notable ascent City Park sees new free ascent?

[larrythellama]

which one?

[RuMR]

city park...i think mike is just being understated...several people have posited (is that spelled right) that its venturing into hard 13 easy 14 to actually redpoint it...having said that, Alan Watts damn near onsighted it placing gear...but he's likely the world's best thin crack climber ever...

[Peter_Puget]

city park...i think mike is just being understated...several people have posited (is that spelled right) that its venturing into hard 13 easy 14 to actually redpoint it...having said that, Alan Watts damn near onsighted it placing gear...but he's likely the world's best thin crack climber ever...

 

RumR - You're stealing my line!

[G-spotter]

So Rudy, let me see if I get this straight,

 

Since several people who have never redpointed it say it must be 13+/14- to redpoint it, the guy who HAS redpointed it and says it's 13, not 13+, must be wrong?

[DirtyHarry]

Its all C1 to you, Dru

[willstrickland]

[RuMR]

So Rudy, let me see if I get this straight,

 

Since several people who have never redpointed it say it must be 13+/14- to redpoint it, the guy who HAS redpointed it and says it's 13, not 13+, must be wrong?

hmmm...i think lynn hill and watts are pretty grounded and woulda done it had they lived here and weren't passing through...

 

I think mike is very humble and would err to the side of underating...we are arguing semantics anyway...ie 5.13 equals 13b to c...5.13+ equals 13 c and higher...

 

whatever it is, it is awesome that mike did it...

[G-spotter]

Well duh! My fingers are too big! You need to be a midget with girly fingers to send that.... just like the Great Roof.

[RuMR]

...and you can't be a doughy canuck either...

[Jens]

Nice job Mike!

 

I heard celebration yells last thursday from a long ways away and figured somebody ticked something they'd been working on.

[tomtom]

Well duh! My fingers are too big! You need to be a midget with girly fingers to send that.... just like the Great Roof.

 

A couple laps with increasing size of pins should take care of that.

[layton]

Are we talking about Mike Schafer?

[Wallstein]

Dcramer is right. I was just using City Park as a warm up to Bobcat Cringe which is a warm up for Bobcat Reality. Someday I'll venture away from the lower wall....

 

I really do wish I could spend the rest of the summer there but the tickets to Pakistan are purchased. Index might not have the best long routes but it sure can't be beat for super-high quality cragging. I am in Yosemite right now just dreaming of Index. I can't wait till I am home next fall.

 

As far as the rating goes for City Park I think 13c is fair for me. It sure wasn’t any harder than that. For somebody that wasn’t a midget though I could see it getting really close to the 5.14 range. I guess we’ll just wait and see if it ever gets a non yo-yoed, non amputee, non midget ascent…I would put money on Beth to onsight it and pay to watch.

 

The route did take me a little while to do. I probably stuck my fingers in it for the first time 8 years ago. I never really thought I was going to be able to do it until a little over a year ago. It was the end of January and I hadn’t climbed in a few months but I decided to give it a toprope burn. I amazingly got it with only one brief hang due to some wetness. I then tried to lead it the next day but that was total joke. I took one pretty big whipper and that was enough. I finally got serious about doing it this spring. I had the time and the weather seemed to be cooperating. Once again I hadn’t climbed in few months so it took a couple of weeks to get in shape. I toproped it sport style hanging on each move figuring out the best sequence. I had to due a bunch of ticking on the route which totally sucks because I am always the one bitching about ticks. I did figure they would all just wash away though. I probably worked on it for a total of 6 sessions before giving it lead attempt. I almost sent on my first attempt during a light rain storm. I was so ampted up that I just had to go for it. One small slip kept me from sending that day. After a few days rest the swelling in my fingers had resided enough to try again. I figured I wouldn’t get another chance this spring due to already being a week late for my job in Yosemite. Anxiety got the better of me on first attempt of the day but a double shot espresso and a corn dog cured that up. I just wanted to send so I could stop worrying about it and drink beer. The send was somewhat anti-climatic for me. I expected more of a fight but it didn’t happen. Oh well. A couple guys at the anchors did get a good show though.

 

As far as pictures go I have totally whored myself out and sold my body and soul to climbing so the pictures I have probably wont be posted here.

 

Thanks to all of the folks who gave me incredible encouragement while working on it. It really helped.

 

Though, if it wasn’t for the radiating beauty and energy emanating from index I never would have had a shot. For a brief second I thought I was directly communicating with the rock, it was so magical, most will never understand. Oh wait that was just the

 

 

[billcoe]

Well duh! My fingers are too big! You need to be a midget with girly fingers to send that.... just like the Great Roof.

 

Yes, that helps me sleep at night too!

 

Nice job Mike.

[RuMR]

[slaphappy]

Impressive!

 

-

[EWolfe]

Dcramer is right. I was just using City Park as a warm up to Bobcat Cringe which is a warm up for Bobcat Reality. Someday I'll venture away from the lower wall....

 

I really do wish I could spend the rest of the summer there but the tickets to Pakistan are purchased. Index might not have the best long routes but it sure can't be beat for super-high quality cragging. I am in Yosemite right now just dreaming of Index. I can't wait till I am home next fall.

 

As far as the rating goes for City Park I think 13c is fair for me. It sure wasn’t any harder than that. For somebody that wasn’t a midget though I could see it getting really close to the 5.14 range. I guess we’ll just wait and see if it ever gets a non yo-yoed, non amputee, non midget ascent…I would put money on Beth to onsight it and pay to watch.

 

The route did take me a little while to do. I probably stuck my fingers in it for the first time 8 years ago. I never really thought I was going to be able to do it until a little over a year ago. It was the end of January and I hadn’t climbed in a few months but I decided to give it a toprope burn. I amazingly got it with only one brief hang due to some wetness. I then tried to lead it the next day but that was total joke. I took one pretty big whipper and that was enough. I finally got serious about doing it this spring. I had the time and the weather seemed to be cooperating. Once again I hadn’t climbed in few months so it took a couple of weeks to get in shape. I toproped it sport style hanging on each move figuring out the best sequence. I had to due a bunch of ticking on the route which totally sucks because I am always the one bitching about ticks. I did figure they would all just wash away though. I probably worked on it for a total of 6 sessions before giving it lead attempt. I almost sent on my first attempt during a light rain storm. I was so ampted up that I just had to go for it. One small slip kept me from sending that day. After a few days rest the swelling in my fingers had resided enough to try again. I figured I wouldn’t get another chance this spring due to already being a week late for my job in Yosemite. Anxiety got the better of me on first attempt of the day but a double shot espresso and a corn dog cured that up. I just wanted to send so I could stop worrying about it and drink beer. The send was somewhat anti-climatic for me. I expected more of a fight but it didn’t happen. Oh well. A couple guys at the anchors did get a good show though.

 

As far as pictures go I have totally whored myself out and sold my body and soul to climbing so the pictures I have probably wont be posted here.

 

Thanks to all of the folks who gave me incredible encouragement while working on it. It really helped.

 

Though, if it wasn’t for the radiating beauty and energy emanating from index I never would have had a shot. For a brief second I thought I was directly communicating with the rock, it was so magical, most will never understand. Oh wait that was just the

 

 

Excellent TR amid rampant speculation. Thanks, Mike!

[billcoe]

Dohhh, until Layton showed up talking other Mike I just figured I just figured that this was ML.

[catbirdseat]

Dohhh, until Layton showed up talking other Mike I just figured I just figured that this was ML.

[G-spotter]

If it was Layton the grade would be 10dR/X not 13c.

[lunger]

Impressive send Mike--last time I saw you, you'd just fired a .13 in Zion. Keep on tickin'. The rating sounds like full-on Zylon 7.

 

-Eric

[catbirdseat]

If it was Layton the grade would be 10dR/X not 13c.

Don't forget A0, BW5, Grade VI, mega devil's club.

[sexual_chocolate]

13c! buahahaaaa, you must have #2 nuts for fingertips.

 

great climb regardless. pretty special to have the first non-controversial lead ascent of a gem like that.

[RuMR]

probably more like #4 hb offset for fingers

[Wallstein]

Actually my pinky is the size of a number 4 bd and my index is the size of a 6. My fingers aren't as micro as one might think. I do have really small feet, which helped more than finger size. Most people can get a little bit of their fingers in City Park but are clueless as what to do with their feet.