Index = Zodiac

[telemarker]

Any Index route suggestions where the gear is similar to that found on Zodiac?

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy of Will Strickland gallery.

Edited January 29, 2007 by telemarker

[kevbone]

Great shot!!

[tyree]

The Golden Arch.

[DirtyHarry]

The Golden Ouch is probably way harder than anything on the Zodiak.

[tyree]

Since the Zodiacwas cleaned up my guess is that it is alot harder now. The golden arch will prepare you for the worst.

[DirtyHarry]

Could be.

[W]

Continue up Dana's Arch above the 11b bolt ladder and you'll have a fun time.

[tomtom]

The Zipper, p2.

 

 

[tomtom]

The Nipple Pitch

 

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Arachnid arch under Iron Horse/Sagitarius? might be a bit similar to the first pic, only smaller and shorter and not so high up. It's way easy with enough small cams but good practice for the sort of thing, esp for the second.

[pink]

go for it dude. the zodiac is a breeze, unless your at dru's standards.

[Jens]

What is the status of Zodiac since the cleanup a few years ago?

 

[telemarker]

The Nipple Pitch

 

 

So, is this on upper wall or lower wall?

 

Just kidding. I've read reports of zodiac going clean even after the cleanup, and another paty nailing 30 times (the FA party nailed 12 times). I think I read a TR from "Retired" climbed it mostly clean recently.

[pink]

i havn't done it in years, if it has been cleaned bring a standard wall rack with some #2 heads and some sawed off angles, leaper cam hooks wouldn't hurt either. maybe it goes clean now, after all it as been freeclimbed.

[pink]

go aid something steep and long at index.

Edited February 1, 2007 by pink

[willstrickland]

Zodiac, even post clean-up is not bad. Most (98%) of it would go clean anyway. I'd take a selection of heads, beaks, and sawed offs.

 

Nipple pitch is trivial on tiny cams, inverted cam hooks, nuts, and then big cams at the end (double 4.5 camalots is very helpful and will get used again on the wide flake pitch off Peanut). Tech crux will be heads, probably on the zig zag roof above nipple unless they're fixed. Dangerous crux will be shallow boxy pin scars and some thin placements off the black tower. You can do a fair amount of cam hooking and leapfrogging offsets on this route.

 

We took two sets of alien hybrids and used them alot. Also took offset nuts and was glad to have them, especially the small brass in a couple of spots.

 

If you want to be prepared for the cruxes, I'd suggest practicing placing a bunch of heads (#1s and #2s) on boulders, especially in shallow corners, and maybe nailing or hand placing some sawed offs in boxy scars. On the final haul to the summit, either extend the haul over the edge (preferred), or have the second jug with or assist the bag...it's a shitty haul.

[telemarker]

the 16th pitch is the only pitch with the shitty haul, right? Zodiac seems so straight up and down, and overhanging on some, seems like hauling would be much easier than, say the Nose, where you have all the PIA lowerouts.

 

As heady as the Black Tower pitch seems, I've never read where someone zippered and decked on top of it. Also, seems the pitch into the grey circle is pretty outstanding, long section of micro nutting and camhooks. I'm picking and choosing my pitches as we write.

[telemarker]

BTW, what makes Zodiac such a popular first solo big wall route for some?

[corvallisclimb]

There is a good pitch at index called skin graph or something its on the right side of the LTW its a steep arch to a rivet ladder. Its a Blair Williams route, Im not sure where it goes after the rivets thats the only part I've done. But you get to nail, so it will prepare you for the worst aid on zodiac.

Edited February 1, 2007 by corvallisclimb

[willstrickland]

Some guy did break a pelvis on a fall onto the Black Tower. With pins you can make it safe enough.

 

Popular solo because it's short, steep, great features, and easy as far as ElCap routes go.

 

Last haul is the only bad one, and that's only because of the lip. Some pitches wander a bit, requiring a little lower out, but most hauls are free hanging. The top out is literally like pulling over onto a sidewalk. You're on a 90 degree wall, then you're on horizontal ground..no low angle broken terrain between.

 

2nd pitch roof, black tower pitch, Nipple pitch (really all the circle pitches), Zigzag roof, pitch up to and pitch off peanut were all memorable.

[tomtom]

The Nipple Pitch

So, is this on upper wall or lower wall?

Actually it's the practice crag behind the school in Renton.

 

We climbed Zodiac in Sept clean (i.e. without hammering) except for one Stick clip move past a blown copperhead on Alt p1. Gear list is in the Beta forum on Supertaco. The good thing is that the first pitch of Zodiac is easier to find than the first pitch of Thin Red Line.

 

Above The Black Tower

 

[pink]

to much information. charlie porter put this route up solo in '72. i think everyboby is giving you to much info. standard wall rack includes doubles in stoppers & cams, a fish hook & two skyhooks(grind one down for rivet holes) about 5 #2 heads & some small sawed off angles whick you can probably hand place and not hammer. this is all you need to know. go make a photo copy of the route and have fun. i did this route in less in a day, a third of it with a broken finger, and i suck at climbing compared to all you bad-assess out there.

[telemarker]

The Nipple Pitch

Above The Black Tower

 

 

this looks like a Tom Evans photo. Nice.

 

I agree, the 1st pitch of TRL is a bit tricky to spot. We flailed the 1st time, having started too far right of where we should have been. On subsequent tries, we jnust look for the bolts 1/2 way up and a bit left on the pitch, right below the chain anchor belay. Pretty fun pitch it is.

[telemarker]

The view after turning the nipple. Not my picture, however.