow Midway

Climbers with no leading experience lead Midway

(All based on first-hand experience back-in-the-day)

 

Like Chuck says, if Midway is not a novice/easy climb what is?

[mattp]

For most new climbers these days, ChucK, I AM saying that any climb that requires gear placement skills and particularly one that requires you to read ten books by John Long in order to "build a belay" is not a novice climb.

 

"Back in the day," I undertook my first lead ever on a 5.6 ovehang in the Gunks and I fell off it. But that's not how people do it these days. I bet most new modern climbers' feelings about Midway is more like those who have, in this vary thread, said that the pro on Midway is a little sketchy and it is not one for the beginning leader. (As I indicated, I slightly disagree about that but ...)

 

Call it whatever you want. If you want to describe it as a "novice" climb that is fine by me. I think it is indeed a perfect climb to take a novice on -- to show them what REAL rock climbing is all about.

[klenke]

"'Back in the day,' I undertook my first lead ever on a 5.6 overhang in the Gunks and I fell off it."

Well, you're still around, so I'm guessing the hemp rope didn't break.

[mattp]

Nope. The goldline rope didn't break ("goldline" looked like hemp, but it was made of nylon; you couldn't smoke it). I fell about 15 or 20 feet of "Strictly from Nowhere" (I think it's 5.6), shook myself off, and went back up to finish the pitch. My first "Alpine" climb, too, was bigger than what most people would undertake for their first climb these days: the Soutwest Ridge on the Grand, which I think is a grade III but certainly a long grade II. I had probably not led more than six pitches total before I went there and swung leads up it.

 

Crusty old guys will tell you that kids these days are a bunch of wimps, but I just think times have changed and its a different orientation. We didn't used to think you had to climb at least 5.11 to consider yourself a decent climber, either. High performance is in, and "adventure" is somewhat out.

 

Part of the difference is that most of us "back in the day" got into climbing with a backpacking background, and it grew as an extension of mountain exploration rather than an extension of gym climbing.