Ouch!
climber
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Jul 31, 2006 - 08:43pm PT
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That's wild!
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Jody
Mountain climber
Templeton, CA
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Jul 31, 2006 - 09:00pm PT
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I'll have to go add this one to the index.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 31, 2006 - 09:02pm PT
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where is that climb.. Royal Arches ,,naw? No clue
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2006 - 09:09pm PT
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John,
South Face of Half Dome. Beautiful rock.
Ken
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 31, 2006 - 09:11pm PT
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Ah..Makes sense . Is this really Snake Dike or a real first acent?
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jul 31, 2006 - 09:27pm PT
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This route is a really creative line on the major south face of Half Dome. It is probably more than a thousand yards to the rt and around the corner from the trade route, Snake Dike, and a few hundred yards to the right of the Rowell-Harding South Face aid route. It follows a truly unique gigantic dike that squiggles and snarles its way up a very steep face for over a 1000 ft, defying other features on the principle back of Half Dome. And it has some points of aid, via bolts. Ken is conveying that, here is a spectacular climb, waiting to be climbed free, that he and Jim Campbell and Dave Schultz did 21 years ago. It is a gift to us, he is saying, go do it.
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Jody
Mountain climber
Templeton, CA
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Jul 31, 2006 - 09:47pm PT
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I'll get right on it.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 1, 2006 - 09:20am PT
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When we did the route I had just had major knee surgery five months previously. Schultz convinced me that the dike was huge and big enough that tourists walked down it from the top to take pictures. It turned out to be steeper than it looked and the dike was larger underneath than on top of it thereby casting a large shadow making the dike look bigger than it actually was. I could hardly use my left leg due to lack of mobility but, this worked out perfectly because most of the route leaned up and right and I didn't have to flex my left knee very much. I have never been so terrified on a route in my life.
Ken
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handsome B
Gym climber
Saskatoon, Saskatchawan
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"I have never been so terrified on a route in my life."
Not much of a salesman eh?
What is the aid like?
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Is that dike's edge as sharp as it looks?! I am tying to imagine a fall pulling your rope tight over that ginsu knife!!!
Baaaad ASS.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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These are the most inspiring climbing pictures I've seen.
Thanks for taking the time to post them.
So, how good do you think the bolts are now? 20-year-old 1/4" buttonheads...
I think I'd carry a kit.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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That thing looks rad.
Rating?
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 1, 2006 - 09:49am PT
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I remember the aid being about ten bolts in three or four short sections of A0. I followed one pitch with only one rope and all I could think about was if I fell the rope would rake accross the crystals and I would go plummetting to the base without touching rock. I climbed the rest of the route with double ropes. The route is protected for the leader and not set up for the follower. Dave kept sandbagging me by saying the next section was only 5.9 or 5.10 and after leaving the bolt and getting stuck he would say "Oh yeah there is a little 5.11 move or two and then it gets easier". By then I could not reverse the moves to the previous bolt and was forced to go for it. I am glad I did not fall.
Ken
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Richard Large
climber
where you least expect
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"I am glad I did not fall" Me too. Nice grimace on Shultzi's face -- I'll bet that was an easy drill stance!
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Tahoe climber
climber
Texas to Tahoe
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"How'd y'all get that rope up thar?"
Nice Pix.
-Aaron
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Walleye
climber
Yosemite Valley
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Aug 10, 2006 - 11:06pm PT
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"It was soooo scarey, I'd never go back"
The Iron Monkey
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Walleye
climber
Yosemite Valley
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Aug 10, 2006 - 11:18pm PT
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oh, by the way, in answer to Kens question about who is going to get the coveted second ascent of Karma, I rhetorically asked that same question on this forum in February or so and had no takers (in response to some dumb question about what good routes are left to do in Yosemite). Kudos to Ken for illuminating an important yet unknown route in the history of Yosemite climbing. It's sort of like Bacher's "Body & Soul" in Tuolumne. albeit "Body and Soul" is a much shorter route. Nobody actually talks about it much less does it (Body & Soul still awaits a coveted 3rd ascent), but Schultz is the only bad ass motherf*#ker to go try it. (Shipoopee nonewithstanding of course)...
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2006 - 01:23am PT
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The South Face of Half Dome has the best rock I have ever seen in Yosemite. It is rarely travelled though I don't know why. It is not a place to be during poor weather and the approach is semi longish by Yosemite standards so that may be the reason. The location is awesome and serene. Saw a peregrine falcon fly upside down with a catch in its talons and pass the catch to its mate flying toward the delivery flying right side up. The mate then went to feed the kids. It was amazing. The falcon would perch every now and then on the rock near us as we were climbing and check us out while bobbing its head.
There are other prizes up there besides Karma as well.
Ken
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Aug 11, 2006 - 02:06am PT
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wow that rock looks crazy!
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