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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 7, 2007 - 11:56am PT
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Had this one on my list for a long time.
So Goatboy stacked the rope.
Gained an excellent position out left on the aręte, explored stretchy moves out to the right and cast off into multiple bulges set with in-cut edges and finger flakes, …lay backed off a solid lock at the crux, swung up into a hanging slab and continued dancing upward with tasty exposure.
We missed the belay, carrying on from bottom to top in one pitch; got some rope drag but it didn't spoil anything.
Immensely entertaining!
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
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Nice Trip Reporticita. It looks so sunny and warm there.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nice, good to see your getting out.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Sounds like a route where one had best avoid latter day strain.
cheers Roy! Git some!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2007 - 01:05pm PT
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Terrific route Oli,
Got any memories from that one?
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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looks pretty cool Roy, thanks for sharing.
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Roy
Very nice, it's time for FIs I see
Well it looks like the cooler weather has arrived for today anyway.
Climbing this morning in South Platte we only saw one other party.
I also saw two cars belonging too other climbers below Cynical Pinnacle.
My car said 45 but felt like 65 in the sun OH so perfect was today
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2007 - 05:28pm PT
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From Rossiter:
From Roach:
Rap off the back one rope.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Nice one, GB and Roy. Couldn't have picked a finer day for it.
You reminded me that that one's been on my list for a long time too.
I remember Oli recomending it highly. Hey Pat, chime in here with the first ascent story.
Rick
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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I like W. C.'s retort when offered a glass of water...
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Hey Tar,
Looks like a fun climb. Thanks for reporting in.
It looks like the series of bulges at the top might be tricky.
I usually have trouble with bulges.
Goatboy, good to read your name out and about.
See y'all,
Zander
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Alex Perry
Trad climber
California
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Pat don't let any diseased spirits keep you from talking to all the rest of us who totally appreciate you. Remember the Einstein comment about great spirits receiving opposition. I can't believe that climb is only 5.8+.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Thanks, Tar, Rick, Alex, Graham, others...
That climb is a tiny one but slightly intense. My partner was Tom Avery, and at the time people were combining names a lot, you know, such as the Chouinard-Herbert..., and so we combined our names, Avery-Ament, and considered Avery-Ament Slab but thinking about it got to playing with that... until A very Ament's slab happened. Royal would have liked the pun probably, or not liked it (which may be the more desired effect). I remember placing a bolt right at the bulging crux by placing a knee chest level under a down-hanging flake. To my surprise, with this knee-lock, I could easily let go with both hands, where otherwise the climbing is delicate and somewhat tricky. I suppose now it's possible to get all sorts of Friends and things under some of those flakes. That one bolt was the only protection, if I recall, for the whole route. Oh, maybe there was a small nut somewhere else too. It is just a nice place to climb, beautiful position. I often went up there, pretending to be a beginner again, to re-live my youth (some of the best memories of my life).
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Oli,
When was that route put up? Could it be that was the very first use of what is commonly referred to now as a "knee bar?"
Definitely never heard of anyone using a full knee bar to establish a bolt placement GU.
thx for the route name explanation too.
cheers,
Munge
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Good story, I never heard of a knee bar to place a bolt either!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 8, 2007 - 10:51am PT
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The knee bar was very obvious and it was quite steep at that particular point, maybe just less than dead vertical.
The Goatboy was following, and I looked down at him as he reached that point and said "hey, how did he place that bolt? Check it out, can you drop your hands? Because I saw a handy knee lock there, right under the bolt..."
Not your average Flatiron east face.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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The history is a bit strange. It was done in 1969. I usually can remember well these various climbs, but this one eludes me a bit. If I recall correctly, I think Tom and I tried the route, and it started snowing or something. When I got the bolt in at the crux the rock was soaking and white and icy. And it was either grab the bolt and paw a way up through the snow or lower. So I went up somehow but grabbed the bolt. Then on a sunny day I returned with Tom Menk and Bob Hritz and climbed it without problems, claiming the free ascent that Avery and I were perfectly capable of doing without the snow. I see in the guide that there are two bolts on the crux pitch, one lower down, and then a bolt at the belay at the top of the first pitch. Rossiter's description seems all wrong.
As for the knee lock under the flake, that was a convenient discovery. Tar, sounds as though you figured that out right away. Some might not see it. I was good at finding ways to wedge or stem or whatever to let go. I once did a tough stemming boulder route with John Gill in Lost Canyon near Pueblo, and he told me quite a few guys could do the route as a big, muscular power move. I wasn't strong enough to do it that way and so invented the stemming version. He told me later that several very much stronger climbers than I could do it the normal one-arm pull-dynamic way but couldn't do it my way. It always made me happy to know there is a place in the climbing world for people with less strength but a little creativity.
A Very Ament's Slab is a nice little climb, probably not done all that often. The real route to do is behind WC Fields to the west and uphill, on the west overhang of the next pinnacle, a route called Soarks that I did with Tom Higgins in the mid-1970s -- wildly overhanging and scary (likely 5.11). We forgot the hammer, so I placed a bolt using a stone from the scree slope. I placed the bolt on an overhanging wall, held on by my forearm jammed between two small protrusions of rock. I could free a couple of fingers of that jammed forearm to hold the drill and was able to let go with my right hand to hammer with the rock. I dropped the rock once or twice, and Higgins would tie another onto the rope that I would have to haul up. That was a feat.
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Alex Perry
Trad climber
California
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Nice accounts of finding ways to let go with the hands while on steep climbing.
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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Soarks continued ...
And after laughing and laughing at our hammerless stupidity, watching Pat blam with a rock, it was my turn. Off I went up and right, getting a bit out there, not laughing anymore, not quite getting the pro in I should have to protect Pat for the last traversing part he would have to follow, maybe because my eye was too much on a young nymph watching us, then a cranky pull to finish it and, uh, now Pat was facing one of the longest pendulum falls of his days should he not make it, but he did, but I forget if the girl made a little smile.
Looking back to 1979 American Alpine Journal, I find this reference to Soarks for a clue to the weird name: “Pat Ament and I climbed a new route on the ridge just south of the Third Flatiron. It is an overhanging pinnacle surrounded at the base by poison ivy. The climb was done on July 4 and originally called 'Sparks.' A report in Mountain misprinted the name and the name stuck. NCCS I, F10.”
11, 10 … I don’t know. More important was the wild ivy, hammer at home and leggy, perching girl ...
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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