TimL Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 My favorite type of climbing is being able to walk to a route, be it alpine rock or ice, sport, big walls, mountains, etc., and onsite the sucker and get down in time for beer. All to often I hear of people and myself taking several attempts to bag a climb or send a route. I know this is all part of climbing and nobody can be 100% successful but I think it just sucks. So it almost feels like a sweet revenge to be able to go back to a route and send it after not climbing it the first time. Climbing in the Cascades has proved this to be true fairly often even with easy routes. Anybody have good stories about attempting a route, not getting it for various reasons and coming back and sending? I know of people who have tried Big Four 4 or 5 times without making it to the summit. Myself, I’ve tried the North Ridge of Stuart 2 times and both times have been weathered out in the morning when “perfect” forecasts have been predicted. Spray away! Quote
iain Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 That's about as good as strickland talking about on-sighting the Reid Headwall on Hood. damn I had to grab the bolt on that second pitch of JParkG, gotta stop hangdogging Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 I tried the NR of stuart 4 times I think before sending it- Issues: Partner not into it. Weather at Goat Pass Weather again Weather again! Finally success on a blue bird weekend! Then the fires blazed as the lightning storm rolled in when we were walking out Feel sorry for the unlucky bastards that had to ride that out behind us! Quote
layton Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 You've just described my entire climbing career. 1.drive and get lost 2.go back hike in to base and something goes wrong 3a.go back and climb or 3b.burn that page outta the beckey guide Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Hmmm ... DFA has had his last several seasons at Smith go something like this: affix quickdraws dog, dog, dog, dog, dog whine, whine, whine, excuses excuses "Anyone got the beta for the second crux?" dog, dog, dog, dog "It's totally a linkage issue. All the moves go." dog, dog, dog, dog "This thing is too hard" brush, brush, brush hang, hang "Maybe next go." "Or the next one." SEND! Ah, the agony, adventure, and pithy drama that is sports climbing. DFA lives for such. [ 08-02-2002, 11:06 AM: Message edited by: Dr Flash Amazing ] Quote
robertm Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Nooksack tower. 1st time - Scared 2nd time - Scared and weather sucked 3rd time - Scared, forgot helmet climbed it anyways. Quote
Yos Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Green Dragon: 1) Followed the crack halfway up the second pitch to the ledge on TC. Got lit & lazy. 2) Got lit & lazy at the base and again climbed over to the ledge on TC to have a picnic. 3) Got lit & lazy before I left my house. Never made it to the base. 4) Went in style up to the roof with radio, 2 lbs. of snack food, and ledge. Forgot stash so I had to finish the climb the next day. Quote
iain Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 not nearly as difficult a climb but: Jeff Park Glacier: 1) partner tries "short-cut" end up rappelling on approach. take way too long. left sleeping bag at car to save weight, temp drops to 20F at night. lose too much energy shivering, no sleep. 2) weather seems...okay, feel good. get up to take leak, but have to push new snow off bivy sack at 2am. run cowering down the mountain in a whiteout. 3) try in late Sept. partner has car trouble, try for a TH to TH non-stop deal to make up for time. Get to saddle, lightning rolls in. run cowering down the russell glacier and bushwack to PCT. 4) finally finish the route, seemed too easy for all the crap I went through before. Quote
Smoker Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Everyone has their strong suits and their weaknesses. If we are lucky, our choices in partners will add strengths to our weakness. My partner is a gifted navigator. I have been privileged to learn from him. I have never been denied a summit due to whiteout conditions. But after a while you have to ask yourself why summit? It is definitely a let down to top out and not get any views Some day I am gonna repeat the E ridge of Triumph so I have a chance to experience the position. Underestimating the size of a climb is my biggest error, but I have never been denied a summit more than once. It is not that I am Joe-hardman, I set realistic goals for myself. So my list of "failures": Ingraham Direct in winter- Partner dropped to his knees puking at 13,800' bummer! Three Fingers- misjudged the amount of time needed to do in a day. East Ridge of Forbidden-attempt made in mid October and we thought we could start after the sun came up and warmed the route plus a fairly short amount of daylight period. Burrrr just thinking about the snow on the ridge makes me cold. I have yet to make a second attempt on Rainier in winter (schedules) and I almost got to try Forbidden a second time but my partner bailed at the last minute. Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 It's all about the angry revenge for me. Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre! Highlander you recognize this photos ? [ 08-02-2002, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ] Quote
plexus Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Wussiest non-summit -- Ingalls. 1) better half gets one hour of sleep at trailhead, get up to pass, boulder, turn around. 2) I get migrane and half-hour of sleep, sit up all night looking at all the other bastards snoozing peacefully while my temples throb. Wait until 6 a.m. for alarm to go off and better half get up, drive out cursing. Better half has told me we get one more chance. WE JUST NEED TO GET SOME FRIGGIN SLEEP FOR ONCE!!!! Quote
philfort Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Ingalls? I might have got you beat for wussiest peak. Mine is Chair Pk, failed three times. 1) Went in fall, std route, with just rock shoes and rock gear, but the rock was coated with ice, plus 6 inches of snow. 2) Tried NE butt in fall with too big a group, ran out of time. 3) Tried NE butt in winter, but went up "wrong way", and got foiled by bad conditions. Quote
TimL Posted August 2, 2002 Author Posted August 2, 2002 The biggest on my list is Clean Break on Juno Tower. Tried it once last year and turned around because of bad weather then tried it again this year and got to the base too late for a day climb. It will go here soon. Its to good of a route! Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 Jeesh! Doesn't anyone sport climb around here? Alpine climbing is dangerous ! Quote
thelawgoddess Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 i tried to onsight classic crack in leavenworth. i had just "aided" my first 5.9 crack lead (deception crack) ... but classic crack spanked me so hard i decided we'd spend the next day sport climbing at vantage. haven't been back to that damned crack yet ... Quote
TimL Posted August 2, 2002 Author Posted August 2, 2002 It seems like I've never been shut down sport climbing like I have alpine climbing in the Cascades. Except, a friend and I attempted Swim at the Upper Index Town Wall. The 1st pitch shut me down big time. I never knew a bolted 11d could be that hard. Then again its Index and I should of seen it coming. Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by thelawgoddess: i tried to onsight classic crack in leavenworth. i had just "aided" my first 5.9 crack lead (deception crack) ... but classic crack spanked me so hard i decided we'd spend the next day sport climbing at vantage. haven't been back to that damned crack yet ... Classic Crack aint 5.9 but it's good and short and hard to face climb up . A good 5.9 tester is the bone or godzilla or damnation crack or something along those lines. [ 08-02-2002, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ] Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 2, 2002 Posted August 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Skisports: classic crack use to be a 5.8 It still is. Just that people think it's hard since they cant hand jam. Slots for hands all the way! Quote
Highlander Posted August 3, 2002 Posted August 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: It's all about the angry revenge for me. Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre!Joffre! Highlander you recognize this photos ? Next time bring a shovel for that school bus size cornice. Quote
fleblebleb Posted August 3, 2002 Posted August 3, 2002 I thought the Bone was easier than Classic Crack. It's got something to do with the size of your hands and the size of the crack... Then I thought the easy stuff above the step-across on Canary was mind-numbingly scary and far harder than the actual step-across. Anyway. It's all relative. Or maybe I'm just weird Oh. My mountain spankings: Baker always storms on me. First it bitch-slapped me on the Coleman-Deming, turned around somewhere between the col and the wall in some kind of a rain storm. Only time in the States when I've experienced rain drops going up, higher in the air. Previously I was certain rain always falls to the ground around here. Then I went back to try the North Ridge and that time I didn't even bother getting out of my sleeping bag after peeking out of the cave. The summit might as well have had ambush spraypainted on it in a 300' font. Yech. Had and instead. I'm X summits for X attempts on all the other volcanos, what's with Baker? Eh? [ 08-02-2002, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: fleblebleb ] Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 3, 2002 Posted August 3, 2002 felbelbelbelel, The bone is one grade harder. But the bone is straight forward to someone that has not as much exp jamming. You can lieback most of it. Try Zilla and Damnation for instance. [ 08-02-2002, 07:38 PM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ] Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted August 3, 2002 Posted August 3, 2002 Highlander,Tell this guy to chill out then, he does not know he is old and that shit is crazy yet. He's been on large mountains before my dad was born!- Quote
Bianca_Piaggio Posted August 3, 2002 Posted August 3, 2002 Revenge, well, it's easy. Instead of engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the offending individual, more often than not an ex- not schooled enough in women to know when to leave it alone, simply start a whispering campaign. Doesn't matter whether you are in the right or the wrong, except that if you are in the wrong you'll have to work a lot harder to build consensus. If you're in the right, it's a piece of cake, and they never know what hit them. At that point socially they don't have a pot to piss in....oh, wait, this was about climbing, well failure in that isn't really about revenge, it's about going back and setting things straight with the rock. That takes hard work, but maybe not so much of the other stuff! Quote
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