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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 7, 2010 - 09:52pm PT
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Climbed on Memorial weekend Left side route on Slab Happy Pinnacle and like to share how good the route is.
I was thinking about to climb Slab Happy long time ago since Largo and Werner once mentioned the route as one of the favorite ..
I had walk to the base of the Pinnacle last fall in rainy day to check how is approach and found that book description is good and correct except that 3rd class passage is in fact - class 3d. I build a lot of ducks. And approach took about an hour .
Amazing beta from Werner for approach is also help
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=91586&tn=20
So I found a very attractive formation with intriguing routes as on Left, in the Middle and on Right site
I learn from Clint report that Dihardral( right) has very tricky start and it truly looks like unprobable from the ground, and Center route with widely spaced bolts was not first pick for me - shitty face climber. So my choice was The Left Side and it looks very good. Later I read Levy's TR how they climbed Center Route and Levy, -if you do not mind - I'll use your photo since non of us took the camera.
this is photo of Left Side route from the base. One can see P1 Chimey, P2 double-crack roof, and p3 last roof with big hands lip
So on Memorial day week ago my friend Wes and I approach Slab Happy Pinnacle - and started racking up in the base of Left side route . As I said, the route is looking exciting from bottom, one small roof and two big roofs in the chimney flowing one after other as waives .
Wes did not climb outdoors for the last 6 month - and I was climbing this year every weekend, so he decided to take first pitch and give second and third for me
The first pitch ends just below first big roof and when Wes was climbing first pitch chimney , I was trying to scale his body up to p2, to figure out what I will be doing on crux p2. I was thinking that turning the lip of double crack roof is the crux and if the chimney is friendly size - I would be able to do it. The first pitch was grunt 5.8 , physical and long.
I started second pitch little tense knowing that this grade it close to my limit , but everything goes smooth. The chimney size was friendly, pro - good and abundant and I found myself tuning the lip of the roof with rare moment in my climbing life - 5.11 crux done -and I am not even pumped. WTF? Answer come 15 feet after. - You are not pumped dork because you did not pass the crux yet! And one more thing added after the roof done - bad Rope drug. I did not sling well some places under the roofs, not sure where. Probably with rope drug - I better to stop just before the crux - set up anchor and brake pitch in two parts, but I continue. Crux is steep flared fingers, just two hard moves, but with such rope drug I had no chances- so I pull on the gear. Last 20-25 feet of relatively easy chimney/OW I carried two pieces only left on my rack Blue Camelot ( for Donini belay) and blue Alien ( for Noriko belay). Good news when I reach alcove of top of p2 - was Blue Camelot placement available.
Last Pitch started with ~12 feet chimney/roof and 10d wide hands to turn of the lip. Some moves above the lip reminiscent to mid section of Tideline in Omstead point . Went well, no rope drug this time and the rest of pitch was sustain and interesting too.
Later I was thinking that this is one the few times when I have no climbing information about this root at all except of book/topo and it was kind of cool. Usually I desperately collect beta, but I did not find anything this time.
When Wes and I were done with the route and were siting on top of the Pinnacle - we had a feeling that we done something, and happy of our route choice, and the place itself
All 3 pitches on this route was physical, long 140-150 feet and memorable. I think the route for comparison has same grade as New Dimensions, equal in quality, little longer and overall harder .
We drug a second rope since there only one intermediate rappel station on the face of the Pinnacle and one 70 m rope is not sufficient to rap. This intermediate rap station consist of 3 relict bolts ( one of them is half out of the hole) and probably drilled in 70th and the station looks scary. I never drilled a bolt in my life but I want to learn how to do it and volunteer to go go there again to replace this station with someone who know how .
The route itself has no bolts/pins at all except of one piton in the last roof above alcove of p2, and probably not necessary with modern pro, unless you come to alcove without gear at all.
Those 3 pitches took for us more than 4 hours, so we decided not climb Dihardral ( 3 pitches right side) and leave it for another day. Clint I still have your beta for Dihardral !
And we ended day at Silent Freeway, - this route is wow too. Clean corner crack with unexpected climatic end - double mantel .., I meant two mantels in the row
BTW, this is my first TR
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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great TR Alexey, another place that has been on my radar screen for a while...
good on you to get on it up there!
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Right on Alexey!
Man, you are gunning this year!
Your words express a certain reverence for the climbs you do, very humble.
That gash would have me running for the Natural!
Thanks for a great TR!
Mucci
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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I can aid climb that level!!!
:)
good stuff A!
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Gary Carpenter
climber
SF Bay Area
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Alexey,
You're the man!!
Missed you Saturday
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Great TR Alexey,
Well written, funny.
Thanks,
Z
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, alexey... i really enjoyed this, and i am not a climber... i liked the neat comments about the map, werner, and all, too...
i wish i understood the stuff on the map a bit better... and could also see more of the rock to go with it...
very good to hear, that all matches up well in these cases, as, out in the world (not so much out on the rocks) a lot of "what you see" is not what you end up getting, "after the fact"....
well, some day when i am able to let some of the projects rest a bit more, i may study more on these maps... i always loved maps, and rock climbing ones are a neat discovery here at supertopo...
:)
glad you had a great trip...
:)
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Great TR, Alexey! It was fun to visualize the climbing from your descriptions. I had heard the Left Side was original / stout, and your TR backs it up. Pretty cool looking, too.
I would like to get back up there and replace some more bolts - if you want to go back sometime for the Dihardral, keep me posted on plans and I'll tag along to jug a line and work on the bolts (I'm not climbing so hard these days).
I know Tom McMillan replaced a couple of anchors there - they must have been the top anchor and the Right side / Dihardral.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Thanks for the Trip Report! Glad you got up there! I'll go back there with a bolt-kit next time. I'd like to do the Left Side on the next visit.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Awesome TR. Slab Happys been on the radar for a couple years.
I can show you how to replace a bolt if you'd like. It's not rocket science!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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малодетьц!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Love to see more pictures on this one, and also on the Dihardral, which rarely gets done I would think.
JL
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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 8, 2010 - 05:24pm PT
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Thanks for positive feedback, I'll try to write other reports if I climb something new and good.
For me, time to write this short report took about same time as we climbed it...
Clint , I love to go with you to climb Dihardral and replace rappel bolts, thanks for the offer.
Let's do it after summer heat brake - in end of September- early October.
It is interesting that next day we met Tom McMillan, - he used to climb with Wes long time ago - so he mentioned about bolt replacement on Slab Happy he did, but we understood that it was on Right side.
The bad ancor I am talking is in the middle of the face where on Topo is letter "D" and arrow down and it crossed by route call "The Happy Ending"
On the top of the pinnacle no bolts at all, but relatively new slings with biners around the block.
And on top of P1 of Center route ancor "C" consists of two good ASCA bolts, but we skipped them since we did rap with two ropes. But there is no way to skip crappy "D" ancor if you rappelling from top with two ropes. Even 2 x70 will not reach "C"
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nutjob
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Bump for good stuff and new inspiration.
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz Mountains/Los Gatos
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nice TR.
thought the second pitch 5.9 on the Dihardral was among the hardest 5.9's I've ever done.
good rock up there though
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Jul 11, 2012 - 06:38pm PT
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The chimney size was friendly, pro - good and abundant and I found myself tuning the lip of the roof with rare moment in my climbing life - 5.11 crux done -and I am not even pumped. WTF? Answer come 15 feet after. - You are not pumped dork because you did not pass the crux yet!
Alexey, you are far and away my favorite TR writer on this site. Your writing kicks ass, and you always climb the interesting, seldom-visited lines. Nice!
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scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
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Jul 11, 2012 - 06:59pm PT
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They're right--this is a great little trip report!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 11, 2012 - 08:09pm PT
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Nice report! Doesn't get done nearly enough.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jul 11, 2012 - 08:38pm PT
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All hail Steve Hordley and Sonia Buckley for the bolt replacement!
Well done and thank you.
And yes, nice TR Alexey.
One of the all-time better "obscure" routes to do in Da Valley.
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SuperTopo on the Web
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the scary rappel anchor described in Alexey's report here
Let us know!