Chimney Rock

[pu]

Went to Chimney Rock yesterday, Saturday. Clear sky, Frost in the shade. No one around. Idaho ROCKS!

[MCash]

Nice. What did you climb? I miss that place.

[pu]

We did Illusions, rapped. Then we did Wayward Son and an attempt on Sudden Impact but the pins are gone.

[Marty]

I pulled two of those pins out with my hands. Randy Green's book says that there were three. The third must have fell out. Someone should fix the route so its climbable (protected) again cause it seemed like a good line.

[NYC007]

could it be protected with RP's?

[sobo]

Randy Green's book says that there were three.

 

Is that from looking at the topo? Cuz my book just says that "...Fixed pins protect the strenuous and technical crux."

[Marty]

There's 3 x's on the topo. And by no means am I the "Trad Master" (If you remember from earlier posts I think I'm in the "cholter" grouping) but I don't think they have any pro that small. In fact it's barely even a seam but more of a fold with a few spots that were wide enough to pound in some blades.

[sobo]

Got it! I just thought that mebbe you had a different/newer Randall Green guide than mine (Idaho Rock, 1987), that's all. That route's too stiff for my fat ol' bacon-eatin' butt now anyway, not that I ever could have climbed it clean anyway...

[pu]

When the weather improves here soon the plan is to replace the

missing pins. I spoke with the FA'ers and they gave the nod.

[Dane]

Hey Joe just to be fair. Randy, Dave and I did the 1st FA of Sudden impact on the pins Randy had placed in the previous week via rappel. The only reason Dave and I were invited on SI for the FFA was we had given Randy so much shit about placing more fixed pins on a Chimney crack. (the shit continiued for the pins in Amoral Raider's as well) The 3 of us had done Ill/FF earlier in the day. The FFA of SI was the real goal for the day.

 

Larry Peterman and I had tried the route the week before. Larry had fallen and hung on Randy's pre placed pins. So I had TR'ed the route. Randy had as well when placing the pins and working the crack with a hammer.

 

My preference would be that someone take a good look at the crack (from rappel if needed) and try RPs in the now obvious pin scars. (heck they are big scars, some which you now climb on) It isnt that hard by today's standards and the fall is clean. UNI is a good example of what can be done clean.

 

Also worth noting that fixed nuts aren't all that great on Chimney either. Kimmie (anchors) and Graystoke both had/have fixed nuts that had cables fried by lightening.

 

Nice work on Illusions. FWIW I first placed pins on that route as well, but on lead (two). Then a year later, we came back and did it again and was able to pull the pins by hand...much like what Marty discribes on SI. Frost wedging is a bitch up there. On later ascents I did learn to appreciate how the new smaller TCUs worked in the same crack.

 

[edited several times because of my weak memory)