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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Climbing content bump
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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Very cool, hadn't seen the original "Three Little Fish" article with photos before.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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The Edge. Yowza!
Mark Wagner, Ian Katz and I went up to do the Turbo Flange variation. Mark led the 1st pitch. Ian and I followed cleanly. P2,The Edge, was mine. I set off from the belay and climbed confidently up to the bulge I would surmount to get to the first drilling stance, where Tobin Sorenson so famously broke broke his drill bit.
When we began climbing the sun was hiding behind Tahquitz Peak, but by now it was high and hot. Each time I started to move up the thing felt worse, and I came to the realization that were I to commit I would take the last fall of my life. Would I sail off to the right to become a pile of bones at the start of The Open Book, or leave a long red streak down the slab on the left? I carefully down-climbed back to the belay.
Mark looked at me with an insane grin. He climbed up to the crux and launched into it without hesitation. I'd never seen anything like it, he was falling off the entire way through it. He sketched it all the way through and wailed like a banshee when it was over. Following I didn't fall, a fact which Mark made good hay out of for he rest of the day.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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^^^
That's a great story.
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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That is a very cool story Kris. The Edge is a certainly memorable route.
An interesting fact about the 'first drilling stance' story on The Edge is that there is a really good no hands stance about midway between the two bolts on the edge itself. It's about 2-3 feet left of the aręte. Maybe Tobin blew past due to tunnel vision. It's the kind of stance where you mutter to yourself, "dammit, why didn't he drill here?" Now everyone has the beta and should go do it.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Love that story! Thanks Kris. Funny, some days you just don't have it, others you could crush block walls. The Edge is such a beautiful line.....wish I had the skills to tackle it. Hope I can garner the skills before I no longer have those kind of good days. Either way its all good though. I appreciate the history, stories, and the area in general.
Edit; I should say, that after a close inspection that Edge line is terrifyingly beautiful.
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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Mark Wagner, Ian Katz and I went up to do the Turbo Flange variation. Mark led the 1st pitch. Ian and I followed cleanly. P2,The Edge, was mine. I set off from the belay and climbed confidently up to the bulge I would surmount to get to the first drilling stance, where Tobin Sorenson so famously broke broke his drill bit.
When we began climbing the sun was hiding behind Tahquitz Peak, but by now it was high and hot. Each time I started to move up the thing felt worse, and I came to the realization that were I to commit I would take the last fall of my life. Would I sail off to the right to become a pile of bones at the start of The Open Book, or leave a long red streak down the slab on the left? I carefully down-climbed back to the belay.
Kris,
Where did you guys belay? I've done the original line a one and a half times, but never the Turbo Flange variation. I figure you could reach the double bolt belay from the ground no problem. There are no bolts that I recall on the second pitch. I'm having trouble picturing where you decided to downclimb from. Correct me if I'm wrong; the Turbo Flange solos some 5.8 to the Largo bolt. Crank 11c moves and run it on 11- to Tobin's first bolt on the edge where he traversed in from the left. Run it 35-40 feet to the last bolt (the infamous broken bit). One more 35-40 foot run gets you to a double bolt belay at a sloping stance. Continue up the aręte for twenty feet with no pro to a good stance where you can fiddle in some wires, work up and left, and belay below Traitor Horn's final pitch.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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We belayed at a good anchor perhaps a bit below where the original line traverses in. It could be that it belonged to one of those routes up the steep wall left of open book. It was nice 3/8" bolts. My mind is a little fuzzy as to their exact location, but the next pitch went on up to the "broken bit" bolt and up to the anchor.
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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Referencing the latest edition of the Vogel/Gaines guide, that looks like the shared anchor for Bibliography, The Glossary, Hedgehog, The Hedge, and Turbo Flange. According to Largo's "Three Little Fish" article, the broken bit bolt is the final bolt before the two bolt belay at the end of the original line's first real pitch (not counting the portion of Jensen's Jaunt approach pitch).
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Yinzer
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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my hands started sweating profusely reading about 'the edge'...
I always check on open book when I walk around the back though I've never climbed it. Somehow that edge line seemed like a maybe-doable never ending palmy bouldery lieback. That's awesome that it has essential Tahquitz history baked into it. I'm a Tahquitz n00b but I love it, respect the history, and have probably 8 visits under my belt now?
great article / thanks for the scan / bump
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 5, 2016 - 01:46pm PT
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Bump for SoCal's finest...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2018 - 03:47pm PT
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Vogel Bump...
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Mar 25, 2018 - 04:18pm PT
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Bump for Tom Higgins...post #37 on this thread. As with most of his postings, thoughtful with a great historical perspective.
Quote “Jim said: Can't agree with you on this one. I've seen the Pirate and, to me, pin scars on otherwise pristine granite stand out like a sore thumb and are an unfortunate permanent reminder of the piton placing era of climbing of which I was a part."
Indeed. Pin scars are a reminder of days gone by when they were in use to the destruction of the rock, and on Serenity first free ascent I did wonder "what the heck" as I used the scars to move along and tried to imagine how it all would have gone (or not) without the scars. An odd and very mixed experience. Thank heavens nuts and cams came along as soon as they did.
As for early 5.11s around the time of Chingadera, I remember vaguely a FFA at JT on Intersection Rock I did way back when, maybe in the general period under discussion which now they say was 5.11, but really, who’s counting at this stage. For me, it's all a cloudy but glowing and deeply satisfying time I recall on the sharp and golden flakes of Tahquitz, bantering with my best climbing partner and lifelong friend Bob Kamps. I'd give back all my "achievements" there for an evening with him now if we could get him back from his ashes, some of which a few years ago I cast under a boulder he and I loved at Stoney Point and which I visit every time I'm in LA.
Tom Higgins
LongAgo Here
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2018 - 04:38pm PT
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The second route that I did on Tahquitz was Jonah to get a taste of Tom's talent. I really had a great time on it after having spent lots of time at Suicide in preparation.
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