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Trad
Trad climber
Davis, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 5, 2003 - 01:29am PT
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I've always wanted to climb Fandango (5.9) at Lovers Leap but was reluctant because of the ominous (yet somewhat ambiguous) warning on John Black's Leap Beta Page (http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~jrblack/leap.html):
"DANGER!!! In late August 1997, a large feature pulled on the first pitch, nearly killing the leader who was liebacking it. Until you hear otherwise, it would probably be wise to STAY OFF THIS CLIMB. There is likely much loose crap up there...
I recently heard from someone that the guy who pulled this flake (which is still lying at the base, incidentally) was way off route, and that this climb [Fandango] is quite doable in its current state. I have no personal experience to back this up, however."
I've often wondered whether others avoid Fandango for the same reason as me, so this is an update/clarification on the status of the route.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to climb at the Leap with George Conner, one of Fandango's first ascentionists, and I asked him if he could clear up the uncertainty. We climbed the route and it turns out that the 2nd paragraph on John's page is correct; the pulled flake was NOT on Fandango. Actually, Fandango is a great route! Yes it's a little grungy from lack of use, but once it's cleaner it will be even better.
So, if you're looking for an empty route at the Leap some weekend, hike down to the west end of East Wall and check out Fandango. Just past Psychadelic Tree you'll pass the (infamous) flake still lying at the base of the cliff, and just past that the trail curves to the right and down towards the Central Wall area. To climb Fandango, DO NOT curve to the right but instead go straight (only a few meters) through some shrubbery on a faint trail. The route is a pretty obvious line that looks like this:
(If the image doesn't load email me and I can send you the file - it's about 60K.)
If memory serves, the climbing was combination of face and crack, and I used mostly nuts and some small cams to protect first pitch. Again, it's a fun route, and even with the current moss/grunge in the crack you can get good gear placements when you need 'em.
Tom
P.S. A possible variation, which I haven't tried yet, might be to climb the first pitch of Fandango and then traverse left on the ledge - watch for loose rocks - and top out via the last pitch of Psychedelic Tree. (Psychedelic Fandango??)
2007 Edit: I fixed the picture link.
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ricardo
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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the picture did not show up right ...
we tried fandango a few months ago .. and bailed when 2 out of 3 of us took leader falls on the 1st pitch .. seemed way harder than 5.9 due to all the vegetation ..
 ricardo
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Marin Hot Tub Country
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(I put it on my server -- Geocities might have a traffic limit or other issues)
Brian Mibach (the guy soloing Fantasia in the Yellow guide--page 189)
did either a variation or a separate line and called it Fundango. (5.8)
I can get more info and exact location if anyone is interested.
Hardman Knott
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Trad
Trad climber
Davis, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 8, 2003 - 01:34am PT
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ricardol wrote:
we tried fandango a few months ago .. and bailed when 2 out of 3 of us took leader falls on the 1st pitch .. seemed way harder than 5.9 due to all the vegetation.
Well, I didn't say it was *easy*, just that it was fun and would be better if it were cleaner! ;)
When did you climb it? We did it at the end of July when it was pretty dry, but I can imagine that if it was wet it would be sketchier. In fact, the 2nd pitch involves some face climbing on lichen and might be a little scary near the top if it was wet. That's partly why I was thinking of the Psychedelic Tree 2nd pitch variation.
Also, where did you take the falls? Just curious. I thought the crux was towards the top of the first pitch where the crack peters out. I got a tiny finger lock and went up to the left, but George (following) made some other kind of move up to the right. After that it's a dike-hike to the ledge.
Have you ever climbed Psychedelic Tree? I thought that, in some ways, Fandango was more solid than that route (which I've climbed 3 or 4 times, most recently about 2 weeks before the Fandango trip), because I didn't encounter so many loose rocks.
Well anyway, as others have said, "your mileage may vary". Mainly I just wanted to set the record straight about the pulled flake in case anyone was avoiding Fandango because of the confusion on John's web page.
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ricardo
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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took the leader falls right at the place you're taking about .. you get a nice finger lock with your right hand .. and then step up towards the left ..
.. a green alien protected those moves ... not a big fall .. maybe 8 - 10 feet ..
.. umm -- we were there early in the season ... defiantely before july ..
.. and i do agree with you -- it looked like a fun climb .. and would have been about 5.9 if it were not for all the plants .. one step on anything green and your feet would cut out..
ricardo
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TCF
Trad climber
Oakland, CA
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Did Fandango, well most of it, this weekend, and the prior reports seem on point. It was a stiff 5.9 for us and we had some route finding trouble at the end. I looked up the definition of Fandango, which coincidentally and irrelevantly was Kevin Costner's first movie...
fan·dan·go/fanˈdaNGgō/
Noun:
A lively Spanish dance for two people, typically accompanied by castanets or tambourine.
A foolish or useless act or thing.
Seems accurate.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Did it a couple months ago, loved it, great route. Mildly veggy but I like that crap. Liked it better than psychedelic tree.
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factortwo
Social climber
Placerville, ca
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Did it Saturday. It is excellent. I recommend it. If you are intimidated by the grade or the reputation I say bring some extra finger size pro for P1. Also the bolts at the belays have been chopped. I built a belay at P1 with Green Camalots and 0 TCU. Tied off a tree on top. Didn't find it hardly veggie at all. The beginning and end of the route are not so elegant but the whole middle is more sustained and more fun than "the line".
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james Colborn
Trad climber
Truckee, Ca
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Belay bolts were probably chopped by "local" climbers from Vacaville.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Jul 10, 2012 - 12:40am PT
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Belay bolts were probably chopped by "local" climbers from Vacaville.
Actually, they weren't. Haven't touched them since the first time they disappeared. They get taken care of by the "local" Strawberry crew I believe.
Bolts on Fandango are no more acceptable than bolts on say, Bears Reach. Never have been, never will be. Hard for someone from Truckee to believe I know, as ya'll put bolts on top of EVERYTHING, but it's true.
Fandango is one of the best routes on East Wall for sure. Can't believe you didn't like the topout. Scraping your way up that weird slab at the top didn't tickle your fancy? Usually is something everyone remembers. A better topo definitely needs to be drawn. The Carville guide is flat out wrong for the second pitch.
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Ed H
Trad climber
Santa Rosa
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We climbed this in 2 pitches when The Line had 2 parties backed up.
P1 seemed good for me as newbie 5.9 leader - mungy cause it does not get the traffic, but good pro and super comfy belay ledge.
P2 got our attention. My partner went up to the 5.9 bulge and lowered back down. I went up and pulled the move - solid 5.9 move on good pro. The bad news - after you pull the bulge, you are faced with 20 feet+ of run out 5.6 slab covered with moss - shit! I went right, got some pro, then traversed left to go up - tricky on first lead cause there is little to no sign of traffic.
My partners loved it - get in touch with your mountain plant life
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FTOR
Sport climber
CA
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i remember running into george at the end of one of his 'working' days when putting up that route. could only see the whites of his eyes through all the dirt. i bet a bit of that has returned over the years.
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