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blake
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 7, 2006 - 12:03am PT
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anyone know the status of any ropes semi-permanently fixed to sickle ledge? mostly, can i count on them being there and being in decent condition for rapping/jugging? thanks
(my brother and i are hoping to make a good attempt at the nose, our first el cap route, next week ... in other words, wish us luck, and say hello as you cruise past us)
blake
PS i posted on the "climbing routes" page, but i doubt many of the people who would know read that page very often ..
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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fix your own damn ropes, sheesh.
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blake
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2006 - 12:52am PT
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clarification: we are hoping to climb to the top of pitch 6 or so, then rap and sleep on the ground. we don't have enough rope to fix all the way from the top of 6 to the ground, but i heard that there are often "general use" ropes fixed up to sickle. .
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WBraun
climber
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Generally not to sickle.
You don't have enough ropes? Then just climb to sickle with your bags and bivy there and fix to 6. No need to sleep at the base then.
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blake
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2006 - 01:10am PT
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thanks werner. we might just end up doing that. we were hoping to avoid the extra day of food/water in the bag. we'll be slow enough as it is ..
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WBraun
climber
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That's ok, take your time and enjoy.
The nose is the best climb on El Cap. There is something for everyone there, for the hardest hardman to the mere mortals like you and me.
Good luck Blake .........
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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If you have 3 60m ropes (or similar combos), you can reach from Sickle (4) to the ground. No real need to fix to 6 - those 2 pitches are easy and go very fast in the morning.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Blake,
Good Luck with your climb.
See yourself cliping the summit bolt ladder and the climb is yours.
Juan
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elcapfool
Big Wall climber
hiding in plain sight
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Bivying on the ground is illegal.
I'd climb to sickle, fix, and rap. Then haul the bags. The hauling on the lower pitches is a real drag.
Two climbers that don't have 2 dynamics and a static between them? Go to the store, my man.
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona, Spain
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I've done both, stashing the bag at sickle and rapping down, and bivying on sickle. The time I got to the top, we bivied on sickle. It's uncomfortable enough a ledge to ensure an early start the next day. If you had time to fix ropes up to the Dolt hole, you'd have an easy time making El Cap tower the next day.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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blake, good luck, sorry for the attitude.
last time I was under there, a guy (YMS guide) was totally bitching out a party for rapping and jugging on his ropes. He was furious about it. So if there are ropes there, consider they are someone elses and they may not want you on them.
you'll likely get busted or eaten by Bear 46 if you bivy at the base.
Are th4e Hubers Fk'n ropes still fixed down from Stovelegs? why do those guys get a free pass to leave their damn ropes strung all over El Cap all year?
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yo
climber
The Eye of the Snail
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Good beta, Werner. I have two firm and fast rules for the Nose:
1. Do not fix. Walk up and start climbing.
2. Do not bring a portaledge. Snuggle up to the Cappy, it don't get any better.
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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self sufficiency is always the preferred choice.
dont depend on the ropes there.
dont depend on yosar.
climb under your own steam and you can be proud of your successes and stand behind your failures.
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Kupandamingi
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Blake - with all these speed and free ascents becoming more common, consider your slowness a "retro" ascent and for those who ask tell them 'slow' is the new 'fast'.
A friend and I did Triple Direct in utterly slow fashion last month (3 nights but 4 really long days), but we made it and had a blast.
Fix, blast off from the ground, whatever....just keep going. If you guys are desperate for an extra rope for rapping so that you can fix on day 1 and haul straight up to sicle on day 2, Id be glad to lend you one. Im in Berkeley, but up in Yosemite this weekend.
Greg
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blake
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 8, 2006 - 01:20am PT
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wow, thanks for all the responses.
lambone, no problem. i hear your points about Other People's Ropes.
and yes, we actually have plenty of our own ropes. we just don't want to carry them all up and up and up and then down and down and down 3000 feet, and no one has volunteered to run ground crew for us so that we could drop them after jugging. if i'm not mistaken, we would need four 60m ropes to fix to the ground from the top of pitch 6, which seems like too many ropes to carry up 3000 feet (and then down again, hopefully).
also, by sleeping "on the ground" i naturally meant "in the Ahwahnee" which we have reserved for 10 days, just in case. :)
greg, thanks very much for the offer! as i mentioned, it's not really the owning of ropes that's the problem so much as the carrying of said ropes. by all means "slow" is the new "fast" and i'll let you guys know that "really-way-too-damn-heavy" is the new "ultra-light". ..
i suppose we'll end up suffering the extra-day-ultra-heavy-not-recommended hauling up the route to sickle, fix the next few pitches, and sleep on sickle. seemed like there should be some creative way around that plan, but i guess we ARE trying to go up, not around.
PITME,
blake
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Mimi
climber
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If memory serves and one is willing to do the free variation and avoid the swing into the Stovelegs, you can fix from the belay at the very bottom of the Stoveleg cracks with four ropes to the ground. You need to count rap stations from that belay to the ground. Not only does this avoid all the bullcrap involved with hauling the traverses but you get to climb all of the Stovelegs. And you avoid rat problems on Sickle.
What yo and Werner said: Enjoy!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Cool route, have fun!
We were total weenies with a broken/overslept alarm clock & made it to dolt with about five hrs of light to spare, june/nofixing. Days are shorter now, but what tF?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Anecdotal evidence suggests that if you coil your spare rope(s) before tossing them to the ground, they are less likely to get stolen. A second option would be to leave them fixed instead of dropping them (more work for the rope thieves, plus a little work for you to retrieve them after you get back down). A third and probably best option would be to make friends with someone in Camp 4 who is having a rest day and have them collect the ropes you drop. Offers of free beverages might be effective in enlisting a professional ground crew....
Have fun up there and post a report when you get back.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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"If memory serves and one is willing to do the free variation and avoid the swing into the Stovelegs, you can fix from the belay at the very bottom of the Stoveleg cracks with four ropes to the ground."
This was where the Hubers ropes were fixed to last June. Not sure if they pulled them or what...
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valygrl
climber
Santa Cruz
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"..."slow" is the new "fast" and i'll let you guys know that "really-way-too-damn-heavy" is the new "ultra-light". "
what do you know. I'm cutting-edge.
:)
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