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Larry
Trad climber
Bisbee
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Jun 23, 2007 - 10:20am PT
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Tried it with EBs and Contacts. No go.
Led all the pitches in Fires!
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nutjob
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Jun 23, 2007 - 07:17pm PT
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I'm surprised nobody has asked, but I'd really like to know:
For those beautiful shots of the opening pitches in the dark, what was the camera setup? Did you have 1/4 second shutter-speeds and just hold real still (both the photographer and the climbing subject)? Or was there a lot of moonlight (in which case, how did the stars come out so bright? the sky looks like a long-exposure type of picture).
Anyways, I think the pictures are beautiful and if they were mine I'd consider them the prize of my collection.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2007 - 11:33am PT
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Glad you like the pics but the first couple are just good old fashioned under exposures with no trickery at all. Bright shiny granite fooled the light meter. I posted these shots of Greasy But Groovy over on Welcome to Kevin Worrall but here they are again.
Fig starting the first pitch.
Following the second.
Pondering the thirty foot runout up the wave to the first bolt on pitch three.
Into the hole at last!
More difficult climbing on the third. I am about in the same position that Ricky A fell from on the FA before deciding to place the second bolt visible here!
Fig and I did Shakey Flakes in preparation for GBG. Greasy But Groovy was a very mysterious undertaking back when I was asking around. Nobody had been on it and the name alone seemed to invoke a good clench among the folks that were aware of its reputation. I think that Fig and I did the third repeat of the first three pitches before the short October days sent us down.
I recall nothing of note until the thirty foot runout at the bottom of pitch three. The wall steepens and the entire pitch looks like a mirage with hangers at first. A little rubbernecking and the celebrated hole shows itself as the only visible feature. Immediately, its all silver dollar edges and every move feels 5.10. I remember being so absorbed that I was a little startled to suddenly see the beacon of security just a couple moves away! To call it a hole is generous when you get to it and can't even catch your breath. A quick glance down the wave face to Fig was the wrong idea and the adrenalin surf was up! Surging back on the tiny edges again for my hands, I smeared with the left and foot dynoed high into the hole. My right foot missed the back of the saucer and just caught the lip. Unable to press it out, of course, the left foot begins to ooze downward along with the rest of me. "Fig, I'm coming off!" I yelled as the ooze turned into a squirt, then a gush, then a torrent. I looked down at Fig hastily hauling in rope through his belay plate as I went geek skiing on by. Eventually l passed the stance and began sliding on my side down the lower angled intermediate run coming up. About ten feet below the belay I suddenly stopped. Fig had reeled in no less than seven arm lengths of rope! After the usual niceties and a moment's recollection, I swarmed back up to the belay. Awash in adrenaline and with much less fear of the consequences, I didn't wobble the second time around and stood up proudly in the beacon hole.
Then the hard climbing actually starts and the entire coin collection is in play. The thin work doesn't let up for the rest of the pitch. Relentless crimping, Suicide style as JL pointed out. All this fun and more since neither of us carried chalkbags back then.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jun 25, 2007 - 11:48am PT
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Whatever your camera was doing, those pics are astounding.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jun 25, 2007 - 12:21pm PT
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Funny how in face climbing some little feature get's larger than life.
That stupid Hole on GBG. I was so relieved when I was reaching out to grab it, only to find that it was less than bomber and mantling it was it's own problem. Clipping the bolt though...Priceless!
Falling out of the hole..Shudder..glad for you the bark was less than the bite and your angels kept you right side up!
Peace
Karl
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2007 - 10:45am PT
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Nothing like a stellar belay to boost your confidence either! Fig was reeling in big time on that dive. Did you do the rest of the route Karl and what do you recall about the upper pitches?
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Jun 27, 2007 - 01:32pm PT
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Great post! Impressive climbing as well :O
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Roger Brown
climber
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Jun 29, 2007 - 02:46pm PT
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I have been trying to replace bolts in this area for two seasons now. Since the hardest lead I have ever done was a 5.5, this project has been a real challenge. Last season I tried to aid my way up the Arches Direct, but bailed at around 100' up. I just "ain't the man" for that job. Now this season (against the advice of Greg and others) I decided I would come in from the top. The grand plan was to fix down to the top of GBG, pull my ropes and have access to gobs of stuff that needs replacing. Like 100s of bad bolts. Well, to make a long story short, it took three trips to haul everything in,( and I remember saying, "I would hate to have to haul this stuff back out of here"), and three days to haul it all back out. Don't get me wrong, I tried. I had lowered off 600' when I ran into some major problems. I guess I just wasn't "the man" for that job either. At any rate I got everything out and I am home now. In a few more days I should be healed up enough to try again. This time its back to the "Valley" to try again from the bottom. I have a much beter understanding now on how difficult this is going to be. No wonder nobody answered my post a few weeks ago when I was looking for a rope gun to help me get my ropes up there. It is really going to take someone special to get this job done. Like I said before, I will provide everything and haul it to the base. Someone has to lead the pitches. You lead and I'll jug, haul ropes, and belay. If you got what it takes to lead the pitches on old bolts, maybe I got what it takes to jug off those same old bolts. Ron, Dean, Tim, Tommy, anybody up for this??? Longo, you did the first ascent, know anyone that could get those ropes up there? Ah, to be 20 years younger, would you go for it?
I'll be around next week sometime, I'm not real good at begging, so I may not even ask for help, but you all know me, and you know why I'm there.
Roger Brown
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jun 29, 2007 - 03:35pm PT
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Roger,
Wow, very impressive effort. Too bad it didn't get you into the top of the route after all that work!
I thought you would get a response from some of the local slab experts. aldude? Karl? J?
I am out of town until July 8, but after that I could help you get up there. I can't lead Greasy But Groovy (tried it once and did not want to go over the overlap up to the hole). But I could easily get up Arches Terrace, or we could rap in via the Cobra / Arches Direct. Or, if we could figure out how to make a 40-50' cheater stick, we could refine the new sport of slab-aiding. Here's an example with my 20' cheater stick (we aid climbers are always looking for new adventures):
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Roger Brown
climber
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Jun 30, 2007 - 02:02pm PT
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Clint,
Yea, I'm thinking along the cheater stick line also. Headed off to the hardware store when it opens. That thin walled metal electrical conduit in different diameters has me thinking. Anything we could get up in this area would be a great start. Coming down the Arches Direct was an option but I backed off because of all the loose stuff that might get dislodged. The safety of folks that might be below is always a big issue for me when working from the top down. I would be up for trying it from the bottom up again. You know it is said to have no confirmed 2nd ascent, but it is rumored that Bridwill and Kor did it. The lower pitches are reportedly the easiest, so thats why I tried it. It could be that I was off route when I bailed. I have been called "Off Route Roger" more than once. I will probably spend next week here and be in line at Camp-4 next Saturday. Jesse, if you read this send me your e-mail. I need to figure out how to stay in the Valley over one week legally.
Roger Brown
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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Well it's a few days since this thread has seen any action. I want to thank Clint here, in front of God and everybody, for his generous offer to help me get some ropes fixed in this area. Hey, this is a big deal! Other than Greg and his climbing partners, only 2 people from this forum have ever offered to help. Nanook and Darnell would be those 2. Oh yea, that big organization the ASCA? That would be Greg. Period. Living out of the back of his rig like a homeless person, providing bolts, hangers, drill bits, and guidance to volunteers wanting to assist him in his efforts. NO ONE GETS PAID! If Greg was capable of leading this stuff he would. This project is not going to be easy, but with just one person like Clint, something will get done.
There, I feel better now :-)
Roger Brown
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jul 10, 2007 - 07:16pm PT
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Hey Rodge, Clint just pointed me to the end of this thread. Crazy wild stuff you propose! Perhaps one reason for the slow response is that you're talking about doing Royal Arches stuff in mid-summer. Right now it's way to hot for that hard friction stuff. Maybe consider the Apron on Middle? Quicksilver would be an awesome one to start on.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jul 10, 2007 - 07:23pm PT
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BUMP FOR THE QUICKSILVER REBOLT
I've got tuning forks you can borrow...
always wanted to climb it...
hell, depending on when you do the work, I'll come help out.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 10, 2007 - 07:44pm PT
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Roger, as I posted in Kelly's thread, I'll try to find you on Thursday morning ([Edit: my car hood is replaced, ready to roll]).
FYI, Arches Direct had a second ascent by Kor and Pratt - the story is in Kor's Beyond the Vertical, p.152. Pretty darn scary.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 27, 2007 - 08:40pm PT
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Back a few days ago from second round of rebolting at the Arches Apron with Roger and Ryan.
The first round of rebolting is described at:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=416237&msg=416458#msg416458
Roger's bolt replacement count is up to 92 and rising. All of Friday the 13th, Midlife Crisis, and Reefer Madness (except missing bolt on p2) are replaced. Greasy But Groovy is done except for 1-2 bolts on p8 that will be fixed shortly. Missing bolt #5 on The Rambler p1 replaced (thanks to Dan Urban for reporting it - discovering that on lead was not fun!). The five 1/4" bolts on p1 will be fixed shortly. The missing bolt at the crux of Shaky Flakes p5 is replaced. All bolts on pitches 3-6 are checked and accounted for (all but that one were previously replaced by ASCA on 12/97). I will post the story and photos of that bolt separately.
the climbs we worked on. (Actually I worked on Double Trouble and The Violent Bear it Away with Melissa in December 2006).
For fun, the crux of Arches Direct - climb tree, then muddy A5 crux left of tree, then second tree and upper hummock corner to headwall.
Nobody was lining up for the 3rd ascent while we were up there....
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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Hi all,
Finally the Arches Apron project is finished. All 2350' of fixed rope has been removed, and we tried to leave the base a little better than we found it. We found another missing bolt. The 1st bolt, 2nd pitch of Reefer Madness was finally located pretty much where the guide book showed it would be. You know, even when you know where to look, finding a 1/4" hole on a sea of rock can really be a challenge. We never did find that elusive 3rd bolt. That missing 1st bolt was the biggest issue though, and we were very pleased that it was finally resolved. That 2nd pitch would surely have had to have a X rating without it. As far as issues go, this area was found to be pretty much the same as the first ascent parties left it. Working out of 4 different guide books, we found no evidence of any bolts that had been added to any of the routes worked or any evidence of any chopping. A very pristine area for sure. Probably the biggest issue faced was the 2nd pitch variations on Friday The 13th. Older Topos showed a straight up finish to a non-bolted anchor. Newer topos showed runout 5.8 up and left to a 2 bolt anchor. Not shown was a variation found that went up and right past 2 bolts to another 2 bolt anchor. I was the only one working that day, and since I had traversed way over there near the end of 2-60m static ropes tied together, just to reach this stuff, I made the "on the spot" call (every thing found was old-old 1/4" stuff) to replace it all, including the rusted out, single, knife blade found at the anchor shown on the oldest topos. Sometimes it is simply "here and now" so you make a decesion and just do it. Good choice? Bad choice? Don't matter now. "It is what it is" Now the bottom line: 154 bolts/hangers replaced. Most anchors now have Fixi ring hangers with 3/8" Powers 5 piece bolts.
Greg just gave me another 150 bolts w/hangers!! What do you folks want next. I looked at the North Apron of Middle Cathederal but even with the cheater stick and all the other tricks I just can't get up any of that stuff. I can probably at least get off the ground if I go for the Glacier Point Apron next. Soooooo.... what will it be? I am sitting on a lot of rope and hardware, the Park says the issue of me being able to stay in the "Valley" legaly more than 7 days will be resolved this Friday, and I have 5 weeks left before I have to get a real job. It took only 2 of you folks showing up and fixing ropes to make the Arches Apron Project a success. Can it happen again? Glacier Point Apron. Right in the middle. I will be there Monday. I can't wait to see who shows up this time. You will you know. You have to.
Roger Brown
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durban
climber
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Wow, thanks a ton, guys! Clint, nice job going up the Rambler! If Kerzhner and I ever go back to finish it we'll be very glad to have that bolt back. I was actually kind of enjoying the bad/missing bolts excuse to not cast off on some of the other climbs there. Now I've got no excuses and sweaty palms. At least I have the Russian kid for a ropegun if need be.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Thanks for your hard work, Roger.
If you have a game parnter, it might be fun to have some of the moderates near Snake Dike upgraded as crowd-avoiding alternatives.
Also one for a partner, but the Mouth on GPA is a nice route that's not in too bad of a rock fall zone. It is missing a bolt (the bolt?) on the last pitch and has some unacceptable anchors. We needed to leave gear to get down safely. We also needed to belay in the middle of a pitch due to a hand-removable fixed pin anchor. It's definately R, but at 5.8, it would be a nice route to be able to do whilst working one's way up to the wide world of 5.9R. I think it was on the slab-learnin' circuit BITD.
I don't recall the route names, but I remember rapping past bad bolts off of Monday Morning Slab too. If you solo 5.2 (chossy) or have a partner for Chouinard Crack, etc, you can get at those pretty easily. It's easy to rap way off to the side on GPA to access other routes too. You can probaby get a quite a few by doing the moderate and hiking off to the side or rappel. (i.e. the 5.8 crack route to the right of MMS.)
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Wow, awesome job folks. I wish I had time to get to the valley, I would try to help you.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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There is at least one route on Middle Cathedral that can be cheater stick aided up to replace the old quarters. I think it was 10a, left of Despearte for Donuts and right of Quicksilver. Forgot the name here at work, but definitely a single pitch line worthy of fixing up that I recall could be lovetroned past? Anyone know which one I'm talking about?
Seriously how about Quicksilver replacements?
I can try and arrange time off midweek in late Sept, but it sounds like it will be after you take off.
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