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nature

climber
Santa Fe, NM
Feb 19, 2008 - 01:17pm PT
I could see doing sushi on one night for around 25 people no problem.

I love how ya'll's plan my sushifests these daze :-)

When's prime time to camp at The Black? (no cold hands for the sushi chef!) I'll consult with PapaJoto and we'll make it a plan.

Geez... should we do SushiFest IV:XX at The Black?

TwistedCrank

climber
Ideeho
Feb 19, 2008 - 01:28pm PT
The thing about a SF at the BC is that it's not exactly like you'll be able to toss a toprope over the edge and line up to fall off.
nature

climber
Santa Fe, NM
Feb 19, 2008 - 01:44pm PT
yeah... I'm realizing the logistics are probably not ideal. It was just a silly idea. So we'll just pick a date for spring to head up there for some free climbing. I'll keep it limited to sushi for 20-25 people for one night and call it good (but not a sushifest ;-)
philo

Trad climber
boulder, co.
Feb 19, 2008 - 01:54pm PT
Damn there goes the private tour Nature. All right I am still in.
Late Spring (June) would be good or early Autumn (Sept).
What about having a SushiFest-ette at the riverside sandbar by the base of the PW? I am sure we could get plenty of volunteers to haul food and drink down and garbage back out of the SOB. Talk about full conditions SushiFest. What do ya say Nature?????

You could bivy at the base and have all day to climb something like the S. Arete. I'll even carry your bivy gear out. Nature?
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2008 - 02:28pm PT
I say do a "scheduled" (sushi...shhh) event early September.
June is stamped with the Montucky Batholith Bash.
nature

climber
Santa Fe, NM
Feb 19, 2008 - 02:31pm PT
yo philo - we can probably still work something out with respect to the private tour. One thing though is that PapaJoto has been to the black a few times. So I'm not sure how it'd all shake out anyway.

Late spring sounds like the best plan. In the fall PapaJoto and I are planning on the Psychedelic Wall which will consume us.

SushiFest-lite at the base of PW sounds like a fun adventure. Let's keep this idea tabled. Full on conditions deter me knott (see ICSF). I like it.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2008 - 02:41pm PT
FYI: Montana "Age of the Batholith" is June 13-22.
So, doing The Black either first or last weekend in June would be helpful.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2008 - 02:43pm PT
South Arete is like a half vert mile of choss & bushes at 5.9++ (10+) or something?
Maybe I was thinking of N Arete.
Whatever.
I'm ready to strap in...
Handjam Belay

Gym climber
expat from the truth
Feb 19, 2008 - 03:59pm PT
One winter I was skiing a load into the North Rim. Super quiet groovn, while pulling my sled. I had just finished a left-handed cigarette when up behind me pulls the new park superintedant...

He's amazed to see anyone there and insists he gives me a lift the remaining mile or so. We put my sled in the back of his ranger Bob ride and hopped in.

I stunk of the skunk to no end. Alas, there was no other evidence though, and without incident we conversed and I went on my way.

Cruxy.
eeyonkee

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Feb 19, 2008 - 07:00pm PT
In. And Tarbuster, it's StratosFEAR.
goatboy smellz

climber
colorado
Feb 19, 2008 - 07:28pm PT
A sushi party down in the BC sounds like a blast philo.
Count me in for Sherpa duty.

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber
Otto, NC
Feb 19, 2008 - 09:08pm PT
Hatch time might be good for fresh sushi...
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
Feb 19, 2008 - 09:09pm PT
What will be in a Dragon wall roll?
J. Werlin

climber
Cedaredge
Feb 20, 2008 - 09:37am PT
Sushi at the Black? Now you are talking. I promised I'd roll for the SAR team this spring, so I'll break things in out there.

Nature, the Black is pretty much our backyard here so count on Tim and I to back you up. We both have freezers well stocked with sushi goodies from Catalina OP.

Tim and I threw down last Saturday:

Goma Wakame

Shime-sabe sashimi

Spider Roll


Sashimi Roll

If we roll at the Black we'll have to do something trout inspired in honor of the gold medal waters below.

PS: Nature, do you refer to the Hallucinogen Wall?


Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2008 - 10:03am PT
Yah, yah,
We can throw a big loop over the edge and TR the StratosFEAR's traverse, yo.
Ain't the how it was re-con-neutered BITD?
J. Werlin

climber
Cedaredge
Feb 20, 2008 - 10:10am PT
Tar-- I think your plan is too dangerous.



You might get hit by a BASE jumper.
philo

Trad climber
boulder, co.
Feb 20, 2008 - 10:48am PT
Mmmm mouth watering pictures.
I am intriqued by the idea of a Dragon Wall roll.
But what I am really curious about is what will be in the Hallucinogen roll. Sounds like a trip.
426

Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
Feb 20, 2008 - 10:52am PT
Great thread, keep em coming. Some stories make me glad I "got none"...
philo

Trad climber
boulder, co.
Feb 20, 2008 - 01:16pm PT
Route: Diagonal Will
Location: Down stream, North Rim, belly of the beast, Black Canyon.
Diagonal Will is the most obvious feature on the entire buttress. Follow the long right facing, left leaning dihedral system. Continue through the far left side of the big long roof where it becomes a left facing overhanging dihedral system.
Whereupon you must Will your self rightward to get to a different left facing system and the top. Easy! Except you should note that the DW starts atop the largest single collection of talus at the base of any wall in the Black.

Tom Pulaski and I did the 2nd free ascent of the DW the weekend following Ed & Bryan's ascent. Tom had looked at that line for years. We felt sure we had a first ascent until I ran across a few chalked holds. The rock was so bad it was hard to imagine anyone being there ahead of us. Every pitch shed rock like fleas from an old cur dog.
While we were ascending there was some campers pitched directly below the route. There was nothing we could do and even from 1500'up we could still hear their virulent invectives. But really how many times can you yell ROCK at the top of your lungs before the idea sinks in. In the morning after our unplanned (and my first ever) bivy we realized that they had used the cease fire of nightfall to move the shrapnel shattered remnants of their tent to more covered terrain.
To this day, I am sorry to those poor folks who ever they were. It wasn't on purpose. Even the act of retreating would have just rained more rock down on them.
The Diagonal Will aka DW (not to be confused with the PW though the rocks speak the same language) is a route most people would choose to not repeat. I know I have no desire to return. For me twice was enough, more than. It's not that the climbing is bad. In fact much of the route involves exceptional and sustained 5.9 & 5.10 climbing. It's not that it isn't a scenic route. Au contraire the views from there are not to spare. It is most likely that the two most common things you and your partner will be saying are "ROCK!" and "on belay... DON'T FALL!".
This is really Not a climb for the faint-hearted who lust after safe rock and solid anchors. No no this IS a route for PIRATES! On both of my excursions, I can recall levels of terror and serenity that are unparalleled in my Black Canyon experiences. After turning the roof, the climbers are confronted with a profound decision. Everything is attempting to force you up and to the left but you have to find a passage to the right and the will to go there.
The climbing up the Swallow Wall to the left looks intriguing at first. But all to soon the immense dihedral rolls over into the gnarliest set of overhanging raptor beaks and talons. Going to the right involves managing a breach in the overhanging right wall of the DW dihedral. That pitch ends at a stance amongst a jumble of sharp edged loosely stacked flakes and blocks in the most exposed place imaginable. Considering that the next pitch involved a tricky traverse up and right for 90' of unprotected pegmatite face and a to the knot full rope length of climbing all on a "DON'T FALL!" belay, it is no wonder that my hands are sweating just writing about it almost thirty years later. That belay in space was the single most frightening place I have ever been in the Black. Fortunately, after the peg traverse the route kicks back into just hard for the last 5 or 6 pitches of obvious route finding.
As to information about the rock fall from the cruxy pitch below the long roof all I can say is "tell me something I don't know. Both times I was there that portion of the route looked like a huge dirty snow cone just crammed there by some spoiled rotten giant brat. And each time I was there it looked very different. It was highly changeable stone! And it was always desperately unprotected there as well. So, what change has occurred? Probably just more of the same!
The DW is the steamy underside of Black Canyon misadventures.
Virtually every pitch is 5.9 or harder. On the whole route I think we had three maybe four safe anchors. Unlike some more comforting climbs most of the hardest climbing on the DW is sustained and fairly poorly protected. And retreat is not a truly viable option.
If asked if I would ever go back for the three-Pete, I would have to answer that depends. On what you might ask.
On whether I could haul enough Depends.


TwistedCrank

climber
Ideeho
Feb 20, 2008 - 02:05pm PT
It's staggering to think we used to climb in there without helmets.

Then again, those old Joe Browns and MSRs weren't exactly made out of the space-age superlight materials they sell these days.
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