Get To Know Your Table....Rock That Is (NorCal)

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Roughster

Sport climber

Vacaville, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 24, 2009 - 12:03am PT

I decided to throw together a little photo expose on one the Multipitch Table rock routes. Of course, I need to start with the cream of the crop! NorCal, meet Alhoa Patrol 5.11b (har,har. :) This was Dave's choice of name and I have to agree, it was a great one!

The overall line on the cliff is one of strength and takes on one of the tallest and sheerest part of the cliff. See below for a overview of the area that houses Aloha:

Just left of the obvious wide crack (a climb in its own right) is a clean wall. On the left hand border of that wall is Aloha's upper 2 pitches. Let's get a little closer peek, and see some lines overlayed to get a sense of the route:

Ahh that's better! As you can see Pitch 1 is a selection of between 2 choice single pitch routes: Standard Issue 5.10d on the left or White Flag 5.11a on the right.

Let's start with Standard Issue. This is a great climb that starts on a low angle easy slab and quickly progresses to the left hanging arete. This immediately sets the stage for the crux, which is establishing yourself on the arete:

Once on the arete, steep jugs lead continue to the top of the pillar:

Once at the top a quick traverse right to the shared communal anchor of the 2 routes.

Now before we play with the pitches above, let's talk about the slightly harder right hand start. Similar low angle slab climbing at the start:

Instead of a steep arete, you meet a clear fracture in the wall and the angle immediately kicks back right into your face (notice the angle of the draws, its steeper than the picture indicates):

The holds get smaller as the wall gets steeper leading to a crux lock off and deadpoint to a good edge:

Once again, a few juggy but pumpy moves lead to the top of the formation:

Once at the anchor, you get an brief respite for pitch 2. This pitch pulls over a few short vertical sections on monster huecos and then some overlaps.

This is a good breather pitch and is only about 50' in length. You may be wonder, "Why so short?" The focus here is on climbing, not rope drag. With the overlaps and ledges on pitch 2, and the fact that pitch 3 is the crux, it was better to set an anchor at the base of the obvious "3rd pitch".

So our fearless climbers have reach the 3rd belay. Set off up the obvious small right facing corner passing the remnants of an old bolt later.

You begin to notice the moves get more sequential as the wall starts off slabby, transitions to vert, then quickly start an overhang, a big overhang!

A very sequential series of moves leads up a clean patch of rock while heading towards the base of a steep lieback. Its hard to read it right and the feedback has been, "11b...my ass!" :)

The last hard face move before gaining the overhanging lieback. The pump is setting in and a series of pumper big moves leads to a shake. (No Dave's is not a T-rex with stubby arms. Looks hilarious though!) Yes, it is that steep!

After you fire through the pumpy crux, you top out and are greeted with a fat ledge and 3 bolt anchor to settle in to watch your partner wallow up the beastly pitch!

If your 2nd is not solid at 5.11 climbing, be prepared to "help" them! Switch out the gear and fire up the "sleeper" 3rd pitch. Starts of vertical and fun!

But! The holds just keep getting smaller and the draws start dangling again right before the ledge below the anchors!

On the FA, I thought for sure the last pitch would be a cruiser, but to my horror I could feel the pump rising in my arms. Would I blow it on a simple "5.10b"?

After the seemingly last desperately thin move, you gain the huge square ledge and anchor in. Belay up your friend and Ro-Sham-Bo over who has to belly flop over the lip to finish off the route!

I prefer to walk off, either direction works (East or West). To the East scramble down a gully then do a hard to spot little traverse to end up back by the cave, or go down the backside to the West and contour around to a gully between the Lair and the Pinnacle. Contour back uphill past the Shock Block to the Lower Iron Curtain and your pack. You can also rap the route as all anchors are threadable.

Climbers in the shots: Doniel on Standard Issue, Roughster on White Flag, CaughtInside and Salamanizer on the upper 3 pitches of Aloha.

Stay thirsty my friends!

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Sep 24, 2009 - 12:12am PT

Looks sweet!

mucci

Trad climber

The pitch of Bagalaar above you

Sep 24, 2009 - 01:30am PT

Very nice line indeed!

Good on those boys for getting a tough one out of the way, that overhang section looks way steep!

Cheers!
Mucci

Jerry Dodrill

climber

Sebastopol, CA

Sep 24, 2009 - 01:33am PT

Perhaps a bit of tilt? I don't recall it being THAT steep.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Sep 24, 2009 - 02:11am PT

I've said it before, I'll say it again...

“Dennis! There's some lovely filth down here!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY

mrtropy

Trad climber

Nor Cal

Sep 24, 2009 - 09:26am PT

Thanks for the taking us along

Roughster

Sport climber

Vacaville, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 10:29am PT

Jerry,

The picture angle is true, it is taken from the furthest point on the tower thus giving a pretty killer view of the upper pitches. But yes, I do agree that the weird angles due to the steep hills both leading away from the cliff's base and the angle from which I was shooting from makes it look a tad steeper that it really is. A key thing is look at Dave's shoes. They are hanging straight down into nothingness, which reaffirms the steepness.