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Tye
Trad climber
Massachusetts
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The Last Tango, Whitehorse Ledge, NH
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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"I think the ultimate slab is hard but not that steep because the joy of slabbing is facing the fear of the unspeakable consequences of the low-angle fall."
For myself, I would modify this to say that the joy of slab is in getting away, just barely, with moves on holds so tenuous as to be almost unbelieveable to you. And when you're done, you feel a bit mentally taxed. It doesn't matter what the rating or run-out-ness is, whatever rating evokes that feeling in you.
Is that masochistic?
In Yosemite the pitches that have stuck in my mind are the ones on the south flank of Daff in TM, with those amazing glassy patches, and things like Dead Babies and Lean Years on GPA. Another slab that has stuck in my mind over the years as being very satisfying was one called Spud meets Hammerhead, in City of Rocks, Idaho.
The most mentally shattered and satisfied at the same time I've ever been after a slab was after the 11.c pitch on Piece de Resistance on Fairview, and I didn't even lead that one. I was already feeling a bit mentally taxed going into it from leading a few of the pitches before that. My partner, Chan, and I were trading off wearing the pack. He had just onsighted the crux pitch lead, calling out at one point, "I can't believe I'm doing these moves". I seconded, acutely aware of the disturbance of equilibrium of the pack, that slight sway with every move, and just got away with not falling by the slimmest of margins. I'm ashamed to admit that I was so mentally shattered after that pitch that I declined to lead anything else on the route, even though the hard climbing was over. Chan was annoyed to have to lead the rest of the pitches and I don't blame him - it's not good to let a partner down like that.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Ask Bridwell.
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A to Z
climber
Bishop
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Looking Glass and Stone mountain have good slab climbing. The kind of slap moves that have no handholds and it is all footwork friction. Slab always gets good when it becomes climbing from foot dish to foot dish and not worrying about any handolds, just a palm down mantle move now and then and smearing away. In my opinion it seems like a lot of "slab" climbs are just low angle face. If there is an edge to crimp even with finger nails it is loosing slabness.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Grace under Pressure..
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Stick to what??? (Only Josh 5.9er though).
There are tons in Josh, I haven't read the whole thread....
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dogtown
Trad climber
JackAssVille, Wyoming
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All of Hensel's stuff is the sh#t. Period .
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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I'm not sayin' ultimate, but here are a couple good ones.
Stoner's Highway-Middle C.
Wind Rider- Portal Butt.
No Pie A-la-Mode- Portal
La Jolla- Mex.
Autobahn- 1/2 Dome
Figures on a ...-JT
Golden Eagle-Margaritaville
The Edge- Tahquitz
Serpentine- Suicide
Rock Warrior- Black Velvet
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dogtown
Trad climber
JackAssVille, Wyoming
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Wings of Steel? Don’t start this sh#t again. Although Mark and Richard are Brass ball climbers. I think we have heard enough.
DT.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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The one with a 100' offwidth roof in it.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Ciebola, Medlicott Dome
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froodish
Social climber
Portland, Oregon
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Not sure about "ultimate", but...
I always think of Suicide Rocks when I think of slab. Some great ones already mentioned there, but I'd add Rebolting Development and Season's End.
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Matt M
Trad climber
Alamo City
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Pretty sure Hall of Mirrors has had more than two Ascents. One of the guys I learned from said (If I remember correctly so don't hold him too it if I get this wrong) he did it and it was a "career climb" for him. Tony Calderone is his name.
Squamish Slab: Dream Symphony link up, Magic Carpet Ride (yet to do)
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Stonewalker
Big Wall climber
Smartsville, Ca
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I have to echo the suicide climbs and add "surprise"... Not hard but fun slab for sure.
Also:
Morracan roll
Burning giraffes
The grove
Foxtrot
Fear and loathing
English breakfast squirrel
Jolly rancher
All you can eat
And it was mentioned unthread but the edge at tahquits has to be top five!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Somebody mentioned Stoner's Highway. That's a fine one.
Tightrope on GPA is a five star classic. Anyone else done it?
No, tell all. I've done almost everything on the apron within my capability so there must be a devil in the details on that one. I won't give five star classic status to any death route btw.
Table of contents btw, super nice.
Peace
Karl
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gonamok
climber
aging malcontent
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I did Tightrope with Todd Tremble about 20 years ago. Sustained and runout, but that was back when i was sportin a hone.
We used to call it face climbing. Heres my list:
J tree:
Black Tide
stick to what
EBGB's
7th heaven
Suicide:
Serpentine
sundance
season's end
The valley:
Coonyard pinnacle
Tightrope
Snake Dike
Tolumne:
too many to list
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squatch
Boulder climber
santa cruz, CA
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Freewheelin' on Middle Cathedral is my current favorite
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Check this out...Slab Daddy (V 5.10+ A0) Squire Creek Wall near Darrington, Washington. I haven't done it but "50" who posts here sometimes did it with one of his buddies last summer.
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gonamok
climber
aging malcontent
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holy cow, how many pitches is that thing?
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