Training recomendations for Lost Arrow Spire Tip aid section

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hamersorethumb

Trad climber

Menlo Park, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 30, 2015 - 03:01pm PT

A friend and I have set a goal of climbing the Lost Arrow Spire Tip this August or September. I have read a lot of the route beta and trip reports and I have the super topo of the climb. We are planing to prepare by practicing the tyrolean traverse in some trees, doing a lot of climbing, and I would like to practice aid climbing. What climbs would you recommend (in the Valley or Meadows) for learning how to aid? Thanks for any recommendations or advice. (I am a long time trad climber comfortable leading 5.9 in Yosemite)

TGT

Social climber

So Cal

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:02pm PT

GONNA

Big Mike

Trad climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:04pm PT

DIE!!

hamersorethumb

Trad climber

Menlo Park, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 30, 2015 - 04:07pm PT

AWESOME! I've wanted a yer gonna die for a while now. Thanks I feel complete.

Prod

Trad climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:10pm PT

Howdy,

There are tons of good resources on how to aid, including Supertopo Videos on this site somewhere.

Here is a link to Fishproducts how to page. This is a great basic starting point of how to aid.

http://www.fishproducts.com/howto/how_to.html

As I have only had a few chances to get to Yosemite, I can't recommend great practice lines. But what I looked for was trad crack climbs, they usually eat up nuts and cams. If you are just learning how to move on rock that is what you are looking for, easy c1 maybe c2 type stuff. You could also get a Yosemite Big Wall guide book and practice on the first pitch of any number of aid climbs.

Good luck, and be sure to post up a TR!

Prod.

*EDIT EDIT* Very well done Ian, TGT, and Big Mike.

Gene

climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:12pm PT

Start with Church Bowl Tree if no one is climbing it free. Short, easy, and a bolted anchor.

YGD

Big Mike

Trad climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:14pm PT

Gene has a great suggestion. Great place to learn to place offset gear.

Darwin

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:28pm PT

AWESOME! I've wanted a yer gonna die for a while now. Thanks I feel complete.

totally wins as a response to YGTD. To paraphrase Tami: gufaw!

Come up to Index and do solo laps on City Park clean in the rain on a weekday. Then, what the rest said. Is Lost Arrow even possible as an aid route anymore, or is it too beat out?

I'm tempted to add
but I'm sure you're sincere.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:32pm PT

uh, don't over think it...

basic beta:

you might want a big hook

you want to know how to rig a lower off when you're cleaning on a traversing aid pitch

you want to know how to jug

and you might get an awesome length of static line that has you avoiding any knots on the rap into the notch, you can use that rope to do double pitch hauls on your next overhanging aid project... or for setting up pitches on new route projects you don't want to continually climb ground up (oh no! hypocritical convenience!!)

other than that (and the fact that yer gonna die), have fun, it is a unique exposure experience... and probably the most work you'll do for a 2 pitch climb ever.

hamersorethumb

Trad climber

Menlo Park, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 30, 2015 - 04:53pm PT

Thanks for the great advice.

johntp

Trad climber

socal

Jan 30, 2015 - 04:57pm PT

Definitely get your tyrolean plan down. It's been ages since I did it with some friends, so can't comment on what the aid from the notch is like these daze. It is quite a trip sitting on top of the spire and staring at the chasm; even more so once you launch into the tyrolean itself.

I'm not sure we rigged it correctly. We left some slack in the tyrolean rope. So the initial "downhill" portion of the tyrol was quick. Once at the bottom of the slack and jugging to the rim it got a little more interesting. In retrospect (again, this was a long time ago) I would leave even more slack so the jug to the rim would be a vertical jug rather than a 30 degree free hanging pull fest.

Edit: paging Werner.

the Fet

climber

Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La

Jan 30, 2015 - 05:16pm PT

Bring some rivet hangers or be prepared to use a small nut in this fashion if hangers are missing.

The first sight of the spire from the rim may take your breath away. It's awe inspiring up close.

Be prepared to rap past the knot.

On the tyrolean you can rig it for the tyrolean getting it tight with a backed up grigri on the spire side. but if having problems you could lower rope thru the gri gri while someone is on it so the jug up the regular way instead of a horizontal tyrolean.

WBraun

climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 05:20pm PT

Why do you want to go up on that tip?

There's nothing up there.

You can't even grow a carrot up there.

Useless place.

Stay at home start a garden, grow a carrot and become useful.

Climbing is stooopid .......

johntp

Trad climber

socal

Jan 30, 2015 - 05:34pm PT

I think I saw some broccoli in a horizontal crack just below the tip. Does that count?

originalpmac

Mountain climber

Anywhere I like

Jan 30, 2015 - 05:43pm PT

When we did it one of our party (we did it in a group of three) hiked to the rim the day before and fixed a line into the notch. We used that to ascend to the rim cause the rock was circuitous and loose I believe. We ended up not having to build the tyro lean cause of slack liners. Who were awesome and gave us cigarettes and tortellinis. Also, we slept in a tent on a big ass ledge halfway up with killer views of the falls. Very memorable. I had so much fun I want to do it again.
.
Bring a lot of pot, booze and cigarettes. Food is a plus too.

Climbnrok

Trad climber

Jan 30, 2015 - 06:54pm PT

I did the Lost Arrow Spire Tip as my first real aid climb like 4 years ago. Here is what I got.
*While nothing on the spire is that overhung, start with the LeConte boulder bolt ladder. LeConte bounder is the most obvious aid practice route and you are essentially guaranteed not to get yelled at by free climbers. It's hard to clean because it's so overhung, but that's good since you want hard cleaning practice.

Other general Lost Arrow Spire Tip stuff:
*A 70M rope got us from the bolt anchors on the edge to the notch without passing a knot.
*There is a lot of fixed pins and other stuff. More fixed than I thought it was going to be.
*The bolts are generally really good.
*There are only a couple important rivets and wire nuts worked fine.
*I only placed one nut the entire climb, and it wasn't necessary.
*The hardest bit of aiding for me was the offwidth section since I was too scared to free it and only had singles in the big cams. I wish I had two #4s for that. More awkward than hard.
* * * * Lots of stars here... Make sure your partner is comfortable cleaning traverses. Don't make this their first time doing it.
*Bring tons of slings and use them on the last pitch. I had really bad rope drag on the last pitch, which made the slab finish interesting.
*Don't do the Tyrolean as a straight Tyrolean unless you really want that experience. Check out the other posts here about the rope trick way to rap back to the other side and jug up that side of the wall.
*Hiking all that aid crap and multiple ropes up and down the falls trail kind of wrecked me. Ontop of aiding being a lot of work. I guess what I'm trying to say is be ready for a lot of work.

Prod

Trad climber

Jan 31, 2015 - 06:21am PT

Oh yeah,

Make sure to put a biner in the upper hole in your ascender, or you might gonna die.

Prod.

Roger Brown

climber

Oceano, California

Jan 31, 2015 - 06:54am PT

The direct south face of Rixion's goes A-1 for the first 3 pitches and is a great practice route. Above the 3rd pitch you will be exposed to rock fall and the aid moves up to A-3. All of the bolts on every route on Rixion's were replaced by the ASCA last summer. I would stay away from the route "Far West" on the far west side because of loose rock, and rock fall.
Church bowl tree was my first aid climb and where I replaced my first bolt 20 years ago this summer. Someone replaced the bench at the base also.
A great place to pratcice if you don't mind the tourists watching.

Self belay anchors are easy to set up at both locations.