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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 21, 2008 - 11:41am PT
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What's the best route you've done which didn't have any fixed gear (bolts or pins)?
The Line at Lover's is pretty cool.
How about NE Butt of Higher...are there any fixies there?
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 11:43am PT
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These climbs are rare it seems. I like them when I find them. Most of the East Wall at the Leap is free of fixed gear right?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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May 21, 2008 - 12:34pm PT
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Wet Dreams, at Suicide, is a two pitch route entirely free of fixed gear including anchors etc. Excellent quality as well, as it climbs the best part of Flower Of High Rank before taking you around into the evil slot...
As I recall, a rarely done route called The Entity - on the west face of The Witch in The Needles - is great multipitch adventure with no fixed gear and some interesting belays. Funny thing that the old guide suggests bringing a couple thin pins to protect a certain section, but that is just silly. Nuts and tcu's sew it up. Of course the best way off the formation uses a fixed rap anchor, but it's not really part of the route.
I remember when Levy did The Prescription, also at The Needles, as it was done originally with no fixed gear. That had to be exciting...
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 21, 2008 - 12:40pm PT
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This is an interesting point. BITD, we often went to some effort to leave routes unchanged if we could. When these same routes became more popular, gear got fixed accidentally but the more systematic trend has been towards fixed and especially (retro) bolted, anchors -- often to meet the needs of commercial climbing, and not because the climbs were dangerous before.
Anyway, the addition of fixed gear including anchors greatly changed the character of the routes, so the "no fixed gear" experience of self-reliance is harder to come by in many areas now. Perhaps many climbers have never done a long route with no fixed gear?
I sure haven't done many lately. Thinking back over the past year, the gearless climbs I recall were one-pitch affairs, following cracks. Lack of fixed gear was part of the fun there, short though they were.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 21, 2008 - 12:51pm PT
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How times have changed!
Used to be the only evidence of previous ascents were the pin scars (which I then added to).
Now climbs without in situ steel are rare.
I don't know HOW many routes I've put up and left "bare" only to have some bonehead add bolts to and then "name"!
There are plenty of local examples. (One always gets me. I did Petroglyph Corner above St. George and even wrote it up in the AAJ only to have a local expert put poor bolts at the top and rename it Deface Crack because the petroglyphs had been vandalized! The pot calling the kettle black.)
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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May 21, 2008 - 01:04pm PT
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I believe one hand clapping on the black wall at Donner doesn't have fixed gear, but it's been about 15 years since I climbed it.
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Knoxville
climber
San Francisco
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May 21, 2008 - 01:09pm PT
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One Hand Clapping has belay bolts on the first and third belays, at least. It's still a great climb.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 02:06pm PT
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Kelly,
> How about NE Butt of Higher...are there any fixies there?
There are some fixed pitons here and there. Also a 2 bolt anchor partway up p1, a bolt where it crosses The Crucifix, and a bolt at the end of that pitch.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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May 21, 2008 - 02:13pm PT
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Locally I like:
Pineapple Thunderpussy, Gallatin Canyon
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 02:16pm PT
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How about the regular route on Fairview Dome. It has to be close to completely clean, except a stuck cam or two
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 02:17pm PT
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This is an interesting thread. Thinking about it, most climbs I've done have at least some sort of fixed gear.
The Line= one old fixed pin for sure (at 2nd belay) and there was a junky cam fixed in there somewhere too.
Bear's reach= probably about 5 fixed cams last time I did it.
Haystack, east wall, corrugation, traveller buttress, hospital corner, surrealistic pillar... hmm, I can't think of a single multipitch climb at the leap I've done that doesn't have something fixed on it.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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May 21, 2008 - 02:23pm PT
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A link-up that brutalized me and Nutjob this weekend has not a single fixed piece that I can remember, and no fixed anchors, Absolutely Free to Hawkman's Escape on Lower Brother.
13 pitches, clean as the Baby Jesus.
We both would have given our offset nuts to have a decent piece in certain places, like the chossy crux.
Nutjob looking for any other way, because the line can't go up through those overhung, hollow flakes, can it?
Nutjob, after the crux on a killer killer lead. (Killer meant in both senses). He still had lots of heads up, DFU climbing from this point to his anchor. I'd never been so gripped seconding a pitch. My POV may be overstating the case b/c this route slapped us so hard.
There's some gear on Hawkman's now, but it ain't fixed and will be a good harvest for whoever is willing to pay the price of admission to go up there next. Sorry to say we also left some trash, about 10 meters worth, when we had to cut stuck ropes.
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itso
climber
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May 21, 2008 - 02:24pm PT
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New Dimensions
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 02:28pm PT
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New Dimensions had a fixed rope anchor on p1 when I did it, and a fixed cam in p2.
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itso
climber
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May 21, 2008 - 02:31pm PT
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fixed cams are unfortunate but I don't remember any bolts or pins.
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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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May 21, 2008 - 02:32pm PT
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Via Aqua has a single ancient bolt that is clearly unusable (i.e. the metal sleeve around the bolt is cracked in half).
AquaChossy has no fixed gear... just kitty-litter walls in a squeeze chimney, and a belay requiring poor horizontal cams and chest jams in a green mossy sludge alcove.
Absolutely Free to Hawkman's is definitely the most significant one I've done.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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May 21, 2008 - 02:33pm PT
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I thought Haystack had a fixed pin about 8 feet below the roof. Did it go away?
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 21, 2008 - 02:38pm PT
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The Wasteland at Cochise, and Pineapple Thunderpussy in Gallatin -- yeah those are good ones, thanks for reminding me. Doesn't Wasteland have something funky on pitch 1, though?
Or this fun climb in Acadia,
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itso
climber
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May 21, 2008 - 02:57pm PT
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lots of Josh climbs are clean too. Rusty Wall, Beaver and Clean&Jerk, Fist Cuffs, Coarse&Buggy come to mind
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