hard routes at ozone

[crimper]

I've always wondered whether the Crumbling and the Humbling at Ozone were really 12a. They were both bolted by a guy who only got the FA of the Crumbling, as the Humbling was never led and redpointed by the time that the 7 of us published the Ozone guidebook - so we gave it kind of a "topropse consensus" grade. (out of respect, "we" were waiting for this guy to return from an injury and then be the first to try for the redpoint).

 

Have any of you punters climbed these routes, or better yet, redpointed them and have an opinion about how they compare to other 12a sport climbs in Oregon/Washington?

 

feel free to praise/slander the grading of the other harder routes out there, i'm curious to see if we inflated, sandbagged, or got them just right.

 

PS - i know "beyond the glory" seems to have gotten a lot easier with some rock breakage, and that might have happened with other routes and thus account for some grades being a bit off by now....

 

PPS - it's totally in vogue to rag on ozone, so let's read some good zingers.

 

 

[kevbone]

have an opinion about how they compare to other 12a sport climbs in Oregon/Washington?

 

I think the Crumbling is harder than Angular. IMO.

[eldiente]

Yes, it is very vogue to rag on the "bolt zone." For what it is worth, both of those routes are very soft for the grade. I'd give both of them 5.11c if we were at other well known WA sport crags. The crumbling could very well be 5.11 if not for that starting move off the ground, huge jugs the whole way.

 

Although compared to other Bolt Zone routes, 5.12 seems fair for both of these routes. Many of the routes out there feel a full number grade easier then the guidebook gives them.

 

-Nate

[kevbone]

Nate. Do you think the "MD route" was properly graded? Mark wanted to call it 11.c. I, and others thought it was more like 12.a.

[eldiente]

MD route is tricky, much harder than the other two routes mentioned above. That said, it feels right on for 5.11C when compared with routes of a similar style out at Broughton. Not very sustained, just technical.

[crimper]

i've gotten spanked on the md route even though i can do both 12a climbs i mentioned. but it's a one-move wonder route, and i basically have a mental block about the one move.

 

it ain't no 12a, it's just a 5.11 crack move above a bolt, and i don't lead 5.11 crack.

[kevbone]

How can you guys say it is harder than the two routes mentioned (12.a) and still call it 11.c?

[RuMR]

cuz the other ones aren't 12a?

 

 

sprayworthy

[crimper]

dracula at broughton is at least 1 grade harder than the humbling or crumbling. and it's 12a.

 

where the wild things at madrone is - to me - about as hard as the humbling/crumbling and it's 11d.

[kevbone]

cuz the other ones aren't 12a?

 

 

sprayworthy

 

 

Very sprayworthy. IMO this thread (how ever awesome), needs to be in spray.

 

Dracula IMO is 12.b and Bloodline is 12.a.

[kevbone]

dracula at broughton is at least 1 grade harder than the humbling or crumbling. and it's 12a.

 

where the wild things at madrone is - to me - about as hard as the humbling/crumbling and it's 11d.

 

 

So what do you think B? Did Jason accurately grade his climbs?

[crimper]

i'm just determined to downgrade my "12a" sends at ozone. or else have someone - besides kevbone - validate them.

 

how many climbers have sent both of those but could never send 12a sport at joshua tree or index or even broughton?? (count me in that club)

[crimper]

kev, why are you even asking me if jason accurately graded his routes? go look at what i've already written. as they say, "it's all there."

[kevbone]

I take it by you posting this question. You do not agree. So....why ask in the first place? The only person who can down grade or validate your sends .....is you.

[crimper]

just sayin....

[eldiente]

Let's all just say Ozone is soft. Could the holds get any bigger?

[kevbone]

Let's all just say Ozone is soft. Could the holds get any bigger?

 

Or maybe you are really strong?

[kevbone]

Let's all just say Ozone is soft. Could the holds get any bigger?

 

I have to disagree with you on that statement. Grades are a weird thing. I watch one guy get on Chain Mail and struggle. Then the next guy gets on it and flashes it and down grades it.....which way to you lean?

[willstrickland]

Hard routes at Ozone is an oxymoron.

[crimper]

i think that ozone is soft - or at least friendly - from 11a on up. by friendly i mean that since the holds are huge, you usually only need endurance to send a route - there are very few tricky or low percentage crux moves out there. the md route being a glaring exception. vicious being another i guess.

 

i think ozone is pretty right on below that grade.

[crimper]

actually, anything john stewart put up at ozone is not soft, and generally has the crux on gear.

 

but i bet most of you don't even touch those routes because they're not fully bolted.

 

lead meatgrinder at 10b and tell me it's soft.

or wine and cheese at 10c.

or the rauch factor at 10c. (mixed but sporty)

or opdycke crack at 9plus.

or 8 is enough at 8. (hardest 8 around, next to little wing)

helms deep at 9 (mainly bolts but well-spaced and needs a .5 in a horizontal)

there y'ar at 9 (great vertical corner hand crack, go do it)

screaming for change at 10c (another mixed route)

why must i cry 10a (mainly bolts)

 

PS - I edited this post to pretty much make a tick list of worthy and generally (i think) stout climbs at ozone that i wish saw more traffic, as they'd only improve, and also would show another side to ozone than the closely bolted and big hold routes that are most popular. There are so many routes at broughton and Madrone that hardly get done anymore because they aren't fully bolted or are a bit spooky that and so now they are covered with moss - it would be a shame to see the above routes suffer the same fate.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2009 by crimper

[kevbone]

My understanding of a 9+ rating is that every move is 5.9. the opdycke crack has a 10 foot section of 5.9. the rest is 5.8 and easier.

 

Meatgrinder is rated 10.c.

 

[RuMR]

KevbOzone is a moron.

[JosephH]

My understanding of a 9+ rating is that every move is 5.9.

 

The '- / +' designation was never an indicator of how sustained a route was any more than letter grading is - it was simply a gerneral indicator of the difficulty of the crux prior to the common use of letter grading.

[crimper]

what joseph said. opdycke claimed he did the FA back in the 70s, before i did a little retro ascent in 2005. i thought it was hard 9/easy 10a at that time, and "we" agreed that given all the above we'd use the retro grade of 9plus and give opdycke the FA. (i guess kev thinks it's barely 5.9, but we all know he's jacked)