[TR] Condor Buttress- Condorphamine Addiction 10/1/2005

[catbirdseat]

Climb: Condor Buttress-Condorphamine Addiction

 

Date of Climb: 10/1/2005

 

Trip Report:

My buddy Jim and I were going to climb Orbit, but the threatening weather dictated a route that would be easy to bail from. Condorphamine Addiction faces south as AlpineK pointed out, so it had at least a chance of being dry. It was dry at 11 am when we arrived after an "interesting" cross country scramble.

 

Jim led the first two pitches together, skipping every other bolt. He was set to continue on the third pitch, but I told him he'd probably run out of rope (60 m rope).

 

He brought me up in rain. By now the rock was soaking wet and my fingers got cold on the way up. The crux move of the second pitch was tricky for me wearing a pack and with wet rock. I led the third and fourth pitches strung together skipping a bolt here and there. They were quite a bit easier than the first two.

 

Jim headed off on the fifth pitch and rain turned to sleet. Jim stalled out on a cruxy section while I froze my ass off. We elected to bail at this point. I lowered him off a quicklink and we rapped down. Seems like a 70 m rope would enable one to rap between any two stations at a time.

 

Back at the base it was much warmer as there was much less wind. The rain stopped as we approached Bathtub Dome, so we stopped to lead a couple of slab routes, the first of which was called Chitlins, 5.8. Of course it was wet but there was a bail biner on it and Jim saw that as a challenge.

 

He got to the biner but could go no further in shoes that were too big and wouldn't edge on itty bitty flakes. I lowered him off and had a go at it. My greater height enabled me to just reach a thin flake and move my feet up. Just as I was clipping a bolt, the flake broke off in my left hand. Jim saw the sudden movement and assumed I was falling, but I wasn't. He starts yarding in on the rope. I yelled, "ease off". My feet must have been better than I thought, because I didn't fall and finished the clip and then the pitch.

 

I suspect that, even dry, Chitlins is a sandbag for 5.8. It would appear that what may have been nice sharp flakes initially are now rather rounded ones after 16 years of traffic.

 

While we were setting up for the 5.9 to the left, met Alistair and Pat as they were heading up to do the arete on the right side of the top tier of Bathtub Dome. It looked like they had fun on it.

 

By 5 pm, Jim and I had had enough and went into Ducks and Drakes for fish sandwiches and natchos (gag- too much cheese!). Found out that Ducks and Drakes is Cockney rhyme for "DT's and Shakes".

 

Gear Notes:

Bunch of quickdraws for CA and a rack to 2.5" that we only used on the last 5.9 route.

 

Approach Notes:

The trail is highly recommended.

[pope]

Found out that Ducks and Drakes is Cockney rhyme for "DT's and Shakes".

 

Yeah? So what's a "Jack and Danny"?

[ScottP]

[catbirdseat]

Round Jack Horner

Up the apples and pears

Jump into Uncle Ned

Lay your loaf of bread

On your Little Po Peep

And go to sleep.

[pope]

Jack and Danny = fanny, but fanny ain't a plumber's crack.

[Luna]

An epic.

[catbirdseat]

It's only an epic if you get back to town after that bars have all closed.

[Alasdair]

Right on it was good to meet you. Yea that ridge on bathtub dome was good in a 5.7 runout in the rain sort of way. In addition we decided to get on the route I cleaned last year in the gully between the ridge we were on and where you were to get a better idea of the rating. In the process I got a brand new #2 camalot stuck trying to protect the roof move. So if anyone wants a free cam and is very good at getting out stuck gear go get it. Its the first cam I have ever lost and it hurt pretty bad to let that one go. It is in a crack on a 4 foot horizontal roof on an east facing wall on bathtub dome. It is pretty obvious if you are on the trail to condor buttress just below bathtub dome.

[bobinc]

are ya sure about Ducks and Drakes being rhyming slang?

I thought it had to do with being careless with something, as in, "he's playing ducks and drakes with his money". [As in ducks and drakes skittering about on the pond.]

[Peter_Puget]

http://www.answers.com/ducks+and+drakes&r=67

[catbirdseat]

That's right. That's the original meaning. Skipping stones.

[minx]

i thought chitlins was a solid 5.8 when we climbed it (not in the rain) but i didn't think it was too much more than that?

 

then again, this bickering over a single pitch sport thing so it's sort of silly.

[catbirdseat]

I'll just have to go back and climb Chitlins dry to find out, won't I?

[RocNoggin]

and when you go back to do Chitlins make sure you also do CA! I climbed that early this summer and loved it! especially the 5th & 6th pitches, outstanding! lots of fun, great rock and outstanding views too, awesome!