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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 18, 2017 - 11:07pm PT
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CPF June 3, 2017
4 parties on the route, 2 waiting at the base... we were walking back from Kor-Beck, which had a party of 3 on the first pitch with a party of 2 waiting (hi Johanna & Jeff!)...
Bear's Reach on a very busy Saturday, June 17, 2017
there could very possibly have been a rope on the three pitches from the ground to the top, the "bushy ledge" was very social indeed...
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Byran
climber
Half Dome Village
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Jun 18, 2017 - 11:49pm PT
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Did Zodiac a couple weeks ago. Perfect 7 day forecast and 0 other parties on the wall.
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Jun 19, 2017 - 12:20am PT
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And yet no one is ever up at the Warren Towers in Lee Vining Canyon to do the Gable-Hartouni. What's the matter? Don't they like to walk?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jun 19, 2017 - 05:18am PT
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Timing, walking, and don't settle for lame routes. There's a whole world out there!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Jun 19, 2017 - 05:41am PT
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Fuque queues all around.
I know, I don't climb any longer, but I feel your disconcert, guys.
All I can say is I'm so very, very glad because my climbing career, such as it was, was vastly uncrowded and far less minutely scrutinized.
There was never ever a line at the base of those MCR routes that lie so close to the road. But then CPF had not been done yet, only the lowly Ch/Pratt and the (then) Kor/Beck "Dirt Direct," the neglected Powell/Reed and the awesome corner of the Bircheff/Williams line. And The Flakes, the unprotected but mellow line far to the right.
Hell, you had to look sharp to see anyone on any of these, ever.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Jun 19, 2017 - 05:47am PT
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Ah, well, those are two mega classics on weekends. CPF has had crowds for over 20 years. At least now there's a separate rap route. BITD the doods above would have to rap straight through those coming up--a freakin' PITA. Fortunately, I can usually dodge the weekends. Time to hunt for the more obscure lines when possible. I was blessed to take a young fella out to his first Leap outing a couple of years ago. We were able to go mid-week and didn't have even ONE other party on all the classics, and we did a buttload.
BAd
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Jun 19, 2017 - 06:04am PT
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I took my son on a tour of Valley classics in May some few years ago when Grossman & Mimi got married. Crowds don't matter quite as much when you're first on the route, and alpine starts did the trick. 5am at Nutcracker had us as the first party of the day, and it was as fun as it was the last time I climbed in in 1976. Still though, lots of folks out climbing these days, and I thought the degradation of climbing gyms meant everyone was supposed to go do closely bolted sport routes, what's with all the folks on humble crack routes, aren't they supposed to be afraid of placing gear? ;-)
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Jun 19, 2017 - 06:09am PT
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Gunks continue to be a zoo. I'm pretty sure that the Trapps and Near Trapps are at maximum capacity on any weekend day that has fairly decent weather and have been that way for the last two decades. With that said, if you keep your objectives open and your eyes open you can still find plenty of good climbs wide open. My biggest beef is with the damn rappel routes that were installed 15-ish years ago. So many people rap routes now that the ridge trail is getting overgrown. It was common practice to climb to the top and walk off. I'd equate the rap routes with the advent of leashes in surfing. It creates crowds where no crowds used to be.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jun 19, 2017 - 06:16am PT
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High season + weekend + late start + California = you'll have lots of company.
Doesn't matter what you're doing. My Old Man said the same thing about golf when I talked to him yesterday.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jun 19, 2017 - 06:25am PT
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As Gunkie points out but does not mention, the addition of bolted stations 17-18 yr's ago has ruined the experience , or the purity of the experience, and droped the learning process to nil. Also with the advent of bolted ' Rap stations' Gudes and all others now top rope the crap out of everything , climbs I once felt totally secure on, are polished to a glassy finish.
one move wonders, where there is only one foot hold, ( C.C.K, ) are so polished that they could be considered a grade harder.
The idea that the top was being saved from erosion is and always was BS. The monitazation, for the now failed industry leader, Eastern Mountain Sports(EMS) was the co-sponsor in the back ground , pushing the ' need' for bolted anchors, it then led to a whole new level , the Single Pitch certification, that has destroyed that purity of the experience .
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Loose Rocks
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
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Jun 19, 2017 - 07:40am PT
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Minus Kor-Beck, which I'm not a regular visitor of, I have seen those conditions at the start of those routes over multiple years. For moderate climbs the inverse proportion of climber density and distance from parking applies.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Jun 19, 2017 - 08:44am PT
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^^^ Ha! I sometimes think with 40 million people in this state many think if there isn't a line something may be wrong. Whether waiting in line with an infinite amount of rock around or it's being tail gated on a winding unpassable road or seeing the hord in line at a chair lift such is normal for many. Skiing one time at Mammoth there was this huge line yet right around the corner a lift with no wait was there to whisk you up to the same high quality snow that day......."Cityits"???
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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Jun 19, 2017 - 08:47am PT
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Plenty of mountain folk stand in line on weekends. I just finished a bouldering session on Donner Summit. Nary a soul.
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DanaB
climber
CT
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Jun 19, 2017 - 08:54am PT
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The (newer) installation of bolted anchors at the 'Gunks was essentially presented as a fait accompli, and it was a classic advertising campaign.
Create a need or exploit one - Don't you want to be safe while climbing? Doesn't everyone?
Add a sense of urgency - There are dozens of unsafe rappel stations out there, and someone is going to get hurt. Something needs to be done now.
Offer people a simplistic, binary choice - Either continue abseiling off these time bombs or let us install modern, safe anchors.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Jun 19, 2017 - 09:02am PT
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It's such a surprise and a pleasure to see other climbers (at least some that I don't know) when climbing on Sonora Pass.
I never take advantage of the easy camping though; I'm spoiled enough to just come home at night.
But what I really miss (hahahaha) is being harassed by overworked rangers who've had so much constant exposure to idiots that they assume that everyone is one.
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WBraun
climber
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Jun 19, 2017 - 09:05am PT
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Like anything .....
First, comes the pioneers and then the hoard of the masses and all their commercialization, and need for excessive media exposure.
"Look at ME, look what I do, I'm a climber"
"Follow ME" ......
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jun 19, 2017 - 10:57am PT
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A few short years ago you could just get on something harder, but now if it's even remotely good it's everyone's proj - instagram updates galor of that glorious 15 seconds you managed to stay off the rope - on your 30th attempt. Everyone gets their own little Dawn Wall.
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kaholatingtong
Trad climber
The real McCoy from the inside of my van.
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Jun 19, 2017 - 11:03am PT
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Lemmings, the lot of em!!
Just climb some slab, we generally have those, sometimes entire crags or areas to ourself when the congas are taking place nearby... climbed during facelift last year and had the entire arches apron all to ourselves... just gotta be willing to climb obscure or be willing to deal with an approach...
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Jun 19, 2017 - 11:12am PT
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I agree with the sentiment that in general a lot of what we care about has gone to hell. But, the good news is that many of us got to climb in a time before it was so crowded.at least we have that.
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