[TR] Index - Lamar's Trust-TPMV and Overdone Classics 7/18/2011

[rocketparrotlet]

Trip: Index - Lamar's Trust-TPMV and Overdone Classics

 

Date: 7/18/2011

 

Trip Report:

I headed out to Index with Tobias for some cragging, talking relentlessly about Sloe Children and how much I wanted to climb it, but probably couldn't lead it. That probably made up half of the day's conversation. Anyway, the Lower Wall looked damp, so we decided to do the Great Northern Slab and I figured I might as well try to lead Libra Crack. So we made it up to the top of the Slab through Libra Crack and Pisces, scrambled over the bottom of the Shield, and I tried to find Lamar's Trust, a route which looked interesting to me due to its rating of 5.9, which there isn't too much of at Index. We scrambled up the dirt and I started up the dirty crack, cleaning out tons of dirt with my chock pick as I went along. I mantled up onto a small ledge and started up the slab portion of the climb.

 

The guidebook calls Lamar's Trust a 5.9+ slab route with a "bolted" finish. Well above my last gear placement, I clipped the first bolt, a rusty old SMC that looked like it could come out under a fall. Shaking wildly as I moved up, I almost made it to the second bolt...and fell. Frantically, I grabbed the draw and got a sickening feeling in my gut, but it held...thank God. I moved up to the second bolt, equally as bad as the first one, and much higher up. The lichen crunched as my feet skittered across the slab and my palms held on to nothing. I clipped the bolt and moved a few feet up onto some even more insecure foot and hand placements. With feet slipping, I stood on the bolt desperately and composed myself as much as I could under these circumstances. I could not go down. The next thing I saw brought forth a hearty, "Oh, SHIT!" The next bolt was entirely rust and the hanger was torn, an old job that looked like bent 1mm sheet metal. There was no doubt in my mind: if I fell here, the bolt would fail, and a broken ankle would be the best I could wish for. I frantically palmed my way up the slab, fully understanding the "slap and pray" aspect of friction slab climbing. Well above this bolt, I placed a TCU in an overlap and moved on, up to the anchors, and continued onto the top pitch of TPMV. I have never been more happy to see a new 3/8" bolt in my life. I brought my partner up, and he just stared at me for a few seconds before saying anything. As I sat at the anchors, a warm feeling of safety invaded my senses as I stared down at the railroad tracks a few hundred feet below. "So this is why everybody just does Godzilla," I thought to myself.

 

We did some dirty low-5th climbing and scrambling to the proper top of the Lower Wall and rappelled down what I think is the Narrow Arrow Standard route, a hard-to-follow 5.7 with many variations and hard separate climbs along the way. Finding rappels was difficult but not horrendous, and this route doesn't look quite as bad as its little-climbed reputation might suggest. I got to see an old aid crack not in any guidebook that I have heard rumors about as being 5.14 potential. The Narrow Arrow area is a huge section of the wall that most people never get to see, and it's actually quite cool. Once down onto a ledge, I scrambled over to the top of Thin Fingers and we toproped that, pretty sure it's only like the 3rd time that climb has been done or something, it deserves more traffic.

 

Once down, Tobias led up Godzilla and I got a chance to climb City Park p2 for the first time, and hopefully not the last. Finally we were at Sloe Children. Tobias said that he wasn't feeling up to leading it, so I agreed to give it a try despite it being harder than anything I've ever successfully led before. I am still kind of humiliated- I couldn't even make the first moves to get established into the corner due to fear of falling onto the belay from 4 feet up. Next time I guess. All in all, a pretty good day.

[Tyson.g]

Nice work Mark.

Your second paragraph is fantastic and really captures the feeling of leading out on shitty gear.

Way to keep it together!

Keep it up Mark, it is cool watching your climbing progress.

 

[selkirk]

Great TR.

 

Anyone here done Crackmaster Lambada out at Vantage? I hit the top of that and realized that I hadn't trusted a single piece of gear on the whole damn thing. Brought my buddy up, and we sat that for a second then both started giggling nervously that we were still alive.

 

I'll take technically with good gear over moderate with shitty gear any day of the week!

[mountainmatt]

Anyone here done Crackmaster Lambada out at Vantage? I hit the top of that and realized that I hadn't trusted a single piece of gear on the whole damn thing.

 

I second that. How that got 3 stars is beyond me...

 

 

[mattp]

Years ago, I used to like that climb (Lamar's Trust). It is sad that it has fallen into disrepair.

[rocketparrotlet]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

 

Years ago, I used to like that climb (Lamar's Trust). It is sad that it has fallen into disrepair.

 

All it needs is a little cleaning and 3 replaced bolts. The climbing itself wasn't bad. I'd do it myself, but I've never drilled a bolt.

[mattp]

Bolt replacement can be easy or hard. You never know for sure until you try to pull the offending piece of hardware. I don't remember but the age suggests these might be 5/16 button-heads or other hardware that are probably larger than 1/4. If they are 1/4, they would probably be relatively easy to remove and replace. If larger, maybe not (some 3/8" gear is VERY easy to pull).

[rocketparrotlet]

None of the bolts are 3/8". The first two are rusty old SMC bolts, and the last one is something horribly sketchy and possibly homemade. If you want to remove it, a good tug or a directed breath may get it out.

[mattp]

Some of that sketchy looking stuff turns out to be very strong but even the best looking hardware fails 1 out of X times. Last time I went up there I found a fallen tree lying on the route that threatened to break a leg even if the bolts held. I guess this particular hazard is gone.