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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 25, 2008 - 03:25am PT
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Back in February, I ran into Eric Gabel in the Valley, and he happened to mention that he had recently done a new 4 pitch 5.8 at Reed's which was actually good! We often joke about how many of the new routes we do are kind of obscure, without much popular appeal, mostly done for our own fun of exploration. But sometimes the unexpected occurs and a new route is pretty good! So, two weeks ago, when Noriko and I saw Eric at the Reed's pullout, we had to get the lowdown. He gave us a topo and some beta, and we went for the 5th ascent! (I think Brad and Jim did the 3rd or 4th ascent the previous day, I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9).
We had a nice adventure up there. It's not a 5.8 for people just getting started in the grade, since there are some runouts on 5.6 where you need to be very solid. But it's cool if you are leading 5.9/5.10 and like to explore new stuff (i.e. if stepping on a moss hummock, or doing something which is not in the guidebook does not freak you out).
topo from Eric Gabel, with a few notes added
http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/yos/dreameasy.pdf PDF version
view from the road below
route overlay
better view of upper pitches, from the road
side view of upper pitches
Check it out and post up if you do it!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 25, 2008 - 08:36am PT
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I want to hear more about the "200', huge chimney"
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Mar 25, 2008 - 09:31am PT
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Yeah! Nice beta, thanks!
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Mar 25, 2008 - 10:32am PT
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Looks great!
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Michal Stewart
Trad climber
harrisburgh PA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 11:00am PT
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i can't believe there are still undone lines in the valley. wow, and at 5.8 no less. god i hate living on the east coast. huge props for adding another adventure to the center of the climbing world.
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yo
climber
The Eye of the Snail
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Mar 25, 2008 - 11:07am PT
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I third-classed that rig back in '88 but good go anyways, boys!
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Mar 25, 2008 - 11:23am PT
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That looks like a gas.
ION, has anybody done Duck and Cover? I've looked at that thing for years.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 11:27am PT
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Jaybro - yes we should do the chimney pitch! it is bolted and the question on everyone's mind (well, Eric's and mine's) is: does it need bolts?
Anyway, there's a lot more from where that came from... Eric just got done topo-ing a lot of routes (I think he's responsible for doubling the number at Knob Hill by a factor of 2... and there are even more routes by others, e.g. Grant).
The Valley is far from climbed out... at any grade.
Thanks Clint!
and Yo, you should post up more of your exploits... we'd like to hear...
CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:18pm PT
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Cool, the secret route is out. Got any more topos for us?
I'm with you on the chimney Jaybro!
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ec
climber
ca
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:29pm PT
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"I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9)." - CC
LOL. That's the Gabel I remember!
Nice!
 ec
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drc
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:29pm PT
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Oh wonderful,
those bolts are precisely what I belayed from.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Mar 25, 2008 - 12:49pm PT
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What's the story on the splitter crack system on the left side of the photographs in the first post? Is there more easy stuff to go up there?
Peace
Karl
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 02:19pm PT
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Karl,
Some of those splitter cracks on the left are Bongs Away Left, Center and Right. I'm not sure which one is "Right", as I haven't tried that one yet. I'm not sure of the exact level of the 5.10a traverse on Magical Mystery Tour, either, so I put a "?".
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 02:44pm PT
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Jim,
> multipitch 5.8 route that finishes with a rappel down to the tunnel blowhole?
Yes, that is: Edge of Absurdity, 7 pitches (4 pitches are 5.8, 3 are 5.7). Eric sent me a topo for it. I'll scan it and post in a separate thread.
[Edit to add:] Posted now:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=564266
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 02:46pm PT
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Ed,
> CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.
Those Duck and Cover anchor bolts looked like 1/4" to me - 5/16" have a larger diameter button head. I placed a cam in the far right end of the flake, so if I had plunged from the 5.6 R, I might not have factor-2ed onto them. Good news is that 1/4" are much easier to pull out with a tuning fork for replacement.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 02:51pm PT
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Karl, we're working on it!
Anyone interested can request info from ablegabel
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Orion
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 03:50pm PT
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Oh man if there is a top rope cue on lunatic fringe when I go to do it this season, Clint, I'm going to curse your name and the day you were born.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 04:02pm PT
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> top rope cue on lunatic fringe
haha, don't laugh - I showed up one time and there was somebody aiding Lunatic Fringe, very slowly.... So we just did Reed's Direct instead.
Are you suggesting climbing Dream Easy or the big chimney as a way to toprope Lunatic Fringe? That would probably take several hours for people who are not ready to lead Lunatic Fringe.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Mar 25, 2008 - 04:26pm PT
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No, we want to lead the Chimney for grins, hehe!
I climbed Bongs Away Left, it was a fun lead.
I was told Bongs Away center is a nice 10a OW. Might be a bit mungy, I heard no one climbs it.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 25, 2008 - 04:30pm PT
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here's a portrait of the Edge of Absurdity Arete, taken at Eric's birthday bash in the Valley last year:
it's the central one
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