alternate first pitch of the nose

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Messages 1 - 7 of total 7 in this topic
jthomas

Trad climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 25, 2016 - 08:31pm PT
saw that there was a new bolted belay at the base of what is labeled an alternate 1st pitch to the nose in the big wall supertopo guide and is "not recommended". oddly there are 2 bolts next to a pin scarred crack in the first 15 feet above the anchor. what's the deal? seems like an unnecessary addition.
Chaz

Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
Mar 25, 2016 - 08:34pm PT
Woot!
jstan

climber
Mar 25, 2016 - 08:38pm PT
jthomas=Jeff Thomas?
fat-n-sassy

Social climber
San Francity, CA
Mar 26, 2016 - 06:41am PT
I love adding new bolts to the nose.

It just feels SO RIGHT.
bluering

Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
Mar 27, 2016 - 06:46pm PT
Local legend Scott Stowe(number 6 on the most El Cap ascents list) says that that is actually the first pitch of the Nose, that Harding told him in person that he never climbed the right crack, which we all climb, as the first pitch - what a trip, eh? Anyone else ever hear that?

Really? That's interesting. What's that pitch go at? Just curious.
Tom

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
Mar 28, 2016 - 07:46am PT
As I recall, the Nose originally started at the very bottom, the lowest possible point, and went up the broken rock that nobody climbs anymore.

Pine Line avoids the original start.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Mar 28, 2016 - 10:40am PT
Tom, I'd heard the same thing about starting from the bottom on the right-hand side, and we actually went that way on purpose, but I never heard about Harding starting in the left-hand crack of today's first pitch. In any case, the 1964 Roper Guide says to approach the start from third class rock, which the right-hand rocks would not be in 1964 standards. Thus the approach from the very bottom straight up was abandoned very early in the game.

If the right-hand crack at today's start had RURP placements when first done, I could see why Harding, Powell and Furher wanted to avoid it in 1957. Chouinard didn't invent the RURP until 1960. But climbers didn't need unconventional pitons to aid the right-hand crack then, so I wonder why Harding would have started up the other crack.

John
Messages 1 - 7 of total 7 in this topic
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