Saber (V 5.11c) two years ago.

[Pencil_Pusher]

Well, I got a little chuckle out of the climbing web pages thread so here's my schpeel:

 

Two years ago I did this infamous route. Actually, it did me and my ass still gets sore thinking about it.

It all started with the Fault. It was October and cold. We had gotten out of the basic class that summer. After swapping off leads for this beast called the Fault, I managed to top off. It must've been rated 5.9 off-width. We then traversed over to the base of the Saber route.

"Hey Paul, let's go up that."

"Uh... I dunno Dave, I told the wife I'd be back at..."

"Oh this will only take an hour or so."

Two hours later finds me desperately gripping my way past that intimidating piton on the blank-sheer face. As is my style, I didn't bring enough of something and that was runners. I think I had nine. So in great style I kept going although I was out of runners. I clipped that stupid piton and started my desperate search for the belay. Narrowly poised on Saber Ledge I was beyond happy when I saw that huge bolt and clipped into it. Parched throat... partially from exertion, mostly from cursing on the ascent. Two hours on that first pitch.

"Paul, off belay!"

"Uh... Dave... it's pretty late..."

More "..." and discussion has me rapping down to the base. Of course the rope doesn't quite reach and I have to downclimb. Paul and I vow to come back the next day to retrieve all my gear.

Next day, Paul to wife, "Oh, we should be back in a couple of hours."

Setup a double rope rap to tree where I go down to and set up another rap to get gear. Throw ropes, one end goes free the other in a bunch behind a rock. No problem, I'll just pull it free when I get down. Awkwardly retrieve gear. Realize my error rappelling past the stuck rope, thankfully there's enough free to make it down. Spend the next 2-3 hours trying to free the rope. Highlight is prusiking up... I forget how it happened, but somehow or another I get up high on the rope and then go for a joy ride into the fall line. Perlon gets damaged to the core and my sphincter is screaming. Prusik up some more and then decide I'm too scared to go over the lip. Go back down. Paul finds a way to get up to the tree. Paul frees rope. We get back to camp at dark.

Saber on Castle Rock (V, 5.11c)

[wdietsch]

shit I didn't know I could climb .11c ..... I must not be as much of a gumby as I think I am

[Pencil_Pusher]

A day late and a dollar short but:

There was some thread (a while back) in the Climbers Boards about some dude lamenting about, "...any day now he was expecting some gaper to post about his 5.11c climb up Saber," or something to that effect. So I was actually doing just that with this 5.11c post.