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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Wierd humor, indeed, epsecially, but not limited to, "-Goldrush, 5.9+ with gloves." -that was harder for me than any of the others on the list
guess I'll have to go do mongollian and Entrance.
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malabarista
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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I've never cursed so much on a climb as on this one -on toprope too.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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ENTRANCE EXAM...Good one for sure!
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Kevin
Social climber
Oak-town
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second that for entrance exam. all time greatest training pitch(I recommend breaking it into two) for the steck salathe-
loads of fun, with that super cool hand jam throw out of the bombay chimney to the exit.
also, application around the corner, a peter haan fist crack (5.9) 3.5 and 4 camalots all the way. the dude had huge mitts if you want to call it a fist crack. its a fist crack if you're wearing boxing gloves.
arch rock is the greatest!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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After doing the first pitch of Entrance Exam I felt that I had cheated because modern wide gear allows you to sew it up. Still a very fun climb. I need to go back and do the other pitches where the gear is not so possible.
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Grug
Trad climber
Golden, Colorado
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Personally, I think modern big gear gets in the way. In the "old" days, you would just have to fire these pitches - like Robbins did. Now you have to have these ungodly voluminous pieces either around your neck or at your waist, which makes it extra hard to ever turn around in the crack. Then you have to somehow get around your gear after you placed it. True, walking a piece ahead of you can make it seem like top-roping, but eventually you need leave the piece behind.
I think that wide cracks are best done with gear placed sparingly and at locations where you don't have to work hard to get around them.
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Hardly Visible
climber
Port Angeles
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I also would also consider Chingado easy for 5.10a in compairison to a couple other 5.10a's I've done in the valley.I'd have to say that Left Side of Reeds and second pitch of Yin Yang are considerably harder and two of my proudest onsites ever. Since I found Ahab harder than either of these I can see 5.10b as a realistic rating, but then I ain't no hardman neither. Entrance Exam as one pitch and Moby Dick Left up to the nice ledge are two of my favorite single pitch 5.9's anywhere. I see what you are saying Grug but I don't think I'll be leaving the big cams behind anytime soon. I guess I still want to live.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Weenis, I've actually climbed that route, with a valley local ropegun. "I better take this one," he said. Munge-filled cracks, horrendous old gear like the lone rust-stain in the middle of the Chimney--Yosemite classic or classic Yosemite?
I hand-cleaned a piton anchor that we'd slept on. The ropegun free-climbed the first 2 A1 pitches, and then we got rained off, so our ropes were indeed up there for a while... this would be around 1997 or so.
I've never climbed the Nose.
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Weenis
Trad climber
Tel Aviv
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Hey Rhodo-Router,
Way cool to hear that some others have done that climb (nwfohcs). Imagine if it had been done scores of times and "cleaned off". I think it would be very popular if parties had the chutzpah to get past the Chimney of Horrors. Would like to hear about your experience and what you were able to free climb on it.
And Jaybro, one day I was up at Reed's and Rick Cashner with that gleam in his eyes, showed me the leather work gloves that he had taped and pulled off Goldrush with. That was another semester's work; it is afterall waaay hard. For sure do Entrance Exam and do it as four pitches; Beautiful Yosemite classic inside and out. Mongolian Clusterf*#k Will likely be a little safer now with modern wide crack pro. Yeah Grug, Back in the day we were lucky to get in a "tube chock". Something a lot of climbers have never seen or heard of. They were sure in the way on the rack, harness or trying to pass one you'd placed. Only concession and I'll admit to it is that sometimes they could be used as a "rung" of a ladder and even stood on.
Cool to see Yin Yang mentioned here. That is a groovy climb that is worth doing both pitches of. Anybody done that heap called "South Central" on the Column? The first pitch off the traverse from Dinner Ledge is a tough wide crack; any opinions on difficulty?
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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The best part of Entrance Exam is the Exit! At last you spin around and leave the dam chimney and climb a nice fin, out in the air! I figure this sort of climbing is a lost art...it usta be required for all hardmen who aspired to climb in the Valley.
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kevin Fosburg
Sport climber
park city,ut
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I think Ahab got bumped up to 10b because it certainly isn't 10a. Here's my experience.
I went up to the base of El Cap after work one winter afternoon without a partner. Soloed the center route of Moby Dick and rapped off my 7mm static trail line in order to use it for a self-belay on Ahab. Clove-hitch with a supertape swami. So, pimping along, it became inconvenient to adjust the clove-hitch and pretty soon there was quite a length of static slack hanging down. I became aware that a fall would result in a cheese-wire sort of effect and at the same time was faced with some unusually weird off-width moves. Pretty technical, I thought. You old-dad heavies should not begrudge that rating in my opinion.
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nutjob
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Iztok,
We've been exchanging emails after I posted the note in PG. Let's go get Ahab done!
I passed up my only opportunity to try it so far (my partner did it on toprope)... was last climb of day after soloing Royal Arches, then doing all the Camp4 doggie routes (made in up Doggie Do on TR with no falls, thought the right leaning 5.9 crack after the 5.7 chimney start aound the corner was tougher), and doing Moby Dick Center. I thought direct start of MDC was awful fingertips, above that was easy cruiser hand stacking and knee jams. Then I was too tired and philosophically past the need for a cathartic experience to even get on Ahab.
Hi Mei, I've switched aliases :)
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Leroy
climber
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Funny that people think the left side of Moby Dick is stiff.I think that its probably the first route I ever did with Jbro.More or less a century ago.Or did we do it? anyway ,it was an epic.Afterwords we went to the Indian Room and raised all kinds of hell.Ahab is 10.a just like all the OWs that arenīt 10.c.I led it with the late Granny Dandusky.Danny tried valiently to follow but to no avail.He shouted, what do I do?I told him to Batman the rope.He asked, Whatīs that?.I said ,Hand over hand the rope.Thats where Danny learned to Batman the rope.A very usefull technique.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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I told him to Batman the rope. He asked, Whatīs that?. I said, Hand over hand the rope. Thats where Danny learned to Batman the rope. A very useful technique.
See? TV's not a Cultural Wasteland. It teaches you valuable, real-world skills 8-)
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Chimney of Horrors? I tried to solo that route one time (free climbing the first two pitches on cloves was pretty interesting, considering the crummy gear and loose rock). Then I got to that chimney, took one look, and said to myself "Looks like beer-thirty to me." I'm glad to hear that I didn't turn around for no good reason (I get spanked on that chimney over by the churchbowl).
Now I want to try it again! (and also that line that goes left after the first pitch, High Life).
Good list of wide goin' on here. But I'm surprised Basket Case hasn't been mentioned, you know as a .10a or something. But Steppin' Out as .10b? I gotta get some heal-toe action goin', no doubt.
Hey Tom, Anna is up in Yos as we speak! When are you going back up there?
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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YO - Do you know Dan or did you just find that pic?
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yo
climber
I'm so over it
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Just found it searching. Tell me about him, he looks amazingly dialed in that thing. Not worried about falling out, not worried about proing in. Some kind of OW hardman?
Funny thing with Moby Center is the Reid beta says, I think, "many 2" to 3" pieces." Which is not entirely true. I remember arming to the gills and using like one 2" and not that many 3"s before it gets way bigger than that. I could be wrong, it's been a while. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ended up running it for the anchors elbow deep in that mama with a bunch of useless small gear.
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ChrisW
Trad climber
boulder, co
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Entrance Exam on Arch Rock is a very FUN! Climb. Except we got attacked by some black birds at the top and there's a little bit of bird crap on the top of the last pitch. They had a nest just right of the finish.
It's more of a chimney then a offwith. If not, just all chimney.
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Iztok
climber
Cupertino, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2006 - 12:16pm PT
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Nutjob,
I am ready to get some more OW training (punishment) on Ahab. The guy "styling" in the picture is doing a foot stack right where I had the most problems, I think it may be the ticket. Next time I'm not doing it in shorts and a tshirt.
I'd like to work on Weenis wide crack list (if doesn't kill you it will make you stronger).
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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"bvb's got the point, much of this stuff was freed by Frank Sacherer, Chuck Pratt and Royal Robbins early, before 66... "
BFD! These guys were the greatest climbers in the world. So what if they could cruise a 10d wide crack that wasn't particularly dependent on technical shoes!
Do you think folks have changed that much. If I had a hard time on some overhanging sport route, it would be little comfort that "Sharma and Caldwell campussed it when they were 17 years old!"
Second pitch of Yin Yang is a spanker if I remember correctly.
Chingando is rated 10a for the fist section at the start. The OW is rated 5.8 (but let's call it 5.9-)
Peace
Karl
PS I always face the wall on Ahab, unlike the picture. Am I screwing it up. Which way do ya'll face? Any old codger who says it's easy has to go lead it for me in Yosemite next time you're there.
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