billcoe Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 the grading at ozone is useful in comparing climbs - they might be inflated grades, I don't think they are inflated. They are harder for the grade than most compatible Yosemite climbs IMO (with a few exceptions). YDS = Yosemite Decimal System Quote
ivan Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 the grading at ozone is useful in comparing climbs - they might be inflated grades, I don't think they are inflated. They are harder for the grade than most compatible Yosemite climbs IMO (with a few exceptions). YDS = Yosemite Decimal System i've never climbed in yosemite, so i cant' comment certainly a 10a at beacon is a very serious affair and a climb that i'll generally find myself pulling on the gear at least a little bit here or there - by contrast, i think i've managed to do most of the 10s at ozone w/o really getting freaked or yarding on the gear in the end, i could care less - ozone's a damn fun place to climb at, and an okay consolation for when i can't go bigger places Quote
billcoe Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 You would f**n love the valley. Make the pilgrimage, take your family even. Quote
kevbone Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 How about a big who cares? Have you all never been to a crag and been on a climb you disagree with the grade? I know I have. I up and down grade stuff all the time. Quote
pink_chalk Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 Hey you're pretty good. Must be all the practice you get at Beacon? See that wide spot top chimney center-left on the loose rock photo you copied? Match it up - this is P2. To the left of that. Far left, behind the tree, in fact, you can see the shadow of that tree here. Cute pics, Bill. What- no helmet? Quote
JosephH Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 When you're only going to have hair for so long like Bill and I, you kind of like to put it out there while you still can - it's an old school thing... Quote
pink Posted September 24, 2008 Posted September 24, 2008 i pulled a hold off my house and i cracked my ribs. funny, because looking at my house it's seems pretty bomber. Quote
kevbone Posted September 24, 2008 Posted September 24, 2008 i pulled a hold off my house and i cracked my ribs. funny, because looking at my house it's seems pretty bomber. Is the price of your house "inflated" too? Quote
moira armen Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 Just to answer the original question, the route was snake face and the guy who pulled off the block was okay, all things considered. He did have to get stitches in his head and his leg. He pulled it off through no fault of his own, his partner had just done the route so I'm sure he pulled it too, it just happened to have loosened up extra special for that one unfortunate guy. Rock can be that way. Especially here. Maybe he pulled a hair harder than his partner. He didn't really pull the block onto himself, luckily because it was huge, but it seemed more that his head was either grazed by it, or he hit his head when he fell--he fell horizontally, probably because he was holding onto the block when it came off and so it pulled him sideways a little before he let go. But who knows, I was right beside him and I still don't know! Pretty much the only lesson here is if you climb there belay alert, don't stand directly under your climber, wear a helmet, and test your holds. Probably 90% of people do that anyway. Oh yeah, FYI I got on the route the other day and it's still 5.9 even with the hold missing. Quote
billcoe Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 He didn't really pull the block onto himself, luckily because it was huge, but it seemed more that his head was either grazed by it, or he hit his head when he fell--he fell horizontally, probably because he was holding onto the block when it came off and so it pulled him sideways a little before he let go. But who knows, I was right beside him and I still don't know! Pretty much the only lesson here is if you climb there belay alert, don't stand directly under your climber, wear a helmet, and test your holds. Probably 90% of people do that anyway. Oh yeah, FYI I got on the route the other day and it's still 5.9 even with the hold missing. Thanks for the eyewitness report and route confirmation Moira. Glad everyone is OK. That's one of Kevin Rauch's routes (with Brian Smith) I believe. As long as we're talkin big loose blocks at Ozone. Here's one for someone to go pry off. In between Screaming For Change and Afternoon Delight. It's right before Screaming For Change anchor off to the right, or if you do the 5.7 Afternoon Delight start (the next route to the right is Kung Fu) and bail to the Screaming anchors early instead of topping out you climb right over it and use it as a handhold or 2. It's about 2' long and quite the mudsill sized rock. I tried yanking it with my physical strength and it was merely a sad reminder of how old and weak I am. I think it wants to go, but it doesn't yet want to do it with just body weight. A person with a pry bar and a ground crew for spotting could work it off of there safely I believe. It may even have been yanked off already I haven't been to the zone for some time. Good call on the helmet thing reminder. Did you ever get that pink skateboarding helmet you were talking about? Quote
billcoe Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 When you're only going to have hair for so long like Bill and I, you kind of like to put it out there while you still can - it's an old school thing... Ha ha! True, but I think we were raised with the idea Royal Robbins postulated, that it was what was inside your head that kept you safe. in fact there are times people get a false sense of security with one and are less safe. I found myself the other day, huddling under my entire big wally pack on a hanging belay as my partner started the rap down above me, grateful I'd forgot my helmet, as I would have most likely felt safe with it on, and gotten whacked on the shoulders, arm or knee by one of the rocks he dislodged, instead I was 100% protected when I needed to be. I had one on out solo Sunday same area and slammed my head hard 2 or 3 times up into blind overhangs as I climbed up. That wouldn't have happened had it not been on as I would have seen it coming better. I know Joeseph and I DO wear helmets on occasion, thats how JH got so old *cough*cough* but we pick and choose for those times it's appropriate. Like belaying you on Menopause:-) ________________________________________________________________ If anyone is curious what Snake looks like, you can see the bolt with the chalked up holds there just to the right of the line I'm on (it was a natural line trad route squeeze job called "Before the Storm"). That is Snake to the right of that rope I believe. In fact, look just to the right of my body -check THAT BLOCK OUT! Whoahhhhh, (shaking in fear voluntarily excretes onto chair in fear). Was THAT the block Moira? I did Snake last year but don't remember if that's even on route. I sure as hell don't remotely remember seeing something that looked like that but there it is right next to me in the pic. I posted this earlier, but the route I'm on Jim kept asking, "don't you want to go rap it and knock that loose stuff off?" He asked me at least 3-4 times and everytime I said, "Nahh, more exciting just showing up and onsighting it ground up". Jim: "don't you want to go rap it and knock that loose stuff off?" Me: "Nah, I'll just try and avoid that stuff." Jim: "don't you want to go rap it and knock that loose stuff off?" Me: "Nah, more fun this way." Jim: "looks pretty loose, don't you want to go rap it and knock all that loose stuff off?" Me: "Nah, it's all good." Jim: "don't you want to go rap it and knock that loose stuff off?" Me: "Is it me or did we not already have this discussion:-)". We'd seen a massive amount of loose stuff on it, mostly 1/2 way up. I thought I'd get up there and see if could find a place to plug some gear and if I could then just dance around it to the right. Barely made it @ 20 feet up, not even close to the obvious massive killer loose crap above, and the minor, near-overlooked, loose stack of blocks my feet were on decided that was the time they would co-operate with gravity and they plunged with me on it. The left arm was cranked in good and it tried to stay, but my body wasn't willing. The resolution of that conflict left blood everywhere when both my legs impaled a stout branch as I dropped and the arm scrapped deep and down the crack (but held) too. Quietly we called it a day. Came back and cleaned it on rap. I ain't too proud. I suspect I didn't get it all, but I tried. Didn't notice Snake or see if there was loose stuff still remaining on it. I see it now in the pic just to my right. Quote
JosephH Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 (edited) Pretty much the only lesson here is if you climb there belay alert, don't stand directly under your climber, wear a helmet, and test your holds. Probably 90% of people do that anyway. Moira, I might add another, even if it may or may not have revelance in this case. And that is the need to tread lightly. This is a learned behavior about really distributing your weight well and wisely across all of the points of contact available to you, and lightening up on one point by bearing down a ever slightly more on the others. It's also a matter of 'flow' or momentum across the stone with the minimum necessary loading on any given point. Just being able to get out an 'yard' on rock feels good more often than not, but on our basalt it is a luxury that can come back and bite you. And again, this is a general tip - I'm not in any way saying it would have made the slightest difference in the outcome of this particular incident. I see this sometimes out at Beacon when someone moves to town who is used to climbing on granite - it takes them awhile to adjust to basalt and marginal holds sometimes suffer during the learning curve. This is especially noticeable on lines like YW where the landscape has been altered several times recently by folks new to Beacon and basalt. Edited September 30, 2008 by JosephH Quote
Off_White Posted September 30, 2008 Posted September 30, 2008 ...distributing your weight well and wisely across all of the points of contact available to you, and lightening up on one point by bearing down a ever slightly more on the others. Good advice for those climbing at Fossil or Goose Egg too. Quote
Blake Posted December 12, 2008 Posted December 12, 2008 There is a fairly important plate-sized foot flake halfway up "The Humbling" that is going to come off soon. Route 70.5 in the Ozone guide(the 5.11 to the left of "The Humbling" and "the Crumbling") has TERRIBLE rock up to the point where you can clip your first piece, which is not a bolt, but yellow webbing tied to an angle piton driven into a horizontal on a ledge (impossible to inspect from below). In the event of a fall, this pin is loaded straight out, not down. Above this, the only stopper placement I could find to protect the next runout is a jingus BD #3 size slotted atop another flexible flake, this is when you have almost finally arrived at bolt #1. Quote
ivan Posted December 12, 2008 Posted December 12, 2008 holy shit, sounds like blake was at the 'zone! what, you didn't feel like driving a couple extra miles to get to beacon!?! i thought route 66 was the first route left of the humbling/crubmling? it's got a bolt you can clip from the ground? Quote
kevbone Posted December 12, 2008 Posted December 12, 2008 There is a fairly important plate-sized foot flake halfway up "The Humbling" that is going to come off soon. Route 70.5 in the Ozone guide(the 5.11 to the left of "The Humbling" and "the Crumbling") has TERRIBLE rock up to the point where you can clip your first piece, which is not a bolt, but yellow webbing tied to an angle piton driven into a horizontal on a ledge (impossible to inspect from below). In the event of a fall, this pin is loaded straight out, not down. Above this, the only stopper placement I could find to protect the next runout is a jingus BD #3 size slotted atop another flexible flake, this is when you have almost finally arrived at bolt #1. This route was put up on lead. The FA info is in the book, I did tell the FA I thought he needed to RAP in and clean it with a hammer. Not sure if he has. He is also going to add his own anchor instead of stepping right to the Crumbling. The route needs more cleaning for sure. Quote
ivan Posted December 12, 2008 Posted December 12, 2008 how longs it been around for kev? i can't recall it, though i hven't been out to the zone since last spring. Quote
kevbone Posted December 12, 2008 Posted December 12, 2008 The FA info is in the book. I think it states he got the FA on 8/12/08. I was there the day he did it.....which is how I came to top rope it. IMO it is a super fun route.....but it needs alot of cleaning and possibly more bolts. Quote
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