Wings of Steel - Part IV

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Messages 21 - 40 of total 68 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Nefarius

Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:22pm PT
I'm up for an adventure, Pete! I actually enjoy slab, when I've been climbing it fairly regularly. I can climb .10c/d slab pretty comfortably and can squeek out up to .11b. That oughta help out a bit on this route. Gets kinda shakey there, however. Man, I can feel the calf burn already!

It really does, in a lot of ways, sound like a great adventure. It would answer a LOT of questions, I think. The route needs to be climbed again, and I don't think there's much denying that. If you want to try to break the 39 day record, however, we might run into some issues. Responsibilities... They suck, but they are real! However, with me being so close to the park and the team moving so slow... I figure if I come up for 4 days a week you'll only have moved, what - 100-150ft? =)

Seriously. I'll talk to you about it offline. I'm game. Sounds fun! At the very least, you *know* you'll get some sherpa duties out of me. Anyone else game yet?

The extenders for the ledges sound like a necessity on this route. Especially with that much slab and that time frame... You guys have pics of them? Have full machine shop access and a CNC machine...

Hell, I even have a couple of Leeper Logan hooks from my Russian Aider fab stuff. And, of course, well, you KNOW I have good wine Pete. Have some really nice stuff in the cellar right now, matter of fact. I'm really enjoying the case of Charles B. Mitchell Grand Reserve I've been working on for a few months. There's a really nice 2002 (3?) Talosa Pinot that has been really nice too. Of course there's always the customary bottle of Yellow Tail that you enjoy so much. It's not bad.

Cheers!
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:22pm PT
Hell, I'll throw in a couple of bottles of our finest Oregon Argyle sparkling or another case of the Oregon micro-brew of your choice...
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:33pm PT
Holy frig! I forgot about free climbing! Hell, I've been in Free Climbing Retirement for years! Yes, Randy! HELP!

If the slabs are only the first five pitches or so, maybe we could fix and not need the spreader bars? That sort of defeats the sport of the thing, doncha think? I mean, you guys were up there for so long, and it's not like I'm not used to being on El Cap for a couple weeks.

Richard and Mark, one assumes the belay bolts will need to be replaced? I'm familiar with how to do it having replaced the belay bolts on Bermuda Dunes three years ago. It's actually not very hard once you get the hang of it.

Nanook and Chris - we might need a bit of a resupply from ASCA. Would that be OK?

Reserve wine and Oregon Argyle?? OR a micro-brew of my choice! Yes, please! I love most anything dark, especially porter.

{sniff!} I'm getting .... I'm getting all choked up and .... {sniffle!} ... all sentimental like. You guys are swell! {tears}

Cheers,
Pass the Kleenex Pete
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:42pm PT
Oh frig, brain fart. Sorry Dingus! Sheesh. I don't have any excuse, as I wrote my post before Changeover Time!

Where are ya, Brutus?
Ben Rumsen

Social climber
No Name City ( and it sure ain't pretty )
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:53pm PT
" I'm really enjoying the case of Charles B. Mitchell Grand Reserve I've been working on for a few months. There's a really nice 2002 (3?)" -

Randy, if you and Pete climb this thing I'll help you celebrate afterwards with my last bottles of '97 C.B.M. Grand Reserve!

I love those pointy Leepers - they work great!
elcapfool

Big Wall climber
hiding in plain sight
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:55pm PT
Hey Pete,
What you want are some petzl crochet hooks. I bought some in france, and they are the schiznit for that kind of hooking. They make the leepers look like tools from the bronze age. Still unavailable in North America, but worth the hunt.
I got 3 pitches up WOS before summer heat baked my potatoes.
I still think you should do Space instead.
madbolter1

Big Wall climber
Walla Walla, WA
Apr 28, 2006 - 03:03pm PT
Pete,

Yeah, belay bolts should be replaced... I wouldn't want to hang on those old Leeper hangers!

There are nine LONG pitches on the slab, and Slater (who soloed P.O. wall in five days) spent two days climbing three of 'em. Your call on how much fixing to do, but you should have no trouble going faster than 39 days, unless you develop a massive beer gut low down and gain so much weight that you're taking tons of falls! :)

You might get ground-down talons to work, but the Leeper pointies are definitely the way to go, and it sounds like you have many sources for them now. I think you'll find, though, that there's not much worth taping a hook to, and the pointies are only rated to 200 pounds, so they're not fall-stoppers. I don't remember many 1/4 inch ledges; most were like quarters in thickness. (Nice pic with the taped talons, though!)

Keep me informed about when you go to do it. I'd love to figure out a way to be there, hang out, scope the whole event, you know, just enjoy somebody else's suffering. Sounds like a good time for all!

Happy to answer questions as they arise after your reading of the other threads.
bringmedeath

climber
la la land
Apr 28, 2006 - 03:06pm PT
Taping hooks for pro... ok that is good way to require drilling if you fall.
madbolter1

Big Wall climber
Walla Walla, WA
Apr 28, 2006 - 03:09pm PT
Good point, death.
Nefarius

Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
Apr 28, 2006 - 03:15pm PT
Ben-- 97! I've heard that's *really* good. That alone make it worth the trip! Nice gesture! Thanks!
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Apr 28, 2006 - 04:12pm PT
Ben! Right on!

Incidentally, Christian, I looked for some over your Marcus Jack Argentinian stuff on my last foray caving to Kentucky, but he told me he hadn't carried it for a while. So I'll keep an eye out for it.

Christian had one of the bitchin'est wine cellars I have ever seen, much of which came from the Safeway in Napa Valley, one of the finest wine stores I have ever seen!
Ouch!

climber
Apr 28, 2006 - 04:24pm PT
Locker will present a framed print of "Fine Art Photography 2"
to a second ascent of WOS.
aldude

climber
Monument Manor
Apr 28, 2006 - 04:56pm PT
Baffled ; Although my comment was somewhat tongue in cheek I did mean to intimate that your hammer blows do not invalidate a free ascent just possibly make said ascent harder. Sometimes barely attached flakes can be utilized by a skilled climber spreading his weight and avoiding outward vector forces on the little devils.Certainly a few heavy handed "cleaning" tactics have been employed in the past (Jardine,Skinner) on attempts of FFAs' but since you guys were establishing an aid route tapping is de riguer. I personally think WoS is a dramatic line and tried to get Steve G interested but after Team Thaws' attempt at a one day and subsequent report of #2 heads driven in bathook holes the psych was blown!
Ben Rumsen

Social climber
No Name City ( and it sure ain't pretty )
Apr 28, 2006 - 04:57pm PT
" Ben-- 97! I've heard that's *really* good. That alone make it worth the trip! Nice gesture! Thanks! " -

No, thank you Randy for bring the Grand Reserve to Housekeeping the other weekend!



PS - you guys doing this soon? I only have a couple of bottles of that '97 left!!! Hurry up so we can drink it! Hell - I'll throw in some Schug sparkling Pinot too!!
Nefarius

Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
Apr 28, 2006 - 06:04pm PT
Ben-- You're quite welcome! That was a good weekend, wasn't it? There was PLENTY of good wine going around that night! Everyone had something good to contribute, for sure.

Not sure when this would be. Pete and I are doing a ruote in a few weeks, then he has a couple of other things going on for the rest of spring.

Pete? Fall? This stuff is worth hurrying for!

Ben--Bummer! I only have 2 bottles of my Grand Reserve left as well. =(
Ammon

Big Wall climber
El Cap
Apr 28, 2006 - 06:23pm PT

Wait a second. Is this beer offer to JUST Pete? Or to anyone who does the second ascent and posts pics? I'm being totaly serious. There sure is a lot of beer being offered to go up some obscure El Cap route.

Should we bet on who will be "rimming out" first? LOL
bringmedeath

climber
la la land
Apr 28, 2006 - 06:28pm PT
I was offered 100 dollars worth of beer to go do something. I did it and that was nice. Tho payment came few months later.
Tom

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 28, 2006 - 06:48pm PT
Nanook and Chris - we might need a bit of a resupply from ASCA. Would that be OK?

LMAO!

ASCA didn't want to get involved in the "controversy" of repairing belay bolts on Bermuda Dunes, even though Steve Schneider had told us he was grateful were going up to do it.

If ASCA supplied bolts for a WOS repair job, the YOSOR (Yosemite Sh#t on Ropes) team would go completely crazy; maybe burn the office down, or something.
etreez

Trad climber
Juneau, AK
Apr 28, 2006 - 08:57pm PT
The only place this Wings of Steel business has to go is for someone to climb it and report with a second opinion. I'll throw in a growler of Lookout Stout from the Haines Brewery. Airmailed to whoever does it first.

Sincerely,

The peanut gallery.
Jacko

Trad climber
Grass Valley Ca.
Apr 28, 2006 - 09:01pm PT
I will drive to the Valley and become a Sherpa, and bring beer.I am willing to pack loads to the base of the Climb.It sounds like a good time, except the part about packing loads to the base..... B.Porter
Messages 21 - 40 of total 68 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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