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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Sep 12, 2007 - 01:41am PT
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Thanks, particularly for that Anchor bolt on Lucifer's, which has made me nervous many times.
I don't know who placed them, but one thing about those retrobolts on point beyond, they aren't where the old route used to go. On pitch one you used to clip the bolt and traverse right to the Corner/ramp. Now you go straight up. Sure it's overbolted but compared to the rest of the Apron, perhaps it creates a fair balance for the regular guy.
Nice that you even went a pitch beyond Lucifer's, it starts getting scary up there.
My old trip report when I soloed to the Oasis
http://www.yosemiteclimber.com/LucifersLedgeSolo.html
Peace
Karl
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2007 - 02:16pm PT
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Russ-Graham,
Myself, I really don't mind the hand drilling. It kinda comes easily for me. I've been swinging a hammer most of my life so it is just like going to work, only more fun. The drilling is not really the hard part. The hard, and most exciting part for me is just getting to the bolts. Like the HD project in 05. 20 days, 9 trips to the top, all for just 38 bolts. Yea, but an adventure I will never forget. I do this work because few are willing to, it has to be done, and I can. Power drill? Not me, those folks who put these routes up did it, for the most part, on lead from a stance. Then came drilling from Bat Hooks. Then drilling on rappel. Then power drilling on rappel. If you do enough of this work you find out a lot of stuff. Bat hook holes hidden by the hanger. If it was power drilled. Right handed or left. On rappel or on stance. Maybe I'll write a book someday :-) Just doing the work hanging from a rope feels like I'm insulting the FA team, but thats the best I can do. The greatest honor to the FA team would be to replace this stuff on lead. You know, I know people who are, right now, putting up new routes on lead from a stance. They are placing 1/4" bolts on lead then comming back and changing them to 3/8". A lot of work, but way proud. Thanks for caring about us, but we are happy the way things are. Not saying that power drilling is for sissy's :-)
Roger Brown
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Gene
climber
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Sep 12, 2007 - 02:29pm PT
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Three robust cheers for Roger!!!
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curt wohlgemuth
Social climber
Bay Area, California
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Sep 12, 2007 - 02:46pm PT
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Big thanks for the anchor replacements, but I gotta ask: Is everybody still climbing on the Apron? I thought after all the monster rockfalls from (how many?) years ago that most people were avoiding the place.
Curt
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2007 - 03:52pm PT
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Curt,
I don't post often, and twice in one day might be a record for me. Yea, a lot of people are climbing on the Apron. Almost all those are climbing in the "Safe Zone" People almost daily on "Harry Daley" even a line sometimes. "Mr. Natural" see's action also, but that is getting a little into the "un-safe area" (thats where the climber was killed in the last rockfall) The "Grack is also busy as is "Goodrich Pinnacle". I've been there for the last few weeks and that is what I've seen. I have seen no one to the far right or the far left. I plan to work the area between "Goodrich Pinnacle" and "Harry Daley" next season because of all the activity there and the fact that the bolts there need some attention.
Roger Brown
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Sep 12, 2007 - 04:02pm PT
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Roger and Clint for President!!
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Sep 12, 2007 - 05:26pm PT
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Many thanks for your work gentlemen. Cheers.
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Impaler
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Sep 14, 2007 - 12:21pm PT
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Roger and Clint, thanks a lot! Now I can try all those routes that I've been hearing so much about on this forum! I remember doing Goodrich Pinnacle earlier this year and building gear anchors where possible just to avoid using those ancient bolts. Rappelling was definitely the scariest part of the climbing there. By the way, does anybody think that GPA is really much more dangerous than other areas in the valley? Personally, I've seen rock fall all over, but not at GPA...
Vlad
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rockermike
Mountain climber
Berkeley
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Sep 14, 2007 - 04:16pm PT
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Goodrich P is a great climb. Fortunately the one time I climbed it I was with someone who knew how to climb. As I remember it there was one pitch about half way up where you get two options: up and right with a bolt or two for pro (felt like 10c to me, but maybe there is some tricky up/down/over path that I missed) or a long unprotected 5.9 runout (100' plus). Both seemed too scary to me to ever go back without a rope gun. What's the consensus take on the route. Is it as bad as I remember? Any tricks/beta?
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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Sep 14, 2007 - 05:47pm PT
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Whatever it is that drives you fellas, I admire and appreciate it. Good karma to you both, and neither of you should ever pay for your own drinks in the Valley again!
I know it's an ongoing project, but any chance you could post an index of all the replacement work you've done so far? If that's a pain in the ass, scratch it. But each time you post up with more kick-ass work done I grab my Reid guidebook and get to annotating, and I'm sure I've missed some. Maybe start a thread dedicated to that and we could keep it updated? It's a thought: feel free to ignore it. And again, cheers for your generosity.
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adventuretrainer
Trad climber
Sedona, AZ
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Sep 14, 2007 - 06:08pm PT
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Some of my first real climbing adventures were on these routes when I lived in Boystown in 1996! It made some of the desert anchors I encounter now not quite as intimidating. Great service to replace those anchors. Always thought the climbs were classic, now they are safe and classic, except for the rockfall of course.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Sep 14, 2007 - 06:25pm PT
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Nice going, Roger and Clint. Maybe I will go try one of the routes meant for sub-mortals.
I need to go kick some more bucks to ASCA to help you guys.
It was sure nice last week to be able to clip bomber bolts when I was climbing way-over-my-head in fear mode, hehehe. That was more ASCA work I think.
Thanks again!
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Orion
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 17, 2007 - 03:28pm PT
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This weekend my partner and I went up the lucifer's route in that area and had a chance to really appreciate your handiwork, Roger.
We were on the first serious slab pitch and I was finishing the runout to the new anchor but what I really appreciated was that the bolt that was thirty feet below wasn't rusty!
I was pretty scared but at least I didn't think I would die from the fall just lose most of the skin on my hands.
There was some talk recently about museum climbs and I'll tell you I would not have been on this pitch or picked this area if I hadn't seen the work you guys did, Thanks very much.
And we were there yesterday and were the only climbers on the entire apron, what a good feeling in September in the valley.
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Orion
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 17, 2007 - 03:30pm PT
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Thanks for posting your picture if I see you when I'm in the valley my coldest High Life comes out of the cooler straight at ya.
Sam
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Sep 17, 2007 - 04:06pm PT
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Great work, Roger and Clint! But it wasn't clear to me from your post whether you retro-bolted all of "Sailin' Shoes", or just the first pitch & variation? It seems to be that the 4th pitch of that route & the concluding anchors really need replacing; that is, if a leader isn't going to bounce on his belayers head after clipping the first bolt above him on the dike.
Must be a lot more to retro on the Apron for terminal work-a-holics?
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2007 - 10:27pm PT
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Bruce,
Sorry about the mix-up, yes all four pitches. It has at least one bolt above the last pitch to another anchor. That stuff also was replaced. I have found that sometimes these old routes get pushed higher and it never makes it into the guide book. To the right of "Salin' Shoes" the bolt at the anchor of "The Grunt" was never found, but the bolt above was and was replaced. The bolts on "Chiropodist Shop", "The Token", both pitches of "Emphemeral Clogdance", "Bark at the Moon" (the anchor was never found or any sign of an anchor at any stance but there was a bolt that matched the other bolts that lead up and left toward the top of the first pitch of "The Letdown" so it too was replaced), "Synchronousity", "Nothing on the Apron", "Something on the Apron" (not in guide books) and "Lean Years" also had thier bolts replaced this season. I have the bolts and hangers from at least the last five years "bagged and tagged" and some day I will sit down and make a proper list so the ASCA site can be brought up to date.
Roger Brown
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
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Sep 17, 2007 - 10:40pm PT
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Really cool. Love the photos too!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Sep 18, 2007 - 12:14am PT
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Mike Graham asked about the Punch Bowl, which is on the upper right side of the Apron (up/right of Mr. Natural).
It was a cool climb, but it was damaged by the 1999 rockfall and by a previous rockfall. So it is probably not a good climb to try until things settle down further on that far right side.
For more details, and photos, see the discussion from July:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=413669&msg=418424#msg418424
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Paul H
Trad climber
Walnut Creek, CA
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Sep 20, 2007 - 10:46pm PT
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Sep 20, 2007 - 11:58pm PT
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Awesome Roger & Clint!
Roger, since we didn't manage to get you the latest box of bolts in the Meadows, George R. has it for you and he'll try to find you at the Facelift.
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