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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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" Where's the Stance?" - hooks blow!
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Hey Shorttimer,
Has Loose Lady changed much since you put it up?
Fun route, but I thought the first move was harder than .9
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Russ Walling
Social climber
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My last dozen or so episodes for new routes was onsight, on lead, no hooks, Bosch on a 50ft extension cord that I hauled along with me. Climb like normal to a good stance. Bosch is clipped to your waist but is light as there is no battery attached.... drill one handed, put in bolt, haul up battery pack and cord rig... hang this from the new bolt on a hook.... repeat.
Works pretty damn good and keeps the runouts under the length of your extension cord (50ft) so the GymPrancers™™™ won't shat their Liz Clairbornes.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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While drilling on granite was tough, it was nothing compared to quartzite. The quartzite of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah is particularly hard stuff. I placed one bolt on a route there on lead. This is an excerpt of a story I wrote about the one bolt I placed there back in 1984.
Minimum Security scared the crap out of me. I made it up quite a ways and decided I needed something better than all of those RP’s. I think in the 100 feet of climbing the biggest piece was a #1 Wild Country Rock. At about the half-way point I pounded in a knifeblade. The sucker stuck halfway out but I clipped it.
It was definitely time for some better pro. I started to drill. I have drilled bolts on lead in granite that seemed like a piece of cake compared to quartzite. In those days we used ¼” bolts, the kind that are considered deathtraps today. The quartzite kept binding with the bit. It was getting late in the day so we bailed after I had the hole half way drilled.
I will never forget the angst that I had over this one climb. Style was very important. My partner wanted to drill the bolt on rappel, and since I had started it, I felt like I should finish the sucker on lead, but he knew I was also scared shitless. It sure seemed like drilling that bolt on rappel would be the answer. At the U of U we ran into Brian Smoot and we asked him about what we should do. He and Les had just completed, Wasatch RockClimbs. In that book Les had written something like, “Who can judge the boldness of future climbers?” This was a call to protect the ground up traditions of first ascents. Brian quoted us this line, and I blame him for giving me the impetus to go back up and finish the sucker. Bret and I returned.
Those ¼” bolts are split and when you hammer them in they compress into the hole. Only on that bolt, the rock chipped behind the bolt. It sucked. (I think that same bolt is there and should be replaced by a beefy one.) It was time to go. I climbed through the crux and finished the route. Minimum Security is a good route to practice difficult protection, and is quite long for that area, except we did hold the dihedral to the right and the edge to the left off limits artificially, so that the route is a little contrived and that is why it gets two stars in the book.
I had other scares drilling on lead. A route in LCC I did about 23 years ago was damn scary. Granite friction, loose flakes and a traverse to the only chickenhead with the ground dropping below put me in deathfall territory in trying to reach the only feasible place to stand and get a bolt in. The crux to that point was getting to the chickenhead, and maybe it was only 5.9 but I was not going to be able to reverse those moves. On my first attempt at this route, I made it to the chickenhead, a poor excuse of a stance for one leg as it was sloping to boot. As I started drilling it started to sprinkle, not enough to be slippery but definitely enough to scare the sh&& out of me. Bailed after getting the bolt in and came back the next day. My partners and I were lucky in those days, sometimes setting out up granite slabs with only 1 drill bit? A potential Darwin candidate that got lucky…
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Ca
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When we put Loose Lady up we rated it 10a. I think that is still a fair rating but Randy decided it wasn't that hard. I think at this point it is still 10a. That route really hasn't changed much. There are a few that really have though. EBGBs has gotten much harder to do the mantle start but the whole middle of the climb has gotten casual in comparison. All the little smedges are nice big scoops now. The top out is about the same though, so that kind of keeps the route honest. The Old Soft Shoe at Belle Campground is quite a bit harder now. We rated it 10b and I think 10d would be a fair rating today. I think Good to the Last Drop has also become easier as all the scoops have grown with age. It is interesting to watch a route change over 30 years. I am just glad I was around back when there were so many choice lines to put up.
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Mark
climber
bend, oregon
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t2-
do you remember the name of the route you and kurt smith put up at smith rock?
the one route that i know kurt smith fa'ed is on the red wall and is called "soul survivor." is this the route you guys drilled on lead?
mark d
bend, oregon
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psychadelic
Social climber
sea of mushrooms
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There is some 11d on Picnic Lunch Wall by Kurt that I think was ground up. Looked kinda good, but I wasn't up for it that day.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
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Nate,
Werd to the Hawaii munge.
I'm going this summer.
Maybe I should pack the ice gear?
BUAHAAHhahha
bouldering only, and mosty drinking myself silly
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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Mark,
Yes one of the routes was "Sole Survivor" I want to say it was rated like 11b. The above photo is on the Picnic lunch wall "Suicidal Tendencies" 11d.
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LOWERme
Trad climber
Santa Fe N.M.
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Todd G. How's the mayor these days? Drilling like a man possessed from a 5.9 one toe smear in the Sierra, out a respectable 15', when the head flies off the handle. Luckily, I was in about a 1/2" just enough to thread the bit through a wired and lower off the drill to the previous placement. My partner had insisted that I break-in his new hammer!
Still practice a little 1/4" dentistry here in N.M., but carry hooks now.
Kris, I only had the honor of putting up one route with Herb, Vernon was there, that was enough for me.
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jack herer
climber
chico, ca
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two of the routes at smith we where next to psycadelic where...
suicidal tendencies 11d and touch 11c both on the picnic lunch wall inbetween journey to ixtlan and the picnic lunch wall aid route. lots of good little pockets to hook.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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If you can name the Climber AND the route you're doing better than me, and I took the picture
OT, below same climber, name boulder problem?
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Nate D
climber
San Francisco
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golsen,
Is the route of which you speak in LCC "Cornerstone"?
I always wanted to do Minimum Security. That's a good area with some nice rock.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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nate,
yes that was cornerstone, too bad I could not free the moves up high. But two bolts, 1 pin and a nut in 150 feet. Kind of runout. A variation was freed later.
Minimum Security does have some amazing rock. Those slabs are the best in the canyon, if you like slabs...
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Ksolem
Trad climber
LA, Ca
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Jay - The physique in the 2nd shot reminds me of Cilley, but the 1st pic looks like someone else altogether. What's up with that? And drilling left handed. Is he a lefty? Hmm.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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It's Chris Raypole, of Phoenix.
He Is hammering left. Hmm?
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Leroy
climber
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Feb 10, 2006 - 06:17am PT
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The second shot does look like me but I have more impressive calves.
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Leroy
climber
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Feb 10, 2006 - 06:19am PT
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I think its an old Gill problem in Vedawou.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 10, 2006 - 06:34am PT
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It looks like a nasty old Gill problem...
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Feb 10, 2006 - 07:38am PT
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Yup, Gill prob Vedauwoo
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