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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Reminding the group that the crux has had its bolts updated last year and is now an appropriate non-death lead. There was a thread mention of this work.
The status of this section back in the day was terribly risky and the fall, into a buzz-saw funnel-shape right below as you stem wildly on crumbly grainy rock. Although only 5.10a combination climbing, it was awfully serious and the climb would go years without an ascent.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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peter - how did Salathe and Nelson aid / pro all that wide in 1947 on the first ascent ?
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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David,
The offwidth never gets that pure, often having instead smaller cracks nearby, features too, difficulties generally mitigated pretty quickly before things ever get that tough.
Don't imagine long pure cracks up there like the modern offwidths of today. It usually is combination climbing, or should be if one keeps one's eyes open. Have you and Chase done the route? If not, hustle on up there ( you two will have NO problem) once it's a whole lot warmer. consider topping out to the rim also. I wouldn't rappel this sucker. It's a good climb for later in the year or summer, being in the shade mostly.
This is not a place to be when there is ice forming both because it is in the shade and any ice forming on the rim above would clatter into the chimney formation at terminal velocity where you are trapped, funnel-like.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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haven't done the route, but it's on the list now. if there's no ice on the rim, it seems like winter would be fine by the looks of it or might there be a hidden ice hose in the back of the chimney....
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2012 - 02:25am PT
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Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
This thing gets chilly sometimes even in the summer, can't even imagine what it would be like in the winter. Ice or not.
Peter, I was under the impression that the bolt in the rotten chimney was origional to the route, or placed sometime soon after. Pre free ascent that is.
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tarek
climber
berkeley
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Went up there in July, started a bit late, I think 10am on 1st pitch. (I definitely recommend avoiding roping up before the 5.8. 3rd-4th class.) So hot at top of 1st that we bailed. Sun was going to heat that chimney up like an oven, seemed to us. Absolutely non-viable. (There was also a significant amount of water on the 1st p.) Maybe in late afternoon it would cool down. I dunno, PH, seemed from OP's description of the "real" crux that it's pretty pure squeeze and really run out. I get that the grainy part was the mental crux, esp. bitd. OP seems no stranger to squeeze/OW, either.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Salami,
It was pre-free climb, yes. There was more than one and all but one totally bogus, as I remember. The new/today bolt (this news occurs in a prior thread somewhere) replaces the junk that was hanging there for fifty years, thus making a straightforward type lead of crux available to everyone who can climb it (5.10a). It was years ago, a nasty weird dangerous little moment on the climb, necessarily so too.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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David, another climb up there you and Chase should consider and clearly are ready for, is the Left Side of the Tower of Geek, Freestone.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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No need to be spooked away from this one. People like Chuck Wilts (2nd ascent??) were getting up this thing in tennis shoes back in the early 50s. It's just a grinder. In his time, Peter H. could have free soloed this thing. Like Greg G. did.
JL
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