Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Levy
Big Wall climber
So Calif
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 28, 2006 - 10:38am PT
|
I went up on the Pegasus(N. Face of Quarter Domes) with a friend a few years ago. We got rained off at the start of the 13th pitch, the 5.12 thin crack. It was a "Pirate"/"Peters Out" kind of affair but at that time it was filled with dirt & grass. Has this cleaned up at all? Has this route had a free repeat? Despite the rain & lightning, it looked do-able if it were clean but is it? Another thing I noticed is that the Reid book says take 4 #1 friends but I saw nothing up to the 13th pitch that would necessitate that many of that size. Would be they useful higher, like on the 5.11d pitch?
Overall, the route was good, the rock was clean, the views were amazing & there were great ledges throughout, & the runout .10c mantle was light. Poor pro? What are they talking about? I'd like to go back if it's clean. Did it have fixed pins when it went free?
Levy
|
|
426
Sport climber
1%. Leeda. TN.
|
|
|
Feb 28, 2006 - 10:49am PT
|
Aw man™, give Max and Mark a break, seems likely they were doing that 10c in EB's, no chalk (?), probably after freeing all the other stuff on-sight. Who knows what they had on the rack, surely no "mod squad™" stuff though...
|
|
Levy
Big Wall climber
So Calif
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 28, 2006 - 05:33pm PT
|
I read the trip report but it is 11 years old and it sounds like it is still choked with dirt & grass. I wasn't able to ascertain whether or not the route had a free repeat. Did Elliot & Greg do it all free? It seems that Bill Wright & friend didn't free it and there's some confusion on the numbering of the pitches. By my reckoning, the crux pitch is the 13th, but the T.R. called it something different.
Anyone have any more info that's more up to date?
Levy
|
|
bringmeshelter
Social climber
la la land
|
|
|
Feb 28, 2006 - 05:34pm PT
|
Is this the route with the leap?
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
Feb 28, 2006 - 10:30pm PT
|
There is a better formatted version of Bill Wright's trip report on his web page:
http://www.wwwright.com/climbing/tripreports/1994/QuarterDome.htm
Actually, the main difference from the www.bigwall.com version is that the quote from Brian Cox is italicized so that you can easily tell where the quote ends and where Bill's story resumes. Sections of Bill's version of the topo are also mixed in with his story.
Bill may be skeptical on whether the leap was done free, but I'm not sure if that counts for much. In my view, Mark and Max invented the "free as it can be" approach, and they weren't afraid to say when they were unable to free stuff. For an example of a third party judgement, I thought the Great Roof on the Nose would never go free, but I was wrong. Bill might be interested in revising his trip report; he has climbed with Mark Hudon a few times since then, so perhaps he has a different perspective now.
I don't remember if Greg & Elliott did the leap or not; I'll ask. I'm not an authority on free repeats, but if someone does know, I'd like to put the info on my "long hard and free" page.
|
|
BillWright
Trad climber
Boulder, Colorado
|
|
Hi all,
Clint notified me up this discussion. I posted an updated note to my trip report here:
http://www.wwwright.com/climbing/tripreports/1994/QuarterDome.htm
The bottom line is that Hudon/Jones did NOT free the pendulum and did NOT do the leap. I don't think anyone has freed this, but I'd be very curious about that as well.
Bill
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
Thanks to Bill for the updated and extended trip report with the explanation about the pendulum. I checked with Mark Hudon as well directly, and Bill's writeup is quite accurate. So I've updated the description and rating (5.12 A0, 99%FA) on my "Long, Hard and Free" page.
So, Levy, the FFA is up for grabs if you can find a way to free that pendulum (or make the leap work)! Just freeing everything but the pendulum would be pretty stout as well! :-)
|
|
Levy
Big Wall climber
So Calif
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2006 - 10:59am PT
|
Now that's some quality info! This is why S.T. is such a cool forum for climbers. Pegasus awaits, once I get a stock of gardening tools, brushes & the new Hilti rototiller which doubles as hauling winch. Seriously though, the biggest obstacle to doing the route is locating a partner for such a venture. Most folks aren't motivated enough to do a route like Quarter Domes with it's approach and the loads involved.
Levy
|
|
G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
|
|
Me and Elliott did not free the whole route but managed most of it except for the 5.12 pitch and other bits here and there. A really great route with a remote feel. I also did it again (I think in 1994) with Chan Harrell when we linked Quarter Dome with Half Dome in a day. Now that was fun! I heard rumors about a rock fall a few years ago that took out part of the route, but don't know any details.
I would also add that the route is very reasonable to climb in one day so you don't have to drag all that baggage along.
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
Mar 23, 2006 - 04:32am PT
|
In a further email (3/22) from Mark Hudon, he has a faint recollection of Max downclimbing a bit and doing the jump left, and of following it that way as well. Plus he figures the topo had to come from either Max or him at the time (1979), and their memories of the climbing at that time were no doubt much clearer than now (27 years later). So that's a good argument in favor of believing the topo as an all-free route.
On the other hand, Bill W and perhaps others feel the jump is so far ("about ten feet") that it would still be memorable, and also difficult enough so that it would have been specifically described in the articles written at the time by Mark (Mountain) and Max (AAJ).
I'm getting curious enough that I'd like to get out and check it out myself. So Levy, if you are looking for a partner for it this summer, let me know. I'm not as fast as Greg, but I should be able to get up it in 2 days (which should allow plenty of time to clean/work pitches), plus a day for the approach and another to walk off. I'd be happy to lead the crux pitch on aid and check out the jump. We can then clean off the free variation corner on the left and the 5.12 finger crack so you can work the whole thing.
To be honest, I'm not sure if my "checking out the jump" would shed much more light on what Max and Mark did there in 1979. I don't free climb at their level (neither does Bill W), and I'm not much of a jumper, either! Still, I'd like to look at it. And if there's one thing I'm fairly good at, it's cleaning dirt/grass from cracks.
|
|
Levy
Big Wall climber
So Calif
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 23, 2006 - 10:54am PT
|
Clint, I sent you a reply regarding a trip to QD this year. Get back to me and we'll talk about it. I'm definitely up for it.
Levy
|
|
mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
|
|
|
Mar 23, 2006 - 11:41am PT
|
Clint, Levy, let me know if you get plans together. I did the route in 1989 and my memories of it are dim (leading the 5.5 summit pitch during a snow storm in June stands out still, as do bolt hangers stamped with the initials "YC"). I'd love to see the face again. I'd be willing to hike in with you and help haul your gear, assuming I can get free when you go. Clint knows me and knows I can carry a lot. I was planning on checking out the approach to Mount Watkins this year, and I bet I could combine the two. Of course you'd owe me big karma points! But what about the rockfall. I've heard that 6 pitches of the route were wiped out?
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
Mar 24, 2006 - 04:13pm PT
|
Brad,
Sure, if you want some company while checking out the approach to Mt. Watkins, I'll keep you appraised of our plans. Probably we wouldn't go until after June when the stream crossings are friendlier and to give some damp bits on the route a chance to dry out.
I haven't had anyone carry my gear before except my climbing partner, but I'm not the strongest hiker, so I suppose I shouldn't turn down such a friendly offer. Of course, if you come to your senses after the rain stops and you get some climbing in, I'll understand. If not, I have this really nice fence that you would really like to paint! :-)
According to my notes, there was a rockfall in June 1997 which put loose rock on the first 4 pitches. That doesn't particular worry me, as they are on a buttress, so they probably were not impacted too heavily.
And, as for the 4 #1 Friends question, it is probably on the "All-Time Finger Crack" pitch (p13) where they are useful. Bill Wright's trip report mentions that (after the initial section on wired nuts) his partner had to backclean a certain small cam size on that pitch because they only had 2 of them. It sounds like the classic rack beta for Butterballs as well....
|
|
mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
|
|
|
Mar 24, 2006 - 08:36pm PT
|
No on the fence, yes on the hike in. If you start early, I could drop off your gear and check out Watkins on the way out.
|
|
Levy
Big Wall climber
So Calif
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2006 - 01:43am PT
|
Brad, That's pretty feasable to go up & drip things off for Watkins. I'd say that for a strong free climbing party, the S. Face of Watkins is quite do-able for a 1 day ascent. I did it with my friend in a weekend by hiking up Tenaya canyon Saturday afternoon, after doing routes that morning elswhere. We hiked up to Snow Creek and dropped off bivy gear just past where the trail drops in and took racks & water the rest of the way to the base of the actual route. This included a 5.7-ish right facing layback on a glassy slab. we fixed a rope down the slabby 5.7 pitch and retreated to out bovy near Snow Creek. The next morning we hiked back to the base, did the route, hiked down the Snow Creek trail to our previous nights bivy and gathered out stuff and hiked out to the car for an epic drive home to So Cal before work Monday morning. I'd reccommend bivying again at Snow Creek rather than doing the slog out in the dark. I can give you more beta for the route if needed. Let me know.
Levy
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2006 - 02:07am PT
|
Levy,
You are correct.
These posts are an example which points to the ability of this site's repository capacity.
Quarter Domes:
Nothing I can Help you with, yet anecdotaly I recall some fun 4th hand reports, coming from Cashner back in '79.
Me, Bachar, Lynn Hill, Long, God Knows Who Else, are tracking throug JT and Cashner is telling Largo all about the 'Haps in the Valley in the Prior Fall. This Route, on Quarter Domes and the "all time finger crack" figured in to his ecstatic diatribe.
Sheeaw.
Here's Ericcson "Belaying me on that approach to Watkins South Face, in '81:
|
|
mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2006 - 11:00am PT
|
Levy, all beta is helpful. Like how far in from where Snow Creek trail starts up the canyon? Is it brush or relatively open? I'm comfortable with the route, and even hauling butt (Clint and I did Liberty Crack in Washington in a day, and I've done about 10 other grade V routes in single days). I'm planning, however on taking a friend as his first wall. So even if I could do it in a single day, I don't think that would work. How would it be to do the long slabs and then bivy near the first pitch? Is there anywhere that is flat? On the original subject, let me know what you guys get together by way of dates. I might check out the other Quarter Dome too if I'm in there with you guys.
|
|
Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2006 - 11:29am PT
|
This is all pretty funny to me, reading about it after so long.
I have dim memories of Max down climbing a bit, moving back and forth, letting out a scream and leaping. I sort of think he was trying to stab some ledge or hold with his foot. It was like he leaped, slid across the face, slid down and landed on the hold. I seem to remember a pin at the top of the crack that was either there already or something we placed. I would have followed it by leaving the rope clipped to the pin and then probably Max would have lowered down or swung over to grab the gear on top rope after I had led the next pitch.
This route is part of the story of how Bill Wright and I got together as climbing buddies. I emailed him after I found his article somehow. He told me that he had talked to me years earlier about the route and I had told him that we did the pendulum and not the leap. Well, I don't even remember talking to him so so much for my memory.
I asked Max about the leap a few years ago and he didn't remember it. It was funny actually, we were sitting around, rehashing old climbs and tales and both of us came up with details that the other didn't remember.
The bottom line for me is that it's in the Meyers Guide. No one but Max or I would have sent him the information and we certainly didn't create the leap just to make the route free.
Clint's right about "the free as can" be thing. If it didn't go, it didn't go and we didn't much care, we more were wanting to push the envelope of free climbing on big walls. We fully understood that we were taking a step and that others would take steps beyond us.
So, go up there, figure it out and drop me a line, I'd love to hear about it. I don't check these boards much at all so you'll have to email me directly if you want to get my attention.
Take care, have fun.
Mark
|
|
Scoop
Mountain climber
Truckee, CA
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2006 - 06:49pm PT
|
I thought I heard something about rock fall obliterating the lower part of the route. Surprising how little is known about this route, free or not.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!