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Route Loser
Trad climber
Lake Almanor/Chico, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 10, 2008 - 02:55am PT
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As we approached the base of the Column, my climbing/life mentor Paul (a climber of 20 years) and I (a climber of 1 year) looked at each other and without saying a word asked ourselves the same question…“Have we gotten in over our heads?” Whatever the answer may have been at the time, we pressed on, figuring that with an easy rap route and a comfy bivy only 3 pitches up, everything would end well whether we topped out or not (and by “end well” I mean alive). Paul is an experienced trad climber and I’m basically a noob still getting the hang of it all. With little aid experience (3 pitches to be exact) we set out hoping to have everything we practiced fall together into a successful first big wall ascent. So without furthering the suspense, here is the story of our failure…
We started the South Face early Wednesday afternoon. There was one two-man team ahead of us (who also had never done a big wall) and a couple of teams were retreating due to the wind. We like wind. After waiting a short amount of time for the team ahead of us to clear the first pitch, I laced up my shoes and began leading the 5.8 section. About half way up we had our first bad omen as my foot slipped and I fell ten feet. Thank God for #3 Cams and clean falls. I know what you are thinking. “What is this kid doing on a big wall if he can’t even lead 5.8!” Trust me, I felt the same. Just wait till we get to the third pitch… I ended up aiding the rest of the 5.8 part just to get comfortable again then scurried up the 5.6 to the first belay where I hauled as I waited for Paul to clean.
Looking down on the 5.8 that kicked my butt. Paul looks bored.
Looking down on P1 from the anchor. We figured it would be good to practice with a big haul bag.
At first we were worried that my fall and the subsequent slow rhythm it put me in made us waste too much time on the first pitch, but even after all my bumbling about we still ended up having to wait a while for the group ahead of us at the start of P2.
The wait didn’t bother us with views like this (although the ants were distracting, wish I had brought an 8 year old boy with a magnifying glass to handle a few of them).
Soon enough Paul was on his way up the C1 second pitch. He quickly found his rhythm and enjoyed his first big wall aid lead.
Top of P2. I am considering submitting this shot for the cover of the book “Slow Climbing!” in the “How to Climb” series.
Now for the third pitch, where again I would attempt to free Yosemite 5.8. The pitch started well, but then I had some route finding issues (hence my supertopo name). Paul told me to traverse right, but I was convinced straight up was correct. Since I had a bomber nut, I foolishly decided to go straight up. With good pro and a clean fall things couldn’t get that bad, unless of course my foot catches the draw and I get flipped upside down; which is exactly what happened. This one was about 8 feet and I ended up staring straight down at Paul with the right side of my head/body only a foot or so from a protruding rock. So now not only am I 0 for 2 leading 5.8, but my right ankle is also sprained. Not a good start. I promise I can lead 5.8, things were just off. I had Paul lower me and we switched leads so I could regroup. He made quick work of my “crux” section by traversing around it, like he had told me to. Yeah I suck. Towards the top of P3 he must have gotten off route because he had to aid through the section he thought was 5.7. Thankfully he made it without falling and I enjoyed cleaning the pitch (except for the nut I fell on). We were finally on Dinner Ledge. We had hoped to fix at least through P4 on the first day but it was too late by the time it was free for us to start.
Looking up P3. The rock on the left was the one that I almost kissed.
Paul enjoying a tasty beverage at the top of P3 after schooling me on 5.8 with the group ahead of us about to clean Kor Roof before sunset.
Paul and I in good spirits on Dinner Ledge, just thankful to be surrounded by such beauty.
Thursday morning we woke up bright and early after an excellent night sleep on a perfect ledge. I realized my right foot was sprained worse than I thought when I went to put weight on it and almost fell to my knees. I popped some Aleve and Tylenol and decided this was not the time to let a little pain stop our ascent. Although by now we realized we would not be finishing, we still wanted to see how high we could get just for fun and practice.
Paul started up the Kor Roof, which has always been a dream of his. He found it to be rather strenuous and immediately regretted his lifelong love affair with Twinkies. He stopped at the intermediate belay so I could start cleaning while we waited for the guys ahead of us to clear the actual belay.
A look down at our suite while cleaning Kor Roof.
Cleaning the roof was a real pain in the butt, but I loved hanging there. There has to be a better way to clean roofs and traverses than what I was doing. I wasted a lot of energy.
Some guy cruising past us on his rope solo of Southern Man. Made me feel like a real sissy (which arguably I am).
Turning the roof.
Paul at the intermediate belay with the actual belay just opening up.
Cleaning up to the P4 belay where we waited for the group ahead to clean the traverse and pendulum.
After about an hour of waiting I was able to start the fifth pitch. I enjoyed what was supposedly the C1+ crux move, getting over the little roof and up to the traverse.
I made it to the nice little ledge at the end of the pendulum where I enjoyed the views as I waited for the P5 intermediate belay to clear up. By the time I got to this belay and Paul was able to clean the mini pitch it was already three in the afternoon. Seven hours for a pitch and a half? Hmm. We decided we didn’t want to climb all night to top out and that since we had done the Kor Roof and the aid crux we could bail without feeling completely defeated. Besides, pizza and beer was starting to sound real tasty.
Paul rapping from the intermediate belay on P5 to dinner ledge. Just a little breezy.
I figured that since I was bailing from my first big wall I should at least do my part to clean up. I picked up and packed off all these little guys.
Me doing the walk of shame.
Our third day in the Valley we were feeling like kicking back and enjoying the scenery, but we figured we should at least get some more practice on something. I ended up leading the first pitch of Pacific Ocean Wall on El Cap just for kicks. It was awesome to be on the big stone even if it was only for 120 feet. Took us 2 hours and 15 minutes to lead, clean, and haul the pitch so we definitely have some work in the speed/efficiency department ahead of us.
Me at the belay.
Paul at the belay.
Although we failed at making it to the top, I think that the trip was a success in that our weaknesses were exposed and our techniques got better. Oh and I got to meet the legendary Tom Evans, the author of my nightly bedtime story. What a pleasure.
Feel free to laugh/encourage/criticize our attempt. All comments are appreciated.
Next time South Face…Next time!
-Mike
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
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Jun 10, 2008 - 03:17am PT
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Nice TR.
I like the intimate quality of some of your shots.
Keep it up!
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Nohea
Trad climber
Aiea,Hi
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Jun 10, 2008 - 03:27am PT
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Nice story...Dood you are there in the Valley. I biked to work today.
You are rockin, I am survivan. Good on you, thanks for sharing. Sure you should have topped out but we all learn. I should have topped a few times myself and didnt.
Aloha,
wil
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 10, 2008 - 03:30am PT
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Comments from a spectator....Good effort, good pics, your words bring the viewer into the scene. Keep up the good work. lrl
PS Failure is never starting, you're not a failure. Lose the negative labels.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jun 10, 2008 - 03:40am PT
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noyce!
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Jun 10, 2008 - 08:57am PT
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Looks like you had fun.
"Cleaning the roof was a real pain in the butt, but I loved hanging there. There has to be a better way to clean roofs and traverses than what I was doing. I wasted a lot of energy."
What was your system for cleaning the roof traverse?
Prod.
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Route Loser
Trad climber
Lake Almanor/Chico, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 10, 2008 - 09:44am PT
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Prod:
I would take my top ascender and put it above the draw that I was trying to clean. Then I would put all my weight on it to try and get the weight off of the draw but it seemed like I could never get all the weight off. So then I would grab the draw, pull myself into the wall, unclip the draw from the rope, then let go and swing back out away from the wall. Then I had to figure out how to get back to the wall to get the draw off the bolt, which luckily I was able to do in this case. This is obviously a flawed system. Appreciate any tips.
-Mike
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Jun 10, 2008 - 10:01am PT
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I am by no means an expert, but here is what I'd do.
If possible aid out and back clean keeping your weight off the rope. That would mean your partner left enough gear to clip your aiders into the gear, then reach back and clean the last piece.
If there was a long run where your partner back cleaned, you'd want to do a 4 to 1 lower out or a deucy. I think it is explained in detail at John Mittendorf's big wall site.
Good luck,
Prod.
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wildone
climber
Where you want to be
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:27am PT
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No draws on Kor roof. Also, don't backclean too much as the leader. As for the follower, I saw in one pic as you were looking through your feet, that you were using a gri-gri as a backup, jugging. So, run your jugs right up to the piece, pass your top piece, pass your bottom piece (having already pulled the grigri up as tight as you can), slowly let out slack on the grigri until you're hanging below the next piece, reach over, unclip, repeat.
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:31am PT
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I am by no means an expert, but I have climbed four el cap routes and five other walls in the valley and elsewhere. Here's my system.
If you're cleaning straight up, then simply remove the top jumar and clip it back on the rope above the piece you are about to clean. Clean the piece and continue up the rope.
If you're cleaning at a slight angle (like the Kor roof), then it's slightly more tricky. When the top jumar reaches the piece to be cleaned, unclip it and clip it above the piece. Now weight the top jumar. The problem is always that the lower jumar gets pulled right up to the piece so tight that you can remove the piece (it's still effectively weighted). So what you do is you grab the rope below the lower jumar and pull down. This allows you to unclip the lower jumar from the rope. Slide the lower jumar down the rope as you lower yourself away from the piece (by releasing slack from the rope below the lower jumar). As soon as you come to rest the rople below your upper jumar should be slack. Now clip the lower jumar right below the upper jumar so that both jumars are above the piece. Go up the rope a bit to bring your closer to the piece. Use the slack rope that still runs through the piece to pull yourself toward the piece (may require some swinging, depending on how far away you are). Remove the piece and continue up the route.
If you're cleaning a traverse, lowering out is a useful technique if your partner has not left pieces spaced close enough for the second to reach one from the other. Lowering out is more complicated. I can explain if you like. Just ask. As long as your partner does not back clean on a traverse, you should not have to lower out. But backcleaning on traverses is very often done after passing a fixed piece. That's why almost every fixed piece on el cap traverses also have fixed webbing attached - the webbing is used to lower out.
But even on traverses the technique described above should work just fine. Just be careful of one thing. When you clip a jumar into a rope that is running horizontally and then weight the jumar, it often twists in a way that appears less strong (at least, that's how it seems to me). Just make sure the jumar is properly fixed on the rope and watch it to make sure it doesn't malfunction as you weight it. You can always place an oval through the holes above the teeth if you're worried. Also, if it's a traverse (due horizontal) then you'll have to pull harder on the rope below the lower jumar in order to release enough pressure to move it up so it can be released. A helpful hint: don't slide the lower jumar up close to the upper one when you approach the piece to be cleaned. If you leave enough distance between the lower and upper jumar, you'll have more room for the lower jumar to move up toward the piece as you weight the upper jumar after placing it above the piece. (That may have been confusing. If so, tell me and I'll re-explain.)
Hope this has been somewhat helpful. Good luck with future wall adventures! The best way to learn is to practice, so keep it up.
Stanley
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:31am PT
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Good try fellas. Nice TR....brought back many memories. Everyone seems to struggle with that roof as it is a common first wall. No sweat. Go back and get it!!
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cowpoke
climber
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:48am PT
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enjoyed the report, thanks!
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:49am PT
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Hey, nice try! Did we see you heading up? We were one of the retreating parties on Weds... after spending 2 noobish days getting to the top of p6 (we were 2 chicks!)...
pics later.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Jun 10, 2008 - 11:55am PT
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Good work and wonderful pics!
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pbernard
Trad climber
Chester, CA
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Jun 10, 2008 - 12:30pm PT
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Great TR Mikey... stoked to be able to go from "life mentor" to "a life time love affair with Twinkies" in one TR. Haha... you're a nerd. Fun trip, but we'll have to go finish that dawg... I rode my bike to work so the next time I'm on Kor roof, I won't be crying so much. Nice job.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Jun 10, 2008 - 12:34pm PT
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Looks like you guys were having fun so in that respect it wasn't a failiure. There is only one more pitch worth doing on that route anyway. Lots of first timers get shut down up there...
As for p1 of the PO, 2.5 hours is pretty standard for leading/cleaning/hauling, a pitch on El Cap, actually 3hrs is probly average. So you are getting better!
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piquaclimber
Trad climber
Durango
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Jun 10, 2008 - 12:45pm PT
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Good Stuff.
Thanks for posting up. :)
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jun 10, 2008 - 01:27pm PT
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first time, no wall experience, sprained ankle, kept going, kept smiling, sent the crux, retreated safely...next day opted to carry your stuff up to the PO, for more practice, instead of lounging...hardcore. I noticed that you continually came up with excuses to KEEP climbing. you'll send the next one.
good job.
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Jun 10, 2008 - 01:40pm PT
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proud adventure, great pictures, and funny report. well done!
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Route Loser
Trad climber
Lake Almanor/Chico, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 10, 2008 - 10:14pm PT
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Hey thank you all very much for the tips. They all make sense and will be so helpful for next time. Probably going to make another attempt closer towards fall, although we are considering a return in a couple of weeks if the weather stays nice.
Cleo: I remember you on the approach, although that whole hump is a little hazy from the lack of oxygen. We passed another descending group higher up that said that they would have needed 3-4 sets of nuts to get through P6. How many sets did you use/need?
Last question: What is the recommendation for finishing the SF; topping out and hiking down, topping out and rapping down, or stopping after 9 and rapping down?
Personally, I agree with a post made last month by Doug (aka Flanders!) when he said, "Rapping the Nose or any of the Valleys popular routes is not a good idea, primarily because it's rude to the climbers coming up a route to have people rap down when an alternate descent is possible. This is becoming a more frequent occurance on routes like the South Face of the Column (personally I think it way lame not to do the last pitch and walk down ND Gully, easier yes, cool no!)"
Just wondering if that is the common consensus or what.
Thank you all again for the encouragement. I will be sure to post another one in a couple of months when we make it to the top.
-Mike
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