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Sarah Funky Fresh
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 12:29am PT
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On the second outdoor climbing trip of my life (the first one being a single route that was a total hang-dog), I was taken to After Six. All other climbing I had done was in a gym, and not much of that.
My ropegun started to ascend the first pitch and said, "Whoa, this is slippery!"
So I'm on the ground getting all freaked out thinking, "If this experienced climber isn't having an easy go, I'm in deep sh#t." I didn't know anything about climbing a crack. I didn't know anything about any of the technique I that would have made it palatable. I suffered part way up somehow face-climbing with the right side of my body and trying to face-climb the crack by grabbing its sides. Then I get to the stuck cam, which I think is my ropegun's. He had called down to me that it was fixed, but I was too busy freaking out about the slipperiness of the pitch to store that in my memory (my bad!).
Meanwhile, a climbing instructor is down on the ground telling her students how much cams cost, and I'm thinking, holy sh#t, if I don't get this thing out, I'm going to have to pay for this cam. I wrestled with it for a long time, growing more and more frustrated with not being able to get it out and how hard it was to balance there. Finally I thought, "F*#k it, I'll pony up the money if it means I can leave this God-forsaken spot." The rest of the climb was equally horrible and I had a total emotional breakdown that ended in my sobbing on the ledge when I finally scooted my ass up there.
I am scarred.
But it's funny.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 11, 2011 - 12:47am PT
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Oh man.
I wonder if that was Jobee, below...
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Sarah Funky Fresh
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 12:59am PT
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Thanks for your support, Radical. I thought I'd take that story to the grave with me. But I found courage and humbleness in the fact that much more experienced climbers than I am admit that pitch is rough.
Whew, feels better to not have that secret lurking within ... I'm free!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 03:25am PT
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I avoid pitch 1 on solos, and with beginning climbers and just traverse in along the diagonalling ramp that begins at the original Nutcracker start... haven't been on pitch 1 since the tree disappeared. Heard TM once proclaim it now in its tree-less state as a 5.8!
When I started climbing I thought that as I advanced through the grades that the easier ones would feel easier than they were when they were at my limit... still have the same feelings on the same climbs as I did when I first did them, except for the familiarity, and the knowledge that I can actually do them... knowledge that I didn't have when I did them the first time.
It seems, at least for me, that a climb retains a lot of those original feelings... no matter how hard I'm climbing...
...and so it is for me and pitch 1, I know I can do it, no problem, but that pitch is slick and I'm always careful and anxious... how funny the mind is...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 11, 2011 - 09:41am PT
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Marty's train gets here just 'after seven'. We'll honk and waive when we drive through livermore, Ed.
not decided what to climb today, but it won't be after f-ing 6!
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Mar 11, 2011 - 10:37am PT
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...and so it is for me and pitch 1, I know I can do it, no problem, but that pitch is slick and I'm always careful and anxious... how funny the mind is...
Man, it's okay to feel that, esp soloing. When you take it for granted, then you're asking for trouble.
Good to listen to the inner voices, glasshopper.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Mar 11, 2011 - 10:48am PT
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Not valley, but confessional no less:
HVCG, early on a weekday morning. I don't really do caffeine much anymore and was completely off it at that point. So I drive into Josh still a little sleepy, with a plan to solo 8 or 10 easy pitches before lunch. I was climbing in Josh 4-5 days a week and soloing a lot that season, pretty close to my roped leading limit at times.
Walk over to Intersection, "hmm, never done this thing, 5.3 handcrack, good place to start warming up". I'm barely awake, not really taking it seriously...I mean c'mon, it's 5.3. Pull on my shoes, start up the route, jam, jam, jaaa....WTF?!. Slid out, hit the ground, bounced backwards onto my ass. Watch out for that Beginner's Three, it's a killer in waiting, lol.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 02:28pm PT
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Confession:
I never found the start to Braille Book. I wandered around half a day before abondoning my quest. There is some irony here!!
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Jobee
Social climber
El Portal Ca.
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Mar 11, 2011 - 02:40pm PT
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Confession;
LOL ... reading this thread ...
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Mar 11, 2011 - 02:42pm PT
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haven't been on pitch 1 since the tree disappeared. Heard TM once proclaim it now in its tree-less state as a 5.8! What's with that?
Do you mean Shoeknard, TM and all my Heroes used to pull on that tree? I thought pulling on a veggie was called Aid! Have I been sandbagged all these years by scrupulously avoiding the tree trunks and roots that were pushing me out of various cracks?
Snake Dike is definitely easier than P1 After Six. Just longer.
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Dr. X
Big Wall climber
X- Town
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Mar 11, 2011 - 03:07pm PT
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I did the fat chick......inside your tent.
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 03:57pm PT
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Jaybro!!!!!!!!!!
What else are you doing with 2-4 hours of your life? RA is calling you!
That is a climb I would be happy to do over and over like a fun kind of exercise / cardio training.
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 04:14pm PT
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I have never tried After Six.
And once I rapped off Nutcracker before the top (my second visit when it was pretty wet, a few years after a clean December ascent).
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Mar 11, 2011 - 04:23pm PT
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Confessiona huh?
OK
I'm the one that's responsible for those crop circles in England.
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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Mar 11, 2011 - 05:47pm PT
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I confess:
I hate pure friction climbing. (I know that makes me a wuss to most of you Cali. climbers, but here in Boulder it makes me a hero.)
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Sarah Funky Fresh
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 06:53pm PT
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I love friction climbing! It's the only type of climbing that doesn't consistently spank me.
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hairyapeman
Mountain climber
CA
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Mar 11, 2011 - 07:09pm PT
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The first pitch of Central pillar of frenzy made my balls sweat.....and I aided the last part of 3rd pitch including over the roof....
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Mar 11, 2011 - 07:24pm PT
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ok I admit it, I once tried the Rostrum roof and fell off it. I was powerless over the Rostrum roof.
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marv
Mountain climber
Bay Area
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Topic Author's Reply - May 21, 2011 - 02:43am PT
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Fukk, here we go again. Some friends from grad school in the midwest are visiting and, well, since we gym-climbed together they want to go to the Valley and of course they have the Taco guidebook with the 5.6 or 5.7 rating. Well, who gets to be the "rope gun"?
Fukkk this shi'tt. I have watercolor class this week.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 21, 2011 - 02:49am PT
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I confess, I never paid for camping in the Valley.
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