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| Messages 1 - 39 of total 39 in this topic |
justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 10, 2011 - 01:47am PT
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I went to Courtright last weekend, and staring up at little nukie delt me a big slice of humble pie. I ended up climbing the 5.8 below 7 ways from sunday that day to make the approach worthwhile. My wife was not too stoked on my lack of confidence, so we did not climb it.
I am not a slab aficionado and have not been climbing much until recently (too busy in other mountain adventures). But it wet my appetite for the beauty of the slab.
Please give me some ideas on where to work on my slab technique...hogs back?
I live on the 50 and would appreciate some suggestions in the greater s. lake area.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Aug 10, 2011 - 02:00am PT
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Hogwild at the leap
Better with bacon 5.8
Prociutto .10b
On the SW face there are 2 clean slabs to the right of peanut brittle.
Both are short but pure friction which is odd for the leap, bolt protected.
Then go hit Wave rider on hogsback.
Mountainproject has a good info for the area.
Mucci
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 02:04am PT
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I did better with bacon, and I found it easy...really easy.
But little nukey looked way harder and scarier. It is so freaking steep looking from below.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 02:32am PT
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yeah...it has certainly caused me to add it to my list of climbs I must do this year. So far I have two.
Sands of Time, Calaveras dome
and...
Little nukey, power dome.
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slobmonster
Trad climber
OAK (nee NH)
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Aug 10, 2011 - 02:40am PT
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Little Nukey is all there... but, like Sands of Time, def real 5.9. Did you have your larger than average collection of tricams?
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Flydude
Trad climber
Prather, CA
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Aug 10, 2011 - 02:41am PT
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A Little Nukey is very cool! Don't feel bad...It keeps us all honest, but delivers a great day's (life's) experience. (It's all there!) Warm up @ Tollhouse...Elephant Walk, Free and Easy and Hippo Wall. You'll get it done.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Aug 10, 2011 - 12:07pm PT
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How were the mosquitoes ? Any smoke from the Lion fire ?
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 12:21pm PT
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The Mosquitos were good (non existent) during the day, but heinous for a couple hours in the evening. So about like you would expect. If you can camp without a meadow nearby and can get a breeze from the lake, you should be good.
I didn't see any smoke.
Slob, I didn't have any tricams...which added to my uncertainty. I think I will pick up a black and a pink for a return trip.
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Friedo
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe
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Aug 10, 2011 - 12:56pm PT
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Justin,
I would suggest Echo Lakes. The Gangsta Wall has a great 5.9 called California Love that is fun and challenging. Also, Pie Shop has some great slabby climbs like Earn you Wings (just right of Crepes Corner)and a great 10a/b slab climb just left of Clean Corner (name escapes me, but I'm sure Ron Anderson will chime in and remind me.... Also, Berkley Camp has an amazing 10c slab called Saltw#ter Flush. These will all improve your slab technique!!!
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Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
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Aug 10, 2011 - 01:07pm PT
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grouse slabs at donner.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 01:18pm PT
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jebus, normally slab hasn't been all that scary for my grade, but I urge you to sit below power dome. It looks like an oversized granite wave is about to crash over your head. It looks past vertical from the base. When you are a long way off it doesn’t look that steep, but right up on it, you swear it is overhanging slab.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 01:28pm PT
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Yeah we played around mostly on top rope at deer dome for a day this spring. lichen slab climbing...woot woot. Freaked the crap out of myself trying to get to another anchor on 5.6 lichen slab...full rope out traverse, pendulum to the ground got my attention on dirty lichen slab.
set the controls did indeed look hard. Most of the slabs there were hard.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 01:30pm PT
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I was curious about that too. Do stiffer midsoles help or hurt? Seems like a thin soled shoe (so thin you could tell if a dime were heads or tails just by steppin on it) would be ideal. But people say stiffer soles are better?
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Blitzo
Social climber
Earth
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Aug 10, 2011 - 01:35pm PT
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Don't go to Echo Edge, instead go a little further to Mid Dome, best slab climbing at Echo lakes.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2011 - 02:07pm PT
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just saw a route on summit post called 'trout fishing in america" on gutenberger wall. Anyone tried it? That looks like a really unique route with a fun penalty as opposed to a painful one.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Aug 10, 2011 - 08:43pm PT
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Trout Fishing in America is a great route.
One doesn't always have to climb "slabs" to practice for slabs. What I mean is, routes that require technical edging as well as spicy protection can give someone the mental edge and footwork confidence one will need on a true slab route.
Routes like Fear no Evil, Psychedelic Direct, Crash Landing, Reds Delight at the leap. Or Pan Dulce, Crushed Velvet and Taurus at the Loaf. These somewhat moderate technical edging routes, some of which have a little spice thrown in will definitely help your slab technique.
Usually one should refrain from climbing slab routes at or near their maximum ability. Doing so will almost certainly result in a world of hurt. Slab climbing is definitely an acquired taste not fit for everyone. Trust me, I've climbed Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun... Twice and many more routes with much more bite than even that one. IF you increase your technical edging abilities along with your mental abilities, you will improve your performance and confidence on slabs.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Aug 10, 2011 - 08:48pm PT
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I've always been WAY to scared to fall;)
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kennyt
climber
woodfords,ca
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Aug 10, 2011 - 09:52pm PT
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Eureka cliff at Phantom Spires
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KitKat
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe
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Aug 10, 2011 - 11:12pm PT
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Little Nukey is AWESOME!!! 5.8 minus, well bolted, perfect slab! I'd go down to Hammer Dome in the fall... or try Dancin' Feet on the Hogsback!
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Aug 11, 2011 - 02:19am PT
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^^^
Really? Dude says he backed off a 5.8- and you suggest he climbs Dancing Feet... A very sustained 5.10d with 50ft runnouts for practice?
Well, I guess if he climbed Dancin Feet he'd then be able to float that .8.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Aug 11, 2011 - 02:21am PT
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The spam route on the hog.
Good.
Dig it up.
What up Sal? Long time.
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Brian Biega
climber
Truckee, CA
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Aug 11, 2011 - 03:14am PT
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The Peanut Gallery at Donner Summit has some great friction climbing as well...
Cheers, Brian
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Aug 11, 2011 - 03:25am PT
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I heard that spam route on the Hogsback was a total chosspile put up by a couple of Bay Area gym climber N00bs!
What up Mucci? We should climb.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2011 - 12:24pm PT
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Yeah, dancing feet is not going to make the list:)
8 slab is fine by me...I can lead that simply. spam was no trouble, and better with bacon is certainly worthwhile. It is only the last pitch that suffers from degrading rock , but not too bad and last pitch is a fun pitch, rock aside. I was expecting worse gear, but small stoppers and tcu's were the ticket.
Little nukey was no 5.8, I have a hard time believing it is a 9. But as someone else said, its all there...I didn't like the idea of bailing mid 3rd pitch with one rope.
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Nate D
climber
San Francisco
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Aug 11, 2011 - 01:59pm PT
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Just like to add that I love justin's oxymoron "overhanging slab" in describing Power.
I've heard Sharma once describe a slab section on one of his limestone routes in Spain. You can bet it was overhanging slab, as he only climbs beyond vertical terrain.
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Brian Biega
climber
Truckee, CA
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Aug 11, 2011 - 02:59pm PT
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Rat Ramp on Black Wall has some fun slab climbing as well.
Cheers, Brian
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Aug 22, 2011 - 12:04am PT
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Thanks for the beta Justin, went there this weekend. Keep at it and go to Tollhouse Rock or the Cookie Sheet (below Yosemite Valley) in the winter.
Mosquitoes were still out a little bit, mostly in the warm of the evenings.
Had a great time climbing A Little Nukey with karodrinker -
The tricam pockets were so cool !
I wonder how all those holes formed ..
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Ol' Skool
Trad climber
Oakhurst, CA
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Aug 22, 2011 - 02:02am PT
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If memory serves on this route, tri-cams were pretty much all you got for a good long stretch- Power Dome's the only area I can remember where they're almost mandatory for a rack (nothing else will do).
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squishy
Mountain climber
sacramento
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Aug 22, 2011 - 11:47am PT
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The best place I ever found to practice slab is near Tahoe but it's not in any guide books and its kind of a secret still. 4 pitches of 5.5 to 5.hard in a very remote location, pm me for details, someone on here recently spied it on google earth and busted it out I don't want to do any more harm but it is what you need...I am talking about 50 foot plus run outs on beautiful 5.7 slab and nothing else, pitch after pitch of it...
The hogs back is good for a few short sections of what I am talking about.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Aug 22, 2011 - 11:55am PT
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It's been a long time since I've climbed in stiff shoes. But when I went to softer shoes, I thought it made slabs easier. For pure on edging, I prefer the ball/side of my foot and don't find that much difference. For smedging, yea, your toes take the strain (soft shoes require stronger foot muscles all around). But I like being able to curl my toes in order to "grip" the smedge. Can't do that with stiffies. Less feedback when you are going to butter off, but each to their own.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2011 - 07:14pm PT
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Any thoughts on tricam sizes?
It looks like a 2.0 purple in the previous pic.
If I go and buy some, what sizes should I get?
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Aug 22, 2011 - 08:31pm PT
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I brought black, pink, red, brown and purple (0.25 - 2.0) on this route, and used most of them. Just bought the black one last week .. would have come in handy on Black Widow's second pitch up in Tuolumne a few weeks ago.
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justin01
Trad climber
sacramento
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 4, 2012 - 12:57pm PT
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This weekend, I went back and climbed a little nukey (the impetus for this thread) a year later. Not really a big deal actually. It made me feel foolish for how psyched out I was last year. The hardest part was getting to the first or second bolt.
Great climb though. Certainly the best slab climb I have done. It is a new favorite for sure.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Pebble in the sky at Grouse Slabs.
Don't f*#k up the crux.
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wstmrnclmr
Trad climber
Bolinas, CA
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A bolt was added with permission on pebble. I liked it without it but a friend got hurt. Danger gone now.....
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Well, that sucks.
That was a great move, a new bolt would just dumb it down.
I spent ten minutes climbing up to, and then back down from, that move.
Someone needs to chop that bolt. I would, but I'm in NH
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Congrats on Little Nukey! Gotta feel good to succeed after a long hiatus.
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michaeld
Sport climber
Sacramento
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Hogsback. To the right of knapsack you can set a TR on the tree and climb the blank face. Try to make it as hard as you can. Maybe 5.9?
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wstmrnclmr
Trad climber
Bolinas, CA
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Sorry Brandon...But living in New Hamster probably a worse fate. Yay justin01. It gets easier doesn't it? But you must keep up the practice to stay good dialed in. The slab climbing at Rainbow (at big bend) is some of the best slab climbing anywhere. And you can stop and have a cup of great french onion soup and a beer at the lodge after you climb there. It stays warm there well into October and is a beautiful little spot. A couple of great 5.9's there.....
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| Messages 1 - 39 of total 39 in this topic |
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