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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Aug 12, 2008 - 01:59pm PT
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"What's left to prove?
Cool, if you want to knock stuff off, Climb El Cap, Ski Everest, Wingsuit the Grand Canyon, Kayak the Mauna Loa lava flow, base jump from Mars..."
... talk sh!t anonymously on Supertopo....
 to LF in a year is bitchin', don't take away from that because you have no goals in life.
-Greg
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 12, 2008 - 01:59pm PT
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i have not climbed Lurking Fear .. -- so i may be off ..
but i've read a few folks talking about the bad hauling .. --
for a first wall, you'll be hauling a ton of stuff since you'll probably be slow ..
.. TT - is way overhanging and the hauling is easy .. no pitch on tangerine trip is dangerous, and its still easy aid .. -- and the final pitches on TT go way fast ..
so my vote for easiest way up el cal goes to TT .. only bummer is that there is no ledges along the way ..
so you'll need to have decent belay organization skills ..
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Aug 12, 2008 - 02:01pm PT
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Ricardo
Why not the Zod over TT? Less bolt ladders, but also less mandatory free and better ledges. Just a thought, I have climbed neither.
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Standing Strong
Trad climber
almost all the way home
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Aug 12, 2008 - 02:01pm PT
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GDavis, let's climb el cap tomorrow.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Aug 12, 2008 - 02:12pm PT
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Thanks. Boils down to the gear hassle.
The big points of discussion we had 35-40 years ago for first El Cap climbs were the aid difficulty versus mandatory free.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Aug 12, 2008 - 02:34pm PT
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Billy-
If you actually spend a year in pursuit of this goal,
and you attempt an El Cap route yet do not top out,
I doubt you'll feel like your efforts belong in the 'failure column.'
More like the "learning column."
Rob
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Aug 12, 2008 - 02:52pm PT
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Appearantly there is some 5.7R. Even a full year of climbing may not get one comfortable enough with that kind of climbing at that exposure. Yikes!
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Aug 12, 2008 - 04:32pm PT
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GDavis ..
.. zodiac post cleanup is a harder route than TT ..
there are 3 pitches with mandatory free on TT .. they are the highlight of the route (well .. the free moves on the pitch before last is a highlight of the route)
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Sascha
climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Aug 12, 2008 - 05:34pm PT
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Billy, this thread has been very entertaining - trolling or no.
The thing that concerns me much more about your plan than getting in physical shape and learning the body mechanics of climbing and aid climbing is developing the skill of placing protection in the rock. You know - nuts and cams, or other pieces of metal that you manage to attach to the rock in improbable ways so that when you clip a carabiner to them and hang your weight on them they STAY?
If you were content to just have someone else (a good friend or guide) lead the route and you follow by ascending the rope (jugging), no problem.
But if you're going to take turns leading, then you have to be able to look at the rock, look down at the gear you're carrying with you, and decide what's going to fit where. Then you have to stuff the piece in there so that it stays in place, and judge how likely it is to stay if you fall on it. You can test it to see if it will hold your bodyweight, but if you lose your balance and fall, the force on your protection will be greater and it could come out of the rock. Obviously, you'll want to avoid the situation where a bunch of your protection rips out (seen that Sharp End trailer?), you fall a long way, get all banged up and unconscious, and then you have to take advantage of that free rescue.
So, you have you learn to read the granite and see how it will accommodate protection. You can learn some of this by climbing in places other than Yosemite, but each type of rock is different, and being able to place a cam in sandstone, for example, doesn't help you find a good stopper placement in granite.
Then you've also got to take into account that you don't want to carry a hundred pounds worth of gear, so you have to be able to strategize about which pieces to use where. It really sucks when you look down on your gear sling and find that you've used up all the pieces that would fit in your present location.
Did we mention routefinding? Where you're looking up and wondering, jeez, am I supposed to go left or right around this bulge here? After 20 years of climbing, I'm still capable of really embarrassing routefinding errors. So, when you realize that, oh f***, I've just gone the wrong way, duh - you've got to be able to problem-solve and figure out how to retrace your steps, downclimb or whatever, safely, to salvage the situation.
So, my advice is to spend as much time as possible looking at Yosemite granite, reading routes and placing gear.
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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Aug 12, 2008 - 07:25pm PT
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If you really wanna pull this off, your gonna need to get juiced.
Let me know if you need help in that Dept.
I got Bonds all set up with Doctor Feelgood, no body wants him now, but he has the record, so what the Hay?
Or, just snort a gram of good meth and do the thing free solo, like all real men.
Ropes, sheesh.
What a bunch of lightweights.
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
Yonder (in the sagebrush)
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Aug 12, 2008 - 07:28pm PT
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Just do it & shut up already.....
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Kupandamingi
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 12, 2008 - 11:00pm PT
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Ricardo is right in the sense that the hauling even well before thanksgiving ledge on Lurking Fear is laborious and the final slabs go on for ever. However, the exposure drastically reduces by the second day at a reasonable pace (once around the corner) so that it probrably is less scary than TT. Triple D may be even easier as the apron allows you to warm up to the idea of being up there (TT steep from the get go and Lurking Fear somewhat as well). Lets face it - Im living proof that anyone can work hard and climb the thing, but there is no "easy" way up el cap (maybe east buttress if if 'counts').
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jiimmy
Boulder climber
san diego
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Aug 13, 2008 - 02:36pm PT
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Did that ages ago and all I remember is horrid hauling. Pick another route. Enjoy life
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 13, 2008 - 02:40pm PT
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Sounds like you guys took too much crap! Lighten the load. Climb a little faster. If not, suck it up. Hauling is part of walls.
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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Aug 13, 2008 - 02:51pm PT
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Why climb walls anyway?
You may as well work for PG&E and get paid for all that hard work.
Or be a Tree Doctor if you like "hanging out".
Walls are not climbing.
After they have been licked, it's best to move on to some real gymnastics.
Walls, sheesh.
You may as well rig the Trapeze for the circus.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 13, 2008 - 03:46pm PT
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I'll buy that as soon as you free climb a route on El Cap... Or, even yet, an easy wall. Say, Leaning Tower?
...
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Billy
climber
Boston, Ma
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2008 - 03:52pm PT
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You guys absolutely rock.
So, Sascha, you hit the nail directly on the head. My biggest concern is learning to set hardware and stuff so that I won't fall and kill myself or Bobby. Getting in shape should be managable, and I think I'm pretty comfortable in what to bring with me as far as water, food, etc. Wondering about the bathroom situation, though... Paper bags and empty Gatorade bottles?
So two nights in the gym - Elliptical as described before. Broccoli and egg whites twice a day, oatmeal once (breakfast) and grilled chicken breast and veggies (either Broc or "I eats me Spinach") for dinner. Water all day. Feel like I've lost two to three already.
Smoking MIGHT have to go, but we'll see. Any smokers climb El Cap?
I am trying to budget my gear purchases appropriately. After shoes and rope, how should I buy this stuff as I start climbing small stuff, and get bigger and bigger? Also, how late into the year can I climb. I'll look like an idiot in November in Boston climbing a rock...right?
Again, I can't thank everyone enough for their help and support so far. Day three. Off to the gym in a couple of hours...
-Billy
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Aug 13, 2008 - 03:57pm PT
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Troll!!!?
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Sascha
climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Aug 13, 2008 - 04:05pm PT
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Speaking of hitting the nail - you'll need to learn how to use a hammer, too... As far as I know, Lurking Fear goes hammerless with fixed gear, but you may not want to count on that.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 13, 2008 - 05:10pm PT
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"Smoking MIGHT have to go, but we'll see. Any smokers climb El Cap?"
A really high percentage of wall climbers smoke. As well, they drink... a lot.
Big wall climbing isn't so much about fitness as it is hard work, problem solving and keeping your head. If you can do those things you'll be pretty damn fit by the time you finish. Not that being fit, to begin with, won't be a tremendous asset.
Someone should start a big wall diet; 4-5 days on The Captain, carrying loads, etc. you're guaranteed to lose 15lbs or more.
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