5 Best Highlights of the Past Year

[Dru]

Lets face it it is the ass end of climbing season right now, no ski, no climb rock, no ice. So we are all fervently talking climbing and chestbeating etc. cause we cant actually climb.

 

SO to get the real bruising of the ribcage going the topic is: what 5 climbing accomplishments are you most proud of over the past year, also what was your biggest failure of the year?

 

mine

 

1) snootli express

2) niut range trip, finally made it into the REAL COAST RANGE

3) Castle Mountain in the Rockies finally! that trip was maybe funnest trip of the year.

4) mad science at the rehabs, been eying up that line for about 7 years now

5) 3rd pitch of gibraltar wall rock variation with only a spectre hooked in a crack for pro

 

and the big failure is a toss up between a) bailing off Slesse yet again or b)not climbing Queen Bess, hell, not even hiking in to Queen Bess

[sk]

good topic!

 

most stoked:

1) first sport lead (5.6 and 5.7)

2) first trad lead (5.7ish)

3)climbed Hard Lieback on top rope

4) climbed Limp Dick on top rope and finaly broke threw my 5.9 cealing

5)met a TON of fun people and had lots of good times

 

most pissed: that I can't seem to overcome my fear of death enough to lead gingersnap (fucking peice of shit!) and that I did not lead as much as I set out to at the beginning of the saeson. it seems like I didn't get to climb enough, but then is there such a thing as enough?

 

winter sucks, but I am looking for a reason not to hate it

 

[ 11-19-2002, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: yaya ]

[jimmyleg66]

Well, I just started rock climbing this year and mountaineering last year, so my skill levels are pretty low, but I managaged to have alot of fun this summer regardless. The highlights were:

 

1)Mt. Columbia SW Ridge

2)Mt. Tupper - Rogers Pass

3)Rogers/Swiss Travers - Rogers Pass

4)Mt. Odin - Gold Range (99.9% slog, 0.01% climbing skill req'd)

5)Dunn Peak (local hill to Kamloops)

 

Biggest failure was bailing on the hike in to the Neil Colgan Hut as no one was willing to lead the final picth up the headwall to the Glacier. Next summer for sure.

[chelle]

Wow, Dru. So hard to narrow it down to 5 highlights and just one failure...

 

Highlights

1) Summiting Cayambe in Ecuador (bummer that it was 7 feet shy of my 19,000' altitude barrier) an absolutely awesome view that morning and a great rope team

2) Making it to ~18,200' on Chimborazo three days after discovering I have asthma

3) Getting up Braile Book in Yosemite - that's one wide climb

4) Damnation at Castle Rock at the RopeUp

5) Climbing my first 5.10 trad lead, even though I repeatedly fell at the crux

 

failure - backing off the NW Corner of NEWS because I was too scared to lead the offwidth when my partner backed off.

 

Personal disappointment - letting someone else's comments/ego get the best of me and psych me out of a lead I was really excited to try... MEN!!!

[Dru]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ehmmic:

Personal disappointment - letting someone else's comments/ego get the best of me and psych me out of a lead I was really excited to try... MEN!!!

---

I knew I shoulda made you lead that last pitch of Super Slab

[Winter]

quote:

---

Originally posted by yaya:

winter sucks, but I am looking for a reason not to hate it

---

Hey! Take it easy there.

 

Some meager accomplishments that I enjoyed:

 

- Liberty Ridge (scary fall)

- Zebra Zion (super fun route)

- Pingora Peak (beautiful setting and the perfect finger crack on perfect rock)

- West Ridge of Prussik Pk. (car-to-car in a day ... suffer fest)

- Climbing the South side of Hood with my friend's 12 year-old, 80 lb. kid in 50 mph winds at the bottom and serious rock fall and weird choss ice up top (I won't ever whine about conditions any more)

 

Biggest failures: there were so many

 

- the recent spanking I suffered from the Prince of Darkness

 

- getting chased off the East Face of Pingora and out of the Cirque of the Towers by lighnting and shitty weather

 

- freezing my ass off in Red Rocks for the first time this Spring and getting lost on every f*!#@cking route we tried to climb.

 

Can't wait to 2003!

[bobinc]

Winter, what happened on POD?

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Hmmm ...

 

- Red tape route on the lead wall

- Blue tape route on the RadWall

- Green & white tape boulder problem on the 45

- Black tape boulder problem back by the cave

- One-arm campusing up and down smallest rungs

 

Failures:

- Blew the on-sight at the last bolt

- Put hole in best tights when they snagged on a nubbin at Smith

- Broke copy of 'Rampage' due to excessive rewinding

[Paco]

Highlights

1) Eldorado via Northwest Couloir (This was by far the highlight for me this year )

2) Rainier via Emmons Glacier in 24 hours

3) Outerspace

4) Shuksan, ascent via Fisher Chimneys, descent via Sulphide Glacier

5) Lane Peak, all three couloirs last April/May, solo

 

Failures

- not making it to the fall rope up

- a few failed attempts on Rainier

- and a few others that I can't (or choose not to) remember right now

 

Other highlights include meeting a lot of great people with whom I have been able to share the mountains with, and meeting some great people with whom I hope to climb with in the future.

 

For this winter and next season....anything and everything!

 

Have fun and climb safe.

 

-Paco

[Winter]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bobinc:

Winter, what happened on POD?

---

Took a 25ft whipper on an 8 mm rope on the second pitch ... followed the 3rd and dogged my way to the top and then rapped off, hiked out and swilled PBR while my frieds finished Yellow Brick Road.

 

[ 11-19-2002, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: Winter ]

[AlpinistAndrew]

I am beggining climber, so my accomplishments aren't spectacular or anything. Summer 2002

1)Mt. Rainier (DC)-First Glacier travel lead

2)Sloan Peak (Corkscrew Route)

3)1st Trad Lead (5.4)

4)South Early Winters Spire (South Arete)

5)Sahale (Sahale Glacier) Solo

 

My worst failure or at least the most "traumatic" was when I attempted to climb Rainier via the Emmons Glacier route in August (my first time attempting Rainier). I was with three other friends, I was leading the group. We were just past the bergshrund, very near the top. When one of my teammates just couldn't go on anymore. He had AMS and his feet hurt from the plastic boots. We made plans for about 5 minutes then headed down. Living in the shadow of Rainier, I have always wanted to climb it, it was my life dream. I was very pissed off for the next week, and that day still haunts me a little bit, even though we had to go down and it was the right thing to do. Though two weeks later we climbed the DC, so it all worked out I guess.

[bolt_clipper]

1. Cruising Zebra Zion, leading the hard pitches.

2. Doing the Maroon Bells Traverse (minor epic)

3. Buying ice tools, and using them for the Ist time.

4. Onsighting a bunch of trad 10a's.

5. Getting stronger.

 

What I wish I had done: Chain Reaction, I'm too scared of the damn thing, I've got plenty strength.

[North_by_Northwest]

Highlights for me:

 

1. Half Dome - Royal Robbins classic in under 40 hrs car to car.

2. Prusik Peak - Stanley Burgner S. Face

3. NEWS - NWC

4. Black Velvet Canyon, esp. P.O.D.

5. Fairview Dome - Regular route

 

Objectives I never got on: Slesse, SEWS DEB

 

Biggest failure: bailing off of Spaceshot without bringing the rack down off of the free pitches.

 

Overall I've had a great summit to bail ratio, with only two bails all year. Much thanks to the weather gods for this.

[CascadeClimber]

Top Five Highlights

- Leading the third pitch of Icy BC (in admittedly easy conditions).

- New route on Formiddable

- Finally climbing Little T (aka Choss-daddy), car-to-car with great skiing.

- Lots of ice mileage

- Not getting killed, maimed, scared out of my wits, divorced, or going broke.

 

Failures

- East Couloir on Cutthroat.

- Got completely spanked on a new line that I'd been scoping for a long time. I totally underestimated the "easy" section. I'll be back...

[leithal]

Good memories:

1. Starting out the season leading (after a 6 year break)-- just the easy pitches on Condorphamine Addiction

2. 18 pitches on Squamish Buttress-- the most pitches I've done in a day (Deidre, Pig Dogs on Parade, A Question of Balance, Squamish Buttress)

3. Mt. Adams- easy route, but my highest elevation

4. Klahanie Crack, Squamish-- beautiful 5.7 trad lead, just perfect for my hands

5. somehow pulling the 10d finger crack on the West Face, NEWS (maybe not gracefully, but hey, I didn't have to pull on any gear!)

 

Not so good memories (lots to choose from...):

1. almost smashing my head open after a fall on TR on a route I've done numerous times (The Cube, L-town, DON'T BE STUPID LIKE ME AND USE ONLY THE ONE BOLT UP TOP FOR AN ANCHOR-- YOU WILL PENDULUM)

2. thrutching, whining, sweating, pulling my way up Bloody Knees, 5.9, Moab

 

But maybe, just maybe, the season's not over yet...

[Cpt.Caveman]

1) Niut Range and Rockies Trip

2) Forbidden Peak (Finally not weathered off)

3) Angels Crest

4) Synchronicity Drunk

5) Gaper ice - On Dragontail Triple Coolers and O Rock

 

Disappointments-

1) Slesse sickness failure

2) Not enough ice climbing

 

[ 11-19-2002, 06:16 PM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[dbconlin]

Why is it I can think of more dissappointments that accomplishments? I guess I am a half-empty kind a guy. Anyway here goes:

 

Successes/accomplishments:

 

1. S. Face of Petit Grepon (Rocky Mt. N.P.)--fairly easy (5.8), but incredible exposure and somewhat runout; beautiful alpine setting.

2. Gaining confidence to trust trad gear and push limits.

3. Consistently leading 5.9 trad at Eldorado Canyon (Boulder) and Wall Street (Moab), both places with fairly stiff ratings, without falling.

4. Pushing ice limits (soloing III, leading IV-, following V+), even though I only own hinged glacier crampons (yes, ice season is IN in colorado, baby)

5. getting much stronger by bouldering regularly

 

And the abysmal:

 

1. Utterly failing to lead anything significant at Indian Creek--its too damn hard!!

2. Trying over and over to get a 5.10b sport crux at Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs) and failing, even though I should be able to climb at this level.

3. Not climbing more during the summer (stupid job!)

[Highlander]

In no particular order:

1) NR of Stuart

2) NF of Shuksan (perfect conditions)

3) S. Face of Prussik

4) Grand Wall (Squamish)

5)NEWS NW Corner, NW Face and Beckey route in a day

 

Failures:

*Slesse (off route in fog and climbed a new line instead of the classic line we sought)

*taking a fall on the decent of Cutthroat(down climbing steep icy snow in sneakers with a stick, and crashing into rocks below)

[Coondog]

Dru, good question -- thanks for the opp to brag up my fav climbs & share the epic stories.

 

Awesome::

1. Half Dome via Snake Dike... amazing, despite the several hundred gapers at the summit, and made it back to car before sunset

2. Baker via N Ridge... ahhh, 2 pitches of great alpine ice at sunrise, 40+mph wind and skiing out...

3. Heart of Darkness (Lake Louise, BC)... on drive back from AK after not climbing for the month of climbing hoped for... awesome 10b overhang arete...

4. Jardine's Hand... my first 11a climb, on one of the first routes sent with cams

5. Outerspace...

 

Brutal::

1. Going to Alaska to fly in to the Pika Glacier / Lil Switzerland area to climb granite pinnacles for a week or two, only to get there and not be able to go in because (a) it's been too sunny the past 3 weeks, and (b) it's raining about 1" a day now... then getting shitty drunk in Talkeetna to start the long drive home with a decent hangover.

2. Tearing part of my trapezius and not being able to climb for nearly a month...

 

--cd.

[chucK]

Shit highlander!! Your highlights list is basically my wish list for the future!!! Nice job

 

Good memories:

Liberty Crack

Backbone Ridge

East Butt Big Snow "virtual" FA

Kaleetan N Ridge

Summit Chief

some fun craggin' stuff but I guess they don't make the top 5

 

disappointments:

Would've been nice to get out more.

Got a couple of new skeletons, Steel Pulse and Narrow Arrow Direct at Index, and failed to remove Sloe Children from the skeleton rack (wasn't brave/stupid enough to go for that last move on a tipped out #00 TCU)

[layton]

1. Tripple Couloirs B'ham to B'ham

2. Cuthroat E. Face Coulior

3. Direct N.Butt Bear

4. New route in B.C. Back of Beyond Buttress

5. Central Couloir on Joffre (which tied w/many other awesome rock and ice routes)

 

BEST YEAR EVER! (and it ain't over) ...I'll be in Banff all of Dec. haha

 

Worst Part of the Year

1.Getting my Degree and having to work

2.Working

3.Missing climbing cuz I worked

4.Not working and missing climbing

5.Aproaching Ashlu x2, Vieniesse, Bardean, Backbone ridge 3x, Colfax, Prussik x2, Baker, Shuksun, Springbox Arete, Colonial x2, Greybeard, and many many more, w/o climbing shit!

 

[ 11-19-2002, 07:38 PM: Message edited by: michael_layton ]

[plexus]

1. Cranking first V4 problem

2. FA on a 5.10d trad line down in Oaxaca. 100 meters down, 100 more to go.

3. Surviving my first snow slide

4. Getting fiancee to finally lead a trad climb

5. Leading new route in the Twin Sisters (getting a ride further up the Howard Creek Road so lot less time hiking).

 

Biggest disappointments:

1. Too many weekends spent sleeping in, thinking, it'll be nice next weekend.

2. Too many injuries - two sprained ankles (including severe sprain now), week of back spasms, week of flu, tweeked out wrist.

[layton]

quote:

---

Leading new route in the Twin Sisters

---

Spray away, I wanna know 'bout it. (plus, did you get a ride up in the 'shitter')?

[iain]

1. Sandy G. Headwall, Mt. Hood (after hospitalization last time)

2. soloing the Reid G. Headwall left gullies, Mt. Hood

3. Jefferson Park Glacier, Mt Jefferson w/MtnHigh

4. Adamants Traverse from Fairy Meadows to Mt Sir Sandford

5. meeting members of the legendary KTK at Smith

[SEF]

OK, I’ll bite.

 

Highlights, in no particular order:

 

• Liberty Bell group in a day, i.e; Liberty Bell/Overexposure + N Face Concord + N Face Lexington + W Face NEWS + W Buttress of SEWS in a day.

 

• Clean Break on Juno Tower

 

• Burgner Stanley on Prussik in a day, amidst snowstorm on last 2 pitches & on rap

 

• Climbing fun, easy stuff with my daughter who is a teenager new to climbing.

 

• Meeting new partner who can lead far harder shit than I

 

Disappointments:

• Toasting, twice, the engine in my VW van on the way to, or returning from, climbs.