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Leavenworth Rock


viktor

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Looking for any scenic/action photos in particular?

 

 

BTW: I talked to Fred Beckey recently about his early ascents of Classic Crack. In your book you say he and the boys laid it back. I asked him about that and he said, "I think we jammed it... yeah, I'm pretty sure we jammed it."

 

I dunno how well he remembers it, since he (jokingly) said, "not sure I could even find CC right now", but I'm curious where you got the laybacking story?

 

 

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Great to hear, Viktor.

 

Any chance it will include a more detailed topo and accompanying route descriptions for Castle Rock? Hard to suss out exactly what is where on that w/the current one--the routes there aren't always obvious as some of the lines wander along discontinuous crack systems.

 

Keep us posted...looking foward to it. :wave:

 

My very first day of rockclimbing...on none other than Classic Crack. No liebacking there! :)

Rockclimbing_Leavenworth_007.jpg

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Sherri, I agree with you about Castle Rock and, for that matter, Snow Creek Wall. Parties routinely have difficulty identifying some of the most classic and seemingly well-known climbs in the entire region and each subsequent edition of a guidebook seems to provide less and less information in the interest of saving space because there are so many other climbs to cover. This is not specific to Viktor's books - the same has been happened with all the books whether from Beckey, Carlstadt, Brooks, Whitelaw, or Smoot.

 

Midway has been depicted incorrectly since the very first guidebook it appeared in, and classic climbs like Saints and Angel have always been poorly illustrated. Orbit has confused many many climbers over the years. Etc.

 

I once proposed that we create some on-line mini guides for cascadeclimbers.com and I even worked up some prototypes but the project never got very far. I have also posted topo's like one for Midway and another for Mary Jane though, in the first instance, I drew some quips and criticism for devoting energy to describing such an easy climb. Cascadeclimbers would be doing more to live up to it's stated mission if we saw more of this.

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Viktor,

I've sent some info in a private message. In public, I want to say that I have always thought your drawings were excellent. They are attractive and informative and, in my view, just plain fun to look at. I know photo's are de riguer these days, but a drawing or two might be helpful for some of the routes or crags that merit extra attention.

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Good points and well-stated, Matt. :tup:

 

Saber is another one that I see folks getting lost on all the time. Everyone seems to get sucked into that polished dihedral on the right instead of traversing left toward Saber Ledge(which, if you don't know where it is from previous ascents, is hard to see while on the route). As the guidebook indicates to "climb the big corner on polished holds", it's easy to understand why folks miss the face traverse below the ledge.

 

Approach times/distances would also be a nifty feature, though it's not a deal-breaker. Just nice to know ahead of time how long you'll be slogging uphill.

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I'll echo the comments on more / better route descriptions and topos.

 

This relative newbie would have been completly lost using the existing book had I not followed Saber the first time I climbed it (exactly what Sherri said).

 

Also, I was with 2 much more experienced climbers the first time I tried R&D and we ended up on "The Ramp" after a Cocaine Connection start, which was (more than) a little hairy trying to lead on a 5.8 pitch when I thought I'd be on only a 5.6. With a good drawing/topo (or much more close up photo) of the crag, I suspect finding and following the correct route would have been a lot easier.

 

I'll add that perhaps these comments should apply to areas that have a higher concentration of lower graded routes. The 5.12 hardmen climbers could probably scamper up pretty much anything they come to - us 5.7 on gear leaders on the other hand.... well, I like to know what I'm getting into and which way to go once I'm there.

 

Regarding what Matt said - perhaps a supplemental web site such as what the Exit 32 / 38 guides have (http://www.northbendrock.com/). Were there topo's / drawings in the older editions? If so, perhaps they could be posted here on CC or on a dedicated web site linked with the guide.

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Hey Victor,

here are some links to Leavenworth trip reports hosted on my site. I took all the pictures, and have high res versions of most of them if needed:

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/july22_07nick.html

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/leav6-22-08.html

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/pinnacles4-08.html

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/june2-07_hardies.html

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/poisen_ivy07.html

 

On a side note, our son Clint just got hired as an RN at Tacoma General ER room. It's been a long time since our sons played together up at jy crag. Back when we were young...seems like yesterday

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