Wings of Steel

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Mark Hudon

Trad climber
Hood River, OR
Jul 13, 2011 - 03:46pm PT
If I drag a hook across an edge to "clean up the edge", you know, I'm up there, I want as good a hook as I can get, I'm cleaning out some grit, is that merely cleaning or is that enhancing?

I can't imagine Robbins, Frost, Pratt and Chouinard not doing that on, i.e., the NA and calling it "enhancing". Eh?
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:13pm PT
What? You thought he got up things clean? You can bet he spent most of those fifteen hours on the Nose stopping to abrade - sorry, chip - the sh#t out of it at every stance.
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
Hood River, OR
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:20pm PT
So there I am, a couple of weeks ago, up on ZM, apparently off route, although I didn't know it at the time. I'm standing on a hook placement that looked like it had been used before but I couldn't see any placements above. I searched and searched and found a little hole with some sand in it. I took out a wire and did my best to clean the sand out of the hole. So far so good except for this tiny little pebble that would be blocking the exit of a wire for a bomber but tiny nut placement. I tickled it a bit with the wire to no avail. Finally I grabbed a beak, and was able to work the little tiny stone out of the crack. A tiny nut just fit into the hole and slot. I top stepped up on it and realized I was off route.

Enhancement (not allowed) or cleaning (allowed)?
Gene

climber
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:23pm PT
Enhancement (not allowed) or cleaning (allowed)?


Mark,

We'll have your answer in about 2,000 posts.

g
bergbryce

Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:27pm PT
Sweet essay.

Keep up the good work team, lots of people are rooting for ya!
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:30pm PT
Enhancement (not allowed) or cleaning (allowed)?

Deep down in your heart of hearts you know which it was...


...and you still feel guilty about it don't you? You can be honest - this is Supertopo after all.
goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:53pm PT
PTPP said - Only a hundred head placements and four pitches to Aquarian Wall!

yeah that is really proud, you aid climbers are so amusing when you take yourself seriously.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 13, 2011 - 04:57pm PT
Mark's scenario - purely hypothetical, I'm sure, a mere thought experiment - would at least make him an accessory after the fact.

And then there's the "special equipment" that Weld_it provided...
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:11pm PT
Hey there, Goatboy - howz about we set you up with a pair of aiders and a handful of heads and a few toolz, and send you up a nice steep heading crack?

We can watch your bollocks shrivel in terror with each successive placement.
goatboy smellz

climber
Nederland
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:22pm PT
They would shrivel because I turned into an aid climber then the turbo betties would shun me...because I turned into an aid climber.

Maybe I better to stick to french free routes only just to be safe.
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
Hood River, OR
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:28pm PT
All my hooks are sharpened to points so there is no way in hell they aren't doing some damage.
Burt

Big Wall climber
Las Vegas, Nv
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:29pm PT
Everything we do modifies the rock... Belay bolts on Jolly Roger, to head ladders on WOS... The purist truly are the ones who never leave the ground, anything past that we are all just stroking our own egos... but once a route has been laid out I firmly feel that it is wrong to bring out the drill to make the route more convenient or to ease your scared pussy ass! ... those are the ones that Mimi and Steve should be screaming about!
ron gomez

Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:36pm PT
Again I say.....sure hope those two make an ascent! Will be good hear the words they have to say either way. WAY more than I could ever handle, would be good to see em do it.
Peace
Doug Robinson

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
Jul 13, 2011 - 05:41pm PT
Thanks for the nice little essay Pete.

Got sucked in, I admit it. After years of shunning WOS threads I got curious about Ammon and Kait's bid. Not an aid climber, not a wall buy, so the little tutorial bounced me from totally clueless to, to... Well, now I have a lot more appreciation for what you guys do.

And yes, respect even.

Just one question left: Is the summit of the Captain festooned with weirdly fossilized, tube-shaped compost offerings?
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Jul 13, 2011 - 06:16pm PT
Doing my part to get to 999 posts for #1mama.

Everything we do modifies the rock... Belay bolts on Jolly Roger, to head ladders on WOS... The purist truly are the ones who never leave the ground,

The big wall routes on the captain are not 100% pure, but Nutcracker was a statement that pure climbs are possible. No pitons, no bolts needed. That climb could have been done thousands of time with only some polishing really changing the route (unfortunately even on that historic climb a few boneheads tried to place a bolt and pound some pins, not THAT'S shameful).

Belay bolts don't really change the nature of a big wall route much, but any other time the hammer comes out it does change the route. We have new cams, Tomahawk Pitons, and who knows what else the future holds. So even the climber trying to be as pure is possible is making a decision to accept a certain amount of "damage" when they wield a hammer that future climbers may not need to do to FA that route.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 13, 2011 - 06:20pm PT
PatchPro™®©, with its revolutionary ciliatechnology (sillytechnology), will make all this stuff obsolete. Just slap, stick and go. No environmental impacts.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 13, 2011 - 07:24pm PT
Simple. The cilia in the PatchPro™®© will become one with the lichen. It may even be made in camouflage colours, to blend with the lichen, preserve the spirit of adventure, and annoy greenies who get upset with shiny metal bits in the rock.
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Jul 13, 2011 - 07:25pm PT
Don't worry about Lichen. Werewolf claws won't damage the rock.
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Jul 13, 2011 - 08:36pm PT
Thanks for your kind words, Doug, especially after some of mine regarding GU.

You may be interested in knowing that most wall climbers place their heads from below whilst climbing towards the summit from the ground. {wink}
yo

climber
Mudcat Spire
Jul 13, 2011 - 08:46pm PT
I have nothing to add except...

When was the last time we had a post from the American Chopper???


VROOOOM!!!!!one
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