Beacon Rawk - The Complete Stepphenwolf Experience

[ivan]

so for years i've been up at big ledge wondering what it would be like to try to get up one of those monster steep cracks....

 

first starting climbing w/ ben priestly early this summer - we did the lower pitches of the 'wolf and talked about going back to do the complete thing - regretably, niether of us are the free-climbing mutants that seem to be about these days, but that's okay, we have aiders and nothing to do all saturday (well, not true for me - i was supposed to be at a 2 year old's b-day, but i was less than 5 hours late, which ain't bad, no?)

 

i thought we might make the whole enterprise enjoyable by skipping the first 2 pitches in favor of local access only and flying circus as that delivers more sustained sickness - oddly, despite joe having cleaned out the circus last year, there was a lot of regrowth in the crack, including a 6 foot strand of thorns - i woulda thought more folks would be doing it now and keeping it clean, but either that ain't the case of they don't mind leaving the shrub-life in the thorns actually were a bitch, as the updraft was so strong that, after i chopped out the big vine w/ my nut-tool, i cast it off only to have it continue to torture me for the next 2 minutes as it floated up, then plunged back down to stick, only to repeat the whole experience

 

wow - i'd forgotten how goddamn wide the last 50 feet of flying circus is! next time i think i'll bring *another* #5 to avoid the big-runout that made me feel funny in my pants

 

ben styled the first pitch of the wolf off big ledge, using a couple cam hooks along the way - totally sick old pin along the way, a big fat bastard sticking way out of the crack, a kind i've never seen amongst all the relics out there - we weren't sure how far we'd have to keep going above the first anchor, so he stopped there at the base of the rickety-ass bolt ladder - signs of some hard, hard man chalking up this pitch - wow! at any rate, i'd recommend if you're off to repeat this (and man, more folks should - climbing these adventure routes at beacon is just as cool as being in the big mountains!) that you combine this pitch w/ the next, though you'll need at least 20 draws or so for it to go, and it'll be a 50+ meter pitch

 

i started up the bolt ladder right around the time a 2 year old was opening her present - i found this one thoroughly entertaining as the exposure off the hanging belay is fucking giant, certainly the most air you can get at beacon - used several aid widgets - a cheater stick, birdbeak and hook were all plum necessary - all the bolts stayed intact but sweet jesus loading them is an act of faith - mostly uber-rusty 1/4 inch'ers and my 250 some odd pounds of sunshine n' shit shivered ever so slightly as i eased onto them - it's a shame there's not any traffic up this way as the rock is just like on young warriors, very textured and cool, with fascinating sharp, deep cracks and very angular blocks and edges - the lichen is big as hamburger patties though

 

we topped out on one of joe's new shiny, inspiring anchors, just a few feet away from the w side trail - a few feet of overgrown rock lie above to the absolute top of the tower, but the bolts all dissappear, there's very little pro to be found, and it generally looks gross, so we rapped from there, me w/ the hope of not catching too much hell for being late - some things are worth getting screwed for, and this was one of them

 

came down to discover joe had been working magic cleaning on the trail - pimp-wide now down below groudn zero and the first 10 feet off the ground are brand spanking clean - only 100 more feet to go, joe!

 

great day - makes me kinda sad though to realize just how much cool, untrammeled stuff is left to do and repeat at the big b, and how much of the year will have to be spent thinking about it, but not doing it...sighhhhh!

[JosephH]

Way to get after it guys. I think most folks don't realize all the value and adventure Beacon offers if you step off the beaten track. Plenty of amazing times to be had out there if you look, or if you just jump on something unfamilar.

[ivan]

whoops - i meant to make this a TR - anyway to do that retroactively?

[denalidave]

I was wondering how you guys did over there after Geoff and I headed off. I've been wanting to get on some of the more obscure lines at Beacon in the low 10's. You guys got any good suggestions?

[ivan]

You guys got any good suggestions?

all 10s at beacon are hard, but these are good'ns that i don't think you've done:

- flying swallow (the upper pitch - you can do a piton-ladder on flight time to get there - take local access to get there) - 10a, a1, 10b

- blood, sweat n' smears - 10c

- flying circus - 10c

- stephenwolf to big ledge (okay, the exit move is stupid hard, but otherwise...) - 10c

- ground-zero first pitch (blue collar .9, feels muuuuch harder!) - take your aiders and enjoy a specfuk'ntacular long a1 to grassy ledges and feel like you're doing some community service along the way by keeping it clean

-wrong gull - 10b/c?

- the last pitch of jensens ridge is probably 10a and an awesome setting, the pitch below is a mix of 5.9/A1 and not bad at all if you have a #5 and 2 #4s

- i hear tell riverside is awesome, it's 10a i think? pink's got the goods on that one

 

i'd gladly do any of that shit w/ you dave, and there's plenty more left to do that needs to get cleaned (takes fist? upper pitch of flight time?)

[denalidave]

You guys got any good suggestions?

all 10s at beacon are hard, but these are good'ns that i don't think you've done:

- flying swallow (the upper pitch - you can do a piton-ladder on flight time to get there - take local access to get there) - 10a, a1, 10b

- blood, sweat n' smears - 10c

- flying circus - 10c

- stephenwolf to big ledge (okay, the exit move is stupid hard, but otherwise...) - 10c

- ground-zero first pitch (blue collar .9, feels muuuuch harder!) - take your aiders and enjoy a specfuk'ntacular long a1 to grassy ledges and feel like you're doing some community service along the way by keeping it clean

-wrong gull - 10b/c?

- the last pitch of jensens ridge is probably 10a and an awesome setting, the pitch below is a mix of 5.9/A1 and not bad at all if you have a #5 and 2 #4s

- i hear tell riverside is awesome, it's 10a i think? pink's got the goods on that one

 

i'd gladly do any of that shit w/ you dave, and there's plenty more left to do that needs to get cleaned (takes fist? upper pitch of flight time?)

Thanks Ivan... I still say the last few moves on Steppenwolf is 11-something-ish. At least it felt way harder than 10 on follow.

 

 

[ivan]

You guys got any good suggestions?

all 10s at beacon are hard, but these are good'ns that i don't think you've done:

- flying swallow (the upper pitch - you can do a piton-ladder on flight time to get there - take local access to get there) - 10a, a1, 10b

- blood, sweat n' smears - 10c

- flying circus - 10c

- stephenwolf to big ledge (okay, the exit move is stupid hard, but otherwise...) - 10c

- ground-zero first pitch (blue collar .9, feels muuuuch harder!) - take your aiders and enjoy a specfuk'ntacular long a1 to grassy ledges and feel like you're doing some community service along the way by keeping it clean

-wrong gull - 10b/c?

- the last pitch of jensens ridge is probably 10a and an awesome setting, the pitch below is a mix of 5.9/A1 and not bad at all if you have a #5 and 2 #4s

- i hear tell riverside is awesome, it's 10a i think? pink's got the goods on that one

 

i'd gladly do any of that shit w/ you dave, and there's plenty more left to do that needs to get cleaned (takes fist? upper pitch of flight time?)

Thanks Ivan... I still say the last few moves on Steppenwolf is 11-something-ish. At least it felt way harder than 10 on follow.

 

have you done fear of flying? another fine 10b