south face prusik and split pillar questions

[skibum1087]

As the weather rapidly turns cold I am looking to get on these two climbs before it is to late as they were two of my goals for the summer. I am quite intimidated by both of them so I wanted to clear up a few questions, and was hoping the people on this board would help me out. To approach the split pillar from merci me, once you break off the second pitch and do the "exposed 5.10 move" to reach the split pillar belay does the climb still warrent the ghost symbol or R rating that the first two pitches have. Runout 5.8 is ok with me, but not runout 5.10. Also, at the top of the split pillar when it says save some medium to wide protetction in the book, does that mean about number 2 or number 3 camalots? Basically I am looking to sew it up and will carry two 3's if it will take them, but I do not know if they are nessecary. My question about prussik is pretty much the same, I know I can climb it but am willing to lug a slightly larger rack to make myself feel better. In the flaring chimney pitch would it be advantagous to bring two 3's and a 4, or does it protect with smaller sizes? The hardest climbs I've led are A little testis at murrin park, seasoned in the sun, and the exasperator, and the hardest wide crack ive led is the offwidth on the north ridge of stuart. They all went ok, but anything much harder than a little testis would be getting in over my head a little, any opinons on weather these climbs are a bad idea for me, or mabey i am just freaking out over nothing? Thanks a lot for any input.

Spencer

[chucK]

Dude, you're freaking out over nothing. You're gonna die.

Bring two #3's for either of these climbs

[TrogdortheBurninator]

The wide flare on prusik is mostly protected by smaller gear. A #5 C4 does come in handy on the first pitch (wideish 5.8) and in a few other places.

[Dannible]

Aside from maybe the last few moves, everything on Prusik is a lot easier than a little testis. Save mid sized (around .75) cam for the end of the last pitch.

[DRep]

i disagree on the #5 on prusik. save some weight and bulk, a #4 will do you fine on the first pitch. hope you can tic those routes, have a good one. i'm jealous!!!!

[Telemack]

Split Pillar is quite safe. 2-#3s, #4 c4 up high.

 

Burgner-Stanley is easier.

P.5 Start facing R, up to the last stance, then turn L (right side in). 1-#3, 1-#4.

P.6 Can use the big stuff again, then save smal cams up high. You can do these, bro, but get an early start if you are thinking this fall.

[pazzo]

w/ regards to the Pillar, it's easy. if it were in the Bluffs, it'd be rated probably no harder than 5.8! i find the hardest moves to be at the bottom getting up that stupid 3 bolt ladder, up to the tree...

as for your gear, you can bring 2 #3 camalots if you are scared, or just bring one, if you're not. the pillar's neat cause it starts out at a #1 camalot, then goes to #2 then #3. then you get a huge rest which you can't see from below, then you can put #1 camalots back in, and #2... but i usually run it out from the anchor until i can place a #1 or #2, then run it out and place 1 or 2 #3's. if i didn't place the #1 at the bottom, i will save it for the top. either way, 4 pieces should suffice once you've done it a few times

at the top of the actual lieback, there's that rest, then you can jam up to more rests, then a chimney. my advise is that you do not enter the piss filled chimney, but rather lieback it two moves. you'll see...

and it's prolly best (for me anyways), to jam from about 15-20 ft above the anchors (there's a small little ledge on left face to rest from before shooting up the actual jamming) to the section near the top of the actual lieback, where my friend is pictured below. then once you're here, use you're last jam to place that 2nd #3, then lieback until you reach the huge jug. then you can stand in the jug and rest for 20 mins should you need to. and after this is where the pillar splits into 2 cracks (#1 or 2 camalots) and heads to more rests on that sloping ledge (refer to bottom pic). then you can chill more, then move into/ up the chimney and the top!!

once you get used to the pillar, it'll take you no more than 4 or 5 mins to complete!!!

as for the .10b traverse (pictured below), it's well protected. you leave the belay, move across 5.5 terrain, clip a bolt, then another, then move into a funny ramp/ corner, clip another bolt, then balance up this ramp till you get to the Left Side belay... then the stupid 3 bolt ladder to the tree (hardest part, seriously!). if you feel you need more gear in the ramp/ corner, there's a fp in there and you can place small gear.

 

so if you need anymore beta on anything else in squamish, pm me and i can help you!!!

good luck.

 

here's a pic of the belay after the traverse. i took it while hanging off jugs halfway across the traverse on the way to the dumb bolt ladder.

 

and here's a pic looking down as my friend seconds the Pillar. note the run out from the #3 camalot to the anchors, at the top of the lieback

and if you look at that chalked ledge in the foreground, well it's halfway up the chimney. so this enables you to lieback up it instead of getting inside, w/ a ledge half way up to help w/ the lieback. from the ledge you can reach the top belay ledge... but don't slip for it's a big one (you may detach the pillar if you do)

[kevbone]

My question about prussik is pretty much the same, I know I can climb it but am willing to lug a slightly larger rack to make myself feel better. In the flaring chimney pitch would it be advantagous to bring two 3's and a 4, or does it protect with smaller sizes?

 

Bring the 4, but you will not place it on the "squeeze chimney" pitch.....its for all the other pitches.

[hafilax]

I recently climbed the Split Pillar for the first time (and the Grand for that matter) and the climb is at my limit. The approach to the Pillar is nothing to worry about. The bolts are in the right places and the gear is reasonable. The thing with the Pillar is that the climbing is easy but there happens to be a lot of it. It is more endurance than anything. If you have good endurance it's 5.9, if not well...

 

I have terrible endurance so I took the chimney option to the anchor since I could no longer close my hands at that point. I found it to be a tight squeeze at 5'8" 155 lbs. Just thought I'd add the weakling wimp point of view. Oh yeah, you can sew it up with 2-#3's and a #4 but the extra weight may defeat you in the end. The falls are clean as you can see from the beautiful picture above.

[TimL]

Aside from maybe the last few moves, everything on Prusik is a lot easier than a little testis. Save mid sized (around .75) cam for the end of the last pitch.

 

Or maybe a #2. Anyways the last couple moves of the route are the hrdest, but they are the best and protect well. If I remember correctly it was kinda crappy getting up to those moves.

 

Bring 1 four. 1 three or maybe two, but I don't think its needed. The route was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Not very sustained. I think there was a pin or something in the bombay chimney. Anyways, everything was secure about this pitch except the last couple of moves.

[TimL]

w/ regards to the Pillar, it's easy. if it were in the Bluffs, it'd be rated probably no harder than 5.8! i find the hardest moves to be at the bottom getting up that stupid 3 bolt ladder, up to the tree...

 

Thats a load of bullshit. The split wouldn't be 5.8 at the Bluffs. Everybody used to say it was a 10b that felt like a 10d. Granted there is not a show stopper move but its all about endurance on biggish holds.

[pazzo]

Thats a load of bullshit. The split wouldn't be 5.8 at the Bluffs. Everybody used to say it was a 10b that felt like a 10d. Granted there is not a show stopper move but its all about endurance on biggish holds.

how's the limestone coming??

who cares what it would be. no move is harder than .8/.9 anyways. even if it is a .10b which feels like a .10d. it's cause the people are laybacking it, and not jamming it like they should be.

 

and as for the #4 camalot... if people are referring to the older style camalots, DO NOT bring one. you will not need it anywhere on the route. it's one of those things where there's bomber gear above/ below the spot where one might place a #4. but still, i can't ever recall seeing a place for a cam that large.

[pazzo]

i don't know the two people climbing the Pillar. i only know that it was their first time up there, and it took the guy over 45 mins to lead it... so we bailed and climbed Survival Enhancement on the Papoose instead. another excellent route w/ a superb 2nd pitch. the pic is quite foreshortened.

 

i labeled the Pillar as per my way to climb it. i am in no way suggesting you run it out, unless you're comfortable taking big falls! the 'no hands rest' isn't a big ledge, but rather a small little 1/4" edge which you can happen to nicely stem off of and rest, maybe using one hand for balance. it's very easy liebacking up to the edge, and is only about 12 ft above the belay. that's where i start to hand jam until where labelled. then i find the jams too rattly w/ the runout so i quickly lieback up to that huge jug (where the climber is). then it's smooth sailing to the top.

let me know if you can't read the text in the pic!

 

shot of Perry's Lieback w/ bolts circled

 

and another looking back at my friend seconding Perry's Lieback. w/ Apron Strings, The Flake & Merci Me far below.

[RuMR]

w/ regards to the Pillar, it's easy. if it were in the Bluffs, it'd be rated probably no harder than 5.8! i find the hardest moves to be at the bottom getting up that stupid 3 bolt ladder, up to the tree...

as for your gear, you can bring 2 #3 camalots if you are scared, or just bring one, if you're not. the pillar's neat cause it starts out at a #1 camalot, then goes to #2 then #3. then you get a huge rest which you can't see from below, then you can put #1 camalots back in, and #2... but i usually run it out from the anchor until i can place a #1 or #2, then run it out and place 1 or 2 #3's. if i didn't place the #1 at the bottom, i will save it for the top. either way, 4 pieces should suffice once you've done it a few times

at the top of the actual lieback, there's that rest, then you can jam up to more rests, then a chimney. my advise is that you do not enter the piss filled chimney, but rather lieback it two moves. you'll see...

and it's prolly best (for me anyways), to jam from about 15-20 ft above the anchors (there's a small little ledge on left face to rest from before shooting up the actual jamming) to the section near the top of the actual lieback, where my friend is pictured below. then once you're here, use you're last jam to place that 2nd #3, then lieback until you reach the huge jug. then you can stand in the jug and rest for 20 mins should you need to. and after this is where the pillar splits into 2 cracks (#1 or 2 camalots) and heads to more rests on that sloping ledge (refer to bottom pic). then you can chill more, then move into/ up the chimney and the top!!

once you get used to the pillar, it'll take you no more than 4 or 5 mins to complete!!!

as for the .10b traverse (pictured below), it's well protected. you leave the belay, move across 5.5 terrain, clip a bolt, then another, then move into a funny ramp/ corner, clip another bolt, then balance up this ramp till you get to the Left Side belay... then the stupid 3 bolt ladder to the tree (hardest part, seriously!). if you feel you need more gear in the ramp/ corner, there's a fp in there and you can place small gear.

 

so if you need anymore beta on anything else in squamish, pm me and i can help you!!!

good luck.

 

here's a pic of the belay after the traverse. i took it while hanging off jugs halfway across the traverse on the way to the dumb bolt ladder.

 

and here's a pic looking down as my friend seconds the Pillar. note the run out from the #3 camalot to the anchors, at the top of the lieback

and if you look at that chalked ledge in the foreground, well it's halfway up the chimney. so this enables you to lieback up it instead of getting inside, w/ a ledge half way up to help w/ the lieback. from the ledge you can reach the top belay ledge... but don't slip for it's a big one (you may detach the pillar if you do)

best description yet of the split...in the valley, it would be no harder than 5.9...

[RuMR]

w/ regards to the Pillar, it's easy. if it were in the Bluffs, it'd be rated probably no harder than 5.8! i find the hardest moves to be at the bottom getting up that stupid 3 bolt ladder, up to the tree...

 

Thats a load of bullshit. The split wouldn't be 5.8 at the Bluffs. Everybody used to say it was a 10b that felt like a 10d. Granted there is not a show stopper move but its all about endurance on biggish holds.

tim, it wouldn't be 10d in index or the valley, maaaaaybe 10a...

 

compare to sachar cracker, reeds, stone groove, ahab, i could go on and on...

 

Daryl, comments?

[skibum1087]

Thanks everyone for all the info, it was more than I could have hoped for. Sounds like theres no good reason not to go for it, hopefully one of these upcoming weekends.

-Spencer

Edited September 27, 2007 by skibum1087

[RuMR]

regardless of your personal thoughts on difficulty, the gear is BOMBER...

 

i think i use 1 red, 1 gold and 1 blue camalot. Double up on those and you'll never feel spooked.

 

Climb inside in the chimney or layback outside. Inside is very very secure...you'd have to have a seizure, then turn and jump out of it to actually fall...

 

 

[TimL]

I'd give it a 10a but compare it to Penny Lane at the Bluffs and its harder.

 

Anyway, the only thing better than flaming about grades is flaming about bolts.

 

Limestones going great. Really missing cracks, but limestone season has just started and I'm already gettin an ass woopin.

[pazzo]

Tim, it's good to see the season is starting for you over there... too bad for us, it's ending here! oh well

isn't there an abundance of cracks in switzerland, which would be not only cheaper, but closer than coming here? have you climbed on swiss granite, and what's the difference??

 

good point rumr, double up on a red, gold, and blue camalot, and you're good from bottom to top!!

 

cheers

[G-spotter]

I'd give it a 10a but compare it to Penny Lane at the Bluffs and its harder.

 

Well duh, Penny Lane is a 5.8 with tons of rests and a 5.9 boulder move start.

[pazzo]

kinda like White Rabbit, Easter Island, Jabberwocky, Elephantiasis, etc...

[G-spotter]

Sure all those routes have boulder problem starts & so do all the climbs at Battered Balls but what has that got to do with Split Pillar?

[pazzo]

Sure all those routes have boulder problem starts & so do all the climbs at Battered Balls but what has that got to do with Split Pillar?

 

interesting reply

and how would you know about Battered Balls, isn't it a bit out of your reach?

 

*edit* - that's rite, Battered Balls is right beside the trail, so everybody in the world who's climbed at the Bluffs knows it has hard starts...

 

Edited September 27, 2007 by pazzo

[pazzo]

oops

did i say out of your reach... i was looking for a better word for, height

[G-spotter]

Not if I stand on my belayer to start