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xtrmecat
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 26, 2009 - 06:29pm PT
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I have not done a winter wall, or even done any sanstone climbing beyond bouldering, so this was the cure for that. I watched for weather to let some sun shine on the Zion walls and about went out of my mind for three weeks waiting. When the forcast had 5 days of sun in a row I packed my bags and took off. Snow and rain all the way down, to arrive in a torrential downpour. Not wanting to tear up a good climb I spent the first day getting acquainted with the layout and permit up, can't comply enough with the establishment you know. The sun was out, I barely remember what it looked like, as I hadn't seen it for quite a few weeks. Felt good. This place is very stunning for the senses, after being in a drabbly lit valley covered with clouds for a while. Nice change of scenery to say the least.
I had a small handful of routes on my list and the one that made the most sense was Touchstone, a great masterpiece by Piton Ron. It was the fastest to dry out facing south, and offered warmest morning due to sun exposure. Looking up from the bottom did not look too intimidating so I took my time surveying the start, and the little above that I could see.
Pitch one is notorious for the top stepping and long reach between pins, but after seeing Ron's video and technique tips I found it pretty casual. Awesome first pitch, with the view up even getting better. What's that, the roof is way bigger from up here, oh well it shouldn't be an issue, right.
With the roof under me, and lots of grunting and groaning trying to lug my fat butt up to the second belay, I noticed my casual attitude all morning may have been a poor choice. It was getting dim, and quick.
So I founds myself walking to the car, with no light left, and the second pitch still not cleaned, probably not the best start of any route. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. It came and was sure looking good. Love the crack, It shoud go like great guns today. Look at this puppy.
Man it sure felt good getting up off the ground and forgetting about the grind of life, and to stay focused on little things. No phone, no bills, no neighbors, no worries really, except keep an eye on the weather, and the forcast comes from right here.
Another benefit of solo is no rope drag. Just go, just don't forget a directional now and then.
But when the rock behind you looks like this, you better have a plan as to where youre holin up for the night, as it is light only another hour at best.
Waking up in the morning to Angels Landing and another of my objectives was pretty dang good. The Lowe route is right over there.
Well some more spectacular crack lay above so here we go. Look at this stuff would ya.
Oh yea, the mandatory free started about 50 foot above this, Oh well, don't forget to look to the side and take in the beauty of the place, after all isn't that why I'm here?
The best ledge on the route lays just above the (a little runout) mandatory free, and it is a wopper, big, clean, flat. Wow. If you lay down you can see the summit pitches right above.
Too bad I looked to the south and saw some nasty black clouds, in waves of three. Had to blast for the top, and now. There were two in a push guys met me here and we teamed up to the top, so as to get off in better style. Salt Lake student types, nice guys, and they loved the free as much as I did, I heard it, and saw it in their eyes when the asked for route directions.
I wanted to slip this pic in so it could maybe qualify as a winter wall. Note the snow, only snow on the route.
And the view to the north.
And the southeast.
From here it got going a little faster, so the camera got stowed, the bag got hastily packed(bad deal), and the rope got stuck, twice on the first two raps to the top of six. Crap. After that I got to five and my rope had a bight and the knotted end down inside the crack to the east of the ledge. The Salt Lake boys wanted off so we went our seperate ways. I got my rope out before they pulled theirs, so no biggy. Right? Crap, it's raining pretty good now, how wet can this sandstone get and the anchors still be bomber? Better go buddy. Two raps later and the other boys were in their car getting warm, and had been there for about a half hour of so. When my cluster got to the top of four, and my ropes were a tangled mess, well that is when the fun started.
Thank god I have no pictures, but my static line was getting like com-a-long cable from the raps and I had quite a rats nest going. Then it happened, My wonderful BD headlamp gave no warning beyond three seconds and went dead. I have a complete spare light identical to this one, in the hastily thrown together bag, with nothing clipped to anything.... Dang it...
I restacked the rope in the dark and the other boys must have thought I was holeing up for the night, after all I turned out my light, right. Man was it starting to rain. LEDs use so little power that when they near the end of a batterys useful power there is only moments left. But also, there is so little draw that a surface charge will provide good light for some time so I just hung out and watched a hiker going to his car get scared by a deer following him, and try to shoo it away, I don't think he thought the voice from the heavens was very funny either. I did. You just gotta have a sense of humor, or what's the point.
Anyhow, I pulled as much out of the bag in the dark and rain as I thought I could without dropping anything and turned on my light. I have enough to get the storm and emergengy gear bag and we got a renewed hope of no epic tonight. Funny how it can all come down to .5 volts can make you smile or wish you could just sit down and cry? Anyhow, rehastily threw the bag together and around 45 minutes later I was again on the deck, thanks to the Snake Charmer keeping my steel cable and lead line in line for the last 400 feet, Thanks Russ, your gear rocks, and makes life pretty darn good.
Anyhow, I am no longer a winter wall sandstone virgin, and much richer having lost the title.
Bob
Sorry about hauling the route, but I am old, fat, solo, and physically cannot do stuff this big in a push anymore. I did no damage to the route(other than deepening the grooves pulling the rappel lines),which had nothing to do with hauling, but am appologizing to anyone for the style in which I did it. I'm ok with it, so you may as well be too.
Edited for spelling and grammar.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Feb 26, 2009 - 06:33pm PT
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Nice!!!
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Feb 26, 2009 - 06:40pm PT
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Nice Bob! Glad you posted up!
Looks really cool!
voice from the heavens
LOL!
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Feb 26, 2009 - 06:41pm PT
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No apologees are required.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Feb 26, 2009 - 07:10pm PT
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Nice report and photos, Bob. Thanks for sharing.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 26, 2009 - 07:54pm PT
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Thanks for the compliment, and not to be a buzzkill but it is easy to SAY you did no damage (and even believe it if you don't recognize the signs), but I do not believe that it is possible to tracelessly climb the route.
It is, unfortunately, condemned by it's short approach.
So what to do???
Mitigate, mitigate, mitigate.
Let it fully dry out and don't try it without an ample window.
Up your skills to where you can tread the lightest. (I could see you belayed "short" on the 2nd)
Use the established descent rather than rapping the route.
Don't haul. Even if it is winter. Either wait, up your skills or just hold off.
Be willing to abandon recalcitrant nuts rather than banging them out.
The last two speak to a sense of restraint rather than entitlement, something we have yet to learn.
Sure, days are short, but why not hold off,.... or better yet do what I did BITD.
Try a virgin. You can't swing a dead cat here without hitting one.
cheers, glad you enjoyed it though
Ron
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Ottawa Doug
Social climber
Ottawa, Canada
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Feb 26, 2009 - 09:50pm PT
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Great pics and story. Gets the blood flowing and me thinking about the coming season.
Cheers,
Doug
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Upper Fupa, North Dakota
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Feb 26, 2009 - 09:54pm PT
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HEY HEY! Way to go Bob!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Feb 26, 2009 - 09:57pm PT
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Nice!!!
What's that huge cave in the last pic? Nice place to hang for a day or two. Any routes there?
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xtrmecat
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2009 - 09:58pm PT
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Ron, I'd love to take this opportunity to ask something. The locals I talked to said do not rap the gulley, but rather stay on the route going down to avoid dying. True? or is the "death gulley" as it was called just overblown hype. Also they said do not go into the gulley at all during winter, and especially in the dark. Ceartain death will result(wet rock not going to dry all winter). More Fiction?
I am sorry for rapping the route as suggested, but with the dark and the rain it sure seemed the wise way to go. Would you still have rapped the gulley? I'd really like to know if I was lead astray.
Bob
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 26, 2009 - 10:17pm PT
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Again, didn't want to piss in the punchbowl.
I haven't done the gully in winter, but suspect it is snow dependent. Water draining out in the afternoon is a giveaway.
If it is dry, go for it. If not, perhaps you should wait on the route too.
The established descent (what you call gully) has the advantages of permitting a single rope (no knot) descent and not creating cross traffic on the route.
What "locals" are these?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Feb 26, 2009 - 11:23pm PT
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great pics! thx
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Feb 26, 2009 - 11:43pm PT
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Very nice TR.
Thank you.
Zander
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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Feb 26, 2009 - 11:47pm PT
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Dragons Up for getting the rope.
Me, I'm in the car, heater on, charge card ready for REI,
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Feb 26, 2009 - 11:54pm PT
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Congrats on the climb Bob! Nice TR and pics.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Feb 27, 2009 - 01:12am PT
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Dig.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Feb 27, 2009 - 03:29am PT
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Ron,
Thanks for explaining about the wear-and-tear choices involved.
I still haven't climbed in Zion, since Yosemite is so darn close. I have made several spring trips to Indian Creek and nearby towers (Sixshooters, Moses, etc.), and the wear on the sandstone cracks even from free climbing is quite apparent and rather troubling.
I wonder if there might be a better (non sandstone) area for sunny aid climbing in winter/early spring - to promote instead of Zion?
Clearly Yosemite is often a good option. It's even roughly the same distance from Kalispell, MT!
Smith Rock, Oregon? Probably not enough sun, although there are some cool looking old aid routes.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison? Too snowy in winter/spring?
Baboquivari?
El Gran Trano Blanco (Baja, Mexico)? Too snowy?
Leaning Towers in the Purcells? (OK, no doubt too hard to reach, but heck, the upper part might stay dry because it's so steep!)
http://www.pbase.com/nolock/purcells
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 27, 2009 - 09:28am PT
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Can't say on the other areas, but those who want to wall in Zion can clean aid a number of routes working up to a route of Touchstone's length.
But it seems they never want to.
I did 50 aid climbs before ever trying a wall, but I always hear the same limp excuses by people who make Touchstone their first.
Quite honestly I'm surprised the park service doesn't object to all the people bivying one pitch up.
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xtrmecat
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 27, 2009 - 12:38pm PT
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Clint, thanks for your observation of the wear on the sandstone. Having only bouldered on it several times before while motorcycle touring through the parks in Utah, I never got to see the damage done to a crack by repeated usage of the same spot time and again. It was quite alarming to see so many placements worn out to holes in the crack like they were.
The criteria for my trip was no precip in the forcast and above 20 degree F. temps at night. It had to be at least a grade V wall, one I have not previously done, and within the technical dates defining winter (a false pride thing for me, I think from my alpine origins). The other criteria was I had to be able to dirtbag it through the entire trip, as I only had a tub of food and $200.00 gas money.(recently unemployed)
I also couldn't come up with a doable winter wall outside of Zion or Yosemite. And from my checking on the weather even Yosemite didn't have that many dry days in the forcast. It is only around 200 miles further to drive, but it is harder for me to free camp there.
Ron, I did not want the title to appear like I'm a wall virgin hell bent on loosing my cherry, I have many a mile on shorter routes, some solo and some not. I'm a sandstone virgin, and also a winter wall virgin, or at least I was. ( I hope it was good for you too).
I think I may have to be more descreet in route choices, maybe something further than the side of the road, but being in the sun all day just had an appeal to this Montucky boy that I couldn't resist. Also I didn't bivy until the top of four, and that was because I was too lazy to fix, rap,(the lazy part) and jug the bottom 400 feet. I suppose I could have held out for another couple/few pitches. My mistake.
Bluering, I cannot see the cave you refer to in the last pic. That chunk of stone provided the tunes for the whole wall, as it shed ice around the clock and the natural ampitheater effect was great. Someimes startle you, somtimes knott. Always awed me though. If the caves in the above orange picture, just top out the route and fourth class over to it. Don't slip though as you probably wouldn't be found. I only took around 50 photos as I was too busy trying to do this thing in good style, and did not want to be criticized for taking a vacation on a classic trade line, but the stuff I got in the old hard drive(more like mooshy)is first rate all the way.
Bob
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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Feb 27, 2009 - 01:24pm PT
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the gully is no big deal in the winter, the main problem is the ridge traverse back away from the summit on a knife-edge fin of snow
fun route
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