Route at Harrison sandbagged?

[cheamclimber]

There is a 30m crack climb at Harrison Bluffs called WayBack LayBack (FA: Alex Howden) that I have been working, it is graded as 5.10a in the old guide but I usually on-sight and warm up on 5.10's and this climb is a super pumpy and thin barn door sesh. The first crux is very thin and pumpy and the second crux comes where there is a jumbled mess of cracks that are too thin to jam/protect. you basically have too use some weird two finger pockets and nutty crimps with 25ft + fall potential. Does anybody know if the 5.10a rating on WayBack LayBack is super sandbagged or did I switch from climbing solid 5.11d/12a to working 5.10a overnight?

[DRep]

Does it matter????

[cheamclimber]

No not really, I just wondred if the guide had a misprint or something.

[AlpineK]

Why don't you spend some time in the Canadian Rockies on some of the 5.9 A2s there then report back.

 

Sometimes routes are over rated and other times they're under rated.

[cheamclimber]

I talked to some other locals and they say that they find it to be a solid/pumpy 5.11b

[DRep]

You'll learn soon enough.

[Blake]

I had never heard of Harrison before, and after googling it I noticed your exact post copied on other forums. I don't think it really matters man! Just enjoy your time climbing. You don't need to constantly remind everyone that you climb 5.12, warm up on 5.10, have immediate plans to solo the North Face of Mt. Hardcore etc etc.

 

It's great that you are an excited young climber, and it sounds like you are very talented, but you might find it difficult to have good/consistent/experienced partners if every single inane discussion comes back to how you can climb 5.12, and when you don't make it up easier climbs, they are sandbagged.

[DRep]

Word Blake.... Word.

[cheamclimber]

sorry, I dont try to sound good or anything. I just had a question about a climb that me and some friends I was climbing with thought was kinda hard for a 10a. Im not trying to be cocky at all, but I think when the climb was put up 16 years ago the ratings may have benn a little different than they are now, i try not to rate climbs soft but I try not to sandbag them either. It seems like whenever squamish climbers show up in harrison they think all the 9's are 10's and so on but at the same time overhanging offwidths are graded as 5.10 and 5.9. I dislike grading justy for that reason... it doesnt really matter how hard you climb as long as you enjoy yourself, I just wanted to know what people thought

[G-spotter]

It's definitely not 5.11. It's best at Harrison just to ignore the letter (a,b,c,d) and pay attention to the number cause the grades are idiosyncratic.

[cheamclimber]

So I went back to the bluffs today and checked out a big roof that I want to work on as my next project, it looks pretty sweet. After that I rapped into Wayback Layback (and annoyed a goose gaurding her eggs nearly to the point of attack) and Top Roped it clean, I scrubbed a good amount of lichen off the rock which made a difference but I still think its a 5.11a. But I then finished by leading another crack that is supposed to be 5.10a or 5.10b. Its an amazing finger crack with awesome jams all the way. Man I love the Bluffs.

 

WayBack Layback is the farthest left splitter on the face.

 

The thin upper section of the climb, its not that hard but once you get here your so pumped its hard to hang on to the little holds.

 

Looking down the Layback section of the climb, the crux is where the thin crack ends and you have to move into the other crack without barn dooring.

 

 

 

My SICK close future roof project

 

 

The stupid goose while rapping into the belay station for WayBack Layback

 

The sweet splitter I led before we left.