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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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And indeed, that was pretty much how it went. Let's just say that mantles have never been, uh, my thing. In my heart of hearts I believe God put mantles in our world in retaliation for some major transgression that I must have committed in some past life, giving Rick Ron and Epi a means by which to mercilessly torture me. It just ain't right.
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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Classic cartoons. The mantle you're referring to goes by the name Blind Faith, correct? That thing looks totally messed up. Lean out over 15ft of air onto a glassy dike and commit to what looks like a difficult press? ....psycho. And the cordless lap on Undertow is damn impressive.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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Remarkable likenesses...i have the original colored pencil (or crayon) rendering preserved in the amick archives.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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Doug, Blind faith is actually a different (and much scarier) mantle problem, as you can see from the map. The mantle in my story was Epis and he never named it. Blind Faith was something I found.
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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OK. So what's the story with Blind Faith?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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lol, love this thread's turn for the best of the best!
And not to thread drift too much, but what have you guys done in Joshua Tree? Tis the season...
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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Doug, you need to be a little more careful. bvb's head is going to swell up so far it'll explode if you keep saying things like "cordless lap on Undertow is damn impressive".
Not that I would know whether it was or not. And no, you're not going to drag me down there to find out.
What's with all this non-sense about mantles? bvb has it right.
Nice likeness of Homie.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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As you know Doug, San Diego county climbing is all about small stuff and short problems, so when youre clambering around looking for new routes you come across lots and lots of small rounded boulders. We figured those needed to be climbed too, and mantles were the way to do it. The necessity of knowing how to mantle became an obsession with mantling every hump and nubbin in sight, and most of the SD locals that were climbing hard in the 80s (with the exception of bvb and a few other holdouts)were strong mantle climbers. We honed our mantling skills on Pink Boulder in Mission Gorge, a big water polished pebble lying in the SD river bottom that required explosive power coupled with precise technique, and had an endless variety of shelves, depressions, scoops and humps along its perimeter.
In time we werent just mantling all we saw, we were seeking classic obtuse features on which to test our skills. The best mantles look impossible and feel ridiculous, but have barely enough combined curvature of the surfaces to accomodate the components of a mantle; the pop, the turn, the lock, the press and the lockout. Blind Faith was one of those that you have to put your hands on to appreciate, and it wasnt until I got up there and felt it that i realized what a classic it was. The problem is that its really insecure and over a death fall. One day i was up on the hill alone, having one of those days where i felt like i could climb anything, so i got up there, took a deep breath and cranked it. Havent heard of any repeats, but that doesnt mean it hasnt been done.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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What are some of your fave mantels (mantles? Howie Mandel's?) at Woodson? I've only done a small handful... would like to check out more! reasonable for soloing or with a pad, hehe.... i ain't got friends :(
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Doug, you need to be a little more careful. bvb's head is going to swell up so far it'll explode
Sorry Darrel, but clearly that horse left the barn a very long time ago.
On another note, there is some history to my profound and enduring aversion to mantles. Nearly 40 years ago me and Watusi and Off White were doing Nutcracker for the first time. Our rack consisted of Eiger Ovals and first-generation Chouinard stoppers and hexes. Dicey rack by todays standards, or any standards for that matter. Mind you, I was skinny as f*#k, had been climbing for about a week, barely knew how to tie a figure 8, and could do maybe two pullups.
Naturally, I get the Mantle pitch.
It was an epic struggle over a sure-fire ankle breaker fall -- assuming that manky #6 stopper held -- that has left me traumatized to this day. Over the decades I've tried therapy, meditation, acid, alcoholism, chakra realignment, body cleanses, fasting, enemas, all to no avail. I've simply learned to accept that in this one small, insignificant regard, I am just very slightly less skilled than old Ron-O.
Convinced he was about to document my death, Off White captured this evocative image of grace under pressure:
Before we draw the curtain of charity across this entire scene, let us note for the record I've got one nut in -- that suspect, rotating #6 stopper -- and if it goes, I'm in for one hell of a whopper. Of such moments great memories are made.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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g-davis, if its mantles you want, go to santee boulders and you will find them everywhere. On woodson, the chopper mantles and kamikaze mantle are on the same boulder just downhill from the jump problem. To the right of the jump is a low boulder called the soloflex, that is a great mantleshelf. To the left of the jump is a tiny boulder with a white spot painted on it - the curtis mantle. Theres more but that should keep you busy for awhile.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Thanks! I look forward to it :)
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Mark K
Social climber
San Marcos, California
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The "Mexican Dinner Mantle" right off the road near Digit's Delight is one of my favorites. The soloflex mantles are definitely a must do as well.
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darkmagus
Mountain climber
San Diego, CA
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Anyone headed out there today?
I'm going to explore the summit area a bit and find some boulders that I've never checked out.
"Little Horn" is a really cool mantel problem, recently de-forested and readily accessible.
Psyched for another weekend at Woodson!!
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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I second Mark's comments. Of the ones I've done, those two are my favorites.
Darkmagus, too bad I didn't see your comment earlier. What did you get on?
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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...the components of a mantle; the pop, the turn, the lock, the press and the lockout.
What about "the hang?"
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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The necessity of knowing how to mantle
No such necessity ever has, currently does, or for that matter, ever will exist.
Fact.
What's up with the attraction to problems that take minutes or more to gain a couple of inches in upward progress?
bvb, how is it that you have pictures of everything you've ever done? It doesn't seem to matter what the topic, route, or problem, but that you seem to have pictures of it. Best I can do is hope I can even remember if I did something or not, whereas you simply trot out the pictures. Dang.
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darkmagus
Mountain climber
San Diego, CA
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Doug, were you there yesterday? I saw someone on top of the Masters of the Universe boulders and thought, there's someone that knows "the spots"!
I did a "high volume" day of mantels and face climbs. A couple of random ones at the summit, did the "clicker mantel" (aka mexican dinner mantel), love that one. Then I went to the boulders near jaws, got on a cool arête problem, and did that knob problem as well. I love that little spot, I never see anyone there, but saw a piece of carpet indicating the presence of others! I got on those face climbs on the "I would die for you" boulder, but didn't even try that one. Then did the soloflex mantels, chopper mantels (no kamikaze mantel yet), considered taking a rip on "he man" but had no strength left by the time I got back down the hill.
I'm going to go back this week maybe a couple of times to put in work on some stuff. Let me know when you go next time and we can link up!
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Bob, it still makes me smile to hear someone talk about a particular move on a climb, maybe even on the other side of the world, and to be able to intimately relate to it because you've done that "move" as well! I'm referring to the Nutcracker and the "#6" stopper below the mantle. I can clearly recall, back in September 1983, standing below the mantle head wall and placing a #7 stopper in that seam, then moving up to the slopping shelf and thinking, "This is going to be bad if I fall off this sucker," having to move up and back down about three times before committing and getting that thing. Good stuff.
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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You can't forget about the 5.7 mantle on the Practice Boulder on the right...probably one of the first mantles on Woodson that I did.
Speaking of Santee Mantles, this sequence of Greg Epperson on Eppi's Lunge, taken by deepnet, still leaves me awestruck...
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