Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 02:17pm PT
|
For me the hardest ow on the climb was definitely not Hollow Flake, but rather the slippery 15 foot slot up into El Cap Recess. There were some fixed and rather shaky looking bashies on the right wall which I used for aid as sparingly as I could. Without those, this is a pitch which could stop people. Maybe I am overstating this as it was the end of the day and I was tired.
|
|
John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 02:43pm PT
|
Tahoe523, Thats a classic tale. hahaha.. thanks man.
|
|
Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 03:07pm PT
|
Tahoe523 - that was a good read!
|
|
Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
|
So, What would Donini bring for pro? Probably a blue BD Cam!!
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 03:13pm PT
|
tahoe523 - great stuff, thanks for sharing!
It must not be that bad if you are pausing to take photos, right? :-)
Knee pads?
Too bad about all that snow/rain on Sunday. Bummer to bail from that high.
Did you cut loose the fixed line when you went down?
Salathe' with the Catalans >>> Leaning Tower!
|
|
tahoe523
Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 04:00pm PT
|
Clint,
Although we have never met, I thought of you during the paintastic grovel-fest.
I thought, "Clint, thank you for the knee pad beta!" (plus, do they ever prove handy during jugging duty!)
And then, "It is only 5.8 and is done routinely." True and true, but bloody hell!
Halfway through, I wish I brought a sandwich to nom on. The gas tank was running near empty. Up higher in the ear, I wish I was in the sun, eating cookies at the cookie cliff. Better yet, I really wished I enjoyed the pastime of sitting on the beach and doing absolutely nothing.
No hands rest allowed for the two hands snappy action photo time. I need proof to show my future grandchildren that grandma had one too many screws loose back in the day.
Cheers!
|
|
Norwegian
Trad climber
Placerville, California
|
|
|
May 31, 2011 - 04:43pm PT
|
at the boundaries of sanity,
i thrive.
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
It's not aid till you weight the peiece!
Hollow Flake, and all chimbleys, rule!!
Especially the bombays!
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
tahoe523,
It's a "hand me down" tradition. When I led it, I was thinking of my friend Andy who told me it was only 5.8, and always advised kneepads. I got kind of tired on that long upper section, too, so at one point I settled down into the crack for a body jam style rest before finishing. Probably at about the same point where you took that last photo. :-) I was tempted to take one foot out of the crack and stem, but being 70' out from pro made that too sketchy a proposition!
Ex post beta: in that photo in my old post, I think I'm tied into the middle of the 60m lead line, in hopes that I can haul on one side and my partner jugs on the other. But it turned out the lead was slightly more than 30m, so I had to fiddle around to get the haul line up.
|
|
R.B.
Trad climber
Land of the Lahar
|
|
I hate to say it
Your gonna die!
|
|
Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
|
|
Since Nature mentioned it...
This shirt features the Steve Gropp's eerie image of a climber experiencing the joys of the Hollow Flake pitch on the Salathé Wall. The three-color Hollow Flake image is printed on the back and the single-color Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) logo is on the front left breast.
Hollow Flake Shirt
|
|
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
tahoe523, fun!
Good thread,
Zander
|
|
ddriver
Trad climber
SLC, UT
|
|
The first time I lead the Hollow Flake I didn't place any gear at all, just psych up and go. The second time I tried to be smart, like the OP, and placed one piece somewhere on the way up, which only served to make it harder. Best just to be ready and do without.
There is use, however, of a big piece in that pitch off El Cap Spire where it becomes some sort of flaring chimney thing, especially if its wet. Think we had one big bro we used there.
|
|
tahoe523
Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
|
|
Whoa! There's a real Hollow Flake shirt? Neat!
That chimney you spoke of was a gushing waterfall on Memorial Day. We agreed that if we had dry suits (don't judge, I mean, there was a free solo'ing banana spotted that weekend after all), we would have completed the climb. And quite comfortably and seriously, I might add. However, agreed, I think the experience will be more enjoyable when dry and more attempts at free climbing can be had by all.
Drumming our fingers and impatiently waiting for the ultra violet rays of summer...
|
|
JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
|
|
Tahoe 523,
What a fun narration -- and great mid-pitch pics. Thanks much.
John
|
|
Spike Flavis
Trad climber
Truckee California
|
|
I first climbed the Salathe in '87 w/ Chuck Ashbaugh. I led the Hollow flake in shorts and a T-shirt.
A few days later a german dude saw the scabs on the insides of my right elbow and knee and asked
".....Hollow flake?" When I said yes, he pointed at his own scars and said "HOLLOW FLAKE HOLLOW
FLAKE!!!!!" Another story about the hollow flake I like is from my friend Hunter Sibbald. He told me
that after he made the pendulum, his partner Brian Biaga asked "what do you want me to do if you
fall? Hunter replied "call a F%&#in' ambulance" Another time, I think it was also '87 while I belayed
Mimi de Gravelle on the Shield I watched a guy (I think it was Rick Pickett??) casually lay it back, rope
swaying in the wind. If it was 5.9 before big cams, shouldn't it be 5.8 with???
|
|
SGropp
Mountain climber
Eastsound, Wa
|
|
I still have scars from the Hollow Flake, 34 years later.
|
|
Cain J Waters
Mountain climber
Ithaca, NY
|
|
Tahoe- great tale. The wife and I are looking forward to reading your full TR on the Salathe. Good luck. Looks like you might just get a string of good weather after Monday. Send it! -CW
|
|
Morgan
Trad climber
East Coast
|
|
|
Jun 19, 2011 - 06:38pm PT
|
It seems like El Cap is full of cool features:
"The Black Cat" TT
"Stork Ledge" Mescalito
"Horse's Head" Tribal Rite
Check Clint's photo. It looks like a Velociraptor head, or a Komodo dragon, just below the purple type that says: "long upper section".
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!