Index: Great Northern Slab beta request

[Sherri]

Looking to fill out a day on easy stuff(up to 5.7) at the GNS. Looking at the guidebook, seems like GNS, Taurus, and the 5.6 version of Pisces are my options. I've not done either of the latter routes and was wondering if you can do them as variations of GNS once you reach the big railroad anchors? Do they both end at the same anchors as GNS, in the dead-tree grove above those last two bolts on the arete/slab finish of GNS?

 

Also, from the top of Sickle Crack, is there a way around Buttlips that would keep me in the 5.7 or below range? Not that I wouldn't enjoy the chance to lose some more skin and rubber in that thing, but I'm not good(or brave) enough to do so yet on lead. Can it be TR'd along one of the other routes?

 

I've tried to see how would piece together using this topo, but not sure if it's leaving out something that could be important to know ahead of time(such as "you can't there from here" type thing).

 

GNS Topo

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2007 by Sherri

[mattp]

Yes, you can go around the Aries flaring chimney via what the topo shows as Taurus. It works out just fine. The rap from the tree shown as the top of pitch 3 of Great Northern works out fine (I can't remember - is there maybe a bolt anchor up there too?). That third pitch of Taurus is pretty fun for what appears from the ledge to be an unappealing start, and that top pitch on Pisces is fairly tricky for the grade.

[chucK]

There's rap bolts now up in grove de los arboles muertes.

 

From the top of the sickle crack you can scramble up left onto the big split block then up the groove listed as 5.4 on the topo above directly below the lower "89". From that 5.4 groove you can traverse around right on ledges above the buttlips to toprope or to access Taurus. You can also make an exposed (but easy) step around left to get to the 5.6 part of Pisces.

 

If you really want to get there from the RR bolts you can traverse right under Libra Crack and climb some steep jumbled blocky stuff up onto the split block (then continue as explained above)

 

Not in the above topo, but the last pitch of #87 above now has two replaced bolts out on the arete (goes at about 5.7). Don't miss the last pitch of #89 above either. It's balancy and fun (TCU's are good to have).

[MCash]

Great beta. Taurus is a fun route, the fingercrack portion is nice.

 

A blurry photo of it...

 

[Sherri]

Thanks for the great beta, all.

 

Kinda new at finding my own way around the place, and so I really appreciate the help. I'm going to add your notes to my guidebook and put them to good use--hopefully this weekend!

[selkirk]

Might see you up there on Saturday

And I didn't like the way Sickle crack looked and ended up avoiding it the right. It looked a bit tenous with no gear sufficient to keep you from grounding. Well that, and it was my first lead since early june So I bailed left through the blocky stuff, and then traversed above the buttlips to do the Taurus finish

[selkirk]

Oh, and go do Toxic Shock :tup: The 5.8 and 5.7 also looked pretty good.

[mattp]

Yes, Toxic Shock is a good moderate. If you do the first half of it via the Even Steven line, it is a very easy 5.9 - one of the few "give away" routes at Index.

[Sherri]

Might see you up there on Saturday

And I didn't like the way Sickle crack looked and ended up avoiding it the right. It looked a bit tenous with no gear sufficient to keep you from grounding. Well that, and it was my first lead since early june So I bailed left through the blocky stuff, and then traversed above the buttlips to do the Taurus finish

 

Cool! I'll be the one carrying a thick notebook of beta.

 

I know what you mean about Sickle. I led it a couple weeks ago(as a variation of the Aries route which I was doing as a second on the rest of the pitches), and it definitely had a spooky feel. But I should add that, once committed to it, the edges were positive enough to make you feel secure about making it up without decking.

 

I don't think I'm near ready to lead the upper part of Toxic(yet) but I forgot about those easier lines on the bottom. Thanks, Matt!

[sprocket]

For Toxic Shock is Even Steven the hand cracks around the right of the layback start?

 

It seemed that after the layback the rest was 5.8/5.8+. Definitely not as intimidating as Godzilla or Princely look although I wasn't leading.

[MCash]

Yes.

 

Yeah, the upper crack is rated 5.9 in the book, but seams easy for the grade, especially for Index.

[Rad]

Go early for GNS as it is always crowded.

 

You might take 2 60m ropes and lead from the ground all the way to the GNS bolt anchors (via GNS) in a single long pitch (minimal ropedrag). Then you can set up your 2 60m ropes on a sliding X, lower or rap back to the ground and toprope anything from GNS to Aries from that anchor, climbing from the ground all the way to the bolts. Then you can try all the routes to your heart's content. Try to set your anchor so that others can still access the bolts/chains.

[fenderfour]

Hike to Private Idaho. Climb Senior Citizens. Climb Battered Sandwich. Be happy.

[chucK]

I would politely disagree with the idea of setting up a huge toprope that will bung up every single route at an extremely popular area on a weekend.

 

In fact, I would suggest the opposite. That from the RR bolts you lead up through the midpoint anchors all the way to the top. There's really only one comfy place to stand at those midpoint anchors, two at most. Sharing it with other parties blows.

[Sherri]

Agreed-- that set of anchors gets clogged up pretty quickly with traffic.

 

But, now that it's been brought up, it WOULD make for the mother of all of topropes...

[Rad]

I certainly don't advocate blocking the climb for hours. Toproping is not rude or selfish in its own right, people are.

 

Ask yourself which will occupy these routes longer:

 

Toprope climb of Aries in one single 60m shot from the RR anchors or a fledgling leader/follower pair breaking it down into four short pitches? I took my wife to GNS once on a weekday when no one was there and after we rapped off from the RR anchor I TRd Aries in 3-4 minutes and then we pulled the rope. It would have taken over 10 times longer to lead/follow it.

 

If others ask to climb one of the routes you're toproping on you could let them climb your rope or flip it out onto another route so that they can lead on through.

 

I'm not sure why, but toproping has about as much stigma here as picking your nose (sometimes useful but don't let anyone see you). I love leading, but as a newbie I benefitted a lot from the time I put in climbing and setting up topropes. I TRd a lot of routes at Traprock CT that I could not have climbed otherwise given my abilities at the time. I still enjoy toproping climbs that are a beyond my limit. Now you get 'crags' like the Gritscone covered in bolts on a 25ft high rock band with a short, easy trail to the top. Maybe Ken Nichols, for all his anarchist violent acts, was on to something. OK, I'll stop there...

[Sherri]

I appreciate the chance to toprope climbs that are beyond my lead ability or that I otherwise don't have the opportunity to do as a second. Just don't think I'd feel comfortable doing it from that particular set of anchors on a busy day because it's at the confluence of so many routes that folks are doing on lead.

 

But, hey, if you've the crag all to yourself, there's certainly nothing wrong with a little nose-pickin'.

 

Just keep in mind, boogers are aid.

 

 

[rob]

incidentally, who the fuck put up those bolts at the top of the 2nd pitch of GNS? Were they high? Whata clusterfuck