[TR] Beacon Rock - Young Warriors, Crusin to SE corner 7/30/2008

[billcoe]

Sounds like you, Shane and JH should team up and work on it. It would be a shame to toss such a great name away:-) The potential for this thing being world class interesting and yet still hard is there.

 

I've been a bit of a pussy ever since I heard Steve Strauchs story up there. He named the East Side amphitheater the "Arena of Terror" which comprises this route to the right and includes all the overhangs in that East side area. I know that McGowen told Tim that "The Arena of Terror" was the Railroad blast area on the south side by Pipeline, but it wasn't so, just because it was in the guidebook doesn't make it true. Anyway, Strauch climbs directly up to the overhanging blocks on the left side of the "Arena of Terror", he's totally stressing, barely able to hang on as he bangs in a small knifeblade and continues, unable to get a shake or a rest at the pro. Every move above is still tough, yet he climbs on, fighting all the way, unable to stop or get pro. He suffers for every move, until finally he's maybe 30' above this shit piece of pro knifeblade, 60' off the deck max - and he knows that it won't hold a fall and if he falls on it- it will fail and he will auger into the dirt from the equivalent of a 9 story building. But yet he can't stop or get a rest, so looking up, he realizes he can crank around this 2' x 2' block just above him and possibly stand on it for the blessed rest. He gos for it knowing it's his only option, unable to take the easy way out of life and just let go and commit to the deathfall. He feels around the block and gets a solid grip on the crack which forms the back of the block. Pulling and sweating hard, he commits to the move and WHOOSH, faster than you can say "Wheres my testicals" (in an extremely high sotto voce voice) the entire thing comes off with him clutching it tight like the Rosary at Church. Before he has a moment to say a Hail Mary or even start to involuntarily excrete into his pants, his rope comes tight on the frikkan knifeblade and the damn thing looks like might hold anwyay. It does! Steve's hanging totally in space as it overhangs so much....AND THE PIN STILL HOLDING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. Steve gets lowered to the ground stat on the blessed Knifeblade, kissed the earth upon touchdown and swore to never climb there again.

 

An oath he kept, long after he'd changed his underwear. So I carry a bit of a mental burden over there still.

[billcoe]

I'd like a porta potty @ the tree ledge please.

 

And a roll of toilet paper or even a Bidet?

[JosephH]

Bill, great story - is Steve still around?

 

Pretty much similar to the experience my partner Jim Tangen-Foster and I had back in '87 when we tried to head up through those big roofs, except for the part of the big block cutting on him. We headed up the wall straight out from the big tree where the trail first turns down from the parking lot. We naively went up there with a double set of Chouinard nuts and I think three original Friends. We barely escaped with our lives and once down I have never had a second thought about returning up to the big East Face roofs.

[billcoe]

Gary Rall, Bob McMahon and I climbed up that massive semi-detached projection straight back from that tree under the massive East Face. They were kind enough to let me lead it ground up classic load-dropping style tossing the moss and choss as I went. Went straight up the middle in the area now closed, did this sometime before 1984 when I graduated from school and Gary and both got real jobs. I left at least 1 Leeper pin fixed for the next party @ 20-25' up that I remember. We agreed it was 5.10 something, and called it the "Alan Lester Memorial Hiking Trail" cause we thought it would be funny. Alan is still alive btw and climbing world class strong as always, that's part of the joke. He was the other dude on Southern Belle when Hank Caylor took that skreeting leg snapping tumble that is so well known.

 

Steve was around, I haven't seen him for a while, improperly credits Bob and I with saving his life @ 1997 or so, but thats a story he should tell. It is enough that he survived.

[JosephH]

So you guys were up there before us; and as usual there's probably lots more to the story from the sound of it. Hmmm, we did see a green sling at the top of the pyramid thing, but I don't recall the pin. Easy enough to miss, though (just saw another dolt or dolt-copy on Dastardly Sunday afternoon).

 

Whew, glad I was nowhere near Southern Belle when that went down. Everything I've heard about Caylor, even from him, makes it sound like he had a hard time recognizing boundary conditions when he was younger and was damn lucky to live through his twenties.

[kevbone]

I think there looks like a good solid line in the arena of terror on the right side.....I have been looking at it for years....does not look like any other traffic have been on it....

[JosephH]

That's what we thought too when we headed up after studying it all. But not much of anything was actually solid once we got up into the mix. A lot of those blocks are fractured in-plane and heavily layered like a book made up of a lot of thin pages. Those don't take pro, pins, or bolts unless you had some really long ones. Like I said, never had a remote interest in ever going back up there again, just plain ugly.

[billcoe]

Bob McGowen did one on the right side that tops out, you can see old tat if you look closely. Called it Upside down Sylvia?

 

JH, there is a more obvious (we thought easier but more loose too) line to the left which we passed on. The center looked more solid and interesting. Perhaps you were on that?

[JosephH]

Bill, sometime when we're both out you'll have to point out some of these for me, still having a hard time visualizing a couple of them, though I'll try a look for that tat you're talking about.

[kevbone]

Well....if I did put something up in there......I would rap in and beat the shit out of it with a hammar first.....I do not have a death wish....

[markd]

Well....if I did put something up in there......I would rap in and beat the shit out of it with a hammar first.....I do not have a death wish....

 

we'd expect nothing less kevbone.

[billcoe]

!! !!

 

Seriously, taking a Slim Pickens on one of those monster blocks would cause me to reconsider a strict ground up policy as well:-)

 

It's not like you a grabbing a primo line and defiling it. Theres been a single dude take a look and turn back in fear and loathing, then thousands of climbers look at this over the next 20 some odd years and they all left it be.

 

...for a reason perhaps? ....

[markd]

...for a reason perhaps? ....

 

skill? ambition? strict beacon rules? i know when i went up with joseph to look, the thought of climbing out the roofs seemed slightly outlandish, yet possible.

 

we'll send jh up first!

[kevbone]

Seriously, taking a Slim Pickens on one of those monster blocks would cause me to reconsider a strict ground up policy as well

 

What ground up policy is that?

[JosephH]

...taking a Slim Pickens ...

 

Ha!

[billcoe]

Seriously, taking a Slim Pickens on one of those monster blocks would cause me to reconsider a strict ground up policy as well

 

What ground up policy is that?

 

I think it's called the policy of "Survival of the Fittest", but lets ask "Slim".

 

Slim says: "Yeeehhhh Hahhh!

 

Well that was a waste of time.

[stevetimetravlr]

Hi Joseph

Did Young Warriors today and found this blog so thought I would comment. On the second pitch when you get to the face above the 3rd bolt with the chossy flakes on either side, there is a slot right in the face in front of you about 8 feet below the b-hole that takes a horizontal purple cam nicely. I normally don't place them like that, but it fit and locked well. Then like you said,you can get a good cam in once you reach the finger crack above. Cams in the flakes on either side look like if you fell you might bring that whole pile of flakes down, and i think that is where most people place them? Man what a great climb.

[denalidave]

Hi Joseph

Did Young Warriors today and found this blog so thought I would comment. On the second pitch when you get to the face above the 3rd bolt with the chossy flakes on either side, there is a slot right in the face in front of you about 8 feet below the b-hole that takes a horizontal purple cam nicely. I normally don't place them like that, but it fit and locked well. Then like you said,you can get a good cam in once you reach the finger crack above. Cams in the flakes on either side look like if you fell you might bring that whole pile of flakes down, and i think that is where most people place them? Man what a great climb.

I like that placement too but I usually also put a small alien up in the left flakes. Good psychological pro anyway. I feel pretty solid in the stance before you go through the buthole move once my feet are high up in the flakes so no bolt is needed (IMO). Anyone who climbs w/me knows I aint one to run it out either...

[pink]

Hi Joseph

Did Young Warriors today and found this blog so thought I would comment. On the second pitch when you get to the face above the 3rd bolt with the chossy flakes on either side, there is a slot right in the face in front of you about 8 feet below the b-hole that takes a horizontal purple cam nicely. I normally don't place them like that, but it fit and locked well. Then like you said,you can get a good cam in once you reach the finger crack above. Cams in the flakes on either side look like if you fell you might bring that whole pile of flakes down, and i think that is where most people place them? Man what a great climb.

 

 

ya know steve i put up the original second pitch of YW (FFA not FA). it goes straight up from the belay and slants LEFT but the bolt stud was removed and MR. FOREARMS himself did the second variation which is a little easier and a little chossier. i was realy HIGH that day so quite possibly it never happened and i might have gone left if i had a purple camelot on my rack but i was poor so went the harder way which didn't need as much gear.

 

BOTH WAYS ARE COOL

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2008 by pink

[JosephH]

Man what a great climb.

 

Steve, you can say that again - pretty much a Beacon classic no matter how you look at it.

 

As far as the pro on p2 goes, there's pro on the right, center, and left, but I've personally never thought any of it is was so great as to be worth bothering with. I'd do an #10 HB alloy nut on the left if I was going to use any, though; I don't like the idea of a cam in any of it.

 

And I think the real key to protection through those two moves up to the next piece of pro in the slot is less a matter of gear and more about distributing your weight across the four points of your body you have on the rock. It's essential to be delicate, fluid, and well-distributed across whatever holds you might use through there. You absolutely have to be able to withstand blowing any single point of rock throughout any sequence you choose. The plane in which you impart pressure to any individual flake or edge is also incredibly important - you want to minimize any outward (away from the rock face) pressure on any of them - keep the pressure you apply in-plane with that of the overall flake system. They are easy moves and I think Dave's comment about it all being largely psychological is pretty spot on.

 

Pink, always good to hear the history. But there is still a bolt stud up and left of the p1 anchor. I've done the direct left and center variations off of the anchor on TR and they are interesting, though the lefthand one has some of the same delicate flake issues as the way it is normally done these days.

[kevbone]

I've done the direct left and center variations off of the anchor on TR and they are interesting, though the lefthand one has some of the same delicate flake issues as the way it is normally done these days.

 

Yeah.....they both need bolts. Imagine that.

[billcoe]

The right hand version was a great way to access the pitch that ends near the corner. Well, it was till our bolts got whacked. I have not seen a soul on it since.

[kevbone]

The right hand version was a great way to access the pitch that ends near the corner. Well, it was till our bolts got whacked. I have not seen a soul on it since.

 

To my understanding the bolts got whacked because Gred Murry freed it on gear the previous summer, then is got retroed. IMO it needs at least one bolt where you step left over to the crack. Very fun and not loose like the butt hole.

 

What I was talking about to JH was left of that variation. There are at least two routes leading straight up from the bolted anchor on the first pitch of YW.

[pink]

Man what a great climb.

 

Steve, you can say that again - pretty much a Beacon classic no matter how you look at it.

 

As far as the pro on p2 goes, there's pro on the right, center, and left, but I've personally never thought any of it is was so great as to be worth bothering with. I'd do an #10 HB alloy nut on the left if I was going to use any, though; I don't like the idea of a cam in any of it.

 

And I think the real key to protection through those two moves up to the next piece of pro in the slot is less a matter of gear and more about distributing your weight across the four points of your body you have on the rock. It's essential to be delicate, fluid, and well-distributed across whatever holds you might use through there. You absolutely have to be able to withstand blowing any single point of rock throughout any sequence you choose. The plane in which you impart pressure to any individual flake or edge is also incredibly important - you want to minimize any outward (away from the rock face) pressure on any of them - keep the pressure you apply in-plane with that of the overall flake system. They are easy moves and I think Dave's comment about it all being largely psychological is pretty spot on.

 

Pink, always good to hear the history. But there is still a bolt stud up and left of the p1 anchor. I've done the direct left and center variations off of the anchor on TR and they are interesting, though the lefthand one has some of the same delicate flake issues as the way it is normally done these days.

 

well that's what smoking to much dope will get you, i guess the hanger was removed and the butthole became the norm because JO didn't want YW to be harder than 5.9.

[kevbone]

 

because JO didn't want YW to be harder than 5.9.

 

Too late. The 4th pitch going straight over the bolt is 10a IMO.