What type of routes to you prefer?

[TimL]

Everyone has an eye for certain types of routes that catch their attention. I’d even say the types of routes we climb are a reflection of our character at times. I have friends that love overhanging faces, bold headwalls, soaring dihedrals, deep hidden couloirs, fluted ice faces, etc…. My preference towards routes involves beauty, boldness and distinctiveness. For instance, I think the Salathe Wall and Nose on El Cap are awesome. The line up the headwall on the Salathe and the upper dihedrals on the Nose look spectacular. I also like soaring arêtes like Clean Break on Juno Tower and gulley ice climbs. When crag climbing I prefer routes of the same nature. For the sake of wasting time at work, what type of routes do you prefer to climb and why?

[iain]

trask likes routes involving overhanging jugs

[klenke]

I prefer routes that don't kill me. But that's just me.

[Bob_Clarke]

Some routes seem to just call to me. I glanced at a picture of Alpamayo and the peaks of the Ishinca Vally in Peru and had to go. Some of the most daring climbing I've been fortunate enough to do.

 

It's the same way with mountaineering - Denali, Acongacua, they seem to have had a key to my brain and guide me to their flanks.

 

But you're asking what routes do I like? First of all the ones that nobody does. Like at Smith Rock there is a climb called Crossfire. No spandex boi's playing on that one. Chanti Spire in the North Cascades. Soloing long alpine climbs. This question is getting frustrating, I guess I don't have a straight forward answer.

[North_by_Northwest]

Clean corners, and long straight cracks. Liebacks, offwidth, whatever as long as it is parallel and seems to go as far as the eye can see. I also like huge roofs next to my cracks and sometimes over them. Long hand traverses on exposed ledges are good too.

Someone took an excellent photo of the upper pitches of Outer Space (in photo album from rope-up weekend I think) that is exactly what i like, though the photo makes it look harder and cooler than it actually was.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Big Juggy ones --> (*)(*)

[iain]

cool-looking ridges, Mt. Sir Donald for example.

[North_by_Northwest]

 

 

[ 10-28-2002, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: North by Northwest ]

[Dru]

unclimbed ones that look climbable

[Lambone]

give us an example

[Dru]

West Buttress of Dungeon?

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Routes with good position or routes that ascend cool features rank highly, for starters. Long, moderately overhanging endurance affairs with varied climbing are always enjoyable. Short steep routes with huge holds and bouldery moves. Long, easy trad routes, but no more than one per year if possible. Highball boulder problems are swell. Hard, moderate, or easy routes that are fun and on good rock. Pretty much any route that's fun and not a chosspile and isn't a terrifying slab/friction/friable nubbins venture is good. Routes without a half-hour line at the base. Any route from which at least 20 people can watch you pose and can hear you spraying about how tough this route is and how rad you are. The red tape route at the gym is just classic. Same with the blue and white taped boulder problem, but with the third and seventh holds off, using the alternate sit start on the orange undercling, and finishing on the grey sloper. Rad.

[iain]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing:

Same with the blue and white taped boulder problem, but with the third and seventh holds off, using the alternate sit start on the orange undercling, and finishing on the grey sloper. Rad.

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watched this play out exactly at PRG's cave the other day

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Stunning line, isn't it? Surely, upon witnessing its aesthetic moves and excellent position over the 4x8 blue pad, you were compelled to take a few burns on it. A recent would-be sender of said problem succinctly summed it up in saying "dude, that rig's classic, dude. With, like, an emphasis on the sick, dude. Dude!"

[jordop]

.

Edited June 15, 2021 by jordop

[Beck]

Sorry, Jordo, you've got those routes confused with more indegineous Northwest ones like cattails, potatos or wild leek. Best to stick to these routes in the NW.

My flavor in routes run to high grade low class stuff that keeps the crowds down. I even saw a woof once!

[Lambone]

I like routes that really make you feel like you pushed your limit and acomplished something, not ones that make you feel like a fat lazy stoner...

 

Ah well, at least good drugs can fill the void that failure leaves in your gut...se-la-ve

 

[ 10-29-2002, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: Lambone ]

[offwidthclimber]

in no particular order:

 

1. smooth friction slabs

2. clean crack lines

3. steep, aesthetic boulder problems

[ILuvAliens]

Anything Alpine.

[ScottP]

Multi-pitch hand crack routes.

[Kevin_Ristau]

It is not necessarily the type of route, but the experience of the climb.

 

Some days, everything clicks. You climb with confidence and style, the route eats pro and seemingly goes on forever.

 

Of course, epics are far more memorable and make much better war stories.

[wayne]

I prefer the purest of all disciplines; Alpine, mixed, and extremely difficult

[plexus]

What I prefer: nice granite w/ optional handcracks, dual sided dihedrals and a starting price of under $20,000.

 

What I climb: chossy class 4 with a point of aid, before the obvious gully and after the verticle forest

[mikeadam]

I like the routes with dirt, skinny branches to grab onto, devils club, talus (exposed talus on ledges is best), and loose volcanic rock. And dirt.

[Toast]

quote:

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Originally posted by Beck:

My flavor in routes run to high grade low class stuff that keeps the crowds down. I even saw a woof once!

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You saw a woof?