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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 3, 2003 - 01:13am PT
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Carp and I were ticking climbs off of the list in the '83 Reid & Falkenstein guide which brought us to the Northwest Buttress of Lembert Dome, 5.9 PG/R (FA attributed to Frank Tarver and Gordon Petrequin, 1953). I am not sure that we actually found the route.
The corners in the topo topped by a tree are easy to spot. Slings were visible on the second pitch. There is no real mystery from the ground as to where to go.
However, we started on the left side of the apron under the corners and ended soloing very high. Carp commented that he was getting uncomfortable about the time I spotted an old ring-angle in a crack just below where I had come up... It was the kind of "4th class" that you think carefully about, especially in approach shoes.
We got a good belay in and Carp headed out on the lead. He found all sorts of fixed gear along the way to the belay ledge under the corners. Some very pecular piece was hammered in the layback crack... he found a good spot next to a lot of rap slings.
I took the lead in the corners, nothing looked clean! all of the crack were filled with dirt, where there were cracks. I took a look at the left most crack/corner, the "cleanest", but didn't spot any good pro opportunities. I wandered over the the right most crack/corner and basically forced my way up. The lichen growth was convincing me that I had taken the wrong path, then I found an old attempt to place a bolt, someone else had gotten off route here.
The tree was slung with oldish slings tying off a couple of rap rings... the slings might have been more then a year old.
Carp took the "4th class" fourth pitch to the top, probably rated 4th class because of the meager pro opportunities.
My guess is that this route is a candidate for the "obscurista" circuit. Anyone else ever do it?
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Mick
Social climber
Dutchland
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Hi Ed,
Obviously, I've never done this one. But why am I not suprised that you gave something from the "obscurista" circuit a go?
Good to see that things haven't changed much since I left and that you're working on the evil list revisited: "more places not to climb". Or is this still the original ticklist of misery? Surprising how you still talk (un)suspecting victims into climbing with you....
Hi to all and Have Fun,
Mick
News from Flatland: Sun is shining, still no rock!
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Tommyk
Social climber
fort collins, co
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I'm curious: where is the Northwest Buttress in relation to the Direct NW Face?
Incidentally, I thought the Direct NW Face was one of the more pleasant routes I did whilst in Tuolumne. I was surprised it didn't see more traffic when I was out that way this past June. Not that I'm afraid of the obscure or the lichenous, but the NW Buttress doesn't sound nearly as pleasant.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2003 - 03:25am PT
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Hi Mick! This is a "new" list... the Tuolumne list, which is, of course, an "old" list from the '83 Reid and Falkenstein guide... This being summer we're in "The Meadows" a lot and needed a way of not having to think about what to climb. Soon "The Valley" list will be setting our agenda once again.
That list suffers from the problem that there are climbs with reputations that make it difficult to find partners. But I think I have someone lined up to do Crack of Doom and Dispair this fall. If my shoulder heals from the last seriously off-width outing (a first ascent with Eric Gable, somewhere near Yosemite Valley) I'll be having lots of fun!
Tommyk, the Northwest Buttress is to the left of "Cry'n Time Again" (which is left of "Direct Northwest Face"). Both of those climbs are better then the Buttress. The point of the list though is that you don't have a choice, you just have to do it... The list prevents the tendency to do the same climbs over and over again.
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FTB
Big Wall climber
Near the Vally, CA
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It finally happened, "The General" - I mean Eric Gable's name is on-line. I did not think that day would ever happen. And if he was reading this, the description Ed gave of the first ascent is as close as you will ever get to finding the climb - "Near the Valley!" I heard it was great - still looking for it!!!
To bad Mic - no rocks for you. Should give up the education and move to the Valley.
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Gary Carpenter
climber
SF Bay Area
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Hey Mick...We miss your smiling face at the gym. No one to pick on now. Are you going to get back here any time soon.
Ftb...How did the name "The General" come about? Eric always seems very shy and reserved.
Gary Carpenter
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Gary Carpenter
climber
SF Bay Area
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Hey Mick...We miss your smiling face at the gym. No one to pick on now. Are you going to get back here any time soon.
Ftb...How did the name "The General" come about? Eric always seems very shy and reserved.
Gary Carpenter
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scuffy b
climber
Sinatra to Singapore
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Jun 25, 2009 - 06:10pm PT
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I did this climb in 1998..
The note in my guidebook says "Don't do this climb!!"
I know it is not unversally reviled, but the combination of bad
protection and bad rock made me pretty unhappy.
My partner developed trauma-induced amnesia regarding this climb.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jun 25, 2009 - 08:25pm PT
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You may have answered a "TM Sighting" mystery for me. in the early / mid 90's we were doing Cryin Time. Two large parties. I think Mike had three or four in tow and I had one or two.
TM and partner were on a route to our left. We were being entertained by a story he was telling his partner as he was leading that involved a fist fight with a neighbor and threatened (or actual), lawsuits. The story telling stoped when he got to a spot and said "watch me here, because when I get scared it's all over".
That made the whole lot of mere mortals in our group feel much more confident and was kind of burned into my brain as it just happened I was at a cruxy move also.
I was wondering if fading memory was playing tricks on me though as I've never been able to find a route over to the left in the guides I have.
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bob
climber
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Jun 25, 2009 - 08:53pm PT
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I've only done the first pitch getting to the big ledge. I remember some laybacks that weren't that crappy of rock along with some more crappy fixed pro. I remember my bro Pat getting gripped on the thing. From after the first pitch it appeared to go up an and left through a series of three crack systems. The leftmost putting the leader on the massive ledge with the pine tree before the last long 4th pitch. I stayed in the right most crack straight up until it ended arching right. Reached up and put a bolt in and fired up and right into some rad mantles, shallow corners, and a really cool arete-ish ending out of a corner. Its called "Sandbag" and goes at 10b+. Takes pretty damn good pro really, though you wouldn't know it until you get there. Topo on Falk's site.
Somebody enjoy!!!!!
Bob j.
PS. Scooter, any words on this one?
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scooter
climber
fist clamp
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:27am PT
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Yo Bob. I think that we started completely to the right of NW Buttress. I haave done it sinec and the pitches on Sand bag don't necessarily meet up with it. PLUS, you should mention it is more in the realm of difficult climbing as opposed to .10b. HA! Can't wait to rope up with you brudda!
Pat
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:58am PT
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Ah, yes.
Bill F. and I were headed down to Manure Pile one day in July 1976. Stopped to get some gas at the station that used to be there by Camp 4. Some guy offered us $20 to give him a ride to Tmds. Sounded good. Off we went, figured to do a climb up there. Bill claimed to have some knowledge of some routes up there on the NW face of Lembert. We dropped the guy off at the Tmds store and headed over to Lembert.
Nothing was very obvious. We started up on what we thought was the NW Buttress (left of Crying Time when looking at the face). First three short pitches were OK if a little dirty, but it was getting late. Bill headed up pitch four and took a fall at a small roof. Took another one. Seemed harder than 5.8. He lowered to the belay and I went up. Took another fall. Tried to aid up--too inept to get anywhere. Now it was getting dark.
We were dressed for July in the valley. Shorts and t-shirts. It was getting cold fast. We decided to bail. No headlamps. I went down first with a big knot in the ropes down at the tail end. Get down there and there is nowhere to get in any gear. Swing around and by touch find a crack and put in a couple of nuts. Bill comes down and is way cold. Down he goes and repeats the search for gear. I'm so cold, I worry that my chattering teeth with slice off my tongue if it gets in the way.
He finds a place for gear, I go down, we agree to go the rest of the way on a single rope and hope we hit the ground. We make it. Stumble in the dark back to the car, fire it up and turn the heater on full! Back to the valley, get up early, borrow some ropes and go rap from the top to recover our gear and rope.
Have no idea what route(s) we tried that day. Later we thought maybe we were in the Lightweights Don't Scream corner. There was some old gear up there (edit).
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 06:03am PT
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I did the route in 1970 in PA's, using pitons for protection. The "approach" ramp got our attention not only because of the uncomfortble, unroped moves but because the route we had just climbed was bombarded by rockfall, adding to the psychological difficulty of retreat.
To make matters worse, I naively believed Roper's 5.8 rating in the "Eleven Domes" article in the 1969 Ascent; I was too inexperienced to realize how big a sandbag that was!
We followed the route he suggested -- the diagonal crack starting on the left. There was some fixed gear, (not all of it on the route we took), and we placed several pins for protection, but I never felt all that strung out. I doubt, though, that modern hammerless gear would provide the same comfort level of protection. All of this is tempered by the 39-year gap since I did the route. I remember several moves where I had difficulty, but all of them had immediate protection.
The rock, on the other hand, was certainly less than the best, and there was plenty of dirt and vegetation. Even then, Ed, I think the route belonged on the "obscurities list."
John
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Land of God-less fools
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'5.8 mantle'
'5.9 LB'
upper 4th class
A bit dirty, but a nice climb.
There's 5th class on the 1st and last pitches, so it's really 4 pitches.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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There's 5th class on the 1st and last pitches, so it's really 4 pitches. Glad to hear you thought so too, we figured first and 4th were "Norman Clyde 4th class"...
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Of course we looked...from the ledge over left it looked impossibly steep and hard (and extremely photogenic). One thing is for sure - anyone getting on Sandbag better send a friend to that ledge with a nice camera - cover shot material!
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Land of God-less fools
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Is this the Sandbag start? I started up that way, but came back down.
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bob
climber
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believe so, yes. That corner heads up and arches right. Where it ends get to stance and reach up and clip bolt. Head up into the business.
Good stuff.
I
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