Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
Funny definition, and, it works!
Missed this thread somehow's, the first go 'round.
BVB posted, back then:
i'm going to have to humbly disagree with you guys. i know many, many new-age boulderers who focus a great deal of their energy on standard-issue modern-day super-steep boulder problems, but who are also extraordinary skilled slab climbers. they seek out and send the most outrageously thin dime routes. little cottonwood canyon, in particular, may very well host the largest selection of the hardest slab climbs in america.
Etc. I'd agree with "suspenders dude" (as we called a Bob sighting here). Take a gander at the route database on Mountain Project and see all the stuff in Little Cottonwood for example. New and old, kids be slabbin'. Old classics still gettin' a work out.
Andy's photo's here show some fine slabbin' in LCC:
http://www.utahclimbers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2151&start=0
No wonder a few folks who spend some time here cut their teeth on "dixie crystals".
Fun stuff...
-Brian in SLC
|
|
Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2008 - 05:44pm PT
|
Brian, your first photo looks a lot like a chimney. I bet Ed and gang could figure out some way to heel-toe it. Though I suppose a slab-chimney may be possible. :-)
|
|
Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
Water groove and more secure than plain slab, to be sure. Good ol' Stone Mountain.
Couple shots of my favorite easy slab in Little Cottonwood:
Always good to get the first clip:
Great piece of rock:
View top down:
Always seem to be dancin' (or grovelling, praying) from chickenhead to chickenhead:
Hard friction is a zen thing, as much as just physical....it seems...
Cheers,
-Brian in SLC
|
|
Sanitary Bob
Social climber
chula vista
|
|
slabs are interesting....
Lemon Chiffon?
a slab, with one face move
wherein, the ascender crams the tip of
an index finger into a tiny V-slot
and pulls down with fortitude...
sorta feels like putting your finger
tip in the jaws of a plier
I think...
aesthetic uniformity,
being out on a wide-open plane of rock
makes slabs a sometimes very nice
place to be.
adjusting from the high-angle,
to the low,
or from the low to the high
can be interesting.
the shoe thing, the ones with the
downward pointy toe...yipes
|
|
Gilwad
climber
Frozen In Somewhere
|
|
A slab is anything less than about 120 degrees--overhanging... Or at least that's what it feels like if you're used to climbing steep, physical routes that demand more than pumped calves and torn tips.
Sarcasm aside, I think the reason slabs are less popular is that steeper forms of climbing are more fun--bigger, more gymnastic moves, less painful, faster pace and just generally less annoying. Slab climbing often feels like the most tedious gear climbing--you spend more time dicking about so you can do the move than actually doing it. Slab climbing is like adolescent sex or something--a tremendous amount of nonsense for only a few moves of real progress. Plus, ah, heavy people and those with no arms can do it, can't be too hard? I have no arms and I've climbed some decently hard slabs in the day so that proves that. Might get back into it if I manage to gain another 50 by the time I'm 50.
One thing worth remembering is that many hard sport routes have slabs at the top (a certain 5.13c at Smith being a classic example). So the art isn't dead. A kid in the UK just did a new E-crazy (edit--link above) route that's a slab so people are still at it, but fortunately slabs went out of fashion somewhere between rugby shirts and lycra.
Please keep up the good access work Anders, I sincerely appreciate it. Even if you do have a not-so secret slab problem.
|
|
Nate D
climber
San Francisco
|
|
Brain in SLC,
Is that slab climb in LCC the 5.9 pitch above Beckey's Corner? If so, I did that many years ago before I even knew what a runout meant. LCC is so great. Hope it hasn't changed much.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
|
|
Did someone say Lemon Chiffon?
Munge presses it out with a little beta from Beev
|
|
Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
Good eye, Chief. Here’s a pic of p1 of GFRR. "We’re an American Band, ya’ll"! Geez, look at all that pro... Funny thing on the second pitch, I was sprayin’ to my belayer just below the second (and last) bolt, that with all this pro, might as well be a sports route. Then my feet blew. Didn’t fall but, man, that’ll teach me.
Is that slab climb in LCC the 5.9 pitch above Beckey's Corner?
Nah, you’re close (route you’re thinkin’ of is Pebbles and Bam Bam?). To the right of Beckeys. Tingey’s Terror.
Another classic friction venue in LCC:
Route to the left of the climber is Paranoia Streak and I’ve seen many a suitor shut down on this rig.
This cooler fall weather is sendin' temp's!
-Brian in SLC
|
|
aldude
climber
Monument Manor
|
|
Steep featured slab - NorCal. Criteria for defining slab :
Stanceable - crux involves smears!
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
|
|
5.7 Jtree slab, "Searching For Klingons"
The second time I did this I got off route finding the first bolt and had to traverse over about 10-12 feet. 5.7 or not I was super-sketched, the first bolt is high up there with a bad fall.
|
|
Nate D
climber
San Francisco
|
|
Brian,
Don't remember the name of the route - the line heading right and up from the top of p.1 (or is it 2?) of Beckey's Wall - seen in the upper right quadrant of this photo:
Maybe there is more than one route on that slab now.
Your last pic must be Kermit's Wad, another favorite!
|
|
Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 8, 2008 - 06:16pm PT
|
Thanks, Gilwad (WG)! I haven't been actively involved in the Access Society here since the spring. After thirteen years of hard work, it was time to move on, and it seemed like a good time to do so.
But you're right - I have a bit of a slab problem. Or is that a slob problem?
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
|
Feb 25, 2009 - 12:57pm PT
|
killer thread bump, as per mr. e.
|
|
mooch
Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
|
|
|
Feb 25, 2009 - 01:41pm PT
|
Tiki-Ger gettin' his slab on......'Sizzle Lean' (5.9+/.10a)
|
|
Rudder
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
|
|
|
Feb 25, 2009 - 05:23pm PT
|
Oh man, love this slab climbing talk!
Had a partner who was solid at sport 12s... took him to Suicide for a little slab climbing and he lost all higher cortical functioning. He quit climbing for years after that day.
|
|
Rudder
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
|
|
|
Feb 25, 2009 - 05:24pm PT
|
looking sketchy there... wrote: ""Long live slab.""
Loose Lady, a real gem! Was there last year and some guys were talking about how way scary and runout it was. Haha... obviously never been to GPA or Suicide, TM, et al.
|
|
Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 13, 2009 - 02:25am PT
|
Anti-OW bump. Plus it was on the front page recently anyway.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!