ken4ord Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 Nice touch! A true chestbeater would have listed the grades as 5.6 and 5.5 . Solar Slab in 35 minutes (was that from the base or the terrace) is some serious speed climbing. Did you use track spikes? Are you prepared for the thump? From the base! With only one stop about 4 pitches from the top, it was constant climbing, my partners all climbed very fast. About a year prior, sat at the base of SS and literaly watched a guy solo the entire climb from base to base in one hour. I can believe that I soloed that climb, without ever being on the route before. Actually it is the only Red Rocks climb I have done. Once figured out where I was going it took me about twice as long (started up the wrong corner at the terrace, traversed accross the face to correct myself, had pass some wait for some folks to set a belay inorder to pass them and then worked on some gear I found on the top). Fun climb. As for Simu-climbing, my buddy and I belayed out the first two pitch of the complete Exxum and simu-ed the rest. Another good day. I agree with Chuck about the Infinite Diss, I have wanted to do a complete simu of that route. Quote
texplorer Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 The Brock guide is more comprehensive than the swain but it definately has some bad errors. I would say if you need a guide now it would be the one to get. However, if you can wait there is another even more comprehensive and better guide coming out in the next year by a new author, Jerry Handren. So, if you haven't recorded your FA you did back in antquity now is your chance to get it in to him. Quote
kevbone Posted January 4, 2007 Author Posted January 4, 2007 The Brock guide is more comprehensive than the swain but it definately has some bad errors. I would say if you need a guide now it would be the one to get. However, if you can wait there is another even more comprehensive and better guide coming out in the next year by a new author, Jerry Handren. So, if you haven't recorded your FA you did back in antquity now is your chance to get it in to him. Who needs guide books. Do it for yourself. Quote
texplorer Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 As far as most fun simul-crap I would have to say that Potrero Chico has some fun stuff. There are several long sport routes there that I did with some kid from colorado. I particularly remember loading up with 40-something quickdraws and doing the Yankee Clipper (about 15-16 pitches). I think we did it in two long stretches of 7 pitches each and then belayed out the last 5.11d pitch. Pretty fun climbing 5.10ish stuff forever. Quote
G-spotter Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 Hey Tex how many of your climbs are going to be in this new book? Quote
powderhound Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 (edited) Crimson Criysilais. (I spelled that wrong and I am way to lazy to look it up) Edited January 4, 2007 by powderhound Quote
texplorer Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 At least a few big ones. More if I can find time to send them in to him. Quote
G-spotter Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 At least a few big ones. More if I can find time to send them in to him. Make sure you grade them all 5.6+ And say that the approach takes an hour. Quote
counterfeitfake Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 5.6+ PG13/R, to be precise. And refer to bighorn sheep as "rarely-seen" or "elusive". Quote
G-spotter Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 And compare all the routes to some obscure Gunks climb. Quote
shapp Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 a 35 minute climb of the entire solar slab = about 40 feet of climbing per minute with no stops, that is smoking, with a short stop that would meen you would have to make a move at least once a second while climbing. Speaking from experience, the super topo guide directions for the descent are very straight forward for the painted bowl descent, which is really the only option besides rapping the route. the gully on the right hand side is probably a bad idea although I haven't been that way. Quote
chucK Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 picture from the "gully" to the right of Solar Slab Quote
G-spotter Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 that looks like somewhere around where we rapped to the ends of our ropes, broke off a big chickenhead, wedged it in a crack, slung i and used it as the next anchor. Quote
Otto Posted January 4, 2007 Posted January 4, 2007 It's good to see that again, thanks chucK! That was some fun clambering down those huge huecos. I know I kept looking for slings to rap from, but didn't mind not finding any here... Quote
shapp Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 ChuckK, I think you are mistaken, that is the Solar Slab Gully (5.3 depending on who you ask) which is the general start of the entire Solar Slab route (other alternate starts are Johnny Vegas, etc.). The descent gully described in Swain is even farther to the right of the Sular Slab Gully and is apparently nasty. Quote
chucK Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 shappdude, I took that picture. I know where I was. You wrote in a post that you have never been there. Funny that you think I am the one mistaken. Are you drunk? The pictured "gully" is the first depression climber's right of Solar Slab. You can exit onto the terrace below Solar Slab (which we did) and then descend the Solar Slab Gully to which you refer (which we did). Though some places in the Solar Slab Gully are similar, that picture is not from there. I do admit that my memory is not what it used to be; however, I remember the pictured spot well, with a certain regret, as I shredded my beloved Geni pack in that chimney. Quote
kevbone Posted January 5, 2007 Author Posted January 5, 2007 I am told (but have not myself) that you can walk off completely by stay to the right on the summit and heading back and up instead of heading down and left towards the rap on the painted bowl. Then down and left brings you to the bottom of the rap. Anyone done this? We ended up rapping the painted bowl. 2 raps, then along beautiful walk down. Quote
shapp Posted January 8, 2007 Posted January 8, 2007 Sorry chuky, been hitting the sauce lately. Sounds like you have climbed the solar slab more than once. So on one trip you decended the big gully to the climbers right all the way down from the top of solar slab to the ground (how was that?), on another trip you must have rapped solar slab then solar slab gully? I climbed Johny Vegas once then rapped the solar slab gully (as there was a huge line up on solar slab). Then another time we jetted up solar slab gully then solar slab and went off the Painted Bowl decent, which was great. Also if you are fast at climbing solar slab and are motivated the Painted Bowl descent would lead you over to a bunch of other climbs of which no one would likely be around to bother you on. Quote
chucK Posted January 8, 2007 Posted January 8, 2007 Man! I must not be communicating well. (or you are drunk again ) First off, (though this is not really important to the discussion) we climbed Black Orpheus, once. Never climbed Solar Slab. Since we made fast work of Black O that day, I was hoping to be able to downclimb the Solar Slab descent then quickly knock off Solar Slab too. Well, the Solar Slab descent took much longer than I hoped and we weren't able to link up . We basically downclimbed the big gully right of Solar Slab (I did one rap, Otto did more, single 60m-rope raps in case anyone's interested), and you can easily exit this big gully at the Solar Slab terrace level. Perhaps one could continue in this gully (the one to the right of Solar Slab Gulley) all the way down, but it looked pretty ugly. So, from the terrace we completed the descent by downclimbing the Solar Slab Gulley (the 5.3 one that is in the Swain book). Seemed prudent. Descending the big gully to the right of Solar Slab to the terrace was pretty fun in terms of scrambling, exploration and crazy exposed wilderness, but I'd hate to be doing it if I was particularly concerned about time. From stuff I've read on the internet I would guess that the Painted Bowl descent's just about gotta be more expedient. Quote
G-spotter Posted January 9, 2007 Posted January 9, 2007 The Painted Bowl descent is superfast. took us 1 hour from top of the B.O back to the base of the route. The gully right of Solar Slab that Swain recommends ("you might have to rap if you can't downclimb 5.6") is t3h suxx0r. It took us like 3-4 hours to descend that thing vs. around an hour to simulsolo Solar Slab gully and Solar Slab. WTF. Fuck you Todd! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.