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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 30, 2013 - 12:27am PT
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Thanks, the big part of the cliff is behind me in that picture too. It's a cool place!
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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Mar 30, 2013 - 12:32am PT
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It would be nice to see a pic from hwy 168 in Clovis. Its just such a massive cliff. I could see it for years from Goshen when the air wasn't too bad.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Mar 30, 2013 - 03:23am PT
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Resurgence of the hidden!
I'm game for a trip in Autumn/Winter.
I think I remember where the trail to WWOS is, if someone would be kind enough to finish the last few hundred yards off.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 30, 2013 - 08:44am PT
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Nice work Clint!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 30, 2013 - 12:09pm PT
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Martzen said it was revolted and should be safe...although it is 10 pitches and .12b.....that's beyond me rt now.[photo
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 30, 2013 - 01:06pm PT
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Yah, I have the Topo just need bigger muscles and balls for 10 pitches at .12b
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 30, 2013 - 07:13pm PT
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Tks Clint. That is awesome list. I was told 'Ten' on the left main wall was renamed and the Topo I have shows 14p and 11 raps.
D.U. Dome has 'No Oakey' 2p at .10b. FA: Danny Gray, Matt Schutz, David Fries 3/17/13. Starts to the left of pillar/book in the middle. Rap off bumper or bush to top anchors. 2raps or one long 200'. Martzen and ? did a route, 3 bolts on the far left of D.U. called Safe to Dance.
In the gorge below D.U. is The Big Shwaa .10b or d crack. Others.also there. Rap down into gorge or TR. 1p
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 30, 2013 - 09:30pm PT
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Clint, here is a few more from old emails from Martzen. Paul did most/all these I am listing unless noted and most with Mike Borrelli, Dwight Kroll and Jorge Menchu.
Paul, update if I get any of this wrong.
To the right of Balch Flake is the three pillars with the right being the tallest. On the left side of the left pillar is a gully that goes up the back to the top of the tallest pillar with a few moves of 5.6/.7. At top traverse out left to a black dyke and up three pitches to top of Patterson Rt. This is the easiest way to the top, 'Pablo's Cruise' 5.7/8
There is a 2-3 rope length rap from the reflectors to the top of the left pillar. The rap starts with nuts under a block with the others being anchors but should be suspect and possibly replaced.
Leversee also established a rap route from the top to the top of Balch Flake.
Crack separating the left and middle pillar is 'Sex and Drugs' 5.9. On the face of the middle pillar is a 'S' shaped crack 'Oroborous' which starts as a seem(aid) and opens to .10c fingers as it passes left of obvious roof. Above roof .9 hands to ledge then lieback to next ledge and summit. Gully separating the middle and left(tallest) pillar is 'Storm Drain' 5.8 with a brushy tree to dig through at top.
Tallest pillar has 2 left facing books on the lower half. Only the rt one was climbed at .10c/d and either slung and rapped or traversed rt and up to summit.
Further rt of the pillars is a blobbish slab with 3 cracks. Left most crack is Crescent Crack that Mike Borrelli got half way up before a loose rock cut his rope. The center crack leans left with hands and fist .10b 'Scary Monster'.
Above Pablo's Cruise were often TRd from the top. The rock worn into person size scallops which could be friction mantle from one to the next. Paul said it was "very unnerving".
Balch Flake has two cracks making two outside and two inside. There is a satalite crack that goes 1/3 the way up to joining the left crack(inside or out?). Inside 'Dracula Crack' .9 hands/fists wasdone in 81' by Dwight Kroll and Ryan ?. Paul said he adied the outside crack(which?) the would free at .12/13 and is slight overhanging that starts with tips but widens to thin hands.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 30, 2013 - 10:31pm PT
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Found a few more emails from Martzen.
Hiking up the creek toward the waterfall will give you accessto the big apron to the rt side of the falls (left side of Patterson Rt). There is an obvious pillar that looks like an upside down leg and boot. There is a 2-3p crack up the middle of the pillar. Another 3 pitches up slab to summit but no anchors to his recollection. Possible FA Mark Haymond or Ben Dewell.
There are some black intrusions that arch up and rt of the apron. Martzen climbed the middle one and placed one bolt to pass a head wall and used small cracks for pro to summit. He said it could use some bolts.
The right side of Balch Camp Flake was originally climbed in the 50's by George Sessions, Merle Alley, Rich Calderwood and another(Paul could not recall). They climbed the rt edge (I think called Original Route). Overhang into less than verticle to a blank section to a horn. Bolted.
Calderwood told Paul a story of one of the crew setting fire to the area to make the approach of the flake easier from the road. It worked but the day after hiking in through the ash, they all got the worst case of poison oak any of them had ever had. Hahahaha...that PO is brutal tuff stuff.
Once again. If any of you FA'ers notice any thing that is not accurate, let us know. You all deserve props for some amazingly bold and daring climbing. You set the standard!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2013 - 06:25am PT
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Here is a pic from the left side of Patterson Rt. You can see the upside leg/boot
Which is that left facing book.
Sorry for the sideways photos. From my phone.
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doughnutnational
Gym climber
its nice here in the spring
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Mar 31, 2013 - 11:36am PT
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Hey Paul do you have any pictures of "the big schwa"? That's about as good as a crack can get.
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doughnutnational
Gym climber
its nice here in the spring
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Mar 31, 2013 - 03:27pm PT
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Thanks Davey
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 31, 2013 - 05:23pm PT
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What's the story on that crack, Mike?
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2013 - 07:38pm PT
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Sent Mike a pm on rc. He should give us beta when he gets it for the gorge.
Here are a couple pics.
These are older photos and possibly less brushy from the fire. Google earth shows Three Pillars and The Blob to be more brushy now.
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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The Big Schwaaa is .11d thin hands. The wall is slightly concave, so it is just less than vertical at the bottom, vertical in the middle and overhanging in the top third. Jorge Menchu climbed it first. We mostly top roped it, but I think Larry Zulim and Mike Latendresse both lead it at different times. The photo on RC.com reminds me of a slide I shot, but can't find, when the water was pretty high in the gorge. Awesome and nerve rattling to be hanging on the rope with the water thundering below. From the base of Down Under Dome, proceed straight to the river across a relatively flat bench of pine trees. Besides the Big Schwaaa, there is a really thin crack, which I think Zulim worked on a bit, and a wide corner crack that we did not mess with. Might be easy or it might be of interest to Jaybro!
That last B&W photo of the three pillars really shows off the beautiful Oroborus Crack, the S crack on the middle pillar. Starts off as a seam, too thin for me to make any progress on. It gradually opens to tips and by the time it gets to a roof and heads left it is about 5.10c. Above it is lovely 5.9 hands. I intended and still intend to sport bolt the start so you can either aid the start till you want to go free or work it as much as you want without decking. I think the start might possibly go free, but the difficulty should drop into the 5.12 then 5.11 range within 10 or 15 feet.
To the left is left leaning hand and fist crack, Scary Monsters 5.10b, it looks a lot easier from the ground for some reason. Myself and Mike Borrelli in 1981, I think.
The easiest route out is to scramble up the left side of the three pillars with a few moves of technical climbing. From the top of the highest pillar traverse left and up the black dike. Really fun and easy climbing. I forget what the pro is. Probably bolts that should be replaced.
To the right of the S crack is a 5.8 gulley, Storm Drain. Next right are two left facing books. Whichever one I did was hard 5.10, i think. Pretty sure I put rap bolts at the top. (Actually, not so sure. Might have slung a block.)
There is a smaller round blob slab to the right. Mike Borrelli led up this half way till a block pulled loose and mostly chopped his rope. Mike stayed on thankfully and was able to clip to gear and pull up intact rope. Now that the route is cleaner somebody should get a nice and hard lead.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 1, 2013 - 11:19am PT
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Nice Clint! List is looking good. Great to see everyone pitching in their info.
Here is a pic of Road Gold which is on the north side of the road well before you drive under the water pipes. The Cliff Band is 'L' shaped. 'Pay at the Pump' is 50 yards up from the road by the closest side of the right side of the 'L'. This pic is of the left side.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 1, 2013 - 11:54am PT
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And here is the pic of the left side of RG.
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