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hamie
Social climber
Thekoots
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:18pm PT
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gf,
He's gripped 'cos he forgot to bring his aiders!
H.
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Saugy
Mountain climber
BC
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:28pm PT
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I believe this is part of Marc's project on the N Walls (above Forgotten Flake). Have you sent this yet, Marc?
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micro_marc
Trad climber
Squamish
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:34pm PT
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Bruce, Zac and I both laybacked the flare on U-Wall, the secret is to tuck your knees in and sneak a rest. P3 was the crux for me, I hardly climbe it, there was a fair bit of slipping, grunting, and thrutching involved before I latched the jugs. Zac walked up it, couldn't pull the slack in fast enough at the belay haha.
The Temptation of St Anthony is such a stellar line, easily on of the best I have ever climbed on, can't wait for dry spring weather..
The roof in the photo above is quite thin, and I think it will remain a 'proj' for a while, for me at least. I am working on a pitch that avoids it that goes around to the right, to make it reasonable.
oh and Luke, as you know.... the 'jaunt' up freeway was slightly ridiculous, we started pretty late and two friends in the campground said it was easy and we would 'simul climb' most of it. Turned out to be hard, and we got caught in the dark after the crux roof. We had forgotten to bring headlamps so Zac led the offwidth via laybacking it without placing any gear, then I got to lead the last pitch in the dark feeling for holds and bolts. Luckily neither of us pitched off the thing. Blows my mind how sguys climb another route like 'Northern Lights' after that, I was wiped!
The slab at Penny Lane is called 'Total Fascination' could be a 5.13a, Squamish granite is so good for slabs, but you have to be patient and wait for the winter!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:44pm PT
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So the Canadian contingent here now includes, at least:
Mighty Hiker (I wasn't)
MH2 (possibly the M stands for Mighty)
Big Mike
thekidcormier
micro_marc
I detect a pattern.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:45pm PT
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Not a whole lot to write about pitches 3 and 4 of genus-loci. We never fell, the forth pitch only needed three bolts, and the last pitch didn't need any.
All three bolts on the forth pitch went in off natural stances. This pitch was pretty short but felt like one of the most exposed spots in Squamish. This was a total prize, a beautiful dyke taking us from our heaven-sent ledge over to the top of the left side of the pillar.
I remember that first bolt went in nicely, just off our belay I think. I recall drilling the next bolt while hanging off a perfectly flat bucket with my left hand. There weren't many footholds so I just hung there off that open left hand and started drilling. Pretty pumpy spot, not to mention the exposure, so I was a little too focussed on the drilling and not thinking too much about how the rope was going to run.
I could barely hold onto that bucket by the time I'd hammered the bolt in and clipped it with a draw. Completely spent, I sagged onto the rope in preparation to lower back to the belay.
Damn, I'd drilled that bolt in the perfect spot for clipping but, because it was directly above this flat ledge, the rope, if weighted, was going to rub right on the edge. Not being able to fire myself, because I was the best-producing employee, I clipped another draw on there to extend it over the edge. I was sure I'd be receiving some flack later on for that bolt placement.
Peder was up next and cruised over to that nice bucket. This pitch was quite clean, we hardly scrubbed it and the rock was as good as it gets. This was five star climbing right out there on the face of the chief. We were in heaven, especially because it was about five letter grades easier than the previous pitch.
The Bear pawed around there for awhile, found some footholds to stem between and some killer hold he was calling a baseball. Peder had done a great job scoping and was feeling the tug of the abyss underneath him. He reversed his path back to my poorly located bolt and lowered to the belay.
I headed out there and got a pretty good stance at the Bear's spot. This drilling location was looking primo. I could stem between a couple of great smears and hold on tight to that baseball-shaped nugget.
Not too many grey hairs generated drilling that one. In it went and now I'm within striking distance of the top of the left side. I recall a few quick moves to stand up on the dyke and then I could lean way over and grab the top of the crack, which was the end of the left side pitch. Wow, it doesn't get much sweeter than that. Peder follwed over without much effort and we rapped off. We still had one pitch to explore but it wasn't happening that day.
A week or two later and we're back up on top of the left side. I'm pretty sure Bruce MacDonald joined Peder and I. He couldn't turn down this quality of fun.
We had a general idea of our plan. We hoped to jam up the left side of the sword for quite a distance and then move out right, onto the face which wasn't far from the grand wall route. The plan was to climb up that thin face crack which everyone climbs (the top section of) when they're climbing the sword pitch on the grand.
I was elected for the first forray up there so I launched off, with a pretty nice selection of gear and a haul line for the drill and hammer. I jammed my way up that corner which Greg and Peter had freed years earlier. Eventually I picked a spot where the arete wasn't as sharp as a razor, slammed in a couple of cams, side by each, slung them with double slings, and started reaching blindly around the corner. Unreal, I could just feel a face crack out there and it was a good size, number one and a half friend I seem to recall.
I committed and pulled out onto the face. Wow, big air central out here. I was perched right out there on that face of granite which separates the left side from the right side (of the sword) and it wasn't looking very good up ahead. Where I was, the crack was a great size but unfortunately it immediately thinned out to big r.p. size. Bummer. The more I looked up, the more little edges started to appear. Maybe I wasn't sunk yet.
I could see my goal, that nice sloping ledge that everyone's stood on when they're climbing the Grand. It was only fifteen feet away. I placed a couple of choice r.p.s in that thin crack and started making my way up.
I was using the edge of that crack and some nice little edges on the face. Someone was watching over us because the edges just kept coming. The climbing wasn't actually that tough, more mentally taxing due to the exposure and the fact that I was getting well above those nuts.
A few more careful moves up that little face and I grabbed for that sloping ledge. Not too bad a mantle but those r.p.s are looking further away now and there's so much rope between Peder and I. Not to mention we can't see each other.
I pulled up onto the ledge and sunk some cams in behind it. The plan was to lead the underfling from this ledge, and then try to free that blank piece of granite up beside the bolt ladders. I'll get back to that later. Oh Baby, was this epic actually over? It was a great way to finish our route, we were so chuffed that it went first try, with no scrubbing or bolting. Killer pitch. Great journey.
Canucks are down by one going into the third period so I'm moving back to the couch to offer those underpaid athletes some support.
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thekidcormier
Trad climber
squamish, b.c.
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Feb 21, 2012 - 11:55pm PT
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Anders; Its possible you have been sandbagged with LSD that sh#t will make patterns out of anything
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2012 - 12:25am PT
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+1 Kid :)
Famish- Sounds like fun! maybe one day..
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bmacd
Boulder climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 22, 2012 - 12:25am PT
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Well I don't recall this particular adventure Hamish .... but here is a photo every one can follow along with clearly showing that very exposed face crack
So G.L. to the underfling then the "regular" free grand, is yet to be done by our yung local punks yet ? Whats the problem I wonder, they all seem capable of anything .... it would be the hardest free line on the Chief I think, pretty continuous.
edit: msg to Stanhope & Honnold - Are you reading this ? Better get up there before Marc L. does !
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micro_marc
Trad climber
Squamish
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Feb 22, 2012 - 01:03am PT
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Haha gnarly, or 'War of the Raptors' into the free grand, seems to be more direct but pretty intimidating as well. Genius Loci into 'Ten Years After' free is the real prize, but should almost be tried ground up.
another crazy pipe dream idea would be the free grand on gear. one could climb the sword, then continue into the 'underfling' bypassing the bolts, build a nest of gear at the rest halfway out the arch, then finish the 'underfling' and run out the slab to the belay below 'Perry's' all in one EPIC pitch. Would be a big fall off the slab but clean air for sure. But from there one would be obligated to lead 'Perry's' on #5 camalots. Any takers?
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Feb 22, 2012 - 01:21am PT
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What aboot Uncle Ben's? Is anyone trying to free that?
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bmacd
Boulder climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 22, 2012 - 01:23am PT
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Fair means ascent of Raptors to left side pillar to scary GL face crack to underfling & wide gear for lay back - but no chopping, Marc ... this isn't one of the greatest summits on earth like Cerro Torre
Uncle Bens has a very steep bolt ladder in the black sickle which will never go free, as well the short roof low down would be impossible too
But getting back onto the 10 yrs after crack system somehow, from Genus Loci, then connects you to the base of Perry's lieback
Edit: Correct me if I am wrong Marc but traverse left from top of the lft side back into 10 yrs and its crack climbing all the way to the base of Perrys lieback ? Actually looks mostly moderate by todays standards
edit2: crux ...
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Feb 22, 2012 - 01:32am PT
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Oh k. I was reading the latest guidebook's topo that says, "please do not remove fixed pins--required for free ascent" on the White Sickle pitch. Thought maybe someone was goin for it.
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TheSoloClimber
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Feb 22, 2012 - 02:31am PT
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Soooooo gooood.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Feb 22, 2012 - 03:01am PT
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Wow, what a gem this thread has proved to be. There is a lot of good reading and pictures and overall good content here that invokes sentiment not unlike poetry or good scotch. Keep it up lads, and thanks for showing up, Hamish. I like your style.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Feb 22, 2012 - 10:26am PT
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(Holy Mac, this new generation of climbers is fast and strong! I'm so impressed and definitely feeling a little old. You guys should get into technical tree climbing/removal with chainsaws, you could make a killing.
Back to g-l for a second. Peder and I really wanted to start at the bottom, on Scott's route, Los Zapatos. This leads one straight into genus-loci, which takes you right to the underfling. Then, of course, up that and hang a left up the blank (in those days) slab. If you're concerned about style, I actually tried that blank section once, with the Bear, and drilled a bolt pretty far out there, relatively speaking, off a hook. I also drilled the first one, standing on the no-hands ledge at the belay.
I was pretty scared out there, drilling that bolt, and it was a strange experience because there was a spanish guy climbing the Grand to our left. He hung there and watched my whole ordeal, babbling away about style and the fact that that was how they did things.
Anyhow, I got that bolt in, gave the next moves a few goes and didn't get very far at all. We never made it back. I'm not sure how Scott Cosgrove arranged his bolts up there when he freed it (I doubt he would have been placing any bolts on rappel), but I would have to think my bolts would still be there.
I sure like my mountain bike...so easy.
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micro_marc
Trad climber
Squamish
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Feb 22, 2012 - 01:20pm PT
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BMACD, you have it spot on for 'Ten Years After', climb G.L to the top of the left side, and then traverse that 'free grand'esque' ramp back left to the corners and follow them all the way up to Perry's. Looks like a line, but harly 'moderate', very thin expanding corner systems with big fall potential. Probably a bit like climbing 'Presto' in Murrin without the bolts, ground up, over and over and over, with the ground further away.
Hamish, not sure but I think when Cosgrove freed the Grand he may have tension traversed off of belay bolts below Perry's and place the bolts on rappel tension?? There are three bolts on the slab, the first is right by the station, I think you clip it before you even start climbing, and the second is probably half way out the ramp, could that one be yours?
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micro_marc
Trad climber
Squamish
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Feb 22, 2012 - 02:13pm PT
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Cool info there Coz! Sorry for my mistake, I had seen a photo in a magazine captioned 'bolting on the grand wall free variation' or something like that, and I think it showed a bolt going in on tension. Cool to know how it actually went down. That slab is a great little pitch, and there certainly are some 'mono crystals' on it.
I always thought 'The Underfling' pretty exciting, it has bolts, but they are nicely spaced. Every time I was clipping a bolt while pumped all I could imagine was taking the 30ft pendulum back towards the sword if my foot slipped. Not dangerous by any means, but quite a bit different than the bolting job on Perry's if you know what I mean. Unreal position up there.
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bmacd
Boulder climber
100% Canadian
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Feb 22, 2012 - 02:13pm PT
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starting on Apron Strings, climbing to the Geni Loca belay, (a no hands ledge, half way up the Sword) form there to the top of the Underfling mantle, belaying at the no hands stance, then sending the traverse, back to the top of the Sword. Finally finishing up on the Roman Chimneys.
It's not clear Scott, but I assume you climbed merci me to the right side of the pillar and then upwards ?
10 Years After is still a bonafide aid route, with a recent ascent. It does need a belay station near the area of question, as it went from being a partial wall route & then a pendulm to Grand, to being an independant complete line to Bellygood with no one claiming responsibility for the complete ascent, and still involving a station fudged midway from the bolt ladder on Grand. I remember it to be entirely expanding, and a small size, for 2 pitches once you moved above the face crack.
Marc I'd say TR it from the base of Perrys lie back and then consult the community if a free ascent is feasible. You have already established the fact you have good discretion in these matters as shown in how you handled Chris Geislers line in the north Walls. We dont want to lose all our aid climbs to the elite free climbers.
More power to ya !
edit: relinked to same photo on prev page
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Fish Boy
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Feb 22, 2012 - 02:24pm PT
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I think this is just above the red spot circled on the last page...
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Fish Boy
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Feb 22, 2012 - 02:31pm PT
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What about continuing up Ten Years After and freeing the A3 (not) traverse which is juggy and then the crack heading up to green acres? Looks easier than the final A1 pitch by a mile.
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