Sub 5.12 and STILL testpieces.

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bjj

climber

beyond the sun

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:04pm PT

Yes, it was headstone that was the ass kicker. The belay for it is a huge flat area, yes? I think I remember now.

And, I guess sky pilot was the roof?

MP.com rates both those pitches as 11+?

Grade creep? At the time I had the old yellow tahoe guide and I think headstone got 11b/c and sky pilot 11b?

Those grades seemed right on at the time, even with being bouted by headstone. Nostalgia is fun. Also, a lot easier than getting back out there!

bjj

climber

beyond the sun

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:10pm PT

I didn't think levitation was very hard. It had a couple of hard moves but all in all after the third it's a cruiser for those who climb 5.11.
I thought the crux was the walk off. Talk about a long long long long descent.

The approach and walk off are the things that will probably keep me from ever doing it. I have an arthritic hip that sort of needs replacing. When it gets fatigued, I stumble and am prone to falling down (especially if any boulder hopping is involved) and move pretty slowly.

fosburg

climber

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:38pm PT

Did anyone mention Stoned Oven in the Black Canyon? I will buy anyone beers who onsighted that crux 5.11 pitch (Tim Wagner did and described it as, "like the Endurance Corner without footholds...).

Evel

Trad climber

Nedsterdam CO

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:40pm PT

Automatic D/Q!

Everything rated 5.11 at the Black is a test-piece.

bjj

climber

beyond the sun

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:41pm PT

Thanks to all.

Man, I miss Tahoe. That's where I learned to climb and consider myself very fortunate. It made me pretty well rounded with all the different rock types and styles.

I think about moving back all the time. Probably won't happen, though.

KabalaArch

Trad climber

Starlite, California

Jan 31, 2014 - 03:48pm PT

How about The Token or Ribbon Candy.

How many ascents of The Token?

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Jan 31, 2014 - 05:47pm PT

I can't wait to do some of these test pieces!
Especially Jihad....

Dingus McGee

Social climber

Laramie

Jan 31, 2014 - 06:01pm PT

Testpieces?

By the abundance of these examples I gather they must be to each climber like noticing tits on a girl is to a guy. Every climbing formation has 2.

goatboy smellz

climber

लघिमा

Jan 31, 2014 - 06:49pm PT

Peter Haan

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Jan 28, 2014 - 11:22pm PT

As others have said, there are deadly challenges at all grades in the natural settings and here is the stuff with which we really should be fascinated.

snow in birmingham, all hell breaks loose in the flatlands.

Ksolem

Trad climber

Monrovia, California

Jan 31, 2014 - 07:11pm PT

Hercules - Josh - fingers, hands
Hidden Arch - Josh - stemming, thin crack
Wet Dreams- Suicide - crack, tricky strenuous pod
Green Arch - Tahquitz - stemming, thin crack, face
Pipe Dreams - Dome Rock - steep slab
Liquid Sky - The Needles - runout steep slab
Ankles Away - The Needles - stemming to long thin crack
Insomnia - Suicide - perfect crack
Bendix Claws - Josh - tricky face to fingers

All sub 5.12. All fairly testy, some more than others...

bjj

climber

beyond the sun

Jan 31, 2014 - 08:29pm PT

bjj

Come on back out to the summit just let us know and we will do the IV again.

This time we will do it top down. ;)

Thanks, man. Maybe one day...

Funny, I've always thought about doing a top down toprope of the B/Y. Just spend the day lazily rapping and tr'ing every pitch, to see what all the hoopla is about.

Della

Trad climber

Salt Lake City

Feb 5, 2014 - 01:50pm PT

What about Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond? Or even "the Casual Route," for many climbers, though clearly not for Charlie Fowler.

Another possibility: Jules Verne in Eldorado. I remember a climbing video about that one when I first started trad climbing...

cornel

climber

Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Feb 8, 2014 - 10:25am PT

Hercules at Josh, Turbo Flange at Tacquitz and many 5.11 cracks in the Valley..

poneil82

climber

Feb 10, 2014 - 06:24pm PT

Great thread!!

I started climbing in 2010 and I'm pushing into .11s on gear in the Valley. That frame of reference established, if I had to choose one or the other, between climbing First Round First Minute or the Bachar-Yerian, hands down my choice is the B-Y.

Mental testpieces are what climbing is all about in my opinion!

eeyonkee

Trad climber

Golden, CO

Feb 10, 2014 - 07:51pm PT

Did anyone mention Stoned Oven in the Black Canyon? I will buy anyone beers who onsighted that crux 5.11 pitch (Tim Wagner did and described it as, "like the Endurance Corner without footholds...).

I got so close to getting it but ran out of gas towards the end of the pitch on my only ascent in 1991. What a pitch! The rest of the 5.11 pitches were trivial in comparison. I really wanted that one...

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

sawatch choss

Feb 10, 2014 - 08:32pm PT

Damn, I gotta get on that!

Enduro is my thing…maybe I can get some beers off fosburg.

nah000

climber

canuckistan

Feb 10, 2014 - 11:05pm PT

most climbers know about the testpiece nature of just about any route rated 5.9 a2 in the canadian rockies. but there are also the sub 5.12 "cragging" testpieces that have withstood the test of time and are still proud notches on any climbers belt. most of the following climbs are in the 2-400m range:

from lauchlan/keller in the cmc valley:
the maker, 10c/r, 1977

on yam, the cheesmond/gross/quinn trilogy:
the heat is on, 10b/x, 1985
brown trousers, 10d/r, 1985
the wild boys, 10d/x, 1985

on yam, from demiao/marshall and other 80s era hardmen/nutjobs:
astro yam, 11c/r, 1986
above and beyond, 11c/a0, 1986

and if a person finds all of these boring, they can move onto the shrouded in myth and afaik still unrepeated demaio/marshall route on the north face of windtower:
iron butterfly, 11a/a4, 1988

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

Nothing creative to say

Feb 11, 2014 - 02:57am PT

what route is 11d, but absolutely could not get any more difficult?

what the face climb left of Gold Dust and Heathenistic? That used to be easy-ish on TR, and almost lead it, but something has broken on it. Could be stout now?