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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Cool, congrats again! I thought your line shared more pitches with the old one, but it looks like you split off right at the beginning. Someday...
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alpinist
Trad climber
tahoe city
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 1, 2012 - 03:26pm PT
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in reply to wondering about "standard bolting practices" it's important to note that "state of the art" is not always the overriding criteria. I just recently watched a video interview of Patrick Edlinger (RIP) filmed a few years ago recounting his early days. When asked why many of his early routes were so run out he replied simply that they didnt have any money to buy bolts!
With Valkyrie, when you climb it, you'll be treated to a "clip" along memory lane with an historical assortment of bolts reflecting the various attempts over the years as well as the availability and or changes in bolting gear over the past 2 decades.
Lower on the route you'll find a few 1/4" buttonheads in good shape, a couple 5/16" sleeve bolts (a short lived alternative during the lean years when rawl stopped producing buttonheads and before fixe did..), a couple 5/16" buttonheads and (thankfully) mostly 3/8" x 2 1/4 redheads with fixe hangers..some SS and some plated, but I'm guessing your grandkids will be much happier clipping "old" 3/8" sinkers than we are now clipping manky old 1/4" spinners!
Anyone wishing to replace bolts (that need it) on a route I've put up is always welcome to in the style of the original placement (ie hand drilled). Not so stoked about chopping or adding though..but that's another thread I'm sure! Ha!
enjoy!
Dave
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Looks killer! Great job!
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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I was set to have dinner with Steck, Long and my dad tonight but the bad weather kept Long up in Carson city. Their ascent was 1967, just two years after Steck and Long came off the Hummingbird ridge. Those guys were on their game. I'll try to get more beta from the silverbacks when I see them. Their route seems ahead of its time for back country walls.
Our attempt was in the mid 80's. I think we were on the red dots on the left in the pic above. We arrived at the big ledge ( marked in the pic ) all free. Then what looked good from below turned into seams. Eric led off on a pitch above that ledge and pulled out all the tricks, tied off blades, copperheads, hooks etc.......He had come off a bunch of badass EC routes, so he was fine with the turn of events.
Three or four hours into his lead, Graber and I were pretty relaxed, jawboning at the belay, watching a mother bear and her cubs in the talus below. We heard a ping and down Eric came, maybe 50' or more, ending right at the level of the belay about 20 feet to the side. Our conversation abruptly interrupted, Eric looked over and delivered a cool "watch the slack dude " then finished the pitch. We got up under the overhanging slot in the pic and that looked like more aid as well. The whole endeavor had gone from a free climb to a hard aid route and we weren't there for that.
Awesome you guys pulled this route off all free !
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alpinist
Trad climber
tahoe city
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 3, 2012 - 09:46am PT
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Oh yeah. That was our original "target"...sweeping out onto the upper buttress right above the roofs. but like a lot of Angel Wings real estate, looks can be deceiving... And if you want to snoop around out there, there's a bolted belay station and a few lead bolts leading out there into the void... That direction was abandoned due to very poor rock, and discontinuous features. Peter headed up there and had a couple hours of touch and go just finding a place to wiggle in a shitty cam to lower off of...I;ve never seen him more relieved to be off of something...enough said in my book.
Although the line looks like it avoids good features around pitch 8-9 that's actually one of the more enjoyable sections of the route with steep crafty face climbing into hidden flares and features. No doubt this wall can and will sprout variations along the way, but we were just stoked to connect a continuous, quality line and scamper back to Hamilton Lake for sunset and a mug or two of vino..
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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What an incredibly refreshing and inspiring thread. Great work, guys! This is what it's all about!
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MisterE
Social climber
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Great looking line! Congrats to the team for the fulfillment of the years-long effort.
Three or four hours into his lead, Graber and I were pretty relaxed, jawboning at the belay, watching a mother bear and her cubs in the talus below. We heard a ping and down Eric came, maybe 50' or more, ending right at the level of the belay about 20 feet to the side. Our conversation abruptly interrupted, Eric looked over and delivered a cool "watch the slack dude " then finished the pitch.
That is really funny, Dave!
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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Dave has apparently found the anti-aging secret. He hasn't change much over the years...well except for losing the mustache:)
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Impaler
Social climber
Berkeley
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Oct 11, 2013 - 11:41pm PT
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I highly recommend checking out Alpinist 44 for a quality Peter Croft article about the route.
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