Black is Brown, Church Bowl 5.8

 
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Yosemite Valley, California USA

  • Currently 2.0/5
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5 Total Ratings
5 star: 0%  (0)
4 star: 0%  (0)
3 star: 0%  (0)
2 star: 80%  (4)
1 star: 20%  (1)
deano

climber
sonora
Mar 30, 2009 - 10:29pm
 
a few friends got on this yesterday and I had to beg them to bring a 70 meter rope to rap off.
sure enough there 70 meter barely made it to the ground.
they also stayed left and were convinced of a 5.10- rating.
I've never gone that way so I don't know but the moral of the story is
A 70 meter cord will get you to the ground.
ohh - and they kept knocking fairly large rocks off the top which is very loose.
if you do the rap be very careful or just yell at folks to get out of the way becouse the trundling may not be avoidable.

RopeGirl

Novice climber
sonora
Dec 3, 2002 - 08:02pm
 
The 80' rap down from the top of Black-is-Brown is questionable (it's marked as being off to the right of the climb on Chris's Topo). To rap directly back down to the base of the climb, you need at least 2 50m ropes. Perhaps the 80' rap is meant to be further to the right (down the gulley) but we couldn't figure it out and defaulted to 2 ropes.
walt

Novice climber
sonora
Dec 6, 2002 - 12:49pm
 
Took some beginners up this a few years back and we walked off to the left. Pretty casual.
Debby Wallach

climber
sonora
Mar 22, 2004 - 12:00pm
 
With a 60m rope, you can rap down to a tree that's about 20 feet from the ground, and then do a very short second rap to reach the ground.

Anyone know how hard it is if you stay in the crack on the left after the step to the right? I did that by accident yesterday, and it was probably the hardest trad I've ever led.
FTB

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 22, 2004 - 03:20pm
 
No need to rap. The 4th class is super easy to the left.

As for the staying in the crack after the step across, it is in the low tens.

Just remember what an old wise one said when asked, "which way do I go after the step across" ----> The 5.8 way!!!!!!!!!!


Later
malabarista

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jun 30, 2003 - 12:48pm
 
Confusing on the topo for this route. It looks like it tops out at 80', but it's twice as high. I didn't see any rap station at 80 feet except an old piton, use two ropes to rappel from tree at the top of the climb.
Couloir

Trad climber
Yosemite, CA
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   Jul 17, 2003 - 12:25am
The 80' in the book is indeed confusing. It's an 80' rap down to the fixed pin halfway up the route. The pin looks a little sketchy but I've rapped off it twice and believe it's pretty good. I girth hitched a sling I found on the route around the pin to back up the frayed cord that's currently in place. Someone may want to tie some webbing and a rap ring around it.
Bill

climber
Yosemite, CA
Jul 17, 2003 - 01:30am
 
For a 10ish variation, stay left in the crack instead of going out right. Little grainy, lots of lichen, but not too bad.
caughtinside

Social climber
Oakland, CA
May 8, 2006 - 05:57pm
 
If you keep going up the crack, this is definitely not .8. Probably .9+, but quite fun.
jpdreamer

Trad climber
San Carlos, CA
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   Apr 30, 2007 - 02:15am
Topo is misleading, splitter crack is drawn such that it looks like a continuation of the corner system, rather than being on the lower angle ramp to the right.
Floyd Hayes

Trad climber
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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   Aug 10, 2007 - 11:44am
The ST topo is confusing. I used a large cam (Camalot #4) to protect the crux move on the "steep 5.8 hands," which seemed much harder than 5.8. My son and I both thought it was at least 5.10a, compared with other 5.10s we recently climbed in the valley. A third companion was unable to do it but instead climbed the lower angle crack a few feet to the right, which she said was much easier--and presumably the 5.8 version (I don't know how well it protects). Higher up at the "big step right" there appeared to be several options; what seemed easiest to me was a mixture of 5.8 face and crack climbing out to the far right and returning left to the main crack near the top. Use long slings to avoid rope drag (or the optional belay below the "big step right") and beware of some loose flakes that likely would not hold a fall.
Church Bowl - Black is Brown 5.8 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click to Enlarge
Church Bowl has on of the easiest approaches in the valley.
Photo: Chris McNamara
 
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