Free solo OnSighting the Steck Salathe

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 41 - 60 of total 197 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

Don Paul

Big Wall climber

Colombia, South America

Dec 14, 2012 - 04:12pm PT

Sounds like a serious undertaking to me, whoever does this especially onsight has my respect. Especially if there are insecure face/slab moves.
As for trustafarians, this is my goal someday, maybe my retirement goal, is to be one. Yup, at age 65 I'll be out there with the bros playing hacky sack and hitching a ride up Route 70 with my snowboard. Also plan to take up wingsuiting once Im too geriatric for real sports.

le_bruce

climber

Oakland, CA

Dec 14, 2012 - 04:22pm PT

I had read that Barber had done this (and I remember thinking...good idea). I used it at the bolt on the 5.9 friction bit to protect this part, which is completely different from the rest of the climb.

Raises the interesting question of how many people have truly solo'd it w/o any just-in-case-backups on the slab pitch. Probably not too many. I think those that bring the backup are wise.

Also throws into sharp relief what Honnold did on Half Dome. If soloing 5.9+ slab moves that feel pretty trivial to punters like me when roped up causes many extremely talented soloists to bring a backup on the SS, imagine the level of commitment needed to cast off into those 5.12 sequences up high on the Reg...

Yikes.

thekidcormier

Gym climber

squamish, b.c.

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 14, 2012 - 05:05pm PT

This post was just an effort to provoke conversation, and learn of some hirtory of the hardmen who ventured up there in the purest of style. I definitly have no urge to try this route with out a rope, although there's a good chance i have the physical skills and endurance to climb this route with out falling, i do not have the mental capasity to be up there with out a rope.

Hats off to those of you who have that kind of confidence.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Dec 14, 2012 - 05:11pm PT

The thing about Steck Salathe, for those who haven't done it, is how mild the ratings look compared to how hard the climbing feels. I'm sure folks like Dean Potter can walk stuff like that but it would be tempting for more mortal folks to see lots of 5.7 and 5.8 with some 5.9 crack and think "how hard could it be?"

Personally, if I was forced to freesolo either Steck Salathe or Serenity and Sons, I'd go for the latter

Peace

Karl

eeyonkee

Trad climber

Golden, CO

Dec 14, 2012 - 05:57pm PT

I just now read Bruce Kay's response to my last post. I didn't mean anything by the term 'enlightenment' other than a short cut for describing that thing that Bachar did with respect to free soloing beginning in 1977 or 1978. It was not meant as an endorsement in any way.

fosburg

climber

Dec 14, 2012 - 06:58pm PT

I know Roland Arsons free soloed it onsight late 80's. I saw him in the lodge lot mid morning afterward and it was like no big deal.

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Dec 14, 2012 - 07:15pm PT

First rule of Solo Club is never to talk about Solo Club.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Dec 14, 2012 - 10:52pm PT

Pretty sure DH fell out of the. Slippery chimney it's easy to do and it seems likely, because of were his body was recovered.

For somebody like Derek, nothing on that route is very hard. But there's loose stuff up there. Hard to hang on if you get smacked with a falling rock anywhere.

The pitch leading up to the narrows ain't that bad, although protection is sparse, which isn't an issue if you're soloing

Peace

karl

jogill

climber

Colorado

Dec 15, 2012 - 12:15am PT

Sorry to interupt the ongoing discussion here, but sometimes I have to sit back and marvel at the accepted and sometimes casual nature of difficult free-soloing these days.When I began climbing in the early 1950s climbing clubs admonished those who would go up on the rock without a partner, citing the potential waste of a human life to do so. This may have been partly due to the strict regulations the US Army had devised for soldiers involved in climbing, and also the temporal proximity of WW2 with its huge toll of lives.

In the mid 1950s when I began visiting the Tetons there was a park regulation making it illegal to climb solo, an those caught doing so were hauled before a magistrate and fined.

I began to notice a real change in attitude about soloing in the late 1960s and then, in the later quarter of the last century, due to climbers like DH and the incomparable JB.The expression "free - solo" was coined, and now you see AH in a CBS special sailing effortlessly up a striking rock formation, while down below near the camera JL gives a blow-by-blow commentary, and mentions something to the effect "it's all over if his foot slips . . ."

One of the few benefits of a long life: watching the world change.

;>)

WBraun

climber

Dec 15, 2012 - 12:57am PT

It's all your fault John Gill.

I saw your photo soloing without a material rope.

I thought that's how it's done.

Little did I know the "rope" is always there ...... :-)

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Dec 15, 2012 - 04:04am PT

You would know that from soloing it Karl?

I've done the route 4 times or so, and done lots of soloing chimneys. Never had an issue on that pitch and it's a lot closer to my limit than yours. If I remember correctly, the pro sucks on that pitch so I think even the mortal climbers aren't falling on that pitch in significant numbers or we'd hear the horror stories. The route gets done a fair amount.

The whole route is not dicey anywhere by DH's standards. That's why, if we're just speculating, I think it's just as valid or more, to think he got knocked off by a rock than from slipping on 5.9.

And I have been narrowly missed by rockfall on several occasions while freesoloing (on Kor Beck and East Butt of Middle particularly) and know how easy it would be to get knocked off.

But hey, you can run into problems with a cramp in your butt, so who really knows? Sometimes you just don't

Peace

karl

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Dec 15, 2012 - 03:11pm PT

The ironic aspect of the narrows for me, a bigger sort of dude... It's by far the hardest pitch on the route for me but the one pitch that would be far easier for me to solo than lead, just because I wouldn't have a bunch of crap on me to make me even fatter. Not much danger of falling out of that thing once entrance is gained .

Gaining entrance isn't trivial though, that bombay entrance move sucks. But never had the guts to chimney out to the outside edge where some say it's easier.

I never say never or I'd say I'm never going back!

If I did go back and for some stupid reason had to lead the narrows again. I'd tie in 40-50 feet into the lead line and use the extra rope to tag the rack up to me after exiting the worst of the squeeze. I remember grinding gear into me while struggling up that sucker. One time, I was trying to fiddle some tiny cam into a shallow crack in there and bobbled it. I caught it with my toe and pinned it against the rock so I could try and reach down to retrieve it. The problem was that I was squeezed terribly and could hardly get my hand near my toe. I managed to touch it before it dropped into oblivion.

Coz solo onsighted the North Butt of MIddle. That's sick! There's a few places, particularly the shallow 5.10 face/corner up high before the short squeeze chimney that would have scared the crap out of me. (took a good whipper on lead up there in fact)

peace

Karl

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Dec 15, 2012 - 04:03pm PT

On-sight A clean ascent, with no prior practice or beta--Wiki glossary, climbing terms, just to be clear

"I soloed it once, in about the same time frame as Coz. I'd done it before..."--Jaybro, McYesterday

I'm sayin' Jaybro's a nut-case if he calls his ascent on-sight.

"On-case nut-sighting--Rangers baffled"

In any case,

Merry Christcase, J-J-J-Jaybro!

scooter

climber

fist clamp

Dec 15, 2012 - 04:03pm PT

I would be willing to bet it gets a solo ascent bi-weekly June 5th to Oct 5th. What about Yosemite Point Buttress? I know of two free solos of that route, but that is about it. Lost Arrow Chimney?

Chief

climber

The NW edge of The Hudson Bay

Dec 15, 2012 - 04:17pm PT

I think The Grug from Camaroon's (aka Eeeyonkee) free solo of the LA Chimney waaaay back in time was on sight. CAJONES!

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Dec 15, 2012 - 04:26pm PT

Some have cause to knock Coz. Not I, because I had a Chevy he owned. Werner gave it over to me and kept the NP license plates and I drove it off to Merced w/o registration decals on the plates, but it was late, so I got the thing hoe safe and sound. Never could get it running right, though, and passed it on when time came to register it a second time.

I never mcmet you, Coz, but have always loved that section of S Face. I've only climbed on it once or twice to not much avail, but have run out what I did do. I've always had immense respect for John Middendorf, too.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/alpinist-magazine/southern-belle-account/10150198174519327

Some 5.11 pitches near the top have only three bolts apiece, which could be considered over-protected since the last 5.9 pitch has none. "It is more serious than the Bachar Yerian or You Asked For It, with 5.10 X and 5.11 X pitches," says Cosgrove.--Climbing

edit--I like that there is no chimneying! Neither the time nor place, but that's what puts me off about both the LAC and the SS: nasty, brutish chimneys. Call me sissy. LoL

ECF

Big Wall climber

The Frayed End of Insanity

Dec 15, 2012 - 07:36pm PT

So it was almost 20 years ago Derek fell...
Thanks, I really needed to hear how old I am getting.
I was there that day.

If you chose to solo something, do it for yourself.
It seems to me that a lot of people do these things for other reasons now.
The acid test is whether or not you "spray" about it later.
If you bring a photographer on such an adventure, your motives are not pure.

Believe it or not, there is more to this existence than the adoration of publishers and sponsors.

WBraun

climber

Dec 15, 2012 - 07:42pm PT

If you bring a photographer on such an adventure, your motives are not pure.

Oh bullsh!t.

You don't have a clue what pure is to begin with.

All these idiots these days saying you must be like this and climb like this and do like this.

Stupid fuking bullsh!t ......