jinx

[counterfeitfake]

On Friday at Smith Rock, I witnessed a ground fall while roping up at the base of Ginger Snap. I heard an exclamation and looked to my right in time to see a figure in a blue jacket fall from a ways up the route, down out of sight behind a boulder. After standing shocked for a few moments I told my confused partner (he hadn't seen anything) that we needed to untie and get over there.

 

We found a girl who was, remarkably, only slightly banged up. She seemed to have fallen down a small gulley and was totally lucid although couldn't remember how she had fallen. On the rope when I got there was a small Metolius cam that had pulled, and it looked like the fall might have been around thirty feet. Her partner definitely had his wits about him, and very quickly another climber from nearby showed up and proclaimed that he was an EMT, so I was happy to just get out of the way and let more qualified people handle the situation.

 

Witnessing a fall like that is a very strange experience. Very spooky. I was extremely relieved that she came away from it in such good shape. Maybe this relief is what allowed me to find such humor when I looked up the route description later in the day:

 

Friday's Jinx 5.7 R This sinister route put a half dozen people in the hospital during the 80s. Oddly, the rock is solid and the protection reasonable, but for unknown reasons gear-ripping falls are a common occurrence on the first pitch...

 

Does anyone else find "for unknown reasons" to be really unsatisfying? I guess sometimes you feel the R and sometimes you don't... be careful out there.

[wayne]

Just dont climb it on Friday I guess. I have also seen and done several ground falls and they suck. You wonder if you are head over to a pile of goo.

[kevbone]

Does anyone else find "for unknown reasons" to be really unsatisfying? I guess sometimes you feel the R and sometimes you don't... be careful out there.

 

I did Friday's Jinx year ago and thought the pro was bomber.....if you are experienced, I could tell that some of the gear placements were tricky it was not a beginner route. Great second pitch.

[NTM]

no way kev, you did a 5.7?!?!? rated R?!?!? you are so badass. will you please sign my right testicle?

[archenemy]

This reminds me of the wierdness at Index. Anyone remember that story posted not too long ago about strange ghosty creepy feelings around there?

[archenemy]

no way kev, you did a 5.7?!?!? rated R?!?!? you are so badass. will you please sign my right testicle?

That is outrageous. And R-rating means adults only and everybody knows that.

 

I'll sign your testicle though.

[kevbone]

no way kev, you did a 5.7?!?!? rated R?!?!? you are so badass. will you please sign my right testicle?

 

Why are you such an asshole?

Edited May 8, 2007 by kevbone

[Couloir]

no way kev, you did a 5.7?!?!? rated R?!?!? you are so badass. will you please sign my right testicle?

 

Why are you such an asshole?

A legitimate cc.com thread imploding within 6 posts. Is this a new record?

[catbirdseat]

Does anyone else find "for unknown reasons" to be really unsatisfying? I guess sometimes you feel the R and sometimes you don't... be careful out there.

 

I did Friday's Jinx year ago and thought the pro was bomber.....if you are experienced, I could tell that some of the gear placements were tricky it was not a beginner route. Great second pitch.

So can you elucidate on "tricky"? I imagine the cracks have lots of flaring sections or irregularities so that cams have to be positioned precisely to hold?

[fenderfour]

Or pods in the rock where an orange alien might invert?

[counterfeitfake]

I think placing cams at Smith can require some experience since the cracks are so rarely parallel, if a cam rotates or walks it can go from good to bad immediately. The route looked like it had a pretty thin crack lieback type section. I could easily see a sketched novice making a bad purple TCU or FCU placement.

[counterfeitfake]

A legitimate cc.com thread imploding within 6 posts. Is this a new record?

 

Kevbone is the Spray King Midas. Every thread he touches turns to crap whether he's trying to do it or not.

[NTM]

In my limmited experience at smith, there are either good pods for cams, or the nubbins on the inside make for great nut placements. tricky or not, though, I always thought an "R" rating denoted inadequate gear for a section that could result in pain/suffering (but prbly not death). Is this not the case?

[kevbone]

Does anyone else find "for unknown reasons" to be really unsatisfying? I guess sometimes you feel the R and sometimes you don't... be careful out there.

 

I did Friday's Jinx year ago and thought the pro was bomber.....if you are experienced, I could tell that some of the gear placements were tricky it was not a beginner route. Great second pitch.

So can you elucidate on "tricky"? I imagine the cracks have lots of flaring sections or irregularities so that cams have to be positioned precisely to hold?

 

 

I did the climb like 6 years ago and thought the nut placements were not easily seen. I could see that a beginner would see a placement and go for it, but if you look a little harder a bomber placement was right near there……maybe a little higher or lower. Hence all the falls and hospitalized climbers. I think the climb was nice and would repeat it.

[jfs1978]

aside from the normal newbie crowds and occasional freakouts in that area - this past weekend I also saw (heard actually) my first 'rapp'ed off the end of the rope' incident as i was taking my buddy's kids up Ginger Snap. The guy barely fell any distance at all...but the sound of a body hitting the ground, from 5 feet or 50 feet.....was something I don't want to hear again...brrrrrr.

[kevbone]

In my limmited experience at smith, there are either good pods for cams, or the nubbins on the inside make for great nut placements. tricky or not, though, I always thought an "R" rating denoted inadequate gear for a section that could result in pain/suffering (but prbly not death). Is this not the case?

 

Look in the Yosemite guides......R used to mean "runout".

[catbirdseat]

Or pods in the rock where an orange alien might invert?

[shapp]

Very sorry to here of the fall, but I have climbed Fridays Jinx probably about 10 times. The first pitch is not that fun, but I have always thought the pro placements were more than adequate. I wonder if the small cam was the only piece in? At smith I try to put in a couple pieces right off the bat due to the questionable rock, and especially on the first pitch of Fridays Jinx because of the basicly immediate fall potential (you start up higher on a shelf and traverse out right where it drops off below the belay spot. Also always put in a couple pieces for the belayer at that first belay spot on Friday's Jinx. The second pitch dihedral of Friday's is nice, but the great straight in crack to the left is one of my favorite hand crack pitches at Smith that isn't in the basalt. The hand crack is the crack to the left of the second pitch of Friday's Jinx shown (green line).

 

http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=39256

 

 

Shapp

Edited May 9, 2007 by shapp

[goatboy]

THE CRACK OF INFINITY!!!!!!!!!!!! So good!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I agree (for once) with KevBone that this 1st pitch is reasonably protected and repeatable...especially to get to the Handcrack above!!!!

[dan_forester]

what's that crack go at? looks low angle from the picture.

[goatboy]

Like 5.7 or 5.8 I think -- not too steep, dump-truck hand jams, fun stuff...