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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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Apr 20, 2011 - 09:44am PT
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Finally a thread that speaks to me...love this easy stuff, it's all I can do these days.
Munge, did Old Original at Pinnacles two weeks back. Totally fun.
All those high Sierra classics that have already been mentioned including Conness N. Ridge and Tenaya Peak.
Lone Pine Peak North Ridge is a pretty stout 5.4 if you don't stray to the east side of that ridge as you get close to the top.
Alpine low grade stuff is the best (for a fat dad)
Arrowhead Spire! Yes! First climb I ever did with my now wife...we're heading to East Face of Whitney this summer, 5.7? yikes.
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Gary
climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Apr 20, 2011 - 10:14am PT
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A fall on 5.5 or below is going to be bad, for sure. I was thrilled when I graduated to leading 6s and 7s at Josh. I felt like I could take a short fall and not be crippled for life.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Apr 20, 2011 - 10:54am PT
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All the time in Joshua Tree.
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howlostami
Trad climber
Southern Tier, NY
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:00am PT
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Climb 'em?
You bet.
Been sketched out on them?
For sure.
I ain't too proud to admit the truth :)
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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:06am PT
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I don't find MANY 5.5's and below...(actually haven't done ANY since I've been here in CO)
But when I do...
HELL YEAH!!!...
I LOVE easy lines...
They're EASY, you're on the rock, you can take a "HIT" anywhere along the way...
What's NOT to enjoy???...
;-)
OK I'll let you in a little secret--there are some obscure, hard to see, poorly documented climbs just W of Boulder, CO that have some pretty good 5.5 and below slab climbs. Don't tell anyone else though, they're kind of "locals only."
Edit:
What does a Gunks 5.5 translate to in actual difficulty? From what I've seen of the Gunks, grades are generally about same as Eldo or Boulder Canyon (trad, not sport), which are generally about the same as every other old-school trad area. There are a few misgraded climbs in Gunks that just need to be corrected.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:09am PT
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It's been so long since I was a gungs reguler (1985ish} the only 5.5 I remember is Horseman. Short but super clean and steep. HE is one of the best 5.6 you will find anywhere. It may be a bit too crowded these days? Red rocks has great 5.6 Never done a 5.5 there but I bet they are good. Seneca has some damn hard 5.5! candy corner comes to mind. Gunsite direct is rated 5.4 and that thing is totally rad! Disclaimer Seneca 5.4 is 5.7 most other places....
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Gene
climber
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:21am PT
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Tollhouse Traverse, Tenaya Peak, Mt. Conness, Lone Pine Peak, and a bushel of Norman Clyde Class 3 and 4 routes are all wonderful climbs.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:24am PT
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East Ridge of Wolfshead in the Winds is pretty cool.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:29am PT
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I'll chime in on the 'Gunks, I only put a few of those routes 5.5 and below on my list, since the 'Gunks would have dominated the list otherwise...
and soloing there can be interesting, as Richard alludes above. I've done it on a few routes, mostly ok... but there was one, Betty 5.3 I think, that really got me... somewhere on the first or second pitch you're out on a face... I remember it being a little dirty, and then starting to worry about slipping on the dirt, which just destroyed my whole solo psyche. I'm out on this face with part of my brain screaming at me "you're gonna die!" Eventually I got control of part of my brain, pushed that hysterical bit into a corner and got off the face and up into some more featured climbing... mind you this is all 5.3.
I get to a ledge just before the last pitch... a women sitting there initially smiles at me as I come up then panics when she realizes I am climbing solo. I get her to settle down and head off towards here significant-other, who is lost on the pitch... he is surprised to see me too, asking "which way to the top?" They are sort of typical 'Gunks climbers epic-ing on those easier grades.
I say "this way" and head off to the final parts of the pitch, which I recall required some of those exposed, but technically easy moves that seem to be a 'Gunks staple. I hold my concentration together long enough to get on top....
...sit down, take a deep breath, start to remove my shoes and then dissolve into tears when the emotional rush of pulling it off hits me...
...that's a 'Gunks 5.3 solo...
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Apr 20, 2011 - 11:31am PT
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Is it still 5.5 if you have to pull on a piece?
that's known as cinq.cinq
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Apr 20, 2011 - 12:07pm PT
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Before the modern era of rap descents from almost every climb in the Gunks, often before the top, it used to be standard practice to solo down nearby "easy" routes. Three Pines (nowadays a 5.3) was particularly well-traveled as a descent from the many hard classics on what now is called the Mac Wall, in honor of Jim McCarthy's many contributions to the crag and to that section in particular.
One day Royal Robbins and I were soloing down Three Pines after one of those Mac Wall classics when we encountered a team on its way up. The leader of that team had an absolute fit, and started screaming at us for invading his space. Somehow, he recognized Robbins (who was a national figure in the climbing world at the time) and shrieked, "I don't care if you're king of the universe, you have no effin business climbing unroped on top of a party that's actually safe!"
And he went on and on. Robbins was really taken aback (no doubt he was more used to admiration from other climbers) and apologized quite humbly for passing them. I, having participated in many Vulgarian soloing parties that had swarmed past Appies Being Safe, was somewhat less pleasant, although thinking back with the perspective of experience and time, I wouldn't be pleased about a bunch of soloists climbing down directly over me either.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Apr 20, 2011 - 12:32pm PT
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I remember if we were down near Directisima HE etc we would down climb an easy chimny. never encountered anyone coming up it. Otherwise we would hike back to the Uberfall enjoying the views and partakeing of the blueberrys along the way. I went back once about a decade ago and it feels like the experience is greatly diminished with all those rap stations.....
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 20, 2011 - 01:33pm PT
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Moonlight Ridge, Old Peoples Dome, and the first couple of pitches on Patent Pending at the Tower are two more good ones in the Black Hills. I have always wanted to do Blitzen Ridge in RMNP. Here is a picture of Old People's dome which has a route that goes at 5.4
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Apr 20, 2011 - 01:35pm PT
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For alpine in Colorado, this one is the best, IMHO
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Friedo
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe
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Apr 20, 2011 - 02:00pm PT
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Knapsack Crack @ the Leap. Perfect to take first-time multi pitchers up. Super easy with one 5.5 section at the end of the second pitch! I've taken two beginners up this route and they loved it!!!
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Brandon-
climber
Done With Tobacco
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Apr 20, 2011 - 02:03pm PT
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Cathedral Peak is fun. Isn't that right around 5.5?
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davidji
Social climber
CA
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Apr 20, 2011 - 02:55pm PT
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Lots of my favorite climbing was 5.5 and below, and I've made several trips to the mountains where much or all of the climbing was in that range.
In this pic I think I'm climbing Echo Peak #3 from the south side:
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BrianH
Trad climber
santa fe
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Apr 20, 2011 - 03:01pm PT
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This is awesome!
I'm surprised there's only been one mention of Seneca Rocks WV. That's where the Conns got their start (there and Great Falls). Pretty much any of their routes are classic. When me and my first partner (hey Alvin, are you out there?) were teaching ourselves how to lead, we worked through all the ultra-super-mega-classics 5.5 and below. Yes sometimes we got gripped.
"Uh I don't see where the route goes...
Look left, not up!
Oh."
Vestal and the Blitzen Ridge are high on my own tick list.
I like the flow you can get into doing the longer easier routes (mostly because I was never really good enough to do harder routes!).
I wonder if there is a sea change in attitude. When I told somebody that I only did 5.7 and below routes at Red Rocks, she asked "don't you like to challenge yourself?" That seems a very common attitude. It's good to hear people chime up on behalf of the 5.easy routes.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Apr 20, 2011 - 03:22pm PT
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left ski track, Tahquitz
near vert class three almost...
a bit of a crack, the classic step around,
all doable in your New Balance running shoes at 5.6
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Apr 20, 2011 - 03:25pm PT
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Munginella in Yosemite and Deception in Lovers Leap are also couple of fun, well protected, easy climbs. Unicorn and cockscomb are two cool 4th class solos.
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