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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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Aug 19, 2011 - 11:11am PT
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Great photos!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2011 - 11:53am PT
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Donini drove in from the Tetons and Heidi & I met him late afternoon on Sunday, Brokedown & Jan stopped by in the evening about the same time RKM did.
We had major thunderstorm activity both south and north of us, but it was just windy for us.
The next morning was very smoky due to several large brush fires kicked off by lightning strikes well to the west of us.
Brokedown & Jan went off to restart Jan into climbing, while the rest of us went up to the Decadent Wall. Jim warmed Heidi & me up on Adolescent Homo-sapien, then Carol’s Crack, while RKM & his son socialized.
RKM explained he had a bad knee and was soon due for knee surgery and couldn’t climb.
Around noon we met Dave & Norene, then Dudeman & Chalk Jockey showed up.
We all ended up climbing side by side routes on the Decadent Wall. Jim led up a route called 5.8, that Heidi & I couldn't follow, while the others swarmed up a 10a and three 11a routes. RKM mentioned he was "feeling frisky" and disappeared. We soon saw him free-soloing Adolescent Homo-sapien.
It finally got a little warm in the afternoon sunlight, and we all moved down to the shady-side of Elephant Rock to finish out the day.
Dinner was a fun party with a sweet surprise desert, when RKM and his wife & son showed up with a bunch of cups of tasty pudding from the Almo Outpost resturant.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 19, 2011 - 11:59am PT
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I had a great time, as always, with Fritz and Heidi, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting new friends. Looking forward to Facelift!
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:03pm PT
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Sweet days a the COR! I hope to make it next year.
Nice of Donini to put those bold TRs up for you Fritz.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:09pm PT
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This is Jan posting from Brokedown's place in Wyoming.
I've had a wonderful time meeting up with Brokedown for the first time in 46 years and learning all about the new fangled climbing devices - sticky rubber, harnesses, belay devices and how to use them. I even managed to drag myself up a few feet of 5.7, wore the skin off my fingertips on the gritty granite, and got hooked on rock climbing again!
As for the driving license, it's really true that a military bureaucrat decided that long time civilians in Okinawa needed to fly to the States to get an American license driving on the right hand side of the road in order to renew their Okinawa military licences for driving some more on the left hand side of the road. I figure the new driver's license will have cost me $4,000.
Best part of the whole escapade? Having fun at the City of Rocks!
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:26pm PT
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Very nice, thanks for these posts which stir my memory in a good way.
Z crack is certainly a Stout 5.9.
Snakes and Ladders is one of my favorite climbs there. I've always seen it
listed as 5.8. Maybe 5.9 is more realistic.
It appears that Jim led Z crack and then set up a top rope on Snakes and
Ladders. This implies to me that not everybody got to do the wonderful
descent route from King on the Throne.
I 'll describe it:
from Snakes and Ladders, circle behind the King, climb down a few easy
moves by his left ear, step across to his left shoulder, walk down to his
collarbone and traverse to his right shoulder. Step across to the throne
again, then stem and chimney to the ground between the King and his throne.
You will be at the start of Snakes and Ladders.
The climb several feet right of Carol's Crack is just about as good as
Carol's, and I've never seen it listed in a guide.
There is also a delightful circuitous descent from the Decadent Wall
climbs which is used by only a small portion of climbers. Much more
enjoyable than the rappel routes commonly used. It can be slow the first
time, before you remember all the turns, then it's really fast.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:27pm PT
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The "Z-Crack" on King on the Throne was donini's first choice for the session at sandbag 5.9.
Ahh, ain't no sandbag at 5.9...stay high right for an extra move...easy as pie...ha ha.
Snakes and Ladders is 5.8...!
I remember the first Bingham guide that had the mantle problem on the back side of King on the Throne at 5.8+. I think the current guide has it at 5.12a or some such. Too funny.
Great TR!! Geez, maybe in a few years I'll qualify for hangin' with you guys (at least age-wise)...
Fun stuff. Thanks!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:38pm PT
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Anybody know if there is any relationship between the Carol's Crack at the City and the Carol's Crack at Devil's Tower?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:46pm PT
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Scuffy, shame on you to think that I would set up a top rope on Snakes And Ladders sans climbing- maybe I'll have to do that next year. Brian, there isn't much I would call sandbag in a relatively "soft" are like COR, but there are some, but, I agree, Z Crack isn't one of them.
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Aug 19, 2011 - 01:00pm PT
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i grew up in Boise in the 1950s
so far as i knew at the time, i was the only person in idaho interested in rock climbing
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Conner
Mountain climber
Donnelly, Idaho
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Aug 19, 2011 - 01:17pm PT
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Great TR. I've been living in Idaho since 2007 and finally got my first glimpse of COR. Jello and I had a wonderful week this year in early June at Kim's place. It is so beautiful there and the weather was perfect, even the little snow storm only added to the ambience. What a treasure... we can't wait til next time.
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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Aug 19, 2011 - 05:09pm PT
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I'm sorry, Jim.
I misled myself, fooled by the toprope setup.
I've done the climb many times, and I always plop myself behind a barrier
at the top and bring my partner up.
That way, I never have to make an anchor.
How was my description of the descent?
You didn't rappel off, did you?
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Aug 19, 2011 - 05:42pm PT
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I'm still trying to figure out the "City" grading standards relative to other areas; I referred to both the current Bingham guidebook as well as "Mountain Project" website for these ratings.
Re: Mountain Project; Z-Cracks: 5.9+ (consensus), and Snakes and Ladders: 5.8+ (consensus) versus "official site rating" at 5.9-. Bingham's guidebook simply lists both as "5.9."
Fritz certainly made a very strong showing on both of these climbs, as did Heidi; I merely struggled on Snakes and Ladders for several moves up the route. It really sucks to be both old and out of shape!
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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Aug 19, 2011 - 05:50pm PT
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I'm pretty sure Bingham's older guides list Snakes and Ladders as 5.8, and
I have always thought there's a real difference between those two climbs.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Aug 19, 2011 - 06:43pm PT
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Scuffy-
I'm using the newest Bingham guidebook, the 7th Edition. There are several changes in it from earlier editions, re: grades of described climbs.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Aug 19, 2011 - 06:51pm PT
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Looks like fun. Thanks for posting. I gotta get out there - haven't yet.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 19, 2011 - 07:37pm PT
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Just playing the odds, is late September a reasonable time weather wise to go to City of Rocks?
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scuffy b
climber
dissected alluvial deposits, late Pleistocene
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Aug 19, 2011 - 07:42pm PT
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Yes, Darwin.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2011 - 08:26pm PT
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Scuffy b Re your mention:
The climb several feet right of Carol's Crack is just about as good as
Carol's, and I've never seen it listed in a guide.
It is in Dave Bingham's 2009 guide as Divine Decedance 5.9. The question is: how many people climb it and think it is Carol's Crack? We think we may have made that mistake last year.
Spider: It is great to have Donini as our rope rocket friend. I do believe he likes being a rope rocket.
Scuffy b: Re your comments on getting off King on a Throne. None of us had ever climbed on it, except our new friend Manolo. He assured Jim the backside rappel route was the way off. We needed you there! Next year?
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 19, 2011 - 08:32pm PT
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Looks like yous guys had lots of fun!
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