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Tom Ripley
Trad climber
UK
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2013 - 04:00pm PT
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Cheers for the replies.
I probably am overdoing it.
Do you guys take a normal plate (ATC or Reverso) as well as gri-gri? If not how do you rap off if you have to bail?
Also do you not need one s/g per jumar for cleaning?
I like the idea of not taking too much stuff and enjoying a lighter ascent.
Cheers, TR
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Feb 14, 2013 - 04:10pm PT
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one for bag and one for belay device is all I ever took. Hudon probably takes ten cause he seems to drag nine bags...:)
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 14, 2013 - 06:07pm PT
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There are three things that you can't have enough of on a big wall:
 lockers
free carabiners
slings
Bring all that you have!
So when you are up there, and you are [constantly] looking for extra slings, free carabiners and lockers, remember my words:
"I told you so."
Note: If I see you on the bridge, and you tell me that my words above were not true for you, I will give all three of you a beer.
Incidentally, you should mix up your lockers - not only screwgates which are sometimes hard to unscrew, but various other types and shapes of lockers.
Also, if you have a locking carabiner that is dedicated to a single purpose for entire wall, and never has to be opened, consider instead using a "Mexican locker", which is a regular locker whose gate is duct-taped shut. Remember to leave a little tab on the end of the duct tape wrap so that you can easily remove it after you're finished with it.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Feb 14, 2013 - 07:32pm PT
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Pete, you absolutely have things dialed in for comfort on a big wall, but you are no speed demon. If you acted like that on Zodiac, there would be ten teams below you shouting curses.
Everyone needs to learn how to easily make a sweet rappel device out of biners. That is 101 safety.
Now all of the anchors are three bolt fatties. We used to build our own anchors, putting in our own gear. Now the belays are uber strong. I don't want to say that the old ways were for heroes, it is just a comment on how to get by just fine. You don't need a cordallete on a belay of three fat bolts. Just clove them off and go. You'll live. You don't need three pigs to do the Nose or Zodiac. All of these techniques make you terribly slow, which matters on trade routes. Speed and efficency matter to most climbers, and Pete's amazing mastery of all things gear isn't always geared for speed. We used to consider speed as safety. The less time you spend on a route, the less chance of a storm and heaven forbid, rescue.
We used to hate lockers. They were available, but not necessary. Two biners with the gates opposed works well if you need security.
OK. My bitch. You don't need a cordallete on a belay of three fat bolts. Just clove them off and go. You'll live. You don't need three pigs to do the Nose or Zodiac. All of these techniques make you terribly slow, which matters on trade routes.
Pete. Now that you have done almost every route on El Cap, you have to go to Half Dome. Hire some mules and some porters, set up a camp, and do route after route. Half Dome has a lot of hard routes with few repeats. You won't be able to B.S. at the Pizza Deck. I bet that will be your greatest sacrifice.
That face is incredibly overhanging on the right side. I used to have an exit point to the right of Tis-A-Ack. There was a little bulge at three seconds that you had to miss by a really strong push off on the exit, but that face overhangs so much that at ten seconds you are 150 yards out from the face with just a half assed track. El Cap is the most beautiful jump, perhaps in the world, with the Nose just to your right, and the beautiful face, but Half Dome rules as far as the freefall. You can burn it down on Half Dome, or now with wing suits nigh fly to El Cap Meadow, but pre-wingsuit we could track out over part of the death slabs and burn it down to 300 feet or so. You have to open high on El Cap to make it over the trees to the meadow.
I loved Half Dome.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Feb 14, 2013 - 07:47pm PT
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Very cool BASE!
Flying both monoliths.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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Feb 14, 2013 - 08:20pm PT
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Here's the deal, Tom. Don't bail.
That said, I like to have a couple or three lockers around, for the Haul bag & such, but they are by no means necessary. Standard biners are. Get all you can. Good luck on your quest. And you are definitely gonna die.
You can decide when that'll be.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Feb 14, 2013 - 08:30pm PT
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Base104 - that is very cool that you've jumped off Half Dome and el Cap. I feel like I've somehow missed out in life...
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Feb 14, 2013 - 08:40pm PT
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Locker's getting bum rap.
edit: course he probably deserves it:-)
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Highlife
Trad climber
California
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Feb 14, 2013 - 10:05pm PT
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If you don't have enough, you'll always have just enough.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Feb 14, 2013 - 10:26pm PT
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12 BD Vaporlock screwgates . . . these things are sweet.
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xtrmecat
Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Feb 14, 2013 - 10:28pm PT
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My answer, all of them. I own around thirty, and never remember any extras at any belay. Biners, again all of them. A hundred at least.
Burly Bob
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Feb 14, 2013 - 11:55pm PT
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Take 100 lockers if you want to. They all work. Make sure to take a cordalette in case your 5 pigs pull a bolt.
But yeah. For any aid route, 100 is about right. You run out amazingly quickly. Also slings like Pete said.
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