[TR] Icicle Buttress - R&D 5/4/2008

[mattp]

Garter snakes are very common and they can get surprisingly big.

[mattp]

Matt: is Midway direct really that much harder than the variation to the right? Why do you say it's not for beginners?

 

Midway Direct is not all that hard, but in my view it is a little more serious than someone looking for a 5.6 (beginners) lead may be ready for. You can't get pro exactly where you want it and it is slightly manky for the crux; also it is continuous for about 20 feet or so where you don't have the same sense of overall security you have on Midway or Saber (though Saber is more "sketchy" in this regard than Midway in my opinion). As I noted above, I overstate the difficulties in my note on the topo linked above.

[lnunn]

Here's a shot of the first ascent. Fred and friends took the "preferred variation." By the time the guidebook came out, climbers had discovered that it was slightly easier to cut right under the roof and slither up the chimney that has become known as "Midway." This error has been faithfully reflected in every guidebook since.

 

 

check out the size of Fred's "half ropes." what do you think, thumb-size diameter? pretty awesome, in any case.

[markwebster]

nice trip report on r&d, though pictures would have been cool...

 

To address the thread drift on midway direct(castle): Awesome route! Much better than that awful body slot on Midway and it's attendant rope jam issues.

 

Midway direct looks much harder from below. However, as you climb up, (following Fred in the picture) there are big flat stances to stand on and rest, about every 5 feet. Tons of gear placements. When the open book peters out 40 feet above Jello Tower, place some bomber stoppers and step up and left onto what appears to be a scary blank section of near vertical face climbing. Five feet out left and up there is a horizontal crack that takes a bomber one quarter inch wired stopper. It's not run out at all, you can get a stopper in every 5 to 10 feet. A few moves takes you to a huge belay ledge.

 

Another cool thing about Midway direct is you can go up as two parties of two. Send your beginning trad leader up Midway, while you lead Midway direct 20 feet to their left. You can watch them and offer advice... and take pictures.

 

I rarely do Midway anymore as the direct is so much cleaner. First pitch I do South Face of Jello, another 4 star climb IMO.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

nice trip report on r&d, though pictures would have been cool...

 

Thanks. Only one of us had a camera, and he hasn't sent me the photos yet...

[sobo]

Post 'em here when you get 'em. Pics of R&D are always well-received.

 

For some reason, I just never take pics on climbs anymore.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Post 'em here when you get 'em. Pics of R&D are always well-received.

 

For some reason, I just never take pics on climbs anymore.

 

Will do.

 

I don't take many photos myself anymore. I got tired of hauling my camera on climbs and never taking it out...

 

[rmncwrtr]

Enjoyed the TR, KKK! Thanks. And please do post pics if you get them. Never been there so I'd like to see what you were writing about

[Sherri]

Here's one of the view from the 3rd pitch.

 

(note the brand new shoes...this was my second day of learning to climb )

[sobo]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... the similarity is distinctive...

 

 

[AR_Guy]

R&D is a blast, although I have to say the first try at doing it last year, unintentionally it was my first 5.8 gear pitch.

 

I think we ended up off route to the right. After heading up the slab with the bolts to the right of R&D proper (CC alternate start?) and up to the vertical chimney, it was my turn to lead a pitch. Well, heading up that steep sucker, it was probably 5.8-ish. I kept thinking to myself "Hey, It's R&D, it's ONLY 5.6" - if I had known it was 8-ish where we ended up.....nope - I wouldn't have tried to lead that pitch. Well, in any event, I struggled through the chimney like feature clean (which was kind of lucky as I was ~10 or 12 feet up before I felt secure enough to fire in a cam) before it laid over and dropped to 5.4 to 5.5-ish before traversing left 40 or 50' on a ledge / ramp onto R&D proper and belaying. Anybody know what that chimney is called?

 

Next time out later in the summer, we started directly on the route (hey, it sure helped from the earlier cluster to know where to go) and it was a fun romp up the route (although we did get stuck behind a much slower party before passing them on the last pitch). The left leaning hand crack on the next to last pitch was sweet - it took a red camalot perfectly and had nice jams. I didn't think the walk off was all that bad - yeah, steep and a bit loose, but not TOO bad.

 

I'm taking some friends up it some time this year.

 

Also - Saber on Castle is a great route (followed once, led once), if there aren't any bees on it......I'm looking forward to Midway and some of the other more beginner friendly routes on Castle as well.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

AFAIK the chimney is part of the standard R&D route.

[canyondweller]

AFAIK the chimney is part of the standard R&D route.

 

Not the chimney he's talking about. Neither of the chimneys are very hard, nor are they featureless.

[rbwen]

I think I've been in that chimney before. If you climb up Cocaine Connection and keep going straight up, as opposed to traversing 40 feet left to join up with R & D, I think you would be climbing The Ramp, which goes at 5.8.

[AR_Guy]

rbwen: Yeah, we went straight up from Cocaine Connection and only traversed over AFTER the steep, tougher chimney like part. We should have traversed left earlier. I guess the name "The Ramp" makes sense - with the ramp at the top that leads over to R&D.

 

I have a picture...now if I can figure out how to post it, I will.......

 

 

The "correct" start to R&D was much easier, well in line with what I expected 5.6 to be, when we did it later in the summer.

Edited May 8, 2008 by AR_Guy

[spotly]

Midway was my first trad lead. I thought it was fairly easy and fun other than the section a few feet above Fred where there's a shallow and flaring horizontal crack. I managed to get a small cam in about halfway across the slab but I figured it would blow anyway so I moved quickly right into the chimney just a few feet below the belay. I guess I was off-route. Perhaps I was on Midway-Not-So-Direct.

[mattp]

It sounds like you were on route there, Spotly. You clip an old ring piton and then you can actually get at least three good pieces as you make your way across to rejoin the Midway chimney above the narrows but much of that crack is, as you note, flaring.

[spotly]

While my eye for pro seems to suck, at least my route-finding is good

 

R&D sounds like fun. Think I'll try it then the Cocaine Connection start the second time up if time permits - see which variation is funnerer. I do love slab Lots of good beta on where to start CC but my guide book doesn't show where R&D starts - how far left of CC - 20 feet, 100 feet, obvious?

[Crillz]

where R&D starts - how far left of CC - 20 feet, 100 feet, obvious?

 

about 100' further uphill and just climber's left. Look for obvious weekness. I think there's a little tree below some 3rd/4th class that makes a good starting point.

[rbwen]

AR_Guy

 

Yup. That's The Ramp

 

Nice pic!

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Post 'em here when you get 'em. Pics of R&D are always well-received.

 

Done.

 

Scroll up.

[sobo]

Thnx! Nice!

 

[preemptive mention]Tape for R&D? WTF??? Tape is aid. blah blah blah[/preemptive mention]

There, it's been said. That should keep most folks from giving you any shit about it.

 

Looks like you had a lot more fun than me that day...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Thnx! Nice!

 

[preemptive mention]Tape for R&D? WTF??? Tape is aid. blah blah blah[/preemptive mention]

There, it's been said. That should keep most folks from giving you any shit about it.

 

Looks like you had a lot more fun than me that day...

 

I don't have time to bleed.

 

[spotly]

Thanks for the pics. It looks so small and low-angle from the car - like you'd be hard pressed to get a half pitch 2nd class walk-up

 

Cams to #4 eh - any doubles useful?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Thanks for the pics. It looks so small and low-angle from the car - like you'd be hard pressed to get a half pitch 2nd class walk-up

 

Cams to #4 eh - any doubles useful?

 

The first two pitches are mostly low angle and mellow. Lots of class 3-4 with some friction and a few 5.x moves here and there (up to 5.6?)

 

The chimney is definitely climbing, but short (5.5?). The 4th pitch is where all the action is (but still has a flat spot 1/3 of the way up it).

 

I used the #4 somewhere (the chimney?) and needed it. Also used a large hex. No real need to double up. There are options for pro everywhere. You'd be hard pressed to really have issues, IMO. That's part of what makes the route a nice beginner route. Lots of good stances; lots of places to put pro.