[TR] Squamish - - Sixty-Nine 8/23/2010

[marc_leclerc]

Trip: Squamish - - Sixty-Nine

 

Date: 8/23/2010

 

Trip Report:

I fiddle with a small cam with my left hand and squeeze the life out of a juggy meathook on the edge of the crack with my right. Finally the cam goes into the slot just right and I clip and charge into the final crux. I hit the two side by side locks, then bring my left foot into a high awkward jam, fire my right hand to a tiny crimp gaston and try to lock it off while I reach my left into a shallow mono fingerlock far above. I hit the mono and kick my foot out right to stand up and latch the jug that marks the end of the difficulties, but I am pumped and my finger is slipping out of the mono. I go for it with all I have but it isn't enough... I peel out of the mono and launch into the air for thirty feet before my small cam catches my fall. Dangling at the end of my rope I look back and notice the large crowd of spectators that has developed in the Murrin parking lot. I quickly pull back up to the cam and easily fire the moves that just spit me off and climb the runout slab to the top of the wall. Even though I still have not sent, I can only think to myself, "I love rock climbing"!

 

Sixty-Nine was originally climbed in 1969 as an A3 aid route and it was not until the year 2000 that local hardman Andrew Boyd, with his friend Mike Mott freed the the line at 5.13c. At the time it was easily one of the hardest traditional routes in North America. Mike Mott was unfortunately killed in a horrible plane crash shortly after the FFA and a memorial to him can be found at the base of the route.

 

Sixty-Nine is a line that would attract any climber. A long, perfect, lightning bolt shaped crack that splits a slightly overhung face of impeccable rock. The climbing is sustained, the flow is amazing and the gear is bomber despite being fairly spaced.

I first decided to try the line in early July, spending some time giving it a top rope burn to decipher the moves and figure out the gear. I returned the next day to try and lead it.

 

The route starts with some easy climbing up to the twenty foot mark where you place your first peices, then a short powerful section pulling up to good holds and an easy flake. The climb really begins above the flake where you climb fifteen feet or so of beautiful 5.11 face then place a small wire and start the crux. From a good edge you match on some shallow locks, get a high left foot, then layback slopers in the offset crack for a few moves before reaching a good hold. You fire in a small cam then I did a hard lock off on a crimp gaston then crossed the the 'pencil sharpener' a mono in the crack from which you crank to a good flat ledge and the climbing eases to runout 5.11.

 

Over the course of a couple days I attempted to lead the route 4 times, one hanging it twice after falling on the last hard moves.

I was feeling really close.. then my shoes blew out. I resorted to sport climbing in tight shoes for a while while saving up for new rock shoes until my sponsor 'Westcomb Outerwear' gave me a prototype shoe 'Five Ten' had made for them! Even then I let 'Sixty-Nine' sit for a while. My friend Mason and american rock star Alex Honnold both sent 'Sixty-Nine' and we talked about it quite a bit, which helped re-stoke me for the route. I also sent another project of mine called 'Bruce Lee Vs the Kiss Army' in the Smoke Bluffs, a cool bouldery 5.13R that had not been repeated yet.

 

But I got a message from my friend Hazel that she wanted to send 'Sixty-Nine' so after a rain shower ended yesterday evening we headed over and both gave it a try. She fell from the first crux and came down, and I fell at the first crux then got the one hang yet again. We decided to come back in the morning with better conditions and try again. So this morning I hitched a ride to Murrin with a friend and met Hazel and her boyfriend will at the base of the route. Hazel fell at the second crux this time then finished the route, then I did the exact same. Will left for work but we both wanted one more try!

 

Then Hazel just tied back in and sent! Made the route look like total piss! Probably the first girl to ever send the route too!

Needless to say I was pretty inspired so I tied back in and went for it. I pulled the sloper crux and it felt easy and I was not even pumped. So I slammed in the cam and just like that pulled the second crux and cruised up the slab to the top! For some reason the route felt almost easy!

 

Now I have to finish my route I am trying to free on the North Walls which is awesome! Including a 5.13+ roof crack and a 12+/13- runout face pitch (the A5 Dyke!!!) but I am STOKED to have sent 'Sixty-Nine', a route that a few months ago would have seemed so unnatainable! Hope you enjoy the pics, sorry to ramble to much about a one pitch route!

 

 

First powerful moves....

 

Some rather delightful climbing before the crux...

 

Entering the first crux...

 

First crux...

 

Good times!

 

The only way I managed to do the second crux! Everyone else does it 'VERY' differently!

 

Just for fun... here's my buddy Steve 'Manboy' Townshend pulling the first crux.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Small wires and cams... one 2 inch cam for the flake. Gear is good but quite long falls are possible.

 

Approach Notes:

Walk across the highway... can't miss it!

Edited August 24, 2010 by marc_leclerc

[Sherri]

Way to keep after it, Marc! Love to see your passion for the sport. The pics are terrific.

[fenderfour]

Nice work.

 

Great shot of the fall too

[sprocket]

Sweet looking rock and nice stoke.

[tlinn]

Where are the pics of Hazel?

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Not bad for a single pitch TR. ;-) Nice job!

[Stefan]

I am seeing you are progressing quite nicely!

[eldiente]

That's fantastic! Thanks for sharing. It makes me happy to hear about people working hard trad projects. Seems like the crux of this pitch would trying to focus with all the traffic going by on the road, a perfect pitch to put on a show for the tourists.

 

It seems a bit taboo to write TRs about crag routes or red-points, but honestly I'm all for it. A well written (and photographed) TR of a project send is just as interesting (or more so) than reading about someone walking around in the snow.

 

-Nate

[fenderfour]

Any TR with decent pics is welcome.

 

Edited August 24, 2010 by fenderfour

[keenwesh]

killin it!

[marc_leclerc]

I wish I had pics of Hazel on this to post.... but these pics are from an attempt a month ago. When me and Hazel sent no cameras were present. Nice photoshop fenderfour!

[hafilax]

Way to go Marc! Great to see that those routes are getting some much deserved attention. Inspiring to say the least.

[summitchaserCJB]

[giza]

lolz!!!!!!!!!!

[Kimmo]

 

that is quite funny.

 

nice send, marc.

 

is it accurate to say the difficulty is almost a boulder problem? from the photos it looks like the hardness is kinda short.

and is it easy to set up a top-rope?

 

way to slay!

[genepires]

this is at murrin right?

[marc_leclerc]

Yes, this is at Murrin. The route is not really very bouldery.... it climbs like a sport climb, with multiple cruxes and not many rests once you leave the flake at the start of the difficulties. Such a RAD route!

[marc_leclerc]

I found this surfin the web today....

 

 

 

 

[Dane]

Awesome send. Congrads.