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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 16, 2007 - 07:22pm PT
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When not doing his captain of industry thing or playing chess,
Charles Cole managed to put up a mighty fine FA on .5 Dome. Mark Blanchard (Blinny) and Sean Plunkett did the 2nd. One line, no waiting!
Poor eyesight edit--this version is a little larger and should be easier to read.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Jul 18, 2007 - 11:28am PT
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Awesome.
Topping out on Half Dome provides an infinity of delayed gratification. I felt for the guy.
Rob
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Handjam Belay
Gym climber
expat from the truth
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Jul 18, 2007 - 12:54pm PT
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I heard of this route about 10 years ago, and quietly placed it in the mental folder of 'rad' routes to do.
This weekend I went to 1/2 dome for the first time (for reg. route) and tried to spy the line on the wall.
Kudos, sir, kudos.
Charlie was badazz, maybe still is, I don't know him?
I've climbed Space on El Cap, and that was mighty fine too.
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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Jul 18, 2007 - 01:19pm PT
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awesome! can you link to some bigger pics so we can read the text please?
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Gene
climber
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Jul 19, 2007 - 02:56pm PT
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Cole mentions Sherrick's Regular Route, Dorworth's Arcturus, Peterson's Tis-sa-ack & McCrackens Direct NW Face. Why no mention of RR?
GM
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jul 29, 2007 - 09:36pm PT
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I noticed that too. Maybe Charles didn't like Royal? How many ascents has the route had since?
84 was a big year. They finished The Real Nose. Has it had many [any?] subsequent ascents? How hard is it anyway? Slater and Barbella climbed the Ranch. And didn't Bermuda Dunes go up that year, too?
I remember that article from Mountain Mag - it was very inspiring for me. I remembered how he climbed into the chimney, then fixed the rope through the little hole and then jugged up the outside. Cool to read about Fish and Gramicci. And how about that solo belaying with the sticht plate and jumar? Sheesh.
He writes of using opposing hooks? I wonder - did he not think of using prusiks on his lead rope to hold the hooks in place under tension?
Obviously he was psyched:
"For the past 9 months, every time I ran, every time I worked out, every time I went climbing, it was for this route."
Man, that's a nasty approach. Talk about motivated! loved this bit:
"As the wall steepens the continuous A4 pitches change character from copperheading to nailing expanding flakes. Copperheads one can deal with semi-scientifically but nailing expando is bloody black magic. Scary too. Good pins become bad and bad pins drop out..."
Hear hear! What a fabulous story of determination to finish that wall! I wonder if he got any water during the thunderstorm. You-all really ought to read this story, as it is an overlooked Yosemite classic!
Now, let's see some pix from Blinny [the real one]
Cheers,
Pete
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Jul 30, 2007 - 02:14am PT
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C. Cole at J. Tree.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Jul 30, 2007 - 02:16am PT
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Again, C. Cole at J. Tree on a first Ascent up at the Cowboy Crags.
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M.Tea
Trad climber
Utah
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Jul 30, 2007 - 10:07am PT
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great read.
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NPB
Trad climber
Bend, Oregon
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Jul 30, 2007 - 10:54am PT
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This is probably redundant, but I just posted a note about the Modern Marvel TV show that features Charles (Cole) and Stealth tonight (History Channel, 8pm, "Sticky Stuff.) When I saw the post on Queen of Spades, I thought you'd be interested in what Charles is up to lately.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Feb 16, 2008 - 03:36pm PT
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Feb 16, 2008 - 05:12pm PT
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That route looks really fun! How many ascents? Half Dome looks like the hangout, not all beat out and fixed. Not about this route but, how is bushido gully these days? Last time I saw it looked gripping.
Lets have a techno party at base this year. Laser light show, sick beats, half naked chicks danceing around... we may need the mules to carry them in. Can we still rent those bastards? Anyone got the hook up at the stables?
John that is cool. Don't have any guide books, nice to be able to see the topo and read the story.
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Mimi
climber
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Feb 16, 2008 - 05:26pm PT
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When I first met Charles in the spring of 1985, he told me about the Queen of Spades adventure which was still very fresh in his mind. It included several guffaws about using the lesser known partner's names for the listed routes and how he'd duped many people who didn't know their history. His dramatic re-telling of the rainstorm torrent that nearly drowned him was totally wild.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 16, 2008 - 05:30pm PT
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Mules - now there's an idea! Are you retired now Jake, or coming back sometime? Didn't you take a nasty alpine fall or something? How are you these days? Coming round this spring? And when are you soloing Native Son? {snicker} Should be a cakewalk for you these days.
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Feb 16, 2008 - 05:57pm PT
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We need PMs on this site... but to answer pete.
Just got surgery on my ankle. Trying to get healed enough to do a few walls. Funny you mention the solo, saw that el cap route thread and was thinking, "damn I still have to solo to even count a route!". Wait till you see what I have in the works for a wall costume...
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Feb 16, 2008 - 07:07pm PT
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Sean has sick hat... and shirt... Halfdome master there!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 16, 2008 - 07:25pm PT
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Great send, Mark! Did you climb up into the cave and through the rope out through the hole?
"Ankle? We don't need no steenking ankle!"
You remember what my ankle looked like a few years ago, right?
And yes, you need to join The Club. What are you going to wear? A giant cape with a "J" on it?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Feb 17, 2008 - 01:10am PT
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Great thread!
Charles really relished that feature of the route. That tunnel, the opposing hooks move and the torrential downpour at the summit overlaps are what stand out in my memory. Almost every pitch was old school A4! Very cool second ascent for you and the Wide Eyed Boy, as I liked to call Sean. Whenever we were hanging out telling tall tales about hairy aid climbing his eyes would just about leap out when things got interesting. I bet he was especially dilated when he snapped off the tip of the Space Flake on Zenith while soloing the beast.
Is that third photo of the stud traverse on pitch ten?
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Feb 17, 2008 - 11:22am PT
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What a cool adventure! Miles of groaning flakes...
Leave the glow sticks for the roadside stuff. I wouldn't feel that great hanging out at the base of that thing one second longer than I had to, anyhow. Not exactly a party spot.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Feb 17, 2008 - 12:48pm PT
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I was scoping Charles from Mirror Lake while he was drilling that ladder on ten. I was in the habit of riding him about the quality of the drilled anchors that he left behind. In this case, he was at it again with a line of bare studs and not a hanger in sight. Rather than place nice keyholes, he was leaving them out and using tieoffs which had me grumbling away down below.
At about the midpoint on the sideways ladder it dawned on him that the tieoffs likely wouldn't hold real loads in a fall and that he needed to improve the situation the old fashioned bonehead way. He took his hammer and began bending the projecting metal upwards! He knew that it was bad news and said he could hear me howling at him in his conscience. Little did he know that that the shrill voice was already fully activated far below as I watched and cursed his laziness.
We had a good laugh about it later.
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