Balloon Dome

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 1 - 42 of total 42 in this topic
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Original Post - May 22, 2013 - 10:36pm PT
So out of the blue i was invited to go to the balloon dome this last week, i went down and checked out balloon dome back in the fall of 2010, but did not summit, just check of the trail down to balloon dome, we took the cassidy bridge trail, this time went the south fork trail, it's faster, but no trail down to the river. long walk either way, but beautiful place to camp and climb, 4 hours down, 5.5 hours on the way up, no trail, but lots of carins to follow. if you like climbing where you will not see other person the whole time your at balloon dome, and climb a 3000 foot dome, this is the place for you, happy climbing mike a.
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:39pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:41pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:42pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:44pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:46pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:47pm PT
Pennsylenvy

Gym climber
A dingy corner in your refrigerator
May 22, 2013 - 10:48pm PT
Wow Mike a. that 'snow flower' growes here in Northern Arizona also!!!!If you look close it's a teeny tiny orchid! Looks like a little slice of heaven you have found. What sort of technical climbs are on that there balloon dome?
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:51pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:53pm PT
Delhi Dog

climber
Good Question...
May 22, 2013 - 10:53pm PT
Wow!
or should I say
Where?
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:56pm PT
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2013 - 10:57pm PT
DaveyTree

Trad climber
Fresno
May 22, 2013 - 10:59pm PT
Sweet Mike. I have had an itch to head up that thing. Great picks. Did you descend the same way or is there a walk off?
Delhi Dog

climber
Good Question...
May 22, 2013 - 11:03pm PT
Did you do any fishing while you we're there?
limpingcrab

Trad climber
the middle of CA
May 23, 2013 - 12:16am PT
Awesome Mike! It's the kind of thing you look at and can't resist if you're a climber.

Delhi, there are some GIANT trout down there (by Sierran river standards)!


Two questions if you get a minute Mike:

-Where did you leave the south fork trail? I break off as soon as it starts traversing south above the canyon when I fish and it puts me where granite creek meets the SJR, but it's steeeeep.

-What's the deal with that dome southeast of Balloon Dome? I've been wanting to get on that one.


Also, Larry Zulim wants me to say hi if I meet you. Had nothing but good things to say.
Delhi Dog

climber
Good Question...
May 23, 2013 - 12:22am PT
man oh man, that place looks like heaven!

I am so ready to explore that area.

calling TT...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 23, 2013 - 02:04am PT
would like to get out there...
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2013 - 09:47am PT
morning limp, you take the dirt road to the end, i think it's 5s69 or 6s69, but there is a sign that says south fork, and go down hill a couple hundred feet and you will see the carins, they marked it pretty good to the river, 4 miles or so, and on the south side of the dome, lets of room for a ton of new routes, just one thing, crossing the river :-(, it can be tuff in the spring on a wet winter, awesome pix of the fish :-), happy climbing mike a.
Banquo

climber
Amerricka
May 23, 2013 - 10:19am PT
Hey mike, I hope you liked our route.

Was the register OK?

Dan Merrick
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2013 - 10:43am PT
morning, yes super fun route and thanks for the help that let me summit :-), yes it's in great shape, and i logged in it :-, awesome trip!!!have a great holiday weekend, happy climbing mike a.
micronut

Trad climber
May 23, 2013 - 10:48am PT
Awesome! Way to get out there. He Mike...You need to learn how to attach more than one photo in a single post! You always have like ten posts to show ten photos. Just add em below eachother and post a bunch at once. Easier on the eyes for us. Again, way to get out in the high lonely and get after it.

Scott
susu

Trad climber
East Bay, CA
May 23, 2013 - 01:15pm PT
Nice! You make it look easy, but must be a lot of work! Glad you enjoyed!
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
May 23, 2013 - 01:42pm PT
Nice MIke!

An adventure to remember.

SO cool.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
May 23, 2013 - 02:07pm PT
stoke!

The dome to the SE is on my radar!

Well, at least in my daydreams. Having only seen it once, I'm intensely curious to get out there. Maybe not this year though. Got some Yos bc work to attain.

thx for the pics!
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2013 - 03:27pm PT
thanks, going the way bob took me to balloon dome is for sure faster then going the cassity bridge trail, but way more hard because there is no real trail, but it's a beautiful place, check it out when you can.
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
May 23, 2013 - 03:46pm PT
Looks awesome thank you for posting
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
May 23, 2013 - 03:48pm PT
Thanks, Mike. This thread deserves a bump.

John
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
May 23, 2013 - 06:04pm PT
nice trip report Mike but no endearing waving to the camera picture while leading. I like those shots. :)
mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2013 - 08:34pm PT
sorry, but for sure be wiving at youall, this weekend at shuteye :-), happy climbing mike a.
limpingcrab

Trad climber
the middle of CA
May 24, 2013 - 01:11am PT
Ohhhhhh, I just saw the areal photo overlay you put on MP and what you said makes more sense now. I start from the Squaw Dome trailhead, not South Fork. I got the names mixed. Your way looks way better.

May way looks like this

mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2013 - 10:04am PT
hi, cool, glad i was helpful, one thing about southern yosemite, unless you go with someone who has been there before, and shows you around, and how to get there, it takes a couple times of you bush wacking and getting lost before you know the lay out of the area, in some ways the spencer book is cool, because it is somewhat vage with not alot of details and just drewing and no real picutes in his book, but for me i love filling in the blanks myself, but holy cow, it took me 20years or so to real know where things are, and the best way to get there, i am super psyched to be heading out to southern yosemite again today, have a fun holiday weekend, cheers and happy climbing mike a.
Banquo

climber
Amerricka
May 24, 2013 - 11:07am PT
A topo and a few photos from the FA With Bob Steed and me.

Day 1 hike in
Day 2 work route to Golden Corner and return to river
Day 3 Summit and back to river
Day 4 hike out

To rap the two 5.7 pitches will require 2 60m ropes. If the 3rd class bypass goes, one rope should do for the raps.

Also, the crux is getting across the river.

mike a.

Sport climber
ca
Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2013 - 11:20am PT
cool pix, that was a fun day last sat doing buffoon dome, the ants were nothing nice, they kept you moving, the gold corner pitch was super fun, and long about 220' pitch i had to simo climb the start move so sarah could get to the little tree in the corner, thanks for all your work to put it up, i am sure when you two were cutting the bushes, the ants were not too psyched and they let you know all about it :-)lol
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
May 5, 2015 - 07:26am PT

bump for any more Balloon Dome glory...it's on my radar.


what about an approach by canoe?
Banquo

climber
Amerricka
May 5, 2015 - 08:27am PT
The approach by water is a rather famous section of class V+ whitewater. I doubt you would survive in a canoe.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/290/

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/6378/
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
May 5, 2015 - 08:35am PT

Thaks for those links, Banquo - yeah that's not the path for a canoe. :)

I guess I was thinking of paddling up from MPR...if there's enough water of course, stopping before the whitewater.

I know there's a campsite couple bends up as I've been to it years ago, not sure of the name at the moment - China Beach(?) - but I'm not sure if that would be an option for approaching BD.

it looks like it might be possible on Google Earth, but then again everything looks different from space.

Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
May 5, 2015 - 09:43am PT

...maybe Fuller Buttes is the MPR canoe approach I was hoping Balloon Dome would have been. Man, those double domes look BEAUTIFUL!!!

cf. http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2148745&msg=2148837#msg2148837



this just in

climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
May 5, 2015 - 09:46am PT
The Legend has done it JR.

Roxy, Fuller is an easy approach, definitely no canoe. Some of the best fishing is in Hell's Half Acre though if you are crazy enough to carry a canoe down there.
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
May 5, 2015 - 10:40am PT
thx, thisJustin
shylock

Social climber
mb
Mar 9, 2018 - 09:20am PT
beyond stuff on here, soyoclimbing.com, or aaj? no, i wish... i'm meeting brandon at the gym later today, will be sure to annoy him with lots of questions about his routes on it
cragnshag

Social climber
san joser
Mar 9, 2018 - 10:52am PT
Messages 1 - 42 of total 42 in this topic
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta