working of the first free ascent of Mescalito

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Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Nov 25, 2009 - 01:43pm PT
Yes, the Fixe Triplex can be easily removed - you just put a wrench on the hex nut, which loosens the cone from the sleeve. The key is to have a straight hole, but that is fairly easy to do on granite.
The Fixe Triplex is also a high quality and strong bolt, so there are not really any drawbacks for the free climber.

http://www.fixeusa.com/triplex_3-piece_removable_bolt.htm

Actually, now that I check it, I see the picture of the 3/8" (10mm), but they are only listing the 12mm for sale. I'm not sure what's up with that.... (That's a disadvantage for hand drilling).

Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Nov 25, 2009 - 03:53pm PT
I don't think Tommy has a bad record of bolting up existing lines so best be careful of putting judgmental verbiage on this thread until you have some facts.

Since, PTPP has admitting he has no idea what, if anything, has changed on the route, perhaps a diatribe on how others should climb is best put on a separate thread.

Peace

Karl
handsome B

Gym climber
SL,UT
Nov 25, 2009 - 04:02pm PT
This route will eventually be onsighted as a warmup for harder routes so I think any bolts need to be in situ.

Style is constantly being improved upon the same way this route is being freed after being aided.
Matt

Trad climber
primordial soup
Nov 25, 2009 - 09:38pm PT
karl wrote:

I don't think Tommy has a bad record of bolting up existing lines so best be careful of putting judgmental verbiage on this thread until you have some facts.

Since, PTPP has admitting he has no idea what, if anything, has changed on the route, perhaps a diatribe on how others should climb is best put on a separate thread.




after PtHP wrote:

Well, that's all fine and dandy. But who knows what's really going on up there?

So how many bolts have been added? To what pitches and in what location please?

And are these bolts now next to the existing aid cracks, now effectively chicken bolts?

I do knott know the answers to these questions, which is why I ask. Jerry Miller and Tom Evans - can you please share what you have witnessed through your giant lenses regarding bolt addition? You've been up there Chris Mac - what's the scoop?

I really hope Tommy hasn't bolted the snot out of El Cap like Todd Skinner did on Dihedral Wall, but has instead attacked the free climbing in the spirit of Sean and Nico on The Secret Passage or Alex and Thomas Huber on their various free projects. Those guys climbed sick, hard, runout routes without adding any new bolts next to the aid lines [although they sometimes added bolts where they climbed on brand new terrain] and I have personally witnessed those guys taking huge whippers.

Adding bolts to an existing route just to make it easier and safer to free climb is LAME, and should not be tolerated under any circumstance, especially in the Centre of the Universe on one of its most popular faces.




and in another ST thread ptHP also wrote:

You guys are getting all bent out of shape about one or two bolts on the Nose?

What about the DOZENS of bolts Tommy Caldwell is allegedly placing all over Mescalito and WOEML?

Is this true, or knott? Who's out there with the binocs and telescopes who can tell us, please? I asked Tom and Gerry directly in another post, and neither has answered my question!

How many bolts has Tommy placed, and where are they located?










i'd have to say those are some outright accusational posts right there!
i don't believe that TCs reputation is deserving of such accusations, especially of the kind you are making, ripe with inuendo but absent of any factual basis.

one things for sure though- sometimes a well earned a reputation is all a person has!

...and at least the high school freshmen gaping up from the meadow are safe when tommy is around, can you say that for yourself, pedro?

(remember that time, sitting there with at least two valley regulars and posters on this forum, when you straight out asked that high school girl if she would roll her shorts down further so you could get a better view? that was quite a classy moment in your rich el cap meadow history, weren't it tho' pete? still i am sure all that other crap was just pulled outta thin air, made up to defile your reputation isn't that how it was?)
marty(r)

climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
Mar 12, 2010 - 09:27am PT
Seems that Black Diamond has put together a print and pdf brochure featuring some rad photos of the boys getting after it. You can order or download it here. Granted, it's basically a sales rag, but a pretty cool one at that. Enjoy.
Broooks

Trad climber
Burlington, VT
Sep 22, 2010 - 10:50am PT
See pg 32 of the Climbing Mag interview for their comments...
http://www.climbing.com/photo/image/mescalito-interview.pdf
BBWolf

climber
Sep 22, 2010 - 11:43am PT
I climbed mescalito a couple weeks ago. I did not see any new bolts added to the route. There were a few large beaks/hawks in place with orange paint on them that we left thinking they may be protection for TC. I have to admit I wasn't looking for "evidence" just enjoying the killer climb.

I will add there was chalk high on the molar traverse to which i thought holy sh*t TC is bad ass.
426

climber
Buzzard Point, TN
Sep 22, 2010 - 12:20pm PT
new issue of climbing pretty much sums it up; they are replacing bolts 1 to 1...shows a pic of KJ climbing sketch/hard above fixed heads and discusses that a bit...not that anyone reads Climbing....

they are however, putting bolts in where there is "no (established) route"...you know, places like people don't/can't go....



http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/slide.lasso?keyid=37320&user_id=1&portfolio=4887,4888,4886&num=1




http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?keyid=37320#
kudos, men...


what was that old skinner quote? something like aid climbing ain't climbing...

You might not ever watch JRIB, but the key word...allegedly...ERRRRR!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jim_Rome_Show#Regular_bits
squatch

Boulder climber
santa cruz, CA
Sep 22, 2010 - 08:55pm PT
Can't wait to see these guys up there again.

Me and a buddy did Mescalito in July for our first El Cap wall and it is a freaking sweet route. There was not a lot of obvious fixed gear that looked like it could be used for free climbing, just a few beaks. I only spotted one bolt that i assume TC put in, it's near the end of the molar traverse (pitch 12 i think) and about 30 feet off route so you would have to climb what looks like 5.12 minimum to use it.

they are definitely climbing bold up there and leaving the route as clean as they can. one of the mid-lower pitches (9 i think) had three beaks in about 110 feet and no other fixed gear. that's some pretty big whipper potential.


seeing chalk up in some of those blank spots was pretty mindblowing.
Vestas

climber
Dec 7, 2010 - 01:24am PT
If someone is wondering: The shown Petzl hammer is the BONGO Ref. P27, weight 680 grams, length 33 cm and is still manufactured by Petzl, see the Petzl catalog.
groundup

Trad climber
hard sayin' not knowin'
Dec 7, 2010 - 04:38am PT
A partner and I did the first clean ascent of Mescalito in May 1997. I think free climbing that line or any variation on the wall is a milestone in climber thinking. The mental focus it would take to complete this project is astounding.

wayne burleson

climber
Amherst, MA
Dec 7, 2010 - 09:00am PT
I was just reading the original post and noted that the last 8
pitches are only 5.11 and 5.12
That seems like it would make a pretty cool route to rap in and do?
Are they on new ground? Run-out? Do you need these removable
bolts?
tinker b

climber
the commonwealth
Jan 15, 2015 - 06:12am PT
bump for where the vision started. it was less than ten years....
Rhodo-Router

Gym climber
sawatch choss
Jan 15, 2015 - 07:23am PT
Thanks tinker b! that was cool. make sure to watch the little videos Chris made.
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