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fosburg
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 4, 2011 - 10:29am PT
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The Road to Astroman TR got me thinking. What is the preferred sequence for the Slot, left or right side in? To me, it seemed normal to go right side but I've seen very good climbers (at least one, I guess) do it the other way. What is the consensus these days?
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FrankZappa
Trad climber
80' from the Hankster
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Only been up it once, thought is was a left side in. Seemed like the trick was to work that left handjam as high as possible before committing to the grunt into the slot, which is hard to do cause the slot is binding the shoulders. Then it's just a matter of finding the widest spot to grovel up...
I would love to hear Werner's beta.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Yup left. Get the last good hand with your left, reach up with your right as if you're searching for another hand, and discover that it's in the chimney. Since you're already halfway, shootch up, till your right hand can go palm down and cut loose your feet. That's it.
I found the slot itself to be single digit difficulty, with the steep thin hands below being the .11 part
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Left side in fer sure. Make sure you are looking at Half Dome when you enter because once you are in the maw, it is difficult to turn your melon to look the other way and you may as well enjoy the view for those never ending minutes of squirming up that puppy.........
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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We both went left side in. The key is really the footwork.
EXPLICIT BETA!:
You have the good jams and feet on the left.
I step right foot in a scoop on the right side (facing the wrong way) to get the left foot to the top of the pod.
This is all with the good left hand. Then you can work your right foot to a dimple and smear. This allows you to take weight off the left hand, which you move up.
The right hand does work palming down as you move your body, and chimney inside. You can use finger stacks in the corner crack if you can't thin hand jam. From here I got left side chicken wings to work up further.
Soon enough you reach the "jugs" from here a little more work and you are standing on the good edges in the chimney.
Lower your heart rate and then wiggle to the top.
 Luke
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fosburg
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 5, 2011 - 07:48pm PT
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Dang, no right side in folks? I must have done it wrong. Mike Friedrichs and the rocket scientist guy are also leftists, I've learned. Grrr...
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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I've always been a right side in guy.
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WBraun
climber
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Kevin
As I remember Croft was the/a right side in guy .....
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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I've done it twice with the same partner. Right side in both of us both times.
I was right side in at the top of the corner and just kept going. I didn't fall on it, but there is one really dicey moment facing this way, when you bring your left foot right up under your left butt cheek against the back wall.
It's not super strenuous, just marginal for a move. Which way do the soloists go? Left in might be better.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Left side in. I turn around at the triangular jug where the thin hands crack ends & the slot begins to gape. From there I just chimney horizontally out towards the void before begining the grunt part.
FWIW- there is a part of that pitch that takes me 10 full minutes just to gain 15 feet. I have to expell all the air out of my lungs, do some gruntin', push my chicken-wing ahead & breathe again. repeat ...
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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I'm skinny, so no issues with the slot. Just another squeeze chimney.
L side in for the flare portion. I didn't think the moves were all that technical or complicated, beyond being able to jam the sizes and having my R leg in a knee bar, kind of behind me, likely also palming a few moves with my right hand - standard posture, I think, for climbing a flare.
The start to Jane Fonda at IC is a good intro, but much easier. Being able to float anything on Steck Salathe probably helps.
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Archie Richardson
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
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Is it possible to pull thru on gear, or do you have to fall/lower/bail if you fail?
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fosburg
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 6, 2011 - 12:49pm PT
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One can certainly aid into the slot, just like Harding did. Once inside you have to send the squeeze chimney part which as Jaybro mentioned, isn't very hard.
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tahoe523
Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
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You can aid the entire thing. The slot takes a perfectly cammed BD6. I had some friends a few weeks ago use a 6 to free climb and turned that 5.11R/X laybacking into 5.11. Astroman is super intimidating if you're gunning for an onsight or redpoint. For someone like me, I'd rather enjoy as much free climbing as I am capable of pulling off and get creative where I can't. Might lose style points, sure, but at least I get to keep climbing the changing corners, stress free. Suum cuique.
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CaNewt
Mountain climber
Davis, CA
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Nice photo of the slot. I remember having to take my glasses off to turn my head around. Sadly, that is no longer the widest constraint.
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CrackAddict
Trad climber
Canoga Park, CA
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Left side for sure. The key to getting into it is to keep shuffling both hands and your left foot up the crack, while chimneying with your right knee. DO NOT start chimneying with the left knee until you are solidly inside.
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ghisino
climber
Italy/France
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Nov 10, 2014 - 05:30am PT
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bumping this up, in case i have a "rematch" in a few years...
on my recent trip yos trip the harding slot marked the end of my os and of our attempt (we were late, my partner wasn't freeing it anyway, i comically dropped my helmet while putting it back on...)
i'm keen for beta/tips about the last 2 meters or so (7 ft?) before being in the squeeze, starting where the right side of the slot begins to bulge away from the dihedral face below.
I remember the crack being green camalot size and a few poor footholds on both sizes, which i could only "smedge" in moccs.
Got to a point where i had a very poor thin left handjam in a slot and my right hand thumbstacked just above, fell off and then couldn't work i out anyway, so i ended up aiding.
Is there any trick to make this section easier or is it only about getting stronger at that size and bringing edging shoes?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Nov 10, 2014 - 06:09am PT
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"Edging shoes"?
Whatever for?
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Blakey
Trad climber
Sierra Vista
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Nov 10, 2014 - 07:59am PT
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Tahoe,
What do you think you're doing posting 'real world' beta.....
;-O
Steve
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ghisino
climber
Italy/France
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Nov 10, 2014 - 02:43pm PT
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"Edging shoes"?
Whatever for?
the small feet on the two sides at the very beginning of the slot looked "edgeable" enough with a good stiff shoe (tight pinks?). there were small tickmarks all over the place btw.
though maybe trying to make any use of those features is "wrong" beta?
anyway i missed stiffer shoes on the stemming rests of the enduro corner as well: in some places my forearms wanted me to stay there and rest a bit more but my feet wanted me to move on!!!
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