Val Zephyr Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Trip: Prusik - Stanley-Burgner (Sister's Trip 2011!) Date: 8/29/2011 Trip Report: An annual tradition Hayley and I began in 2005 is to find a trip/route that challenges us and to complete it as a sister’s team. This tradition is more important now than ever before as Hayley is now in Baltimore and we only see each other once or twice a year. This year, Hayley had a short trip planned in WA and our window for this trip was rapidly closing as her departure date neared. She had plans in Vancouver through Saturday night, but offered up a crazy idea. I would be in the Enchantments with Nathan on Sat-Sunday. What if she met me up there on Sunday evening and we climbed the Stanley-Burgner route on Prusik peak? I was skeptical. Could she really leave Vancouver at 6am, drive to Leavenworth, and hike up to the top of Aasgard pass by Sunday evening? She seemed to think so. We each got radios with the plan to turn them on Sunday afternoon. If Hayley could make it, Nathan would leave his climbing gear and sleeping gear at Aasgard and I would wait for her to show up. After a long two days of Nathan and I carrying an overnight pack and half a rack all around the Enchantment basin, we sat at the top of Aasgard, ready to head home. I took out the radio to find that it had already been accidently turned on in my pack! With the final bit of juice from the dying battery, I radioed to my sister, not really expecting an answer. “I’m at the bottom of Aasgard Pass” she responded. The trip was a go! Nathan ditched almost all of his gear and ran down the trail with a light pack. Hayley joined me an hour and a half later with a light pack containing additional cams and food. The gear switch, something we’ve wanted to do for years, was a success! Hayley and I found a comfortable bivy and tried (but failed) to get some sleep for the long day ahead. We made our way over to the route and were beginning our climb sometime just after 9am. The first pitch is a long, stiff 5.8. Actually, almost all of the pitches seemed stiff for the grade, because many have off-width portions. I fought my way through it. It was a fun pitch, but challenging for a 5.8. Hayley followed in fine style (after two years in Baltimore, she’s still got it!). She took over from there and led the only moderate pitch on the entire route (the rest are in the 5.8/5.9 range). I got the 3rd, “easy knobs at first, but a fall here would ruin your day” a line in a TR I’d read about the route echoed in my head. After the knobs, I ran out more of the rope up a chimney/gully until rope-drag was a pain and I had a nice belay ledge. Hayley finished the chimney/gully with the hope of tunneling through the chockstone. She stopped at its base, low on cams and low on mental stamina; this thing looks pretty ominous. I tunneled through. It was actually really fun and not too hard, though I can see how it might be harder for those taller than Hayley and I. Hayley attached the pack to the rope ahead of her, and I put them both on belay so that she could direct the pack through (it really is quite a squeeze). This worked well. We had made good time up to this point, which was necessary because the final two pitches would completely destroy us. The sixth pitch was a flaring chimney (much like the chimney on Aries that I can’t climb all that well). I floundered a bit and resorted to yanking on cams (surprisingly still very exhausting). We hauled the pack here too, to give Hayley a chance at climbing this thing. Several minutes of grunting and cam yanking later, Hayley escaped the chimney. “Sorry for what I am about to do to you #1, and you too #2” Hayley joked as all sense of style was out the window on this pitch. We sat at the base of the crux pitch, a 140’ 5.9+ after just getting our asses handed to us by the much shorter 5.9. Ok, here goes! I loaded up every piece of gear possible (and we had brought a lot for this one) and set off. About a third of the way up a nice belay ledge appeared. I split the pitch into two sections to regain more cams and to regain my nerve (knowing that the crux was still ahead). As I worked my way up, it got harder and steeper. Finally I reached the last stretch of handcrack, with the crux being the final move. I jammed the first bit well, it felt great. Then the crack widened… I reached for the #5 friend. I again researched this part quite well and knew that the final move was protected by a #5 camalot. But the #5 friend didn’t fit, no matter how badly I wanted it to go, there was no way. Fuck. I was about 7’ above my last piece with no other options for pro. I jammed my shoulder into the wide crack next to me to “rest”. Another line from another TR ran through my head, “best top out EVER!”. And it was the best top out ever, because I went for it (a side pull, foot smear, step over thing) and I topped out! Horay! Hayley joined me on the summit thoroughly exhausted. We had spent 7 hours on the climb. Luckily for the first time ever, the rappels went without incident. I guess after 3 times of friction issues and rope stuckage, I’ve learned how to best avoid this on the descent. Though the Beckey guide calls for a double rope rappel, it can be done with a single 60m rope (I’ve eyed intermediate stations on previous trips). Use caution on these as they are just big detached blocks, but they work. We booked it to Aasgard and made it to the lake before dark! Then exhaustion set in, and we made our way down the long trail (didn’t seem that long on the way in!). A stop at Jack-in-the-Box for a 1:30 am breakfast (another sister’s tradition) finished off another memorable sister’s trip. Photos! The classic Prusik pic First pitch Hayley, ready to lead P4! Comfy belays The chockstone The flaring chimney on P6 Looking out of the crack from hell The crux pitch: Hayley ascends the crux pitch! Topping out! Random goat with good lighting on descent A fine end to Sister’s trip 2011! Until next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemarker Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Nice read and cool photos as usual Val! Good job you two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spionin Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 holy shenanigans! i'm glad you squeezed this one in before she took off for school! nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Great pictures. I thought the route should have a grade of 10.a myself. We did it in 4 pitches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I wish my brothers would climb... they seem to think it is a sport for the mentally insane. Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Sierra Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Thanks for another great Sister's Trip Val! This was probably one of the most challenging routes I have done, but with you it was enjoyable the whole time (even that squeeze flare chimney). Glad we could keep this tradition alive for another year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 very cool! thanks for the TR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Sweet jobs, Gals! Did you ladies climb the chimney with packs on or off? I still have all my knees scratched from this section a couple of weeks ago :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Zephyr Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 We had a single follower's pack, which we hauled. That chimney was still crazy hard even without a pack. I remember reading another TR that said "not a route for shorts" so I brought nice thick climbing pants; just bruises, no scrapes! I remember reading your TR too. Sounds like you had a great climb up there also + Backbone right? Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetimetravlr Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Great photos and TR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh Phuzzy Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Great TR! There is some great info in there fro someone looking at this climb. I love the bit about the Top Out; way to stick it! I'll be sure to bring a #5 CAMALOT d: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave7 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Great photos and TR! Thanks for the beta, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Zephyr Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Great TR! There is some great info in there fro someone looking at this climb. I love the bit about the Top Out; way to stick it! I'll be sure to bring a #5 CAMALOT d: A year later, I'm finally able to attribute the cam size mix-up to the fact that the old style #4 was purple. My "research" here involved looking at a bunch of pics and seeing a purple cam nicely placed in that top out crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine et Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Nice writeup - your cam conundrum made me think of this resource: http://info.rockrun.com/cam-size-comparison-chart.html but I realize friends aren't on there (unless DMM uses same sizing?) either way, as a new trad climber I've found that chart useful... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex789 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Good job sisters! Where are the pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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