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Don Paul
Gym climber
Denver CO
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Apr 20, 2018 - 06:16pm PT
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I never sandbagged anyone on purpose although some of the hardest and most dangerous leads I ever did were recommended by friends, who helped me get better by putting me on routes I would not normally have tried. The worst one was a route called Metamorphosis in Eldo, blind Keith told me to run the pitches together, next thing I knew I was looking at a 30' fall onto a 1/4 inch bolt while trying to get the only nut placement in. The best experience was probably the first pitch of primrose dihedral on Moses, 11d thin crack I would not have tried if I knew the grade. (I almost got it but not quite, then hung on the 5.10 ow higher up too lol)
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Apr 21, 2018 - 07:21am PT
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Dingus, awesome story. Thanks.
Granite Mountain, where every route is a sandbag.
Granite Mountain will consistently make you work for the grade. There are a lot of examples there, but Green Savior has to be the best IMHO. Do the Direct start and Crisco Way variations of Green Savior and you’ll feel like you were in a street fight to earn that 5.8!
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Apr 21, 2018 - 08:00am PT
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I can't believe it's a girdle
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Apr 21, 2018 - 07:12pm PT
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The classic Granite Mountain sandbag is the 5.9 first move to the Crack Lovers variation (rated 5.7) of...The Classic. The ratings there screwed up our ratings down in Tucson for a long time where everything was off by a full number grade until we started getting it straightened out.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Apr 21, 2018 - 08:06pm PT
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Saw some climbers from the Gunks at GM in the 70s. They we’re bragging about all the stuff they’d done on their road trip. They decided to start with Crack Lovers. Apparently that kind of crack climbing was new to them and the did all kinds of weird face climbing to avoid it. It was ugly.
Now that I think of it we suggested Crack Lovers to the Gunks crew. So I guess we sandbagged them.
Granite Mountain is awesome...
...and humbling.
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RURP_Belay
Big Wall climber
Bitter end of a bad anchor
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Apr 22, 2018 - 06:01am PT
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Granite Mountain, where every route is a sandbag.
True, but Paradise Forks will give you the same raw deal.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Apr 22, 2018 - 06:51am PT
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Yeah, The Forks are humbling, too...
...as well as being awesome.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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I was taught to climb by sandbagging mentors who wanted to climb harder stuff than my beginner butt belonged on so they sandbagged me.
I think it's totally legit to sandbag the second if you are eating your own cooking on lead.
I think sandbagging others is another story and needs to be done with proper discernment that not everyone has. Climbing is dangerous and sandbagging could kill someone. Maybe it has.
Personally, my word counts for something and I'd rather be accurate than play ego games
Unless I need to talk somebody into following me up a route I know they could manage but they don't know it
Peace
Karl
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Funny comments! I moved to Colorado and got a job doing sheet metal work. Met this dude there who was a salty bastard. I knew he climbed and I didn't know any serious climbers but had a few belayers. He would suggest climbs and say yay its RAD! Or COOL! They were all terrifying but classic! He eventually offered a play date. He's been my best partner and friend since and still laughs at how he knew he was trying to get me killed. LOL...
S...
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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"Between the Lines" in the Gunks. I was a fledgling 5.9 leader and the guidebook called in 5.9 and it was in the near Near Trapps and everyone is familiar with that area. Very comfortable venue. Plus there were some pretty girls hanging out right there while their boyfriends were throwing themselves at the start of Broken Sling (5.8) and failing massively. I figured I'd give them a thrill and flash this 5.9 right next to Broken Sling.
30 minutes later I'm still on the ground after having slipped off the first moves and tumbled gracefully down the shale slope more than once.
We packed up walked a long way away from there. And I remember thinking, "Geez, it's only 11 am?!!" I couldn't wait for the end of that day.
Between the Lines is now rated 5.11.
Good times.
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cornel
climber
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
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This is a wonderful thread. Funny stuff..The fine art of sandbagging. Yes indeed, I have been on both ends of this equation many many times and I really think Cedar nailed it. More often than not it forces you to discover hidden talent. Break out of a staid mindset.
On that note, A couple decades back a friend and I were on the last pitch of Salathe and it had been storming on us off and on for 10 days. Turned our 3 day climb into 10. Most of the pitch was covered in about 3 to 4 inches of verglas with another inch or so water running over it.. making for a spicy lead. It was my turn but my partner Jeremy was Mr 5.13+ and I was Mr 10 maybe.. so I convinced him that in the interest of speed(we were way done being wet and hungry) He should dispatch this last 100 ft forthwith. The pitch ended up being one of the most impressive leads I have seen in 40+ yrs of climbing. It was Kind of like laying face down in a stream and then climbing. Took him maybe 30 mins..
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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How about sandbagging yourself?
A friend has been an enthusiastic route developer for a long time
A few years back he tried to repeat a route he put up in the 70's and graded 5.7
He backed off because it was harder then 5.7 and very runout
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Todd Eastman
Social climber
Putney, VT
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Adirondack ratings aside from Poko were always a bit provincial...
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ec
climber
ca
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The definition of the term 'sandbag' as excerpted from the American Heritage Dictionary:
sand·bag
3. Slang c. To downplay or misrepresent one's ability in a game or activity in order to deceive (someone), especially in gambling: sandbagged the pool player by playing poorly in the first game when stakes were low.
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