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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 4, 2009 - 03:39pm PT
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Tami, for a few years, I had a Scimitar obsession. My first trip to Squamish was with my wife and the day set aside for the beast brought light rain. The next year was a repeat on the rain (both times it was the days after Labor Day). We DID get to climb some fun stuff during our trips, but alas on the Scimitar.
The third year trip to Squamish was a weather blessing. Taking full advantage of it, Molly and I trudged up the hike--I had all of the gear and stuff, and she carried Lyddie on her back while preggers with Ladd. Pretty good for her, as you know the hike. Since the base of the climb is less than suitable for 2 year olds, Molly could not belay me and I had to settle for hanging a rope on it and gri-gri soloing it. Awesome climb, and worth all of the effort and time to get it.
...anyways, Kevin McLane's 2001 guide lists the FA team as K.Swedin and Todd Bibler July 1984.
Rock and Ice #174 Jan '09 says that it is a Peter Croft/Tami Knight gem.
I would love to hear from a local what the story is on this Off-width classic.
Your thoughts would be most welcome and appreciated on this matter.
edit: Mighty Hiker, you or anyone else in the know are invited to share insight, as well.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 04:05pm PT
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Photo bump:
The Scimitar *** 11b 40m
(flikr photo by rlapenotiere)
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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The 1985 (Campbell) guidebook reports it as:
The Scimitar (5.11b) - Kjell Swedin and Tod Bibler, 7/84
The Scimitar (5.10b) - Right Side - Peter Croft and Tami Knight, 1981
The 1992 (McLane) guidebook reports it as:
The Scimitar (5.11b) - K. Swedin T. Bibler July 1984
So do the 1999 and 2005 McLane guidebooks, although it's graded 5.11a. Ditto for the Squamish Select guidebooks, by Marc Bourdon.
I've never done it, but will add this to the list of history things to check on. (Tami's probably at work, and may not check in until later tonight.)
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Canadians can't climb offwidths. Sometimes we set up fake photos to make it look like we can, and making up fake guidebook entries about offwidths is a well-known Squamish party game. But climb them? No way.
But that little cove is a beautiful piece of granite architecture, isn't it?
Have you tried Boogie Till You Puke? It's about 40 feet to the right of the Scimitar.
The start:
A little higher:
Photo disclaimer: The climber is an American. As a Canadian, all I could do was belay.
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Originally given 11b and climbed with, I think, tube chocks. Had reputation as hardest offwidth at Squamish for a long time (multiple 7" pieces required) and went unrepeated because of the width.
Repeat ascenders discovered that laybacking the whole thing with 7" cams was possible and easier than OWing it. Grade was revised down to 11a as a result of this.
The nearby Boogie till You Puke, orignally given 10c, has seen a subsequent revision up to 11b - ironically, in the 90s, people that wouldn't dream of jumping on the Scimitar were happy to get on BtyP. BtyP is now supposedly the hardest OW in Squamish, although hardly anyone has done the 11c fist-to-chimney pitch on Public Image on the Zodiac all to compare?
There may also be a couple of unrepeated Luc Mailloux offwidths on an obscure and semisecret crag across Oleson Creek from the Solarium that could challenge either of these routes for the title of Squamish's hardest OW although no one but Luc knows exactly what was done over there or how hard it is although it's what Luc called "a whole crag of offwidths".
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 04:32pm PT
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Thanks, MH--I totally overlooked seeing the Right Side entry in the guide. I bet R & I were just sloppy and it (The Scimitar) sounded better as a Croft/Knight route.
Ghost, while we were up there, I had a banner day on: March of the Kitchen Utensils (.9), Bop 'til You Drop (.10b), the bottom of Big Mouth, and Boogie. A great adventure, indeed.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 04:38pm PT
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Oplopanax, thanks for sharing that info--nice to know where things stand.
Since I was on TR with my gri-gri for the climbs (except March...), the grading wasn't as much a factor as just having fun getting up 'em. I as in OW jam mode, and went right side in all the way, no layback (which would be fun to do too, I imagine).
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Bait for the WideFetish™ gang...
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 06:00pm PT
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realmojede, pre-Ladd with baby Lyddie in tow, descending from Exasperator and stopping to pose with the stone lady.
She's small, but wirey and cagey.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I'm reasonably sure that it's a stone (or stoned) man, not a stone lady. The sculpture was created by Jack Richardson in 1969, to commemorate a mass ascent of the Grand Wall. Another small history project is to find out who the model was, if anyone, and anything else about the story.
Edit: Todd posted a nice photo of it somewhere on the "Climbing at Squamish" thread.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 06:22pm PT
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Thanks for the beta on the carving, MH--it was dark and we "happened" upon it (trailside) in the dark with only headlightage. I got to be wondering about the story on it after I posted.
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HJ
climber
Bozeman, Montana
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mojede-
Given that canucks self profess to not do the wide (with the possible exception of Grant S.) and that Kjell S. schooled me on off-width climbing in the early 80's I'd say Rock and Ice got it wrong.
cheers
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dickcilley
Social climber
A cova Dos Nenos
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George Manson it was,Todd,and greg was from San Diego.Hey Todd,You live in Wa. now.Remember when we climbed Country Club Crack 30 years ago?We´ll have to climb something in Wa. this summer.I´m flying in May 20th.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2009 - 10:12am PT
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Tami, I'm glad to have had some great Squamish moments, and know why you love the place so.
On my last trip there, the OW tour, we hung out in Murrin Park and checked out Hypertension (.11a) on Nightmare Rock. I didn't get the Dave Nicol and Eric Weinstein (1975) testpiece first go on my TR/gri-gri attempt, but after a quick hang figured out a knee jam/bar that worked and I "cruised" it shortly thereafter. Another fine Squamish offering.
Take care.
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Wasn't another name for it Flowers of Evil?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Hypertension was also called Howe Sound Crack, Pressed Hams, and Les Fleurs de Mal. The latter being a literary reference to a book by Baudelaire, which Dave liked. I believe that he preferred the latter name.
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scuffy b
climber
Eastern Salinia
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Just in case that video had piqued your interest...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, this is a neat thread.. thanks for the bump...
:)
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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The Left Side of Yosemite Pinnacle, at Squamish, will definitely build character. Perhaps Tricouni or Hamie can say a few words about it?
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