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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Nov 15, 2010 - 11:06am PT
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This is a great feat! (bump)
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TitaniumTendons
Trad climber
FC, CO
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Nov 15, 2010 - 11:58am PT
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Just a quick question about what it means to "free" a route. Does that mean that both climbers climb the entire route without falling once? Or does it just mean that the leader (on whatever pitch) leads the pitch without falling? Can they not fall at all? Or if they fall, can they restart the pitch and try again to get it clean?
Basically, does it mean that both climbers don't fall once after leaving the ground, or does it just mean that each pitch has to be led cleanly?
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Nov 15, 2010 - 12:04pm PT
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Another historic send in the making, very cool. Its been a good year.
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426
climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Nov 15, 2010 - 12:29pm PT
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TT-Freeing means different things to different people...Huber used to lead all pitches for "free". Skinner and Piana led pitches but didn't follow each other totally clean (iirc). Caldwell led all of Magic Mushroom and other walls...
From the interview in Climbing it looks like both climbers will be freeing on this bad boy...their goal being to lead and and TR clean...whoa
you can lower to the anchor and pull the rope if you botch. The twitter feed makes some mention of some "slips"...
what an ambitious route! good on dem!
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TitaniumTendons
Trad climber
FC, CO
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Nov 15, 2010 - 12:43pm PT
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Damn- these guys are hardcore. Thanks for the info 426!
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nutjob
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Nov 15, 2010 - 01:27pm PT
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I can't help but smile that people are out there making reality out of things that I can't properly imagine or comprehend.
And it's not just the raw talent... It's really a testament to will power and persistence and integrity to follow through on a vision in the face of a daunting workload and obstacles. The old Nike slogan summed it up nicey: Just Do It. This is what I find really inspiring.
They focus their passion in a way that forces me to put the question to myself: what is stopping me from achieving the things I want to achieve?
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nov 15, 2010 - 01:34pm PT
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Best wishes on what is already a stupendous unimaginable effort
Taking a somewhat different route could be a sign of refining the route because of the application of free climbing skill rather than sneaking around the hard parts. If the FA had the chops to free climb, they could have taken that line. Which route did nature more naturally put there from a climber's perspective?
PEace
Karl
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Brian
climber
California
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Nov 15, 2010 - 04:39pm PT
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I'd like to see Tommy send this rig as much as I'd like to see any project (other than my own) go down. Best of luck.
Brian
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Nov 15, 2010 - 09:01pm PT
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Here we get to see the very best that humans can accomplish. Makes me proud to be a (very over the hill) climber. The other side of human activity is on the news every day.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 15, 2010 - 09:08pm PT
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Here Here, Eric!! And I even hear your inimitable voice saying so, EB.
And as far as determination is concerned......this A4 route has seen 67 days now of preparation and training....the longest effort in days we have ever seen in the Valley, isn't it and over three seasons?
It is sometimes this kind of projecting that climbing now includes in its frontiers. And yes it is quite a bit different than the "ground-up, no falls, reach the top" kind of adventure ascents like we always aimed for up until the mid seventies. It is true this one is a pursuit of difficulty for its own sake but it is also so so much more than that and is in fact a huge adventure for them and for us on the ground vicariously. Their plan right now is to be on this thing for many days again doing the final continuous! It is 33 pitches long; they have been training on it for three years and now embark on a bottom to top continuous effort, hoping to put all that they have learned up there in parts, into an overwhelming vision of human effort and vision, of transcendency.
edit. And I guess from a competitive point of view, they sure as hell have left everyone else feeling flatfooted and light. So much horsepower here in this event.
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JOEY.F
Social climber
sebastopol
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Nov 15, 2010 - 09:59pm PT
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Probably was the perfect day for their trancendency.
Just unreal.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Nov 16, 2010 - 09:21am PT
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After seeing your post, Eric, I cannot help but point out that you started this 45 years ago. Cannot image that you and Frank had any idea it would come to this.
I can also add, that you and Frank set a new benchmark that led to the Nose being recently climbed in 14.783 seconds. I wonder why the Nose is still is grade VI? Ha.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2010 - 09:53am PT
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Roger, I think we have now a two-tiered system, you see--- I think downrating the Nose for these NIAD people is appropriate as otherwise the resulting chain reaction in the atmosphere, self-igniting as it would be, has to be headed off. And after all even nowadays the Nose can be a grade VII for some. So leveling the field of play is called for.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Nov 16, 2010 - 10:05am PT
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Hey Peter, I think there is a five tiered system for El Cap:
1. Normal climbing, normal times, normal epic adventures.
2. Very fast.
3. All free.
4. Completely agog.
5. Nonchalant acceptance: “Oh, that again? Ppppbbtttt! Tweet me when the times go negative."
I skipped tiers 2 and 3.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 16, 2010 - 10:12am PT
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This is just so cool.
Way back when I started climbing we could only dream of this going down.
I am glad I am still alive to watch this - no matter the outcome.
Pimp down boys.
Good luck.
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murcy
climber
sanfrancisco
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Nov 16, 2010 - 11:38pm PT
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Dunno if everyone interested is already following via twitter, but if I'm reading the twitter feed correctly, as of a few minutes ago they'd both climbed pitch 10 ("5.14b-ish") on their second tries, with Caldwell leading, and are moving onto 11 ("5.13d-ish").
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Swimming in LEB tears.
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Nov 16, 2010 - 11:43pm PT
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If we're going to say "ish" after every rating why not simply call them 13-, 13 and 13+? Seems more than a little silly. Epic first ascent of the "Ish Wall."
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