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TwistedCrank
climber
Hell
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Ah yes the Arch Rock memories:
For reasons I still don't understand, on my first time on Gripper on the third pitch I started to babble and whine uncontrollably. I went back the next day and fired it. I think that was a watershed day of climbing for me because I (almost) always felt solid on 10+ handcracks after that.
Was it just me or was Klemens Escape not really an escape after all? As I recall, my partner and I got pretty disoriented in the talus on the way down from it.
Arch Rock is a great "welcome to the valley" crag.
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johnboy
Trad climber
Can't get here from there
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^^^
"hip" belay?
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Arch Rock always seems to have a moat of poison oak surrounding it. I have always been spared - but partners have gotten it bad.
New D is definitely five star.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Nope, that would be the hipster Off White himself hiding behind that robber's bandana. Nothing hip about the old California Belay!
Way back before I had any crack technique, I took a true fifty footer on the ever greasy Midterm! It was the last day of a mid-seventies Valley trip and a rather hot one. I had been climbing without a helmet for most of the trip to be a little more comfortable but I was intimidated enough to wear one on this particular day.
After working out the start, I moved upwards to a small ledge about thirty feet off the ground. Above the crack widened to fist but I could see a cigarette pack sized chockstone that someone had jammed in where the crack was hand sized. I reached the rock chock and slung it before moving by. As the crack widened and the sweat flowed, I reached a point where a sloping shelf appeared to allow me to stop swimming in the wideness for a moment. Though a little runout, I began to half mantle onto the shelf when my fist jam squirted out and I was airborne!
I struck the sloping rest ledge with both heels and continued to fall on rope stretch. The ground kept on coming and I began to wonder what the hell was going on. Finally, about ten feet from impact, the rope caught me and flipped me over violently. The helmet that I almost didn't wear slammed hard into the wall saving the back of my skull from certain injury.
I looked back up the pitch to try to sort out what had happened. The chockstone caught the fall which should have been about thirty feet in length. Instead, I had gone for fifty! Had it failed, I would have been talus food. A brand new Edelrid rope was the cuprit and had contributed about twenty feet of stretch to the fall. Last Edelrid chord for me!
Well, we collected ourselves and I hobbled down to the car and crawled in for the long drive back to Tucson, stone briused heels and all. "Got to get better at crack climbing, somehow, some way" was my mantra all the way home.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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"Ther's definitely some very powerful unseen forces at work in the Valley. As silent and powerful as the granite."
"It's the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight...."
Genesis
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Good stories all. Joe: I remember your fall so clearly. As I was rapping down I remember suggesting you wait for me and we rap together as I was almost there. You decided to continue and then you were off. It was like watching the old wide world of sports intro of the "agony of defeat" as the ski jumper became a rag doll. I thought you were dead. For that matter I kind of thought I was dead on my big fall...Largo it was 73 and you are right I was with George. We did Gripper and then one of the Quizes on the way down. Fun little routes. I have a funny story from my learning how to climb days as a youngster in the Valley. It was October of 72. Ed Barry, myself, Jim Donini and Steve Wunsch were all cragging together at Arch. I used to tag a long a lot with Jim and Steve back then. They were my primary climbing mentors. Jim, in particular, used to enjoy--or so it seemed--scaring the crap out of me when ever possible during my apprenticeship. This hand jamming thing was difficult for me to grasp and I used to struggle mightily. Ed was having a similar difficult time of it. This day Ed backed off Gripper at the roof and lowered to the ground. Jim snarled, "What you couldn't do the Gripper!" He grabbed the rope and ran up the route, perhaps placing three pieces on the entire pitch. It was my turn. I did OK on the lower section of the route as I could climb wide stuff fine. I arrived at the roof and my troubles began. I remember this smooth, holdless, flaring corner which is exactly what it was if you didn't know how to jam. I fought with all my might but couldn't get any where. I called for tension. Jim shouted, "Tension!!, You don't get any tension!!" Instead he fed me a bunch of slack, I'm sure with the intention of motivating me further. His motivational ploy didn't work and I hurdled into space. This was the ongoing theme of that fall: Trying to climb some of the most beautiful and intimidating cracks in the world without any idea of how to do it. It wreaked havoc with my confidence. One day we were at Reeds to do Stone Groove. This was the first time I had seen the route and it looked easy enough. I thought finally a climb I could do. Jim led it with customary ease and set up a top rope. I climbed, struggled and failed again. I was in tears at the base. I wanted to succeed so badly yet it all seemed immpossible. Jim, like any could mentor could be hard with me, but when the time came for support and consolation he was there as well. "Mark", he told me, "Its only climbing". My apprenticeship continued. Later that fall Jim, Rab Carrington and I were back at Arch Rock. Jim was going to attempt the FA of the Leanie Meanie. Rab and I were his support group. Jim led up the lower section, bridging past the initial bulge, and proceedding up to the base of the steep section where he lowered off. I had a go, expecting the worse, as usual, and to my surprise I managed to reach his high point. I couldn't believe it! Jim, tied on again and sent the pitch. Rab followed removing all the gear. It was my turn again. I was very intimidated. The rope, an old 9 mil that Rab said he found in the Alps, dangled in space. I started up and once again, to my surprise I was climbing it. I bridged over the bulge, liebacked up the next section and then headed up the steep hand crack above. I was jamming and climbing up one of the hardest routes in the Valley! I was doing it but still couldn't grasp the reality of my efforts. I made it all the way up to the final inversion where my feeble mind finally cracked and I grabbed the rope. Though I didn't quite make the entire route it was a day that changed my life. It gave me hope. It was a day that changed my perspective on myself and my climbing abilties. The following year it all came together for me. Early one cold March day I found myself back at Stone Groove, this time on the sharp end. Remembering my failure here the year before I had come to confront my deamons. I led up, got to the crux and fell. I lowered to the ground and rested. Doubt creeped in. I had a second go and made it. From this point on there was no stopping me. The routes began falling like dominos. My life as a Valley climber began in earnest.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Mark, your Gripper story reminds me of my first time up Gripper. It was 1976 and I was serving my crack climbing apprenticeship with Carla Firey and Julie Brugger, two of the best women climbers of that era. Carla led the first pitch, back then there was a fixed #6 or 7 hex with a long sling at the crux. You fired the hands section and then got standing on the chickenhead where you could clip a fixed Lost Arrow. Anybody remember the little plastic gorilla in the crack you could see when standing on the chickenhead?
Anyway, when it came my turn to follow, I could not hand jam to save my life and literally got pulled up the crux. And by a girl! Once I fugured out how to hand jam, that became one of my favorite climbs!
Carla (and Julie) taught me how to climb cracks and I returned the favor by turning them onto the evil deamon they called Gymnastics Chalk (at least that's what they claimed!).
Bruce
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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bhilden,
I remember Julie. She could crank! And yes I remember the gorilla. Learning how to crack climb was a challenge but well worth it. In the years since I have introduced so many people to crack climbing. Including Jobee and Alex Huber. I always felt it took me so long to learn how to do it that I was a good teacher. I made Jobee learn the wide stuff too. I knew having such tiny hands, she was going to have to learn. One's entire perspective on the Valley changes when you learn how to jam. Alex was a very eager and attentive student. Successful as well I might add! Jobee, Sean Myles, Alex and I all traveled to Josh together. I showed the technique to Alex on this 20 ft hand crack on the Old Woman?? (The crag with Double Cross on it)It was late in the afternoon. He set up a little top rope and practiced until it got dark. To all you want to be crack climbers out there: We all had to learn. Its a right of passage, and well worth the effort. By the way the most challenging thing my mentor Jim taught me wasn't crack climbing but rather realizing that it is JUST CLIMBING. Something we all need to remember, practice, and live.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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It seemed like you got to see the plastic gorilla just after you finished the Gripper crux and the thing was in the bag. Kind of a symbol of achievement. Who stole it?
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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you mean to say there are actually people in the world who don't know how to climb cracks??
the horror, the horror.....
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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For me Stone Groove was symbolic as well - I enjoyed safely exploring my limits as a lower mid-level activist and climbed up to the crux unroped three - count 'em three - times tying to solo. Never could commit to the short thin section. I'd reach up and set the jam, wanting it pretty bad but, hey, that was my limit.
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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The Cookie is to the Rostrum as Arch Rock is to Astroman.
Greg
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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I totally remember that gorilla in the Gripper. It was stuck in there sideways.
Mark, I'll take your word on it we met in '73 but I sort of wonder how I could have gone the entire '72 season without meeting you in Camp 4. And I was there the whole summer, I think.
Anyhow, I can remember doing an early repeat of Leaning Meanie with my girlfriend at the time and it was about 100 degrees (late afternoon in August or something like that). The opening was bouldering and not bad and even the hand and lyback stuff seemed okay but as I remember (very imperfectly) there's some weird offsize moves up there somewhere, I didn't have the right gear, had to run it a bit and was greasing like crazy and scared shitless that if I greased out my girfriend couldn't hold the whopper I was certain to log. Not a good time at all.
I must have visited Arch rock many dozens of times over the years and yet I never did English Breakfast Crack, nor that .11 undercling finish to Midterm, and those both looked pretty good.
JL
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder
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RE:
" there's some weird offsize moves up there somewhere, I didn't have the right gear,"
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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EBC is as classic as the others...And crazier to look at from the trail. My first time up there I wondered if any human alive could climb it! (Of course the part that I was looking at with saucer eyes is probably 5.7 or 5.8 w/ a 5.9 exit move.)
Classic quote re: Arch rock...BF (hi, Sooze) looks up at rock w/ binos. "There's a guy on Leanie Meanie." I say, "How's he doing?" He says, "He's getting a no-hands rest at the crux." It took me a minute to get it...
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 4, 2007 - 06:16pm PT
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speaking of leanie meanie, we went up to do it in '05. We have our trusty copy of supertopo.
Now, not being real smart, I send my buddy up with the supertopo recommendation of gear to 2". Which naturally put him in a similar situation as Largo was! thank god it wasn't my lead. Lesson learned, look at the crack!
However, no heroics this day, he built a mini anchor, tied off, and I tagged him some bigger stuff, I know I sent up a 4" cam, maybe even a bigger one.
Fantastic line though!
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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The undercling second pitch to Midterm passes some poison oak and finishes in some dirt and branches that funnel down.
Classic old school.
Greg
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 4, 2007 - 06:52pm PT
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hmm, don't remember slings on the chockstone, and I remember the last part of the first pitch opening up to 5 or 6 inches?
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bobmarley
Trad climber
auburn, california
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anybody else epic'd getting off arch? one time after gripper, one time after new D. late in the afternoon. "c'mon just a couple of pitches - naw we don't headlamps!" next thing i know, it's pitch dark and downclimbing that sketchy gulley off new D, getting nabbed by ants, and rapping off a tree, and then some sh#t-for-anchors. i'm sure there's a better way, but that's how we went that time.
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Largo,
I always thought it strange that our paths didn't cross sooner as well. Funny that. Hedge you are right about the top of the Meanie. You sling the chockstone and can pretty much run it from there. Its a bit wide but you can get decent jams deep in the crack. Depending on ones nerve you might want a fist sized friend or chock. Another cool pitch is that flakey thing between English B Crack and Entrance exam. Kev didn't you and I clean that out one day? Did a very young Kauk show up with Tony to do EBC that day??
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