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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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Nov 19, 2014 - 10:14pm PT
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That photo is great. Good observation, Clint!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 19, 2014 - 10:41pm PT
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I hope the weather works out so they can get a ground-up ascent. My thoughts, too.
Cool weather (night, even) is needed for the desperate face traverse pitches.
But the cool season could also bring rain/snow, and wet spots on pitches could mean no go.
Add to that the challenge of trying to stay strong enough after a couple of days of extreme pitches,
and multiple tries needed on the crux pitches.
So an "in-a-push" ascent could be very difficult to pull off.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 20, 2014 - 06:30am PT
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Balaclava + shorts = Californian? :-)
Nope. Okie....That was in May, and after the sun left the wall it would get pretty chilly.
Clint, yes, they talked about the project several years ago. The holds are smaller than hooking edges. They can burn through a pair of shoes, and I can't remember which type, in a single pitch.
Totally amazing accomplishment. Now let's hope that they can put it all together.
There is a fair amount of info out there if you Google it.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Nov 20, 2014 - 08:03am PT
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Absolutely amazing feat. If anyone can pull this off, it's TC! Go dog go, get er done!
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Nov 20, 2014 - 02:08pm PT
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Has nobody bagged on "guaranteed outcome climbing" yet?
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ground_up
Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
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Nov 20, 2014 - 03:35pm PT
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Once the route is " sent " it will be interesting to see who
will step up for the second ascent and when . I imagine this
will be a who's who route for awhile.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Nov 20, 2014 - 04:52pm PT
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If he/they (don't forget KJ!) send this season I'll miss seeing their portaledge up there late in the year.
It's rad to look out from some belay ledge or from your window as you start your drive home and see them there at the mf'ing vanguard.
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Trashman
Trad climber
SLC
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Nov 20, 2014 - 05:26pm PT
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Not sure about that Ground Up. If seconds were significant I'd think the Dihedral wall would have seen a repeat by now. Certainly a stunning line.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 22, 2014 - 10:28am PT
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Modern free climbing is dominated by severely overhanging lines. The holds are visible. Just go to youtube and watch Adam Ondra or Chris Sharma working on the hardest routes in the world.
This is very different. Being only vertical, it is now considered a "slab," and requires very different technique. Tommy and Kevin are probably the best in the world with this type of climbing. It just isn't popular. Look at a place like Rifle. Overhanging limestone is where it is at. That cave in Norway is supposedly metamorphic rock, but it is similar to other overhanging lines.
I don't see a route like this being popular for very long. If you look at the best climbers in the world, very few of them would be interested in 5.14C micro-edges.
The hottest climbing areas are now all caves.
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jwreed
Gym climber
Tualatin OR
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Nov 26, 2014 - 10:33am PT
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I've been following the progress of this ascent with interest, even though I have no designs on actually climbing the route myself. I thought I could take a picture of the wall, though, having looked at it often enough. So here it is, near dawn, in June, 2014. If the style of the photo looks a little old-fashioned it might be because the camera is old, and the lens, also: a Schneider Xenar from 1933.
It was a little hazardous, I thought, mucking about on all that talus, and setting up the tripod.
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phile
Trad climber
SF, CA
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What are the rules for a team free-in-a-push route? One member frees each pitch, unlimited attempts? Can you retreat to base camps and jug to your high point?
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Yeah. This new generation has surely seized the torch, hasn't it Jim. Our young geniuses.
JW Reed's wonderful image from a Schneider Xenar of 1933, lightly pimped:
I wonder what Warren AND Royal would think now that this route has been "proven" for a free climb.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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From what I've seen of the topo, the pitches are mostly on Mescalito and only a few on Dawn.
They needed to go left after the Molar to a few pitches on the Dihedrals on Dawn,
to avoid Mescalito's blank headwall (rivet ladder) below the Bismarck.
Then back to Mescalito after going up the left side Bismarck crack.
Still, the Dihedrals are closed and mostly a rivet ladder,
so I'm surprised freeing them is not one of the cruxes.
I guess the traverse to reach them is simply a whole lot blanker.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Whole different level of climbing....
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Twain Harte
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The dihedrals are super hard 5.13 and low 5.14. Not the cruxes of this route, but still among the hardest free pitches on the cliff!
The route also cuts left after the Seagull for a few pitches of Adrift. then rejoins Mescalito 2 pitches below the Molar.
They are calling it the Dawn Wall Project in reference to the part of the cliff rather than the route "New Dawn".
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Cool - I had wondered how they got around the Seagull but hadn't looked at the topo closely.
Tommy/Kevin sighting: On Sunday night at 7:30pm, we saw their headlamps a pitch apart, maybe up at The Dihedrals. Saw their vans at El Cap Meadow, too. So they are getting some climbing in between storms.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Dec 29, 2014 - 07:50pm PT
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"We sent the first five pitches this afternoon (12b, 13a, 13c, 12b, 12d wet)."
Yesterday the team was at it again, this time redpointing up to 5.14a on the Big Stone.
"Oh yeah? Pitches 6-9 done today," posted Caldwell. "Winter conditions are feeling awesome."
Jorgeson broke down yesterday's pitches in detail:
Pitch 6, 13c: Tommy led first go and I followed on TR first go (pictured).
Pitch 7, 14a: I sent second go and Tommy sent first go.
Pitch 8, 13d: Tommy sent in three goes and I sent in two. Sharp!
Pitch 9, 13c: I sent second go and Tommy sent first go.
Nine pitches in two days at those grades... Damn!
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Brian
climber
California
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2014 - 09:29pm PT
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The test will be those middle pitches. Hope the weather holds.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Dec 29, 2014 - 10:22pm PT
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Log of progress (I may not be able to edit this after about 10 days):
1. (12/27) p1-5. 5.12b, 5.13a, 5.13c, 5.12b, 5.12d wet Tom Evans shots of day 1
2. (12/28) p6-9. 5.13c, 5.14a, 5.13d, 5.13c Tom Evans shots of day 2
3. (12/29) p10. 5.14 wet / mega to start of Molar Traverse Tom Evans shots of day 3
4. (12/30) rest day
5. (12/31) p11-12. 5.13c (extended version of topo p11, probably), 5.14b arch on Molar Traverse Tom Evans shots of day 5
6. (1/1) p13-14. 5.13c Molar to Dike, 5.14d Dike Traverse I Tom Evans photos day 6
(Note: p12 Molar Traverse on the topo below was split into 2 pitches,
so numbering of the remaining pitches is changed)
7. (1/2) rest day
8. (1/3) p15. 5.14d Dike Traverse II - Tommy redpointed, Kevin came close Tom Evans photos day 8
9. (1/4) p15. 5.14d Dike Traverse II - Kevin tried at 6pm but fell on the crux move at the end when the tape came off his fingers.
p16. 5.14+ Dyno or 5.14a Loop - Tommy led the Loop version free, with Kevin belaying. Tom Evans photos day 9
10. (1/5) rest day
Next up:
p16b - second half of pitch above Loop ("hard liebacking" on topo)
p17-19 5.13c, 5.13c, 5.13c/d to Wino Tower
p20-27 5.12 and 5.11
p28 5.12 or 5.13a
p29 5.12 to top
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