free climbing half dome

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dirtbagaaron

Trad climber
el cap dreamin'
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 30, 2005 - 04:25pm PT
cruxes would be the zig-zags, higbee hedral and the face near the top correct? any beta on any of these?
Spinmaster K-Rove

Trad climber
Stuck Under the Kor Roof
Jan 30, 2005 - 05:31pm PT
Be really, really strong.
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
Jan 31, 2005 - 07:11pm PT
Actually most of the Zig Zags are 5.10 or easier. But there's a super thin section on the 2nd one (I think, but may be wrong--that's been 25 years ago) that is nasty hard. Higby dihedral is just a tricky corner (short) and the last pitch is hard slab bouldering for several body lengths. But this route is no classic in my book. Just too chossy.

JL
Spinmaster K-Rove

Trad climber
Stuck Under the Kor Roof
Jan 31, 2005 - 07:19pm PT
You heard it first here on Supertacos! Largo says the Reggae is a chosspile! Comments? ;-)
Josh Higgins

Trad climber
San Diego
Jan 31, 2005 - 07:36pm PT
I wouldn't call it a chosspile, but I like it up there for the position and the rock formation at least as much as climbing itself.
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
Feb 1, 2005 - 10:29am PT
Let me rephrase that: Half Dome is a classic formation with a divine view. But the first half of the Reg route is pretty beat up and flakey and low angled--like a route in the Sierras or the North Face of Tahquitz--and not till you get to Big Sandy does the angle kick up and the rock get clean--and then it's only a few hours to the top. Thank God Ledge is an all time pitch (I had traversed it, and actually know of nobody who has foot traversed the whole thing), but after that it's basically over save for a few cranker slab moves or easy aid moves. So if you boiled down the whole route to prime footage, you'd have a great 4 or 5 pitch route. You can have the rest of it. But of course you have to do it--it's Half Dome for Christ's sakes.

JL
yo

climber
NOT Fresno
Feb 1, 2005 - 11:41am PT
Yeah, if anybody out there's walked Thank God, they best spray about it now. I, like everyone, went up there determined to saunter across and ended up handtraversing, although I demeaned myself horribly with a bit of crawling in between. Don't crawl, peeps. When you got to get down--and you do have to get down, when the wall bulges--just go straight to hands.

I may have to go back up there...



Who's walked it?
Edge

Trad climber
New Durham, NH
Feb 1, 2005 - 11:47am PT
I, for one, chose to crawl like a little baby.

Mostly because I ran out of rope and was caught in a hanging belay in a Whillans harness just short of the ledge, and couldn't feel my freaking legs for a bit...
can't say

Social climber
Pasadena CA
Feb 1, 2005 - 01:21pm PT
half and half for me. hell I was looking for that sweet spot that gives you props for standing up as long as you did, but felt ohhh so sweet when you dropped down and sunk your hands into those sinker jams behind the ledge.

But I'm with Largo, as a route to remember for the climbing and not the position, there's only a few places that standout.

BUT, it's friggin Half (rubble) Dome for christ's sake and must be climbed by some route or another, other then the cables or Snakedike to say you've actually climbed the thing. At least to me

Cheers
Pat
August West

Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
Feb 1, 2005 - 01:29pm PT
"Yeah, if anybody out there's walked Thank God, they best spray about it now. I, like everyone, went up there determined to saunter across and ended up handtraversing, although I demeaned myself horribly with a bit of crawling in between. Don't crawl, peeps. When you got to get down--and you do have to get down, when the wall bulges--just go straight to hands."

Well, I watched my partner walk it. Which gave me some added determination to walk it. But I crawled and hand traversed anyway.
atchafalaya

Trad climber
California
Feb 1, 2005 - 02:00pm PT
I had heard the stories that it had been walked, and was psyched to try, but, groveled on hands and knee. My partner tried it with a pack on and failed to walk it as well. It was like a bizarre limbo contest at the end of a long day...
Josh Higgins

Trad climber
San Diego
Feb 1, 2005 - 02:08pm PT
I thought that most people walked it... Interesting, I think my friend was messing with me when he told me to walk it. I had to take my camelback off, and placing gear made me appreciate yoga. My wife followed me and tried to walk it, but she was so tired that she ignored my advice to take the camelback off and she whipped. Unfortunately she sprained her ankle a little which didn't help for the descent... :(

Edit: My favorite part was that you had to have your toes on the ledge so that your heels could be as far out as possible for balance. Very intimidating!!!
Melissa

Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
Feb 1, 2005 - 02:08pm PT
"It was like a bizarre limbo contest at the end of a long day..."

Nice image!
Matt

Trad climber
moving to the RIGHT
Feb 1, 2005 - 02:42pm PT
i actually didn't know anything specific about TG ledge before i went up there and it never even occurred to me to walk the whole thing (damn!). my partner just told me the pitch was mine becaus eit had a short wide section on it, so i walked most of it and then i just layed my right leg and hip on it, hanging my left leg off, and slid about 6 feet before i stood back up.

afterward i sent some jpegs to a friend, who promptly informed me i'd have to go back up and clean it up (at 1st i thought he was joking).


a few of my friends have walked it, i'm told it's really more heady than hard to do.
Southern Man

climber
Feb 1, 2005 - 03:49pm PT
When I got to TGL I crawled on my hands and knees like a reptile or is that an amphibian, whatever, I groveled. I had a great time on the route w/ my son (close encounter w/ bears, snowed the night we bivyed on Big Sandy, etc.) last June as our first wall. Since the consensus is that most of the route is less than spectacular, I can't wait to do the more classic big wall routes w/ him.
Does anyone have suggestions in Yos. for the next step up from Half Dome? Lurking Fear?, Nose?, T. Trip?
Cracko

Trad climber
Quartz Hill, California
Feb 1, 2005 - 04:01pm PT
Southern Man,

My first wall was NWFHD years ago. Due to the fact that it isn't very aid intensive, I did the Grade V circuit (Prow, WFLT, etc) in preparation for my first real wall which was Zodiac. I would really recommend you dial in your aid on a grade V before hitting El Cap. Zodiac was great!
Southern Man

climber
Feb 1, 2005 - 04:08pm PT
Cracko:
Thanks for the info. The RNWF did have alot of free climbing on it. One of the reasons it was so much fun. Ditto on the grade V and aid prep.
Rob

climber
Feb 1, 2005 - 04:20pm PT
How about some photos of the ledge?!
Gunkie

climber
I don't get mad, I get stabby -- Fat Tony
Feb 1, 2005 - 04:57pm PT
Brick-

That's the best overall picture I've seen of TGL from above. You can clearly see the narrow section.

BTW, I hand-traversed/crawled across that thing for the most unasthetic crossing of Thank God Ledge ever.
Matt

Trad climber
moving to the RIGHT
Feb 1, 2005 - 05:04pm PT


i walked part of it...
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