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jfailing
Trad climber
A trailer park in the Sierras
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 22, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
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Not sure if there's already a thread out there, but I'm interested hearing about people's first wall experiences.
My introduction to wall climbing was a recent attempt at Triple Direct with some more experienced buddies. I ended up being so terrified going up the Freeblast, that I bailed down the fixed lines at Mammoth Terraces the next day while they kept on going.
Retrospectively, I realized that it was amazing being up on the wall, regardless of how terrified I was. I want that thrill again. You might say I've been bitten by some sort of wall-bug?
Someone told me a story about Greg Child's first wall experience and how he vowed to never climb a big-wall again... I guess there's hope for me yet!
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Aug 22, 2009 - 07:29pm PT
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NW Face of Half Dome on hexes and stoppers;.....1978....31 years ago......
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hooblie
climber
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Aug 22, 2009 - 08:03pm PT
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the shield in '78. my knee had popped out and back on the east butt of middle, so i figured to give it a rest...
not being an aid guy, well i had south face of the column under my belt, my partner taught me a lot about efficient technique and order at belays.
my thinking was if you're going to take a whipper, the shield might be the place to do it.
never suffered any bad feelings up there. plenty of tenuous stuff in my day but getting back up there after logging big air is probably the real test.
if that's the case, i got nothin'
at the deli, down went most of a beck's beer. something about the hops put some hurting on my salivary? glands, or some place you don't want to press real hard right near the jaw hinge. felt like syringes were pulling them inside out. lasted a few days. i've always looked at beck's a little sideways since though i like an IPA. could have been dehydration? or a failure in quality control
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Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
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Aug 22, 2009 - 08:07pm PT
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Leaning Tower in Yosemite May 1975, with Gary Clark.
Only reason we climbed Leaning Tower was Gary’s infectious enthusiasm. The only reason we got up it was Gary’s skills and enthusiasm.
I had never climbed overhanging aid, had never jumared, and had never led a pitch with more than a few points of aid.
From the moment we first climbed the dead tree and started the wildly overhanging first pitch, with instantly 600 feet or more of exposure: I was gripped for two days.
So-----on the second hot day we ran out of water about 2 or 3 PM. Gary finished the last lead in the dark and dozed on the summit while I cleaned. I beat on the last pin, which seemed to be wedged at the tip for about 5 minutes, before figuring out by Braille that it was a bolt and hanger.
We needed water badly, and a full moon was just rising to give us light off the back-side. But as we started down-climbing toward Bridal Veil Creek, the moon seemed to start dimming, then rapidly passed into shadow.
It was a full-eclipse of the moon!
We did more Braille down-climbing; pushed by our desperate thirst, until we finally tied both ropes together and used them as a hand-line to descend steep, but not technical slabs to near the creek.
The ropes ended in the dark and Gary down-climbed free-solo, then slipped with a little yelp, and found terra-firma was safely in reach.
We stayed in touch after the climb, but he moved back to California and guessed I never did another “big wall”.
Unfortunately I kept at it.
Here’s the link to his side of the story:
http://lamountaineers.org/NAC/browserf/climbs/leaningt/gc_575.htm
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alive.in.dreams
Trad climber
Fish Camp, CA
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Aug 22, 2009 - 08:15pm PT
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A bit OT but I will soon (next week) be heading up Wet Demin Daydream for my first actual "night" on the wall. Did the South Face WC in a day but I am really looking forward to a night on the wall......
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 23, 2009 - 10:22am PT
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At last, proof that as we all suspected, Tarbuster = Prod.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 23, 2009 - 10:23am PT
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The Salathe Wall in, i think, 1971. It still had a big rep in those days. I remember stories about Layton Kor freaking out on the Ear pitch. I hooked up with Steve Arsenault. Steve would be the aid specialist and I would be the free climbing guy. Some friends in Camp 4 counseled that I might be biting off too much since I had yet to do a grade 5. I countered by saying that I had done a number of grade 4's and that the only difference between a grade 4 and a grade 6 was where you spent the night- camp 4 or on the wall. It all went well and the Ear turned out to be pretty mellow.
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wack-N-dangle
Gym climber
the ground up
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Aug 23, 2009 - 10:53am PT
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Todd, you remember if there were many ascents at that time without pins? Right on!!!
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yedi
Trad climber
Stanwood,wa
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Aug 23, 2009 - 11:04am PT
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North face of Quarter Dome with Bob Gaines 1979. We went on and did NW face of Half dome a few weeks later I think.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Aug 23, 2009 - 12:48pm PT
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the direct on half dome in 1978 with Rupert Kamerlander. stood on my first hook coming out of the crescent crack with Rupert coaching me along. pulled over the summit late on day three...
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rich sims
Trad climber
co
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Aug 23, 2009 - 12:48pm PT
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NW Face of Half Dome on hexes and stoppers;.....1978....31 years ago......
Hey Todd I had one each 1,2,3 friend in 79. Friends almost seamed liked cheating.
I used one baby angle (hand placed) on the short aid section above Thank God Ledge.
First wall was South Face WC for me 79.
Took three tries
Day One Got snowed off after one pitch.
Day Two Same partner at Dinner ledge says his shoulder came out. I say I will lead it, what a reach between bolts.
I turn the roof and he yells up he will not be able to jug it.
Then I was back to the lodge parking lot for another partner.
A friend from SO Cal talks her boyfriend into it.
Day Three Were off I know the approach by now and getting Past Kor roof goes well.
One more pitch and the exposure hits my partner, he wants to go down.
I freak, to put it lightly. A rope from above appears as two climbers have run out of water and are coming down. It helps my partners need to be on flat ground.
He suggests I ask the two guys on Dinner Ledge if I can hook up with them. I tell him I already ask the two teachers from Wisconsin before him.
Back on Dinner ledge with three parties of two it works out that the two from Wis. will let me join them.
Day four starts out slowly sorting gear and what not.
I sit for ever on Dinner ledge.
Finally I jug up and lead pitch 7.
We can not figure out what is taking so long but hours later we jug up and find Wis. climber #1 aided the 5.9 crack linking 8&9.
Light is fleeting and Wis.#2 takes off like a bat out of hell.
I take off but its getting dark. By the time I reach the tree it is pitch black.
Day five
We get off in short order whew
Two months later with a new partner we did NW Face of Half Dome in one bivy at the base and one on the wall.
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rich sims
Trad climber
co
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Aug 23, 2009 - 01:00pm PT
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David 79 what month? I remember talking to a guy after doing to the Direct. Guess it had some really shitty sections Below Big Sandy.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Aug 23, 2009 - 01:06pm PT
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rich, i went and looked at the old green book. it was july 13-16, 1978 actually. my memory of the route is really clean rock through to the first big bivy ledge, then many pitches of broken, slightly chossy, corner to big sandy, then of course clean again on the RNWF.
the whole time we were on the route, schmitz and bridwell were next to us doing the FA of zenith. we watched them pulling off huge blocks that cartwheeled in slow motion to the talus below. it definitely added a lot of drama and made us feel like we were on pretty moderate ground in comparison.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 23, 2009 - 01:38pm PT
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I think my first wall was also NW Face of Half Dome, also in '78.
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bonin_in_the_boneyard
Trad climber
Up the 'Creek w/out a Prada
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Aug 23, 2009 - 02:01pm PT
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Oh man, I did the Leaning Tower with a crazy friend of mine -- eyes bigger than his stomach kind of guy (or balls bigger than his forearms). Neither of us had done a bigwall, but he had just bought a ledge and haul bag off eBay. We'd both done our share of trad climbing so we weren't totally out of our element, but neither of us had ever aided anything or even jugged a rope. I'd only hung on gear once or twice because to me that was something you weren't supposed to do.
We hatched the plan on Thursday night and drove up Friday after work. With stops to buy food and organize our gear we didn't get to the Bridalveil Falls parking lot until midnight. For kicks we hung the ledge from the thick tree on the approach ramp and slept there.
On Saturday we made it to the Ahwanee Ledge just in time for sunset (and what a beautiful sunset it was). That's when I realized how awesome big-walling is. Sure, I was stuck on a little ledge, but there was no where else that I wanted to go. There were no rangers, no tourists, and no fees. Just us and rock, plenty of food and a few cans of Guinness.
After one of the best night's sleep of my life, we started up again Sunday morning and topped out just in time for another beautiful sunset. Then we read the descent beta. Oh f---. That descent went on forever. We finally got back to the car around 11pm -- 47 hours car-to-car -- and drove home. I got to bed at 4am and was cleaned up, khaki-clad, and in my cube for 9am.
The only bummer of the trip was that I didn't bring a camera.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Aug 23, 2009 - 02:44pm PT
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South Face of washingtons Column. Slept on Dinner Ledge
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Prod
Trad climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Aug 23, 2009 - 02:47pm PT
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Oops! Tarbuster was logged in on my computer.
Prod.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Aug 23, 2009 - 04:36pm PT
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Standing at the bridge talking to Tom Evens....!!
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jfailing
Trad climber
A trailer park in the Sierras
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2009 - 08:28pm PT
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Maybe it's just me, but there's something about the exposure on El Cap - even just five pitches up, it's way different than any other multi-pitch. Yeah, the word I was looking for was "gripping."
Or maybe I'm just a weenie... gotta suck it up I guess!
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