backbone with fin gear???

[fheimerd]

How much gear for reasonable protection in the big crack. I've got two 4's and a 5...will I shit my pants or be ok?

Edited June 27, 2008 by fheimerd

[tyree]

Climbed it yesterday with 1 #4 C4... pretty usless, I was run out essentially the entire pitch but the climbng was very easy for 5.9 OW. A #5 might help a bit, but if you really want to protect it you should bring a #6.

[eldiente]

Yes, bring a #6 and leave the rest of the big gear at home. Yes, having to carry that #6 sucks, but all you need is that one wide piece and you can walk it in front of you the whole way up. I only had a #5 and it forced me to climb the upper section with no gear. If I recall, there is a block that you girth hitch at the mid-way point on the OW pitch, after that the #6 will take you all the way to the belay.

 

The rest of the route is mostly small stuff with maybe one hand size piece so after the OW pitch you can put the #6 away and cruise the rest of the route.

[fheimerd]

Not the info I wanted. I don;t have a 6. Maybe I'll get one at REI... excuse me sir but I used it once and decided I didn't like the way it handled. That would be wrong : )

 

Thanks for the info.

[layton]

isn't there a fixed cam in the OW (thanks Scott Decapio) or is it gone?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

no fixed cam in OW. W/out #6 you will run out 40+' on secure 5.9 OW.

[counterfeitfake]

How much gear for reasonable protection in the big crack. I've got two 4's and a 5...will I shit my pants or be ok?

 

There is no reason to use a #4 anywhere on the route. The bottom half of the OW will take a #5. Without a #6 I would be shitting my pants, but maybe you can handle a 30 foot runout on a 5.9 OW.

[kevbone]

Maybe the OW needs a bolt?

[ericb]

Maybe the OW needs a bolt?

]

 

with a 40 foot runout, I'd like to see 4 bolts

[Reid]

Not the info I wanted. I don;t have a 6. Maybe I'll get one at REI... excuse me sir but I used it once and decided I didn't like the way it handled. That would be wrong : )

 

Thanks for the info.

 

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[Off_White]

Maybe the OW needs a bolt?

 

Nope, not on a classic alpine route of this nature that gets this much traffic.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Maybe the OW needs a bolt?

 

Nope, not on a classic alpine route of this nature that gets this much traffic.

 

exactly. don't climb it if you need a bolt there.

[layton]

sorry, i remembered incorrectly - fixed cam is on N.Ridge Stewart Gendarm OW

 

Other historical fixed OW's. One can thank Craig Hook for the wooden fixed cams on Lexington.

[jshamster]

No big gear or bolts necessary!

Secure left leg belay all the way up the

wide crack.

Maybe some other part of that pitch is 5.9,

but not the OW.

 

Cheers.

Jimbo

[eldiente]

I recall the left leg being secure all right, it was the moving up part that gave me problems. Someone with good OW skills will find this to be mellow. Me, I thought it was a bit hairy with only a tipped out #5.

[counterfeitfake]

unnecessary bolt talk

 

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS PEOPLE

[Alpinfox]

Secure left leg belay all the way up the

wide crack.

 

Not with my skinny little toothpick leg it ain't - I was swimming in that thing.

 

An old style #5 camalot or #6 C4 camalot or a couple big ass hexes/tube chocks (a la MattP) are necessary for that OW in my opinion. I definitely considered it all of 5.9.

 

My TR

[raylax]

would big bro's work? is the crack flared or parallel?

 

thanks --

 

//ray

 

[eldiente]

Not sure I'd want to drag a big-bro up there for that section. I like a #6 and just keep moving it up with you, sort of like a portable top-rope anchor.

 

 

 

[Rad]

Keep leg intact and chimney with left armbars.

[raylax]

why wouldn't you want a bigbro? they are lighter and rack soooo much nicer. besides, I don't own a #6! question is, will a bigbor work in that crack?

[goatboy]

It's parallel and I'm sure a big bro would work.

 

I also know a guy who climbed it with a HUGE tri-cam -- one of the big boat-anchor types....

[Rafael_H]

The crack will likely take big bro-s, it is not flaring. After looking at all the pics I did not bring anything above 2" so never evaluted it for pro, but suspect the inside wall surface might make for wobly BB placements and only allow specific spots for placement, in which case passing them might be hard.

(BTW, right side of dihedral is not just smearing, there are many full blown footholds. Also, the OW is the easiest pitch IMO, unlike the rest of that lichen covered maze.)

[telemarker]

I would agree, there are tons of great foot jugs for the right foot, and even the left if you want to give your torqued left leg a rest. Dirtyleaf and I climbed Backbone earlier this summer our biggest piece was a 3.5 inch cam. He led it and did just fine, never felt sketched keeping his left side in the crack. It was nice not having to carry a huge useless cam the rest of the route.

 

The hardest pitch is the last one of the Fin, the undercling (Nelson Guide version) that takes you to the top. What a fantastic climb. The pitches I climb on Backbone I always find to be sufficiently clean.

[olyclimber]

Not the info I wanted. I don;t have a 6. Maybe I'll get one at REI... excuse me sir but I used it once and decided I didn't like the way it handled. That would be wrong : )

 

Thanks for the info.

 

i have a #6 you can stop in West Seattle and borrow for your climb. PM if you're interested.