Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 11:10am PT
|
Sweet!
|
|
msiddens
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 11:44am PT
|
Trad,
GREAT TR and thanks again for posting this up. Wallflower is (and has been) on my list for some time. This just solidifies it.
|
|
caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 12:06pm PT
|
Trad is rad!
|
|
rhyang
climber
SJC
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 12:19pm PT
|
Great read .. the dénouement was wonderful. Nice work guys !
|
|
Mic
climber
Davis, CA
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 01:47pm PT
|
"With concerted effort..."
hahahaha, to put it mildly.
Thanks Tom,
--Mike S.
|
|
bathsnake
climber
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 02:45pm PT
|
Trad is a modern-day Royal Robbins! A ton of helpful info (as usual) with all the TRADemark elements: a shot including your toes, annotated photos (or a zoomed inset), and some great one liners (though my favorite was in a previous TR: "psychological pro: my second-favorite kind").
Very inspiring stuff. I definitely wouldn't have tried (the first 3 pitches of) Absolutely Billy without the previous TR, and that was definitely worthwhile. Now I might have to give Wallflower a go. It's only .10a; how bad could it be?
|
|
Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2009 - 09:11pm PT
|
Thanks for the compliments, folks. (That RR comment is a little over the top, though! But it's funny - until I started climbing a lot 10 years ago I thought "Royal Robbins" was just a clothing company.)
Zander, I wouldn't say I exactly cruised that pitch but I really think partly why it didn't seem SO bad was because I built it up in my mind so much beforehand. Plus I had a lot of time to look at & think about the moves the previous week. Do you recall if you liebacked off the block? That felt pretty secure - as long as the block didn't pull off - and it was just 2 or 3 committing moves until I got up high enough to stem off a slopey dike. The scariest part is that it could be a messy fall straight down onto the anchor and your partner. (By the way, could you tell I like your "litany of fear" quote? It reminds me of something out of a Ken Kesey novel.)
|
|
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 09:26pm PT
|
Hey Trad,
David set up our anchor for that pitch lower than the pin by about 8 to 10 feet so really pretty close to the roof above the alcove. So what I remember after that was it was pretty reasonable to the first pin. You would have climbed that as part of the previous pitch. Then I looked up and the next pin was maybe 8 feet up. I didn't see a lot of pro opportunities so I went for it. I remember the climbing to it and above it as being without gripable handholds, just stepping up with the left foot on small ruggosities and palming and smearing with the right hand and foot. First the pin came out and then I blew the next placement so I was about 16 feet or more out when I finally got to a place with two footholds and a place for pro. I do remember it was more balance than power. I remember thinking that I would hit David directly if I fell.
Does that seem to fit what you just did?
I have definitely wanted to do it again to compare.
We have got to get out together.
Zander
|
|
Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
|
|
|
Jul 29, 2009 - 10:43pm PT
|
Nice job. There's at least 10 routes to the inch in the guide book there, so I'm impressed that you found the route, let alone climbed it!
|
|
Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 30, 2009 - 12:31pm PT
|
...Does that seem to fit what you just did?
That sounds about right. I think where you went up to the (removable) pin is where I liebacked/stemmed. I recall several possible placements above the (still fixed) pin: a finger-sized crack about a foot above it (the one I skipped because I got too high), another finger-sized, 3 or 4 feet above that (I placed something there from a sketchy stance; it's where the runners got tangled), and then another finger-or-larger sized placement a few feet higher just above the block on the right, that I placed from a smearing stance. After placing that one is when I took the photo looking down at Mike. One of those two placements was a yellow metolius TCU, but I forget the other.
We have got to get out together.
Have you done TMs Deviation yet? That thing is a walk in the park compared to Wallflower!! (But we might have to wait a few months until the 'loaf cools off.)
|
|
caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
|
|
|
Jul 30, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
|
Uh oh. If TM's is 'a walk in the park' then I might have some trouble on the Wallflower.
Hey Trad (and other LL obscuristas), if you're looking for a fun cragging day, check out Epitaph, Youthful Exuberance and The Dead Pool on tombstone ledge. Some fun stuff down there!
|
|
Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 30, 2009 - 12:44pm PT
|
Uh oh. If TM's is 'a walk in the park' then I might have some trouble on the Wallflower.
Come to think of it, I had to bail off TMs on the first try too!! But it was only because we couldn't figure out the moves, and at least we could traverse off via Pony Express without leaving any gear.
|
|
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
|
Jul 30, 2009 - 11:49pm PT
|
Hey Trad,
Oh yeah! TM's Deviation baby. I'm in.
I finally went up there this year to do it. It was early in the spring. We got up to the base and, unlike me, my partner that day has no body fat. It was cold, really cold. He would have done it but I had mercy and we went to the other side of the Loaf into the sun. A great day of climbing was had but no TM's.
Let's go up there later in the year. Of course after that we'll prolly have to go do Steck Salathe or the Harding route on Conness!
Zander
|
|
factortwo
Social climber
Placerville, ca
|
|
Did Wallflower yesterday. Super fun. Yes very SSSTTTEEEEPPPP. Did procure the aforementioned red stopper from the first pitch. Also while in the neighborhood my partner led the second pitch of North Face. It was four star in our opinion. 70ft, plenty of pro to new rap anchors that can't really be seen from the big scoop ledge, but they are there.
Good times,
Factortwo
|
|
Jello
Social climber
No Ut
|
|
Really enjoyable TR, Trad. Thanks!
-JelloFlower
|
|
MaxJ
Trad climber
Davis, CA
|
|
Right on Tom and Mike. You guys are burly. Nice trip report too. The leap is such a cool place!
Max
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
hey there say.... very nice... a bump for this nice stuff... :)
i will even back track and read more...
god bless, thanks for the share... :)
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
hey there, say... oh my.... all you guys sure have great stuff to share here, as to all this, as well...
feels kind of like a in person "get together" as to the shareing on this stuff... :)
|
|
Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 2, 2009 - 01:02pm PT
|
Wow, it was busy around Main Wall on Friday. I'm pretty sure this is factortwo & partner on Wallflower:
Then there were these guys at the belay of Cheap Shot (or else it's the 1st pitch of NorthCountry - they ultimately climbed the rest of N.C. and topped out)
We were on Absolutely Billy, where I took these shots from. It was surprising to see so many people up there on a WEEKDAY! Is Main Wall becoming the new East Wall???
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!