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Rick Sylvester
Trad climber
Squaw Valley, California
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May 12, 2011 - 06:12am PT
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Did it twice. The first time was with Donini, maybe the '72 ascent he referred too. My memory is that the crux was a lieback, possibly on the second pitch (liebacks were never my strongest suit). We were only the second or whatever party after Wunsch and ? put up a variation to avoid the half pitch of aid. Roper really knocked this in a guidebook or magazine piece he penned. As a writer he has a right to editoralize but I thought his "this devious and dirty variation will hopefully fade into well deserved obscurity " (maybe a paraphrase but pretty darn close) was really really unfair. I always wondered if Roper did it in some misguided attempt at defending the integrity of the route as originally done by his friend and colleague first ascentionist Steck (of course in his defense about this pyschoanalysis of his motivation he didn't knock the upper chimneys "variation" to the bolt ladder out on the face, those chimney pitches of course lending most of the character of the route. But there's rarely anything classic about aid. And it wasn't devious and also it was obvious that with a couple more ascents it would be clean. I thought it was a good pitch, one of the better ones on the route. What I considered the unfairness of what Steve wrote has bothered me to this day. I thought rating-wise, Steck-Salathe was 5.9+, that there were three pitches of that grade, and that the variation was one of them.
I can't address the issue about the route having changed, gotten harder. But I do totally agree with rating inflation.,,and it's not from any ego as an ancient hardman. Rating inflation has troubled me for years and rightly or wrongly I've attributed it to sport and indoor gymnasium climbers facing something they're not so familiar with -- cracks, especially wide ones. Nova Express (5.9+, east face of Snowshed Rock, Donner Summit) has had a few bad, even ground, falls and there's no excuse for this. Once in the crack protection can be had just about every inch of the route.
My second time, with Paul Cowan, was unfortunately somewhat akin to Yo's description. Paul wasn't feeling well and I ended up doing most of the leading. Despite having finished all the technical stuff, ascent and descent, we got a bit lost in the dark and force bivied, with a smoky campfire, way down on the hiking portion of the descent. It was really annoying to have had that happen on my second ascent in view of the fact of the first time having gone more or less like clockwork and due to familiarity the second should have gone as well or better. It's been awhile. I've been thinking it's time to revisit the route, make up for that bivy.. But, being in my 70th year, I'm anticipating problems in the chimneys...and maybe elsewhere. Two headlamps for sure.
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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May 12, 2011 - 12:49pm PT
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I have to climb Generator crack on the outside but I could climb the
narrows.
I had plenty of trouble, but most of it was from having some incompressible
items attached to my harness and from trying to lead it with the rack on.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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May 12, 2011 - 01:54pm PT
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Scuffy, you could easily squeeze in on Generator below the jug, I can. Even when I was 20lbs heavier I could. First couple of times went around thinking no way, but tried it and fit,everytime since then I've gone inside.
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Adamame
climber
Santa Cruz
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May 12, 2011 - 02:11pm PT
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On Generator Crack, if I have my right side in I can go under the flake into the squeeze, but if I stay left side in then I have to go outside the flake for a very unpleasant foot or two.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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May 12, 2011 - 02:57pm PT
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Every generation is its own generation, and one
cannot be compared to another. I admire the guys who went up there in
tennis shoes and lousy ropes, full of youth and adventure, the Don Wilson
types... I might have climbed harder stuff in a later generation, but I
have never felt I surpassed anyone. Everything is always relative to its
own generation. The real point of Sentinel is the beauty and grandeur
of that great route, whatever the grade it's given
Great perspective Pat
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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May 12, 2011 - 03:02pm PT
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I can squeeze in below the jug, true, but I can't go in any direction
more than a couple feet before it gets too tight.
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okie
Trad climber
San Leandro, Ca
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May 12, 2011 - 03:26pm PT
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Yeah, that squeeze on the pitch above the Wilson Overhang is tighter than the Narrows. I couldn't fit through that one and had to down climb and do the variation instead which is a lot quicker way to go anyway. Maybe some folks off-width on the outside of it but it's bombbayish so that would be miserable to me. I was linking those two pitches (Wilson and the next one)and I lost time messing around with that chimney.
On the next pitch there's a short OW crack on a "5.7" rated pitch. It's probably not more than 20' but it's there.
Rick Sylvester's 5.9 pitch off the Flying Buttress is one of the best pitches on the route.
edit: After reading Rick's post again, he says it was Wunsch who first climbed that variation.
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tahoe523
Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
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May 12, 2011 - 04:08pm PT
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"To practice for the Steck-Salathé, crawl across asphalt parking lots in the summer, on your knees and elbows." — Dingus Milktoast
Bump for the best and most apt description of the route if I ever saw one. A gem of a quote.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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May 12, 2011 - 07:21pm PT
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The narrows is pretty straight forward. Entrance is easy. Protectable with a new BD #5, but if you don't feel like hauling along a boat anchor, you can do just fine without it. Once you're in, you gotta work it like Santa Clause after dumping the gifts. You're inside. Groveling.
This was not my experience at all. I thought the entrance was the crux. You are in an alcove trying to work into a squeeze chimney. You get an awkward fist jam and then your feet are bicyling in air as you try to inch up. I would take the big piece. The entrance is the only place you could fall and the fall without pro (to the extent I remember) would suck.
I found the narrows, after getting into them, an easy 5.7 cruise (seriously). The rock inside has waves that you can mantle with your palms and push with your toes, but I am also on the skinny size.
But the real crux of the route is the pitch before the narrows.
My partner lead the Wilson overhang. I found it pretty mellow on toprope. I followed much further out where the chimney was much wider. Probably would not have had the gumption to do it like that on lead.
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Alexey
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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May 12, 2011 - 10:17pm PT
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But the real crux of the route is the pitch before the narrows. It depends.. I climbed SS 3 times and once the real crux of the route for me was 5.9 squeeze pitch just above Wilson overhang
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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May 13, 2011 - 12:08am PT
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Beta alert. Hard men and women-stop reading and go climb the fricken thing.
I'm sort of the noob expert on SS. I've got to the top twice and backed off twice at the Wilson Overhang. Basically if I can do it, you can, so go for it.
The squeeze above the narrows may well be the crux so I went the 5.8 way twice. If...if you are good on your feet- this 5.8 will be pretty easy as will the 5.9 friction pitch before the great chimney. Balance.
Read carefully DMTs beta on entering the narrow. That's it.
I weight 175 and I got stuck in the narrows, twice. I had a green bruise in the shape of a figure eight from trying to push my way through. Push all the air out of your body and try moving a few inches to the side. That is how close it is in there. Of course my body looks like a wood flour barrel with legs, arms and a head.
The pitch before the narrows has been tamed a bit by the replacement of the two funky "studs" with real hangers. Still be real solid on 5.9 chimneys. Not squeeze- chimneys- for that pitch.
Read Yo's report again, "slick with the thin blood of sport climbers".
Be fit. Be aware that above Wilson you are committing yourself. Either you'll make it, you'll epic and make it, or you'll epic.
Report back when you do it. " We want to believe you"!
Climb on!
Zander
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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May 13, 2011 - 02:57am PT
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Now that is the shizz-ell.
I've been to the base of that thing, more than once. And I'm here to tell ya. When you cannot fit through that narrow, your world will roll. On the outside, it's where it is at, the best view on the whole thing. Don't take my word, find it there yourself.
Oh, and a 4 Cam works just fine, not need for more. Write me when you fall out of that thing.
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Rick Sylvester
Trad climber
Squaw Valley, California
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May 13, 2011 - 03:27am PT
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Speaking of squeezes, how about the third pitch of the Hourglass (the one near Ribbon Falls, not at Lover's Leap).? I did it with Bates and Donini. You started on the outside. After a while there was a bolt. I'd heard that most people had to go about 7' above the bolt before getting in one of the tightest chimneys in my experience. It was the only -- ? -- time I couldn't turn my head without scraping off nose skin. But at least once in no way could you fall (almost no way could you make upward progress initially). But Barry had to go something like 40' above the bolt (old quarter incher of course). I was surprised; I'd never thought of him as all that much bigger than I. But he was -- all muscle of course. And that's why it wasn't traumatic for him.
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Rick Sylvester
Trad climber
Squaw Valley, California
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May 13, 2011 - 04:38am PT
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One weird Steck-Salathe story I just remembered from the past. Some guy had been leading the entire route and on the second to last pitch, one of what I considered one of its three 5.9+ pitches, he fell. His hammer fell out of its holster and jammed in the crack. Due to his leg being inside or whatever it tripped him so that he fell head first and struck something with his head and with fatal consequences. It seemed so odd. The guy was good enough to do all the leading then succumbed so close to the top due to a freak occurrence.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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May 13, 2011 - 08:51am PT
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Great post, LoveGasoline. I've watched those desperate lights, too.
Thinkin', those poor bastards.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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May 13, 2011 - 01:53pm PT
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Yea, I was thinking the piece to protect the entrance to the narrows was smaller than a new #5 camalot, but I wasn't sure.
Of course, the main reason to take a piece for that spot is to have the C1 option for getting into the narrows (not that I would know anything about that ;-).
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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May 13, 2011 - 01:57pm PT
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It is interesting to hear what different climbers found hard. I understand the narrows is size dependent. I probably weighed around 140~145 when I did it.
But other pitches are curious. I can understand the Wison Overhang being a hard lead. But for those of you that followed that pitch, did it really seem that hard? Of the famous, wide pitches on SS, I thought it pretty easy. Maybe I just hit it correctly and really screwed up in other places such as the pitch below the narrows.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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May 13, 2011 - 03:30pm PT
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That squeeze above Wilson I thought was the hardest thing on the route, I tried it and couldn't fit finally took the flake on the right (note that I'm NOT a big guy).
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 13, 2011 - 06:04pm PT
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Rick- The guy's name was Roger and the version of the accident that I heard was that he simply had his hands come out of a jamcrack while both feet stayed put and he pivoted and struck his head. Roger's partner was Tucson climber Kem Johnson who had to rope solo out and get a body recovery going. Kem doesn't post here.
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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May 13, 2011 - 06:21pm PT
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That story (the fatality) was simmering in my mind for 35 years or so,
so when I did the climb for the first time just a few years ago, I was
really apprehensive.
I was very relieved when elcapinyoazz told me that in fact all the 5.9
was below us, at the end of very very long day.
A lethal 5.9 jamcrack at that point (full dark) would have been just too much.
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