layton Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 (edited) Just did davis-holland loving arms today (got totally soaked in the rain!!!) but was wondering about the 5th pitch. At the bolts atop pitch 4 in the chimney, there is a bolt with a sling. Didn't see any other bolts or cracks but didn't venture to look. Is this where you can A0 then do the 10c? I went up about 15 feet to the easy flake hand traverse then went straight up a thin corner to face moves. What does this pitch rate? is it 10c like the guidebook kinda shows on the topo? Where the fuck are the bolt anchors for the top of this pitch? Didn't see em. Saw the line of bolts coming up, but no anchor where the met up near me at the ledge below the 5.9+ arching crack on the last pitch. Anyway, it was a hell of a good route and a LOT easier than I anticipated! Cheers for not sandbagging it. I lucked out with p.2-5 . So if you haven't done this route, it's fully non-commiting and a set of doubles from a to a #2 and a single set of nuts and #3+#4 cam are plenty. Never busted out the R.P.s or H.B.s as was suggested. Did some fancy finageling with regular nuts instead. All told, about 2-5 hours depending on how fast you are. Short pitches. Not reccomended in the rain however. shit is slick. Grabbed a cam at the start of pitch 4 cuz it is barn-doory and hard and woulda taken a serious pendulum (i felt it was the crux) so i blew the onsight. The crack to the squeeze o/w is hard on that pitch too! On that pitch (pitch 4) I moved left into another crack system instead of continuing up cuz it looked like it joined the chimney while the other did not. unsure if I was on route. a dirty hard pitch! but fun! And for those of you who, like me, always fuck up the approach in a new area...the guidebook map kinda sucks cuz it suggests you traverse the lower wall. Don't. Follow the rxr track to heart of the country wall and go up the trail KEEPING RIGHT AT THE BRANCHES. We not only traversed the lower wall, we mistook a left turn for a switchback and had to bushwack and drainage grovel across from the descent trail. On top, easily find the trail. It may or may not turn into the road, but somehow on top of the cliff we wound up on a fucking road? We re-schwacked off the road and got back on the trail minutes later. Don't do down any gullies or drainages. The end. Edited September 9, 2004 by michael_layton Quote
Drederek Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 The bolt with the sling protects the 11a move on the 5th pitch. step across the chimney and walk down the diagonal crack till you're below the bolt then climb the steep slab to the other end of the flake you came out of the gully on. Not sure why you didn't find an anchor on top. Did you traverse right 10 feet or so at the end of it? I've always done p6 (or p3 of LA) as a jumbled face with short cracks for pro. The left side is more easily protected. Pitch 4 is the double cracks to the wide chimney. Sounds like you did a great job on a superb route. Next time do the first 4 pitches of Centerfold for a "warmup"! Quote
mattp Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 I think the RP's are for that bouldery couple of moves near the end of pitch 3 - didn't you set a couple of small pieces there in a thin-crack in the corner, before making a couple of face moves and then crawling up the corner to the belay? I thought Pitch 5 was probably only 10b if you took the high traverse, perhaps 10 feet above the belay. You step out right on a small slanting flake or ledge and get some kind of undeclingy fingerlock or something and then make one move to reach a vertically oriented crack/corner system with face climbing protected by crack pro. It seemed the sensible way to me, and the difficulty is more in line with the rest of the climb so I never understood why folks would take the low traverse - except it was the "original." Any ideas about this? Quote
specialed Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 That 10c RP move is only like 10a if you stem off the block to the right rear, unless you're a midge like Layton and can't reach it. Better to abseil than shwack-off I think. Quote
lancegranite Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I think P4 was pretty hard for me, I must have been scared! Have any of you rock stars climbed the variation? Quote
Drederek Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I never understood why folks would take the low traverse - except it was the "original." Any ideas about this? The first time we did it we went that way for chestbeating purposes. Multipitch 5.11 being much more "hardcore" than 5.10 LOL. After that it was just habit. And we like slabs. Quote
chris Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 "And for those of you who, like me, always fuck up the approach in a new area...the guidebook map kinda sucks cuz it suggests you traverse the lower wall. Don't. Follow the rxr track to heart of the country wall and go up the trail KEEPING RIGHT AT THE BRANCHES. We not only traversed the lower wall, we mistook a left turn for a switchback and had to bushwack and drainage grovel across from the descent trail" True, but I think the guidebook authors recommended traversing the lower wall because of trespassing issues with the railroad company. Quote
chucK Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 I thought Pitch 5 was probably only 10b if you took the high traverse, perhaps 10 feet above the belay. You step out right on a small slanting flake or ledge and get some kind of undeclingy fingerlock or something and then make one move to reach a vertically oriented crack/corner system with face climbing protected by crack pro. More than 10 feet up I think. Probably 10 feet up after you squirm out above the chimney/offwidth which you enter directly above the belay anchors. I made the mistake once of traversing right, just after escaping that chimney, and it was a down-angling strenous hand traverse that just got you pumped then put you right at the hard part of the yarding way. If you want to do the easier way make sure the hand traverse you take out right is a very easy one (and cool too, 5.7 hand traverse, butt over BIG air). Quote
Peter_Puget Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 Why hasn't anyone mentioned the variation to the 3rd pitch? Sandbag! Quote
bobbyperu Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 yeah its fun! how hard is it supposed to be..? the orig. ver. is fun too. a good outing up there would be lovin arms and heavensgate...no..? upeer wall freeclimbing Quote
Szyjakowski Posted September 18, 2004 Posted September 18, 2004 yes it is so goood.... i can't wait to return to the shizzy! Quote
bigwalling Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 True, but I think the guidebook authors recommended traversing the lower wall because of trespassing issues with the railroad company. Maybe, but that sure isn't the way he goes. He doesn't even want to walk under the quarry. Quote
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