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AndyG
climber
San Diego, CA
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Mar 25, 2005 - 06:42pm PT
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"just a wee bit off thread, but since a few of these were about Snake Dike, I'm curious to know whats the fastest anyone here has done it car to car? Four of us did it in two parties of two back in 82 I think, in 7 hours and change."
Brent and I did it in 6 hours 40 min a few years ago. I'm sure it's been done a lot faster. We're a couple of slowpokes.
Andy
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Melissa
Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
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Mar 25, 2005 - 06:46pm PT
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I'm pretty sure that the RNWF has been done C2C in less than 7 hours on the big route link ups. It would be kinda funny if it had been done faster than the fastest Snake Dike round trip just 'cause people were trying harder for it.
Edit...I just looked at Hans' speed records page. He's got Dean Potter listed at 3h C2C on Snake Dike in '98.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 25, 2005 - 07:19pm PT
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Longest
The second pitch of, Ephemeral Clogdance? or chiropidist's shop? something like that on the apron, early Fire days. I got way off route going left instead of right. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a bolt many feet off to the side. I tried to keep going, but soon I was off. I turned around and ran toward the belay, Will yarded in rope as best he could, I did okay till I tripped over a six inch roof and my glasses fell off, I caught them, but lost my footing, slammed my left shoulder into the wall and slid past the belay.
maybe 40 feet.
Scariest
circa 78, EB's. Agean stables (incorrectly refered to as hesitation blues in guidebooks) 11b lieback in Vedauwoo. Leading at my limit, i placed an early model friend at what must have been about one foot above halfway as my forearms pumped beyond belief. I kept climbing because I could not let go to place more pro. I reached the top and grabbed the bombproof ledge ... and watched my cramping hands melt off the top.
As I sailed down, the image of Wes the belayer, frantically trying to yard in rope grew at a terrifying rate. The peice held, but with rope stretch my feet brushed the rocky turf. I came to rest dangling about a foot or so above the ground.
25'? factor two for sure!
Longest ground fall
While attempting to clip first first bolt on Knobulator, East Cottage dome touloumne. Had a cold, balance was off, hairline pelvic fracture (@ age 44, with no insurance) insued, it got better on it's own.
20'?
Longest catch
Mescalito.
5a.m., or so, no Coffee, Frank (the Colonel) Saunders was above me leading the Seagull pitch, out of sight from the belay. I thought he was almost to the anchor when slack rope fell like a waterfall into my lap. It was my turn to try to yard in rope. I like to think i got a couple of arm spans in when Frank shot into view.
"JEEZUS," he yelled and came to a stop only acouple of feet above me.
50+ feet ,
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Nate D
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Mar 25, 2005 - 09:23pm PT
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5, maybe 6 ft. Gym route. Red tape (can't remember the name - probably blocked it out of my memory.) Rope burned my leg, and almost hit two big jugs on the way down. (whew!) Pride shattered...
Oh wait... uh, wrong forum.
Sorry. Great stories all - fun reading!!
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jonstark
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Mar 25, 2005 - 11:06pm PT
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Two come to mind...
25 to 30 footer... Dalkey quarry in Dublin, Ireland. I had been climbing untutored for a month and was there all the time during weekdays by myself. I had heard of this prussic thing and decided it would be a good way to do some solo climbing. I hung a 9mm over the edge of a likely looking slab with a few features and started to work it. I had been all over it and was now following a very thin edgey crack waaaay out to the left when my footing blew. I started to penji back to the center of the slab and grabbed the rope just above the prussic. That's when I really started to ziz down the rope skidding on my butt and just missing several fixed pins. I remember looking down to the area of likely impact thinking how the gourse would cushion my fall but how long it would take to get the splinters out. Doh! Let go of the rope fool! I got a nasty burn on my left fingers that stung for a long time and I never told anybody about that one. It was about 30 feet from sketch to stop.
40-50 footer... It was on was Cheap Way to Die in JT. Not often travelled but worthy. 10d steep face with fine edges and rugosities. The bolts were and are probably still 1/4 rivets with Leper hangers fairly evenly spaced. I cruised up to where you make a right turn to the first anchors but decided that a deviation over the roof above to a set of anchors for another route looked more challenging. I climbed 15 feet above the last bolt and got a #2 camalot into a rotten incipient crack under the overhang. Made my way over the overlap and got another 10 feet past that. The rock had turned to rotten choss and I was having to dust the ball bearings off my feet with each move. I saw the anchors and knew if I could make this last move I would mantle over the bulge onto a good ledge and be done. I delicately pinched a tiny chicken wing and it pulled off sending me giant stepping my way backwards over the overhang. I landed on both feet (breaking both heels) and felt the cam let go with little resistance. I then turned around to face the bottom of the cliff thinking about dinner plating the 1/4 incher. "don't dinner plate, don't dinner plate, don't dinner plate..." My belayer later said the rope raining down in loops was his key that something had gone wrong. I was almost in freefall but was bouncing and skidding from time to time just enough to add some abrasions to the broken bones. I figure I was about 20 to 25 feet above the last bolt and the rope was brand new and stretchy, (thank goodness!). Ten years ago this month.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 25, 2005 - 11:47pm PT
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Now that's a 'proud' mishap.
There is a lurker here who took a 75(?) footer free solo ground fall. Was hellicoptered out and I think, was on live TV over it. He is inches shorter now, still climbs, hard, but has limited ankle mobility. Maybe he will share with us.
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Mar 26, 2005 - 12:16am PT
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wow, proud and miserable falls from the whole lot of ya!
luckily I've taken nothing longer than 30' myself.
As I've gotten more and more back into skateboarding at the Denver Skatepark on my lunch breaks, I've learned what knee pain is all about.
repeated repeated repeated falls from 10 feet onto concrete is not helping.
jason
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 26, 2005 - 12:54am PT
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I used to drive by this place all the time when I was playing hooky from work and wasting time to go to REI.
It begs the question; if we can have all of thesse municpal, gov-funded skate parks, with all the inherent liability issues they must carry , why not community climbing walls? There is a slight trend toward this already, but I really only know of two; one in Chinatown in San Francisco and one in Walnut Creek. Surely there are more; Public skate parks, after all, are everywhere.
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Mar 26, 2005 - 12:56am PT
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Yeah, they spent $2.5 million making this park too. I'd much rather have a muni climbing park.
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akclimber
Trad climber
Eagle River, AK
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Mar 27, 2005 - 01:50am PT
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About 200 ft. on a glacier on Shasta.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Mar 27, 2005 - 12:05pm PT
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50 footer. Pulled out a bunch of heads and stuff on a new wall in the Sierras. Bad part was that I had to again go up and hammer all the shite back in and hope it didn't rip a second time.
JL
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 27, 2005 - 12:49pm PT
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malab,
Where was that fall, anyway? Run out? Pro pop?
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jonstark
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Mar 27, 2005 - 12:49pm PT
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I don't guess they count but most of us have taken some pretty wild rides while cleaning traversing pitches. Wooohooo!
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akclimber
Trad climber
Eagle River, AK
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Mar 27, 2005 - 12:56pm PT
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Oh, they count. I saw a chick take about a 50-60 pendulum fall on Cryin' Time Again in Tuolomne after her bad ass leader got off route on the first pitch. Scraped her breasts off.
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euphoria
Trad climber
Slippery Rock, PA
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Mar 28, 2005 - 08:46am PT
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Hey Ed Hartouni_
Great "Anguish" story. I attempted to climb that too, a few years back. I bashed my nipple ring on the arete just below the roof and we decided to rap off. Bad, bad day. (except for the good climbing before Anguish) That route is so stout for 5.7.
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Frank Sanders
Trad climber
Devils Tower. Wyoming
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Mar 28, 2005 - 03:09pm PT
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Longest catch
Mescalito.
5a.m., or so, no Coffee, Frank (the Colonel) Saunders was above me leading the Seagull pitch, out of sight from the belay. I thought he was almost to the anchor when slack rope fell like a waterfall into my lap. It was my turn to try to yard in rope. I like to think i got a couple of arm spans in when Frank shot into view.
"JEEZUS," he yelled and came to a stop only acouple of feet above me.
50+ feet ,
Jaybro and I had been climbing partners since the mid 70's, climbing together in Wyoming. In the Spring of 1979 we cruised our first Yosemite walls, together, doing 3 Grade V's in a short time period; Leaning Tower, Lost Arrow Direct and THE PROW on Washington's Column !!! We felt studly, but were still very humbled when even looking at El Cap. Our Grade V's had only kept us "in the air" for 3 days and 2 nights, each. We both knew that we were headed for the Captain, but that we needed to grow, a lot before we could get there !!!!
Our first real El Cap wall was AQUARIUS (aka Aquarian Wall), in 1981. It kept us up there 5 days, and even treated us to a rain storm, some A4 nailing (mine, blissfully all mine) and some "way-hanging" porta-ledge bivvies. Later, in 1983 we found our way up THE SHIELD, the NOSE and WEST FACE, on El Cap.
Jay and I had a "link" or "connection" since the first time that we met. We were the same size; pants, climbing shoes, height, weight...and all of the rest. We could even wear each others glasses !! We are still, both in Love with Offwidth ( Jay put up the 1st 5.13 Offwidth in the country; LUCILLE, at Veedavoo, WY). Jay was always the better free climber and I was always the better aid climber ( which worked really well on the Walls)....we were also, quite critically, attracted to the same women, which inevitably led to some amount of friction...
In 1985, I was very much enjoying a year, in residence in Yosemite's Camp 4, and (against all odds) employed on the Valley Search and Rescue Team. I was living out my Dreams and working with the Rock Gods; John Middendorf, Werner Braun, Walt Shipley, Russ the Fish, Susy Harrington (1st woman to solo El Cap), Mike Corbett, Scott Cosgrove, Charles Cole, Tucker Tech and the like.....I was the "Mortal Amongst Rock Gods", which made me constantly try harder. When Jay appeared in the Valley that Year, in June. I'd already been up El Cap 4 times that season. I heard that Jay was around, but hadn't seen him...it was one of the Times in our partnership that we were on the "outs" and I really don't even remember what the issue was....so I hunted him down one night. As we poured down some beers, the ruffled feathers all got smoothed and we agreed to get on Mescalito, ASAP, together !!!
Although Mescalito had been established a decade before, it was still a fearful, infrequently done route to us. It had a nasty reputation of many "expando flakes"..."miles of hook moves"...the notorious "Space Pitches", pitches 15,16,&17, where the climbing was blank beyond belief, and retreat to the ground was impossible, and of course the certain fact that it was a long route with 26 pitches. The original ascent party, the all-star team of Charlie Porter, Steve Sutton and Hugh Burton had originally named it "END-ALL WALL"....'nuff said.
Jay let me know that he had come prepared !!! He had 1) a newly acquired camera, 2) a newly required drill and bit (just in case), 3)his newly repaired porta-ledge and 4) for once he even brought a newly acquired water bottle ( a plastic gallon jug that at one time contained bulk pancake syrup for restaurant use ....it was usually my chore to line up heavy duty water bottles to securely carry the most vital commodity in the haul bag!!!).....so we set about hauling some loads and fixing some pitches (4 pitches to be exact). The climbing was steep and exhilarating from the very start.
The day came to "blast off", so we jugged our fixed lines, hauled our bag of supplies and dropped our ropes to friends waiting on the ground, late one afternoon. We spent the night, happily on a nice ledge at the top of Pitch 5....I slept dreaming of leading the Notorious Seagull Pitch, which would be the first order of business the next morning....
Anxious, as ever we got up early and got on with it. At this point we discovered that Jay's "newly acquired camera" had quit working...I was still thrilled at the chance to lead the Seagull, feeling that I was leading a true piece of history !! The pitch is named the Seagull as it climbs through a feature that looks like a seagull, in flight, from the ground ( up close it looked like something else entirely...). The pitch started with 2 rightward pendulums ( with hook moves in-between...NOT too reassuring) which landed me in a seam that led up to the seagull's belly. The seam was shitty and insecure, and the bolts that the topo promised were not there....It was a stretch of very insecure placements and in-place mank that was NOT too reassuring. This got me to the seagull's wing that was a notorious expando flake. All of Your pieces go straight-up, behind the flake, and every time that I weighted a new piece, I could see and feel the flake flex. NOT too reassuring, as I knew if any of my placements failed that I would surely rip out anything that was under the wing and rip out anything that was in the seam as well, resulting in a significant piece of air time. The wall was sooo steep that I really didn't fear hitting anything (its not the fall, its the sudden stop), but it could be a very long fall.
...Each new piece got me further out the seagulls wing ....and closer to a bolt ladder that started where the wing ended and extended across blank rock (the first "real pieces" in the whole pitch, which by that time was getting a little long and wearing on the nerves). With mixed emotions I clipped the first bolt, depressed that the "hard stuff" was over, and NOT too reassured as the 1st bolts were only rivets and the "hanger" was only "plumbers tape"; perforated metal strap that looked like cheap Erektor Set stuff and was NOT too reassuring. The following rivets had similar hangers and the first real 1/4" bolt had no hanger, so I looped the thin cable of a small wired stopper over it....I also noticed that most of the straps had cracks in them....Finally, one metal strap "hanger" gave way, and the resulting fall broke the other hangers, the thin cable from the small wired stopper sheared (cut clean) that bolt , pieces started pulling out of the Seagulls wing and finally the Home made, half size friend caught....The stem is still bent and the cams severely mashed as I hold it in my hand right, right now....Although I suffered no injury, surely due in part to Jays prompt yarding in of the rope, I had the somewhat challenging task of re-doing the seagulls wing, and then figuring out what to do with the rivets and shared bolt...
Re doing the Wing, was great; nice and very dicey one more time. But when I hauled up Jay's newly acquired drill, I found that the bit was sooo dull, it would NOT drill even a single hole !!! I eventually found a way to pendulum across the blank rock, to the next crack, avoiding the drilling altogether ( and I guess that subsequent parties have done the same ( or perhaps they re-drilled....I have no idea)...
The following days were full of great climbing, many airy passages and the simple Joy of climbing with Jay. He has a very dry sense of Humor and a Wonderful Way of making a Wall real FUN, even when its a little "hairball". We greatly enjoyed the thin pitches where our route coincided with the Notorious Wall of the Early Morning Light route. I got the in incredibly airy "Molar Traverse" pitch and Jay simply Glided up the notorious off width of pitch 14, miles off of the deck. I led the first of the Space Pitches and we settled down for the night, in a way-hanging bivvy, about 1,500 ft off the ground. We first set up my porta ledge and both of us sat on it, sharing a couple cans of Mandarin oranges (a staple and a treat on all of our walls). Before addressing the chore of getting totally set up for the night we entertained ourselves by dropping the cans and watching them fall free, for a disturbingly long amount of time, before they finally struck the wall, very near the base. This climb is STEEP......
Later, while setting up his newly repaired porta-ledge, Jay was pulling the side tubes apart, to get the head piece tube in (its just like a cot) and his hand slipped. This LAUNCHED the head tube into space (in repairing his ledge, Jay had neglected to re-wire all of the pieces back together) . I heard his OOOPS!!! and looked around in time to see the tube flying through the air...and we both watched, as it arced outward and seemed to take years before it hit the ground....Fortunately we did have a belay seat, made of a wooden board that we could tentatively tape into place to make his ledge "work" again.
The next night we were graced with a real ledge, which Jay slept on, at the Bismarck formation. The next night found us just a pitch and a half from the top, with a large sloping ledge to set up on for the night. We had it "in the bag" !!! Just 1.5 pitches of easy climbing the next day. We had plenty of food and a Full gallon of water (in the newly acquired Maple Syrup jug)!!!....A celebration was called for so we pulled out that last water bottle for a chug....It was then that we found out the jug had a mixed history...and at one time it must have been employed as a gasoline container...and that 5 days of soaking had coaxed out all of the gas that had been absorbed in the plastic. My liver screamed and kidneys roared when I swallowed.....We tried boiling it to vaporize the gas, but to little effect...we eventually dissolved lemon drops into it to disguise the flavor....but it was no use....we couldn't hardly swallow it, and I believe that we became dehydrated drinking it....it was a long night.
First thing in the morning we vaulted, wordlessly, to the top; tongues so swollen that speech was NOT worth the effort. We just left our haul bag and gear there. Taking only the stove and a pan we started the down hill walk to Horsetail Creek that was both known for its water and Guardia. Reaching the creek we set a pan full of water on the stove to boil....and the stove promptly ran out of fuel. Having seen the results of drinking Guardia laden water, we hiked back up to our bags, and hauled them with another fuel canister back to the creek, where we gorged ourselves with water, before finding the East Ledges raps and returning to the Valley floor.
Although subsequent years found both of us doing more and harder and longer walls, I will always most Cherish our time on Mescalito. My memory is full to overflowing with memorable passages and moments from hanging and Living on that tall wall for 5 days....and honestly the Flight from the Seagull is just another "blip" on a Blessedly crowded radar screen. Joyously doing "Walls with Jay", twenty years ago, is still bright in my memory...and I know that we will be Friends throughout this Life and most likely, in to the next one, too !!!...If You think that all that happens on a Wall, has to do with Climbing, You are missing the point of the exercise !!
Thanks for hanging-in through that one.. Pray that You found it entertaining and educational !!!....and THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR PROMPTING ALL OF THAT AS I NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN JAY'S POSTING !!!!
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John F. Kerry
Social climber
Boston, MA
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Mar 28, 2005 - 06:07pm PT
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OMG Frank, fantastic story. Thanks!
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Strider
Big Wall climber
Yosemite NP, Ca
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Mar 28, 2005 - 06:23pm PT
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The best trip report that I have read in a LONG time. Thank you so much for sharing it Col. Sanders! =)
My longest fall was on some practice aid. I was aiding Lena's Lieback at Swan Slabs and the sun was setting so I was trying to move fast. Guess I back cleaned too much though... I was standing on a red alien that I had hastily placed and I reached back to grab another red alien to place higher, but when I reached back the alien popped and I slid down the wall to the ground. Right as my feet touched the ground the rope came tight, saving me from sore feet. My forearms however where swiss cheese. So I rolled my sleeves down over my arms and started yading up the rope, back to the high point. It was at this point that my belayer told me she would not allow me to finish the pitch and that I had scared the crap out of her. Not being so stupid as to leave a $50 cam for someone else to take I proceed to calm her down and 15 minutes later I was back at the high point and I finshed the pitch. She then cleaned it and mock led it on top-rope, finishing by headlamp.
At the time this was my first real fall so it was kinda of a momentous occasion. I had had other falls but nothing of any good distance. This one was close to 30' or 40' from the HP and it was a grounder no less. I thought I took it well at the time, though it may have been more of lack of experience than courage that made me finish the pitch, too stupid to stop as the case may be. Eh, good times.
-n
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 29, 2005 - 05:16pm PT
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Frank, why the hell don't you write more? Glad we fianlly had this point counterpoint deal.
Only one point, I remember the 'gas bottle' being one of yours, the only one from the gas station.
Namaste, 'bro.
Jay
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Mar 29, 2005 - 09:04pm PT
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I've taken lots of falls in the 20-30' range over the years with a few 30-50' here and there. But my partner once ('78-79???) took one on the order of 110' one on Metamorphosis in Eldorado - the route goes right up a steep ramp around an overhanging section that (being roof-inclined) he went over and got one-wayed high up on the wall above. Tried to down climb a few times and finally turned sideways and just stepped off. He had run it out from, if I remember correctly, a Lost Arrow/angle at the base of the ramp far below. He is an ex-gymnast (rings) and it truly was one of the more dramatic displays of calm and reserve I've ever seen. He didn't get hurt other than scratching his thumb on the way back up rebounding from all the rope stretch, but came within feet of the quite large ramp below...
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