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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:10pm PT
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:36pm PT
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Peaches and Cream (.11+ - Jimmy Dunn), at Lumpy Ridge, Colorado. I failed to send on my only attempt in 1989? Crack of Fear feels like 5 grades easier.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
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Fun thread. Thanks.
Got a kick out of Granite Mountain being mentioned.
Yeah, placing gear at the edge or having no gear to place is different than cranking bolt to bolt.
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 10, 2017 - 06:26pm PT
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all time, full body, full value. (and a Donini favorite)
best little route ever!
its not rated that hard but...ninja skills required
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2017 - 06:30pm PT
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Hey, I just read Chief's post about Orangutan Arch. Turns out, that was the very first 5.11 that I ever did in the Valley (probably 1975). I remember referring to it as the reverse traverse.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 10, 2017 - 07:44pm PT
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Anybody mention Insomnia?
It's not really all that hard, but I've seen a lot of good climbers get hosed on it...
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:24am PT
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Most of the old school 5.10+ and 5.11 routes at Tahquitz and Suicide are still pretty stout. They feature climbing styles that no longer popular or practiced much (crimps from hell), often have moderate to longish runouts, and the pro is rarely situated so a leader can hang in the middle of a crux bit and session the moves. Move the rating up to 5.12 and the list of routes (mostly by Darryl H.) gets formidable indeed. I'd wager that the 5.12s at Suicide see less traffic than about any other routes of that grad in So Cal. But that might have to do with the area seeing so little traffic from leading sport climbers. And as Kris mentioned, Tar and Feathers has to be one of the hardest 5.11s in Tranation. Back before cams, you didn't fall off that one or you risked ripping the whole lead.
JL
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Vlad Pricker
Mountain climber
Alaska West
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:40am PT
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From January 28 2014, from the OP Donini
climbing remains an exercise in starting at the bottom of a cliff or mountain and thru cunning, skill and guts finding your way to the top. Aesthetics and style become equally as important as sheer difficulty.
Climbing has become segmented....so be it. For many pure athleticisim with preplaced gear is the way, others might prefer a different challange.....to each their own, no path is better than the other.
I couldn't agree more. If I got my butt up a 5.12 nowadays, leading, wow, but it ain't gonna happen. Neither is M9 or the North Face of Nanga Parbat.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:55am PT
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Do 'museum' routes qualify as 'testpieces'?
I'd second most of what Largo says, and nominate obscurities such as The Hangover and Flying Circus on Tahquitz.
Seldom done, at least…
(What about all those Tahquitz and Suicide routes that have seen 'ratings creep' over the ensuing years?!)
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Feb 11, 2017 - 11:27am PT
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Crosstown traffic, Purple Haze, Under the bigtop, Blue wind all at The Leap. Carls gym at Donner, man who fell to earth and second pitch of blue velvet at Sugarloaf. Lotsa good Will Cotrell testers there. Fat Merchant Crack.....
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Feb 11, 2017 - 11:45am PT
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TwistedCrank
“I was told there would be no math on this test piece.”
Hah hah that is funny. Good humour always makes for a fun thread.
StahlBro
“Test pieces force you out of you comfort zone, regardless of the grade.”
Yep. Back when I could, I used to lead 5.11 okay. Last year I was FOLLOWING Street Fighter (HVS, about 5.8+/5.9-) in Dalkey Quarry, I was gripped.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 11, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
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Do 'museum' routes qualify as 'testpieces'?
How about Black Harlot's Layaway and it's neighbor with the shared start The Reach. I went up there with EE once. That long armed mutant could tag these holds that I couldn't reach to save my life.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 11, 2017 - 09:34pm PT
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Bump for Ron Carson's routes at Dome Rock. F'ing power slabs. Most of them are .12, but a couple are .11's, and every bit of it.
Carson-ogenic
Skid Row
Yaniro got in on the action too with Pipe Dreams:
It might not look like much but...
This is a cool thread.
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Oso Flaco
Gym climber
Atascadero, CA
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Feb 12, 2017 - 02:22pm PT
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When I think testpiece, I think of routes that are testpieces for their grade. So I guess calling them sandbags could work too. I also think testpiece routes carry a heavier mental challenge than their peers. I haven't climbed many, or any for that matter, but here are some routes that were or are personal testpieces:
Of these I would say that Sacherer Cracker & Final Exam felt the most like testpiece routes.
5.7: South Face of North Dome (Yosemite, nails harder than Snake Dike or Royal Arches, both at same grade) stout 1950s route with lots of liebacking and runout slab, not a single piece of fixed gear to be found (saw one chopped belay bolt in sustained lieback pitches toward end).
5.8: Trial By Fire (in Yosemite, Royal Arches area) low angle wide flare looks easy from ground then eats you alive
5.8:P-Wall Direct (R) (at Bishop Peak, CA) sparse, marginal gear on seldom-traveled, lichen-strewn dacite to the first bolt 20m up. Then again to the anchor at 45m.
5.9: NEB, Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock (Yosemite) full-value wide sections
Steck-Salathe (Yosemite) very long route that has its way of slowing you down
5.10a: Sacherer Cracker (Yosemite, El Capitan base) polished, pumpy liebacking and crack climbing to an even smoother OW finale.
5.10a: Out of Hangers (5.10aR, Bishop Peak, CA) technical, runout face climbing up a blunt aręte for 50m.
5.10b: The Pancake Flake & Skull Queen p11 (Yosemite) both offering mind-bending views from sustained layaways
5.10c: Generator Crack (Yosemite) 'nuff said
5.10d: The Final Exam (base of Half Dome, Yosemite) groveling up a very sustained fist/OW crack for 40m, crux may be conserving all those #3s and 4s you brought up the death slabs with you. You did bring those right?
5.10d: p2 of OZ (Tuolumne) exposed, technical, face climbing with sloping knobs for feet
5.11a: Humps (5.11aX, Bishop Peak, CA) Thin, balancy, face-climbing. Failing at the crux sends you for some air-time. The hard bit is cryptic. I'd love to see someone onsight it then ask them what grade they think it is.
5.11b: The Moratorium p3 (Yosemite) thin, polished lieback, pods in the lieback seep wetness
5.11c: Enduro Corner (on Astroman, Yosemite) just hanging in there on the long section of 0.75
5.11d: Desperado (at Pat & Jack Pinnacle, Yosemite) this route kinda throws the kit & caboodle atcha. Start in chimney behind flake and move sideway over a stalagmite that promises to impale (with no pro), improbable aręte moves to gain the opposite side of the flake, thin face with well-spaced bolts, awkward transfer to adjacent cliff face, sporty liebacking, underclinging, mantel over roof, victory jugs up patina to finish
Question from Mungeclimber earlier in thread:
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?
I think that one is called New Wave (5.11d). Excellent face climb.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Feb 12, 2017 - 02:50pm PT
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^ ^ ^ ^awsome ! Max-beta, Bata -Max!'mm ! Well that makes this gem of. Thread a real Dimond.
This is a picture from the Gunks, a place where once, you could drive to within a 1/4 mile
Across the talus, to The Sun-bowl, looking up past the Sinus at Marooned up, center right.
( I've no idea which , 'Right' Double or some such?)
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 12, 2017 - 04:47pm PT
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awesome pics guys!!! +1 on that Desperado!
what about that crack a go go? 11c
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Oso Flaco
Gym climber
Atascadero, CA
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Feb 13, 2017 - 08:52am PT
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Nice work on Desperado, Dan. One of my favs. Looks like it got bumped to 12a in the new "750 Best" guide.
Sweet photo; unique rest stance. I've yet to climb that Crack-A-Go-Go; it looks great. I'll give it Go-Go this year.
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Friend
climber
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Feb 13, 2017 - 09:56am PT
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Driving South 5.11d by John Bachar. 5 star finger crack problem.
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Feb 15, 2017 - 02:22pm PT
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Any "11+" in NH...Prow 11+...right Possessed..uh...Shadowline
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