Thin Red Line

[Jeff3344]

can the thin red line on liberty bell be climbed on clean aid only? Are there any other good aid routes in that area that would offer good clean aid climbing?

 

thanks

[DPS]

That would be a neat trick. I am sure it is possible, not sure if it has been done. I used KBs where cam hooks *might* have worked. My partner lead a pitch using LAs and small angles where perhaps slider nuts or those teeny tiny Wild County Zero friends *might* have worked.

 

Index Town Wall offers many good clean aid routes: Green Dragon and Town Crier are a couple of longer routes.

[Matt_Anderson]

I'd be very surprised if it hasn't gone clean by now at a reasonable grade. Me and a friend climbed it after I'd only been climbing about two years and my only previous aid experience was the Regular Northwest Route on Half-Dome (A1-2), Liberty Bell, Town Crier and City Park. I was the experienced one. So while we were good at placing for free climbing, we definitely weren't aid afficianado's.

 

We got away with placing four pins total. I think one knife blade, one one lost arrow and two angles. The angles were definitely placed just because I had run out of comparably sized free gear. The lost arrow was placed because it was 12:00 at night and I'd just taken a fall and wanted security, so I doubt that it was necessary(I think I was shying from another hook move . . .). The knife blade was placed by my partner, who was basically learning to aid on that climb (he might have done town crier just prior).

 

Our clean gear was: A free rack (doubles of cams, all sizes and a double set of nuts) along with some lowe balls, a range of hooks, Pecker's and similar items, some micro nuts and mayby cam hooks (I'm not sure if I owned those by then).

 

We also brought some bagels and some kind of berry cream cheese. It tasted very good the morning of the bivy.

 

I remember some fixed gear, but believe the cruxes were mainly climbed with our own placements, so I would expec the info given would still be relevant.

 

Have fun!

 

matt

[texplorer]

So Matt, did you say you've done Liberty Crack? I was wondering what it goes free at/ or if you had to hammer on it.

[haireball]

Liberty Crack has gone hammerless since the late 70's. I'm not aware that it has gone free. YDS-V,5.8,C2

[avypoodle]

The lip goes at like 13.b or something. The route has gone free, can't recall dudes name, Sandy something???

[Dru]

Brooke Sandahl of Metolius and Smith Rock fame (and worked the Nose with LH and accompanied her on her FFA) freed it on the fixed copperheads etc, Lithuanian Lip was 13b and the 3rd pitch was 12c or something? I bet that is unrepeated.

[Peter_Puget]

Free is a matter of definition. The protection for this “free ascent” was a rope hung from the belay above. I think his name was Brooke Sandahl.

[erik]

THERE IS ALSO A FREE VARIATION I WANNA SAY OUT RIGHT OF IT THAT GOES IN THE MID-12'S SENT LAST SUMMER.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I freed Da Toof once

[Off_White]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Peter Puget:

I think his name was Brooke Sandahl.

---

Actually, I believe it still is....

[mpepe]

I did thin red line all clean a couple times about four years ago. Nothing special, just a couple cam hook moves and a stretch of rp's. Go for it and have fun.

[bobbyperu]

i think the route eric may have been thinking of is called freedom or death... between lib crac and thinny red, those of you who have done thin red recently may have noticed or used the shiny new bolts as afirst pitch, this continues above and gets progressivly harder. theres a 11d bolted face pitch, and another 11d being the undercling flake that traverses into liberty crack above the 4 th pitch. originally established by paul butler et all i believe, and sent by 2 brothers last summer. also of note a new route was established on the west side of silver star, all free in aday by 2 of the local guides.those interested in climbing something new with many 5.10 pitches in a spectacular setting might try and hit larry up for the topo, at mazama mountain guides, really cool folks to talk to. on a side note, anyone have any favorite link ups they've done in the area,wa. pass, and the wine spires are perfect for those climbers looking to link up classic routes, and climb all day! some personal favorites are the east butt on sews with the w. face on news, and the wine spires link-up, what do you got? bp

[Marvin]

I was thinking of having a go at Thin Red Line this weekend.

 

Has anyone been to Washington Pass recently? Curious as to how much snow there was.

 

Thanks for any info!

 

Marvin

[DPS]

I was on Lib Crack last Sunday. The approach is all snow. The route is dry.

[Matt_Anderson]

Tex, didn't mean to imply I'd freed Lib crack, just clean aid and easier free climbing. I remember thrutching for a sandy ledge that sent me for a 20 footer on the .10 hand/fistcrack . . . My first fall on my first alpine climb - magicaly delicious!

 

Regarding Freedom or Death - I've been on the first three of four pitches, but got snowed off. It's a really nice variation that would enable you to eliminate any need for aid on Liberty crack (but you'd still have to deal with that crappy rotten block pitch). The people who put it up struck a decent balance on the number of bolts (for me). The rock and moves that I experienced were top notch.

 

Anybody have more info about that silver star route? I've never been on the mountain, but it always looked like a giant choss pile from the distance. I'd be hapy to find out I'm wrong and get a pointer to the good rock . . .

[DPS]

Texplorer,

 

To answer your question, it goes clean at C2, completely hammerless. Some of those bashies have seen better days, though, so it might not be a bad idea to bring some larger ones and the appropriate acoutrements.