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rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
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Jul 15, 2014 - 12:47pm PT
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Clint, we were just cruising around, on for us unexplored territory, that day without a definite line picked out. Anyway we didn't have a bolt kit and easy fifth classed off up and right after the six or seven pitches. Oddly enough we found an old quarter inch bolt in the vicinity of the the thin left curving crack leading to the face climbing into the corners. Judging by the utter lack of any other fixed gear or even occaisioal lichen scruffs the corners were then virgin territory. We thought the crux of these pitches was definitely the thin crack/faceclimbing section. As stellar as it was, the two pitches In the lieback corner itself was sustained though any individual move was rarely harder than 5.9. I rarely worked routes in those days, preferring the purity of a single push onsite one go effort. I probably started but didn't finish four routes there. Wall of the worlds first two and half pitches with Smith in '76, the above mentioned route, 4 pitches in the vicinity of Voitons Staircase with Billy Price and Steve Miller '81, 6 or seven pitches between Beacons From Mars and Old Smoky (stopped on a 5.11 headwall after a long runout on 5.10 face and only barely getting in a poor bolt before deciding the stretch above required more of the same) with Bruce Runnels in '80. At least I completed Time Traveler in one go and before Sands of Time was established I might add.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jul 15, 2014 - 04:04pm PT
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So if I read the posts on this thread correctly, the rating of the pitch is determined by the hardest move, not for the continuity of the climbing.
Therefore, the Enduro corner on Astroman is 5.10d, not 5.11c, since the hardest move on the whole pitch are no more than 5.10d. I guess then that Crimson Cringe is just 5.11 too, not 5.12a.
Go figure!
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
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Jul 15, 2014 - 04:12pm PT
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I have long been of the opinion that there should be a rating for the hardest moves on a pitch and then an enduro rating. Crimson Cringe would be 5.11 E10 where a one move wonder 5.12 would be 5.12a E1 or whatever.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Jul 15, 2014 - 05:18pm PT
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We did it around the same time as a trip to the Needles. That corner kind of reminded me of the upper 5.10 pitch on Spook Book, and seemed WAY easier than either Spook Book's crux or The Good Book. But I'm tall with thin fingers which might help on that pitch, and weak - sustained undercling like The Good Book (or Gram Traverse, Demon's Delight, etc) is heinous if you're weak!
I wouldn't be surprised if the stemming on that pitch is a lot less fun/extra greasy feeling in hot weather.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jul 15, 2014 - 05:41pm PT
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On things like OZ, Good Book & Astroman's Enduro corner, you get your fingers in to the hilt the entire way up on those pitches mentioned, you just gotta hang on but the moves are not very technical, just burly. On Silk Road, I was struggling to get much more than my tips in the crack in many places on that pitch which I'd guess is easier for smaller fingered climbers.
Greg B - yeah, it was a bit warm & slimy but I was in the shade for that pitch but it still felt difficult. I'd say Spook Book is far easier than Silk Road but it's been awhile since I did it way back in the day with "Dimes", aka Kevin Powell, rhymes with Rowell.
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rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
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Jul 15, 2014 - 07:05pm PT
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A long strenuous lieback where every move is 5.9 certainly is harder than 5.9, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I have large digits but I remember the tips section as being pretty positive holds for a lieback. Others might certainly have different opinions especially if they dallied in that section. Great route as far as I got though. The pictures I saw of the upper section looked equally quality.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jul 15, 2014 - 07:43pm PT
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Downgrading Enduro Corner to 11a+. It is not much harder, if at all, than Catchy Corner.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 15, 2014 - 08:07pm PT
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The A-man Enduro Corner is more like a steeper version of the Good Book p2,
or a longer/harder version of Waverley Wafer.
Catchy Corner isn't steep or long enough to compare, I think.
One crucial thing on the Enduro Corner is hand size.
If you have smaller hands like me, the first half is very solid/easy
(for me there are no 5.10d moves on the pitch).
But for Levy with average/larger hands, it's darn tough there.
If 5.11a+ = 5.11b, I think that is probably right for my hand size.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 15, 2014 - 08:12pm PT
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Rick,
Thanks for sharing your recollections of the partners and dates of the
incomplete climbs.
Maybe that bolt you found on Hightimes was placed by Greg Donaldson?
He seems to be the main person who had climbed there earlier.
Do you recall partners/dates for Time Traveler, and Sands of Time?
I've done Time Traveler several times, and it's great.
And do you recall who initially had the idea of keeping it a "secret" area?
I.e. no guidebook?
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rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
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Jul 15, 2014 - 10:13pm PT
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Time Traveler- Paul Obanhein, Rick Sumner spring 1980. Sands of Time-Carl McConahie and his brother summer 1980.
After seeing the '73 ascent (I believe it was that publication), with Its spread on virtually unkown giant west side domes,Jay and I loaded into his MG in a driving rain storm in February 1974 for our initial reconnaisance.
As for keeping it quiet; it was pretty much a silent agreement to keep this nearly world class and largely unclimbed area free of the hordes by lack of mention.
I was a working class climber at the time and didn't have the time to get in there as much as Jay or Jeff. Later Paul Crawford and Carl McConahie joined them and put up a large percentage of the classics .
P.s. there was also a bail pin and sling on Wall of the Worlds about sixty feet up in the finger crack before the inch and a quarter section that we found in the initial foray. Donaldson, perhaps, or maybe others did a little exploration after the article in the '73 ascent.
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Sonora
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Jul 16, 2014 - 07:53am PT
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Really interesting thread. Thanks for your contributions, Rick and Clint.
The 10b/c rating seems reasonable to me. However, I did it early this season and it was chilly. I remember lots of slick stemming on that pitch. A low coefficient of friction between rubber and rock due to heat could make it feel a lot harder.
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M Carville
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Sep 25, 2014 - 08:10am PT
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P-5?
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Sep 25, 2014 - 09:27am PT
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Christ is that thing beautiful. Give the goods, Carville - TR!
The short 5.11 crux of Beyond Lunacy, at Reed's, takes red and green C3's for a couple of bodylengths before opening up to yellow. It looks slabby in the pic below but that's camera rotation. For weak bastards like me with medium fingers and up, in a steepish lieback, that just feels tenuous and iffy with so little digit pulling so hard.
My kingdom for another knuckle's worth of lock!
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Sep 25, 2014 - 09:50am PT
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le_bruce you must be lost, we are talking about Calaveras Dome here :) This 10b/c pitch is harder than 11+ pitch on Cloud Tower. That reminds me we should all go to Red Rocks and get an ego boost! Le Bruce! Sign up!
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skitch
climber
East of Heaven
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Sep 25, 2014 - 11:56am PT
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kirkadirka
If you are fit, that corner is definitely only 5.10. Mega sustained, mega classic:)
Huh???
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 25, 2014 - 11:59am PT
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Yeah....your level of fitness and climbing ability have a lot to do about whether or not you get up a climb but nothing to do with the rating.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Dec 22, 2014 - 12:29am PT
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I've updated the route list and FA info on my Calaveras Domes page
to include the FA info shared by Rick Sumner above,
plus all the routes in the 2003 Will Cottrell guidebook.
259 routes in the list now.
http://web.stanford.edu/%7Eclint/caldomes/
[Edit:] Thanks for the corrections, Bob - I have updated the FA info.
(You may need to hit the refresh button on your browser to see the new version).
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pinckbrown
Trad climber
Lake Tahoe, CA
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Dec 22, 2014 - 06:27am PT
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Clint, Itsy Bitsy with Jeff Altenburg & Bob Pinckney - spelling
Old Smokey with Jeff Altenburg, Bob Pinckney & Rainer Lambrecht - spelling, omission
Thanks for recording history.
Bob Pinckney
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mynameismud
climber
backseat
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Dec 22, 2014 - 09:28am PT
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I agree with Clint on the Enduro Corner. My wife has small hands and swears it is 5.9 and watching it is true she gets full on sinker hand jams. I have done that pitch on Silk Road and at the time it did not seem real hard. Definitely not in the realm of the Enduro corner or the Good Book. Perhaps harder than 5.9 but not harder than 10c.
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