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[TR] BC, Squamish - Grand Wall 8/28/2010


klondike

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Trip: BC, Squamish - Grand Wall

 

Date: 8/28/2010

 

Trip Report:

Craig provided the pics and pans for day one of our (spur-of-the-moment-good weather window) Squamish Adventure. We did a cool link-up of Rock On followed by Squamish Buttress, 14 heavenly pitches no harder than 5.10c.

Now for part two. We wanted to do the Grand Wall. Here we gear up in the SaveOn grocery store parking lot in "downtown" Squamish. Do we bring a #4 camelot? Do we use etriers for the bolt ladder? yadayadayada...

Next am at 6:45 sharp we go to McDonalds for a cup of jo and, full of go juice, we decide we really can do this thing. Each of the pitches of The Grand Wall has its own name. Here is the first. A runout called the Merci Me pitch. 90 feet, 3 bolts. We began climbing at 8am. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs203.ash2/46636_1470184990427_1107670161_31336327_7236049_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs395.snc4/45840_1470185350436_1107670161_31336330_5318705_n.jpg

Craig follows the Preverse Traverse Pitch.

 

 

Craig sends the Split Piller Pitch in excellent style.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs395.snc4/45840_1470185390437_1107670161_31336331_170644_n.jpg

 

 

 

 

Add a caption

I drew The Sword. Here I look up at it. It starts off-width and quickly necks down to thin fingers. This is not a picture of me, by the way. Too much hair.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs209.ash2/47254_1470196630718_1107670161_31336415_4947311_n.jpg

 

I took a whipper at the first crux, then climbed through it. *whew* I then linked The Sword with the next pitch, a bolt ladder on a blank face, to save time. Look at the beautiful granite!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs405.snc4/46802_1470185950451_1107670161_31336336_3135997_n.jpg

 

http://l16.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-ash2/hs205.ash2/46802_1470185990452_1107670161_31336337_1813410_n.jpg

Craig begins Perry's Layback. Straight-on burl.

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs188.ash2/45136_1470790285559_1107670161_31337471_792_n.jpg

I drew the Sail Flake pitch, another amazing layback around and over a giant flake shaped like, well, a sail. I think Crossfit helped me in the layback department (not my pic).

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs425.snc4/46802_1470186190457_1107670161_31336342_5834956_n.jpg

The descent begins with an encounter with the infamous Bellygood Ledge. A loooong and very exposed sidewalk from hell. The dirt on the ledge is shiny from people crawling on it on, well, their bellies. We chose to stand and shuffle along the ledge, all the time quaking in or boots. Howe sound below us.

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs425.snc4/46802_1470186230458_1107670161_31336343_5982021_n.jpg

The end of the ledge became a sort of hanging garden. Very beautiful.

 

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs405.snc4/46802_1470186270459_1107670161_31336344_3768633_n.jpg

Lunch. 4pm. ooff McMuffin.

 

Here, Craig Vanna Whites our gear selection.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs212.ash2/47548_1470186750471_1107670161_31336346_5852345_n.jpg

 

Two jokers in every deck. Every time.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs412.snc4/47548_1470186830473_1107670161_31336348_2884111_n.jpg

Edited by klondike
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Just for the bolt ladder. We are inherently too lazy to do the 5.13 moves

 

Are you familiar with the “French free” technique to get up the bolt ladder? It is about 30x faster than using aiders and won’t hold up any parties below you.

 

You basically rack your quickdraws on your harness as if you were going to “sport” climb up the bold ladder, but instead you clip the bolt and grab the draw on the dogbone (webbing between the biners) and yard up and clip the next bolt. In between bolts for those big reaches, you step on the bolts like a ladder. You can clip every third or fourth bolt if you want, for protection, or clip every single one if you are scared. You can rest on any of the bolts by clipping the draw into your belay loop once you have yarded up to it. Easy. And best of all you don’t need to bring any extra gear than you have already brought for the Grand.

 

The bolt ladder above the sword should take no more than two minutes to complete if done in this fashion.

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Just for the bolt ladder. We are inherently too lazy to do the 5.13 moves

 

Are you familiar with the “French free” technique to get up the bolt ladder? It is about 30x faster than using aiders and won’t hold up any parties below you.

 

You basically rack your quickdraws on your harness as if you were going to “sport” climb up the bold ladder, but instead you clip the bolt and grab the draw on the dogbone (webbing between the biners) and yard up and clip the next bolt. In between bolts for those big reaches, you step on the bolts like a ladder. You can clip every third or fourth bolt if you want, for protection, or clip every single one if you are scared. You can rest on any of the bolts by clipping the draw into your belay loop once you have yarded up to it. Easy. And best of all you don’t need to bring any extra gear than you have already brought for the Grand.

 

The bolt ladder above the sword should take no more than two minutes to complete if done in this fashion.

 

Ya, Dude. why don't you speed it up, Buddy. pffft. Did'nt you know your climbing the slow way? Geez.

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The Grand Wall is fantastic!! Maybe my best route ever. I've climbed it twice. Both times I improv-aided both the bolt ladders with longer slings knotted in the middle, to step on, my personal anchor, and a quickdraw on my belay loop.

 

I assumed I wasn't strong enough to just french my way through it. Especially after climbing the Sword, which is pretty pumpy, and wanting to have the gas left for Perry's. But I never tried. How hard is it really?

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The Grand Wall .... How hard is it really?

 

I'm not sure that bolt ladder has ever gone free. The free Grand goes right at the top of the Sword pitch out that undercling (called the Underfling). Then it climbs a crux slab pitch (13b?) up and left to the anchors at the base of Perry's. Check out some great photos of Mark doing it last year. Don't have link handy.

 

Yes, just take a few quickdraws and a couple of extendable slings you can stand in and that bolt ladder will go fast. It's short.

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Not sure what you mean by french. Clip qdraw to bolt. Clip long sling on bolt. Clip lead rope into qdraw. Stand in long sling. Clip new qdraw to next bolt. Repeat. Clip yourself to qdraw or long sling at any point to rest. No etriers needed. No free moves required at all.

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Not sure what you mean by french. Clip qdraw to bolt. Clip long sling on bolt. Clip lead rope into qdraw. Stand in long sling. Clip new qdraw to next bolt. Repeat. Clip yourself to qdraw or long sling at any point to rest. No etriers needed. No free moves required at all.

 

The long sling is not required. Just clip each bolt and grab the draw and stand up on the bolt, repeat...

The bolt ladder is fairly low-angle and is not hard in this fashion.

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