Discussion Topic |
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 28, 2014 - 05:02pm PT
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With 5.15 established and 5.14 relatively commonplace, it's interesting that a few sub 5.12 climbs still stand out as testpieces.....the Bacher/Yerian is one, what are some others out there?
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:05pm PT
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Great idea for a thread, I'll be back.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:17pm PT
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It's either run-out, a pile of crap or a warmup. Nobody cares about the head game anymore, especially on a relative slab where you'll likely get hurt in the fall. It's yesterday's game. This generation just wants to crank.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:18pm PT
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Offwidths, hard slabs, and runouts would be 3 groups in these testpieces.
Also Butterballs is still pretty stout.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2014 - 05:31pm PT
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Interesting take JLP....I can think of quite a few climbs in the category that are neither choss piles or anyone's warmup. You're right, a lot of climbers are into pure athleticisim but climbing remains a head game for many. We could extend this discussion to climbs like the North Face of Nanga Parbat.
The Ouray Ice Comp. is an example. Starts off with bolt protected M9 on real rock and ends up on an overhanging artificial tower with hanging logs....Gladiator Games comes to mind.
For many JLP, maybe not you, climbing remains an exercise in starting at the bottom of a cliff or mountain and thru cunning, skill and guts finding your way to the top. Aesthetics and style become equally as important as sheer difficulty.
Climbing has become segmented....so be it. For many pure athleticisim with preplaced gear is the way, others might prefer a different challange.....to each their own, no path is better than the other.
TLG, few 5.14 climbers would use the Bacher/Yerian for their "warmup."
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weezy
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:40pm PT
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Perilous journey? Dolofright? Texas tower?
5.9 is a testpeice for me these days :/
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:43pm PT
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Vertigo
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weezy
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:44pm PT
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The serpent (free variation of the dragon on the painted wall..black cyn)
Stratosfear
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:47pm PT
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Testpieces for who??? Seems like different people have own strengths and own weaknesses. For example, one of the top female climbers Emily Harrington had a pretty rough time and took a big fall on Harding Route (Conness), which is 'just' 5.10c. Her bio includes "Recently, she claimed first female ascents of several 5.14 sport climbs, climbed multi-pitch big walls in Morocco and the Ukraine, won the Ouray ice climbing competition, and summitted the world’s tallest peaks in the Himalaya (including Mount Everest in 2012)."
http://emilyaharrington.com/2013/08/27/fear-of-falling-failing-and-other-things/
For me a big testpiece was getting the Rostrum all free/clean this last weekend and onsighting Twilight Zone a few weeks ago. Not impressive to anyone really, but to me those two were huge goals..
Astroman seems like a test piece even for very strong pro climbers from different countries. I heard of several who flailed on endure corner, had to aid thru Harding slot and bailed after. Tests your crack climbing/OW with squeeze chimney and has a "10d R pitch" in the end. Sure has me intimidated. But I am just a punter that started camping/mountaineering/climbing in 2010...
Silk Road to Karakoram Highway link up seems like a BIG testpiece free climb on Calaveras Dome.
Having climbed other long classic routes like Astroman, Reg NW face of Half Dome and Steve having done several routes in the Black, we both agreed that this route is definitely physically harder than Astroman and takes longer than the RNWF of Half Dome. The free climbing is as good as anything, it's very long, never has traffic on it and is definitely one of the most classic, sustained and attainable by mortals free routes in North America.
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Silk-Road-to-the-Karakoram-Highway-a-Cal-Domes-mega-classic/t11736n.html
Also Butterballs is still pretty stout
Pinky Paralysis is even harder I think..
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:50pm PT
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You could heinously retrobolt many of the hard 5.11 slab, offwidth, etc testpieces and still no one would climb them. Just too hard, and with zero holds you can't crank your way out of trouble...
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dhayan
climber
los angeles, ca
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:51pm PT
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Yeah, I was going to say the Harding Slot is still a test piece no matter how hard you sport climb, but I guess it gets on sighted regularly and some of you bastards free solo it so...
Edit: Vitaliy you should go for Astroman, don't be intimidated... Judging by the Tr's I've seen you post up here in the past several months you should be more than fine. And the FA party did it without cams! How bad can it be??? :)
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weezy
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:52pm PT
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The affliction, higher cathedral(?).
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 05:56pm PT
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Walleye, we must think alike, because Twilight Zone and Overhang overpass came to my mind, too. I guess Jim can tell us what he thinks about leading Overhang Overpass with early 1970's technology, and we all know the story of the first ascent of Twilight Zone.
I think, though, that while my generation still thinks of OW's like Twilight Zone and Cream as testpieces, the younger ones may just see them as pointless grunts. As Jim says, to each his or her own.
John
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AKDOG
Mountain climber
Anchorage, AK
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Jan 28, 2014 - 06:00pm PT
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Lowe/Jones route; North Twin, comes in at a pedestrian 5.10 A3….
The new generations of hard men have recently been playing on the North Twin, risk and head games will always have a place in climbing.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 28, 2014 - 06:06pm PT
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Basketcase seems like another testpiece...
I think, though, that while my generation still thinks of OW's like Twilight Zone and Cream as testpieces, the younger ones may just see them as pointless grunts. As Jim says, to each his or her own.
Depends on an individual. I can be considered as a "younger" climber here, even though I am 27. But TZ was at the top of the list of OWs I wanted to climb. I like all climbing. Face, OW, cracks whatever. It is all cool.
My tick list of select established routes for 2014-5 for example(in no particular order):
Calaveras Dome - Silk Road to Karakoram Highway link up
The Rostrum (X)
Astroman
Basketcase
Incredible Hulk - Sun Spot Dihedral
Keeler Needle - Harding Route
Something on Angel Wings/Tehitepe Dome
Freeblast
Levitation 29
The Crucifix
few climbs that are test-pieces to me..I know many other younger climbers who like OWs/fingercracks. It is not a big deal.
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BFK
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 07:29pm PT
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Food for thought: Is there (or should there be) a difference between a climb that is considered a test-piece and one that is considered a benchmark for a grade?
Anyway, getting away from the valley, I've always heard Abracadaver in the stronghold is considered a test-piece. Never got a chance to get on it but it's still on my tic list.
Awesome thread on it too:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/329103/Abracadaver-FA-Pics-and-Story
V, lemme know when you wanna take a trip to Tucson. I think you'd like Cochise quite a bit!
B
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rick d
climber
ol pueblo, az
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Jan 28, 2014 - 07:34pm PT
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5.9/10's at granite mountain.
then in the 5.11 range Sorcerer fits. I have never seen anyone on it.
A little of everything in a long arse pitch.
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 07:40pm PT
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I was thinking Twilight Zone as well. Never done it because I suck at OW but it looks stout. I found Hidden Arch (.11d) at Josh pretty stout. I was probably climbing 5.12c/d or so at the time and thought that it would be a much easier go than it was.
Vitaliy, Freeblast seems to have earned a rep as hard, but I thought it was pretty mellow. You'll stroll up it.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Jan 28, 2014 - 07:58pm PT
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Hidden Arch is tricky, some slightly in-obvious face climbing out of the corner is the key, but it's still stout. Lots of JT 5.11s involve tricky technical smedging with weird gear. 50' routes that feel like enduro pitches.
The two that come to mind for me are Winter Solstice and Moondance at Suicide. Both rated 11c, I believe.
I was able to follow Winter Solstice without falling, but felt like I should have fallen 5-6 times and couldn't believe I was still on for about half the route. Afterwards I said "I could NEVER lead that!". Blank, blank totally @#$%&ing blank smearing at the business. One of those deals where you can't even stop, or you'll fall off. Might be easier in very cold conditions, but still a handful.
Moondance is more doable for my skillset, but scarier. The crux is pretty hard, but only a move or two. The deal with this route is keeping your lid screwed on. Bolts are well spaced and unlike some so-called runout routes where there are actually bolts prior to each crux with runs on easy ground, Moondance has some real deal climbing between bolts with long fall potential. And of course Henny never sandbags anything either. (This one probably really is 11c, but the bolt spacing and continuity mean you might want to be climbing a little harder than that and be dialed into Suicide slabs before casting off...or not, that's what adventure is all about right?)
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pc
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 07:58pm PT
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+1 for DMT's "sprinkled throughout the grades..."
pc
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:04pm PT
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hidden arch for me was harder than any 5.12 i did in josh.
pos
the 5.9 on the other side is harder than illusion dweller. and ll is greasy choss.
we should quarry that whole rock.
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enjoimx
Trad climber
SLO
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:17pm PT
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Ahab is pretty hard. Reeds direct is a hard 5.9.
Locally, P-crack is a very hard 5.8
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:18pm PT
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Good topic..... I have a saying when folks start talking sh*T about some slab or OW....
"There are two types of climbs, the ones YOU can do and the ones you can't"
Caliente (SP?? sorry) and Insomnia at Suiside come to mind.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:20pm PT
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I have the musical album "Last Days at the Filmore" with a long interview with Bill Graham in the end. The interviewer asks him about changing musical tastes, the next big markets, and he responds by talking about how every segment of the music industry is exploding, so many new people into music listening and so many genres exploding. Seems like the same thing with climbing. You can take an isolated look at how huge some part of the climbing world is, but that doesn't mean that other parts of it are dead. I'll bet there are at least as many people into slab climbing today as "back in the day." It's just that there are even more people out there trying to crank bolted steep stuff and hanging out in gyms.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2014 - 08:24pm PT
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North Face of North Twin.
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:27pm PT
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klk - pos? Hahahaha. I'd go with the quarry proposal but it'd be a shame to loose Bikini Whale and Some Like It Hot. No sense throwing out the babies with the bathwater. (Edit: I think I may have misread, the klk quarry comment may have been directed at Houser Buttress not The Sentinel.)
Moondance is the Suicide (maybe even Idyllwild) classic at the grade, IMO.
How about The Edge at Tahquitz? (or the entire thing - Turbo Flange)
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:32pm PT
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How about The Token or Ribbon Candy.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:39pm PT
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Baby Apes for sure. Oh, wait...
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:45pm PT
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It is very hard to compare alpine limestone north walls with dry rock climbs. I have climbed 5.9 and some 5.10 in those situations and it is way more heady than on a crag, even a runout crag.
Did you ever consider North Twin when you were younger Jim?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2014 - 08:45pm PT
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Bruce Kay...that's the point. A climb like that goes way beyond the numbers. Even today, no small venture.
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MisterE
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 08:49pm PT
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R.O.T.C Crack (5.11c) at Midnight Rock Leavenworth, WA
Japanese Gardens (III 5.11d) Index, WA
Sunshine Dihedral (5.11c) at Smith Rock Oregon
Just a few that come to mind.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:03pm PT
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Typical donini….just focused on the grades ;)
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Spanky
Social climber
boulder co
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:10pm PT
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I think the era the routes were put up in also plays a role. 11a from the seventies is way different than an 11a from the last few years and in truth a lot of the routes we think of as classic are really kinda sandbagged too. Sustained routes are harder but also more classic than one move wonders. I would argue the Naked Edge and Jules Verne are classic 11's that still feel like test pieces as an onsight no matter what level you climb at because they supply such unique features and movement.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:18pm PT
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Can someone define "tespiece?"
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:24pm PT
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Jim beat me to it, but "5.9 A2" is just about the stoutest thing going. There's not blue balls conga line for North Twin, and that's not just the weight of history keeping strong teams from leaving the highway.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:24pm PT
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I asked a similar question awhile back for help with making a list of climbs to do to help me round out the repertoire. After some back & forth, ball cupping insinuations, and usual silly Canuck jokes, Perry was kind enough to offer up this great list of 5.11 testpieces (Squam version of course). I think it's pretty solid, only problem is he drew it up with the idea of doing them all in a day!
Chief's Recommends for 11 Classic One Pitch Squamish 11s
(This list is organized for climbing them all on the same day)
Smoke Bluffs "Warm Up"
1) Partners in Crime 11a
2) Crime of the Century 11c
Murrin "Technician's Circuit"
3) Perspective 11a
4) Hypertension 11a
5) Brunser Overhang 11a
6) Horrors of Ivan 11c
7) No Name Rd 11b
8) Burnin Down the Couch 11d
"Enduro Homage to the Big Stone"
9) Boogie til You Puke 11b
10) Astrologger 11b
"Cool Down by the Sea"
11) Clean Crack 11b
Recommended Bonus Pitches for total of 18 pitches
Penny Lane 5.9 Warm Up
Pleasant Pheasant 11a lead with Elastic Man 11c TR
Sentry Box Regular 12a lead and TR Lap with Direct 12a
Claim Jumper 12a TR after Perspective lead
Caboose 10b for final wind down.
Festivities at Psyche Ledge, Chief Parking Lot (or suitably discreet alternative)
Beers, Pipeloads,Tea or Whatever.
I think this is well within a lot of people's ability.
My only excuse would be sloth and indolence.
ToGnar variations:
Boogie Till You Puke via Apron and Buttress or Grand Via Chimneys
(Send someone around to meet you with the Harley Parts)
Malemute finish via Angels Crest with North Summit tag after Astrologger
U can read how this list was shaped here:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1999526/Squamish-Legends-single-pitch-challenge
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Rudbud
Gym climber
Grover Beach, CA
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:49pm PT
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It's either run-out, a pile of crap or a warmup. Nobody cares about the head game anymore, especially on a relative slab where you'll likely get hurt in the fall. It's yesterday's game. This generation just wants to crank.
I recently put up a nice little slab route on lead drilling from stances and hooks, its in the low 5.11 range. Its not that hard but it could be considered a slab test piece.
It got retro bolted within 5 hours of the first accent.
I tell you what, Noob's these days have zero respect and the head game is gone for sure.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:53pm PT
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This thread has been derailed into waxing nostalgic on the past.
The question in the OP could be rephrased as "What climbs do you think will kick the pansy asses of those sending 5.14 these days? I need an ego boost." The answer is "none" and "who cares".
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jan 28, 2014 - 09:59pm PT
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New Gen and Rebolting at Suicide. Hardly get led, scary, yadda...
Bat Crack - Crucifix - Field of Dreams at Tahquitz is "only" 11B - good luck on that one!
Of course, Astroman has shut down many a 5.13 climber, as well as the B-Y. Some obscure stuff done by hard men and women in the back canyons of Yosemite and Eldo are probably on the contendorship as well. People were cut from a different cloth and a lot of those schultz/coz type routes might be all "5.13 R / X" by todays standards.
The question in the OP could be rephrased as "What climbs do you think will kick the pansy asses of those sending 5.14 these days? I need an ego boost."
I don't see it that way at all. Things are different, that doesn't mean better or worse. People are stronger but less skilled, very capable at specific hard types of climbing but haven't put in the years of tutelage on scary bullshit that those routes employ. Its a celebration on the multi-faceted face of climbing, that a route could be so difficult yet the grade so modest. Fun stuff, and as a young dumb kid I don't have any ego hurt at all - it helps not to feed one ;D
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:04pm PT
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The two that come to mind for me are Winter Solstice and Moondance at Suicide. Both rated 11c, I believe.
A friend of mine lead winter solstice but can't climb most 5.10 cracks. I've also TR'd it clean fairly easily, it's a bit spooky up higher but on a VERY cold day that thing might as well be 11a. I recommend trying it when its got better temps. Really NTB, I'm hoping to lead it this April!
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:26pm PT
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JLP, provide some links so u don't come off all butthurt?? This to me seems to be about climbs that are hard for the grade??
Key word- climbs.
Yes, it's a climbing thread! Yay!
Edit- oops I misread your post, no need for links. You are butthurt!
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:40pm PT
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People make what they want of the OP. When it comes to the us vs. them stuff, it gets rather boring and "who cares" is spot on. The only butt kicking I'm concerned with is avoiding it happening to mine when I get on something that may be technically under my limit, but that requires a little extra of something else.
It doesn't seem surprising that most of the routes mentioned have been around for awhile. It takes time for routes to become notable. No doubt there are routes (at all grades) being put up right now that at some point in the future will fall into the category of testpieces for the grade.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
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So list some of those routes henny! Pretty sure that is what this thread is about, donini wants a ticklist. We should all be chucking sandbags at him!
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MisterE
climber
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
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I am with Ryan - it's a climbing thread!
Yay!
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FrankZappa
Trad climber
Hankster's crew
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Jan 28, 2014 - 10:58pm PT
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I saw Honnold pitch of the crux of the Wisdom in Eldo, and have seen other ubers fall off 5.11s in Eldo. One dude fell off the Naked Edge after redpointing 5.14 a week before. I think it's not too hard to fall off slippery/tricky/awkward 5.11 no matter who you are. Most of those folks I talk to seem to enjoy those testpiece routes.
But it is odd how some of the strongest climbers do not go ground up even on 5.11.
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Cancer Boy
Trad climber
Freedonia
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Jan 29, 2014 - 12:32am PT
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Fred at Taquitz is runout testy IMHO - and it's only 10d. Way more head required than similar face climbs like the MC apron routes that people go on about these days. Fatty - we gotta get on some a them 12d's again sometime soon.
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Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Menlo Park
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Jan 29, 2014 - 12:49am PT
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I vote for T Crack in Santa Barbara , that mantle move is superb.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 29, 2014 - 01:10am PT
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It got retro bolted within 5 hours of the first accent.
I tell you what, Noob's these days have zero respect and the head game is gone for sure.
Should have cut that noob's head off. We don't tolerate this nonsense here in Yosemite...
Vitaliy, Freeblast seems to have earned a rep as hard, but I thought it was pretty mellow. You'll stroll up it.
I have been up the route. Do not think I will 'stroll up' it. Year ago couldn't free the 3rd pitch, slab, and entering the ear confuse the crap out of me. Would be nice to go back and try it again.
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rincon
Trad climber
SoCal
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Jan 29, 2014 - 01:28am PT
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Valhalla
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Jan 29, 2014 - 02:20am PT
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Generator Crack YDS: 5.10c
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 02:22am PT
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Let's face it, much of climbing has reached a deeply formulaic state. That is what our very own J-Do, the OP here, is talking about and baiting.
We have topos up the wazoo, more beta than one could remember from forty years of people ascending many of these lines, lightest hardware of every size and kind that operates so gracefully 10 year olds use it easily, the path of routes visible from space often. All the holds identified in chalk.
It is a good thing but it is not the only thing.
There are still "Great White Sharks" out there and they can still snag up a party's lines on some Sunday cruise. The number of ascents that actually don't go per Hoyle also is large, truth be told, as the party pulls on stuff and muffs through the line, ridiculously proud still of what they are doing.
The Mind Game as others call it: it is still alive and well here and there. It is not all monkey bars and three-note melodies now; the wild is the wild still. Many of the best ascents still freak nearly everyone out, whatever the rating. Few succeed if we really look. Christ I remember some lycra-clad gym climber with a great body unable to do the left side of Little John at all, even with a big wall fixed line happening to be there and his prussick on it for a top rope. Even with a completely rehearsable situation he was both horrified and disabled by the challenge above him. He could not make the psychological transition to actually mounting the route under full power.
This young man was so far from the original experience of the 5.8 route it made me wince. That was in the early Eighties. I have to believe it has just continued since. Though gym climbing is the child that wants to eat its mother (Royal) it will never reach what has been done in our history. It is a good thing but must be understood for what it exactly is. It is climbing on plywood with top ropes, friends, water fountains, foam flooring, out of the weather and a two minute walk to the car.
As others have said, there are deadly challenges at all grades in the natural settings and here is the stuff with which we really should be fascinated.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Jan 29, 2014 - 02:51am PT
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Speaking of testpieces, how about 'Testpiece' at Consumes River Gorge?
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 29, 2014 - 03:45am PT
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This thread needs pics.
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bigbird
climber
WA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 04:04am PT
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Any of the Mark Twight's thin-ice mixed routes in the alps...
"Beyond good and evil" and "There Goes the Neighborhood" come to mind...
"Scary", "thin" and "run out" are generally used to describe such routes...
The clip from Millet is a good indicator of the "scary" nature of his routes...
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Credit:millet
Back in north America....
Big hard alpine routes, will continue to be "hard" testpieces... Like...
Infinite spur on Mt foraker,
Anything on the Emperor face of Mt Robson
Several routes on North Face of Mt Alberta
The list goes on...
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patrick compton
Trad climber
van
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Jan 29, 2014 - 08:53am PT
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this generation aren't pussies
high ball bouldering is obviously dangerous.
they just don't care about contrived 5.11 slab
that doesn't make everyone today a gym climbing pussy.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Bungwater Hollow, Ida-ho
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:07am PT
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5.12? WTF?
I was told there would be no math on this test piece.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:21am PT
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Vitaliy, muy bueno on-sighting the Twilight Zone. That requires some chutzpah and careful PLANNING.
Very nice, dude.
It's ONLY 5.10 and I've never done it, even following the Bird and Barry!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:24am PT
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Super Pin and Hairy Pin.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2014 - 09:39am PT
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Why is everyone talking about THIS generation? Climbing is not a youthful athletic activity that is discarded once you enter the job market and start a family.....climbing is a lifelong pursuit spanning generations.
Climbing has become segmented, a natural extension of it's huge growth via indoor gyms and the prevalence of sport climbing. That's great but, as i've said before, all paths have merit and no path diminishes the others.
The athlecticisim of Sharma and Ondra is jaw dropping as is the boldness of Honnold. Equally impressive are the feats of alpinists like Steve House and Vince Anderson who spend days on horrendous alpine faces where rescue is out of the question.
In the end what makes climbing a lifetime activity for many is it's individualisim. What matters is the experience YOU are having and not the number attached to it. It matters not if you express climbing via bouldering, the gym, sport climbing, trad, ice, alpine or peak bagging.
I leave for Patagonia tomorrow....a six week respite.
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ruppell
climber
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:41am PT
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A lot of routes on the north side of Fairview Dome come to mind. As far as the generation thing goes it's BS. There are plenty of younger guys doing scary stuff in the 10-11 range. You just don't read about it because it's not "newsworthy". It is however worthy of a beer from your buddies. Spend some time at actual climbing areas, not armchairing from the net, and you'll see for yourselves.
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Rudbud
Gym climber
Grover Beach, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:44am PT
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contived 5.11 slab Thats a new one
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Rudbud
Gym climber
Grover Beach, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:50am PT
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Hey Vitaliy
Does head game mean cutting off noob heads when they retrobolt stuff?
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:51am PT
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Burnin' Down the House in the Meadows..runout AND Hard...
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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Jan 29, 2014 - 10:49am PT
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Why is everyone talking about THIS generation? Climbing is not a youthful athletic activity that is discarded once you enter the job market and start a family.....climbing is a lifelong pursuit spanning generations.
Climbing has become segmented, a natural extension of it's huge growth via indoor gyms and the prevalence of sport climbing. That's great but, as i've said before, all paths have merit and no path diminishes the others.
The athlecticisim of Sharma and Ondra is jaw dropping as is the boldness of Honnold. Equally impressive are the feats of alpinists like Steve House and Vince Anderson who spend days on horrendous alpine faces where rescue is out of the question.
In the end what makes climbing a lifetime activity for many is it's individualisim. What matters is the experience YOU are having and not the number attached to it. It matters not if you express climbing via bouldering, the gym, sport climbing, trad, ice, alpine or peak bagging.
I leave for Patagonia tomorrow....a six week respite.
This is a great post. A lot of the "old school" guys posting here should set their egos and dogmatism aside for a few minutes and really think about what JD is saying. Peace.
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bigbird
climber
WA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 10:50am PT
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Bob Scarpelli "Jihad" in the Vedauwoo's,
its "only" 5.11D but repeaters have claimed it in the range of 5.13ish...
Pamela Pack recently repeated it....
it looks epic...
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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tarallo
Trad climber
italy
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Jan 29, 2014 - 01:03pm PT
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10 d flare chimney on hotline....
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 29, 2014 - 01:06pm PT
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Why is everyone talking about THIS generation? Climbing is not a youthful athletic activity that is discarded once you enter the job market and start a family.....climbing is a lifelong pursuit spanning generations.
In the end what makes climbing a lifetime activity for many is it's individualisim. What matters is the experience YOU are having and not the number attached to it.
So than every individual has their own test-pieces.
Other than that there are a few classics that climbers at a moderate level can look up to and achieve, but pros could also be proud of completing. In Yosemite it is the Rostrum and Astroman (for bellow 5.12). Ribbon Candy, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Windchill to Windfall are a few that would be on that list if more people do them and they get popular.
For more advanced climbers test-pieces include free climbing Reg NWF of HD and Freerider on El Cap. For crème of the crop it seems like The Prophet is the free climb to repeat. And I am talking only about Yosemite.
Maybe Levitation 29 or Inti Watana to Resolution arête are the climbs to do in RR (those are the big two I have on my list at least). And Grand Wall in Squamish?
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 29, 2014 - 02:11pm PT
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Testpiece doesn't necessarily or always mean runout or death route IMO, but I think it should be physically, mentally or technically demanding for the grade. Or all 3.
The grand wall at Squamish is a mega classic climb IMO, one of the best around- but not an 11a testpiece as the 11a bits are brief, well protected & straightforward. 5.10- climbers get hauled up there all day on the reg. it's a trade route. A true testpiece should be taken with a grain of sand I'd say & the reputation alone should keep the climbers away for which the grade is within their limit Other signs of a testpiece: moderate grade, easy access, but no info or rarely climbed. Brooding.
Problem is many testpieces are being lost to grade inflation, around here at least. Fight retrograding! Keep the stout ones stout!
A few other Squamish multi pitch testpieces sub 5.12 (for ur list, whenever u come visit Vitaliy).
 squeamishness 5.10+ 4p, Squaw left (regraded @ 11a- 1 move)
liquid gold 5.10+ 4/5p, bulletheads (regraded @ 11a)
Unfinished symphony 5.11- 6/7p, apron
Dancing in the light 5.11- 6p, apron
the Gauntlet 11c 10p, dihedrals
original milk run 10d 4p, lower tantalus wall (regraded @ 11a)
Agonal 11c 3p, Malamute
Others on the radar I haven't done yet
-Alaska hwy 11d 6p, north walls
-tantalus wall 11+ 8p, tantalus wall
-roman chimneys 11a/d 4p, grand wall
pipeline 5.10+ 4p, main Squaw
freeway 11d 11p, dihedrals (heard may be soft for grade so not sure if true testpiece....yet)
Edit- that 11d in the vid above looks like a true testpiece!
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Jan 29, 2014 - 05:24pm PT
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One could say EVERY Scarpelli route is a testpiece
Muscle & fitness anyone ?
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Jan 29, 2014 - 05:37pm PT
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And to the east there's;
@ Seneca Rocks:
Changeling
Spocks Brain
Terra Firma Homesick Blues
@ the Gunks:
Yellow Wall
Creature Feature
Kligsfields Follies
to name just a few...
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Jan 29, 2014 - 06:30pm PT
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I think that people in this thread have many different definitions of "testpiece".
There are routes that are scary, that are insecure or require very specific techniques. I'm going to assume that we are trying to point out routes that are hard for the grade.
But that is a very subjective thing. Personally I find routes with cryptic movement or widely spaced gear to be far harder than steeper routes that require strength.
Hidden Arch is mentioned up thread as a testpiece but I strongly disagree. Sure it's a hard route, but if you just pull a little harder then the crux is short and simple. In my opinion that makes it a fitness climb and a great route, but not a testpiece.
Plenty of test pieces sprinkled throughout ALL the grades, in ALL the styles of climbing, a fact that eludes narrow thinkers.
For me Vahalla is a milestone climb in relation to it's history with the Stonemasters. But as a slab climb I don't think it is a testpiece. Perhaps it is a testpiece for 11a. It has a reasonable amount of bolts and I think people climb it all the time.
The real reason that I don't think these two routes are test pieces is that I didn't have to go above and beyond to climb them.
I would hope that we define testpieces as routes that require us to broaden our skill set, that require some local mojo or straight up cause people to fail, be frightened or back away.
Moreover my definition of testpiece would be a route that I would have to wait to climb, to build up for and have to learn about the local area. But even this definition fits too many climbs.
At least this idea of specificity translates well to crack climbing. The difference in "difficulty" is most easily shown by off-widths and captured well in this quote:
I think, though, that while my generation still thinks of OW's like Twilight Zone and Cream as testpieces, the younger ones may just see them as pointless grunts.
I think that most modern (read younger) climbers don't see the need to be an all around climber. In most places outside Yosemite you have to actively seek out the wide. Why develop OW techniques that will not help with the majority of your climbing. It's sexy to climb 5.12 and that is much more easily done clipping bolts than doing some heinous inversion offwidth.
The same goes for the in between crack sizes which is so easily highlighted at Indian Creek. 5.10 for some will feel nearly impossible for others. Hand size rules all and only those who work at it will understand how that "5.10" could feel easy.
Enough babbel time for more photos!
Luke
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 29, 2014 - 07:00pm PT
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Alien Roof and Hotline are both 5.12 Luke. Photos are disqualified! Please more photos of sexy 5.11s! :)
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Jan 29, 2014 - 07:08pm PT
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 07:08pm PT
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Test pieces force you out of you comfort zone, regardless of the grade.
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Rudbud
Gym climber
Grover Beach, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 08:20pm PT
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this has been covered ad infinitum on other threads, but here goes:
putting up X 5.11 routes, but making 5.12 safe, as WAS the case the 80s, is contrived.
the heroes of yore 'challenged' the grades until the grades were too hard, then suddenly there were a lot more stances to drill bolts.
highball bouldering, sparse gear placements like the Peak District are challenges NOT contrived by the whim of an individual ego.
turns out, NO bolts at all has stood the test of time.
Sounds like more California bullshit to me, but im sure it makes total sense to you. Ive only lived in CA for 4 years so im sure at some point ill be totally gone too.
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Rudbud
Gym climber
Grover Beach, CA
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Jan 29, 2014 - 08:28pm PT
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The power of eating 5.11d, Owl Tor. Definitely a Test piece. It will go on natural gear too, bring your tricams.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jan 29, 2014 - 08:49pm PT
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If 11d is allowed then so should 12a as it is usually much easier!
Good post Luke, is Freeway a testpiece? Shud I be s-s-s-scared??
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Double D
climber
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:18pm PT
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10 d flare chimney on hotline.... ...Amen
Space Babble
Black Primo
Chounard Herbert on Sentinel... oops that's now a bouldering route!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:34pm PT
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Bigbird, listen again, it doesn't sound like that's what she's saying.
I've followed it, [edit, not free! by a long shot! especially the thin, crux]t's amazing, it captures an era, and would likely have a different rating today, but that's not the point she's making....
And muscle & Fitness, I think I did the second ascent, (as well as squat, new maps of hell, third of pretzel logic) def solid for the grade. Bob routes are full value! Though I don't know how squat jumped from .11b ( a sandbag) to .12b ( a little much)!! Once you get the idea of inverting, it's at the .11d / .12a cusp, a bit easier than trench warfare (.12b/c)
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Jan 29, 2014 - 09:41pm PT
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Astroman is softcore. Kids from my high school -- bolt-clippin' prancers -- used to come to the Valley and hike this, no prob. All the time.
Astrodog is another story. That's a sub-5.12 'piece that eats prancers.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Jan 30, 2014 - 12:16am PT
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NO bolts at all has stood the test of time. I tried that one time (albeit onsight). It's way over-rated.
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tarallo
Trad climber
italy
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Jan 30, 2014 - 04:03am PT
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freestone for me is a testpiece. it is intimidating when you look up...
i think astroman is much harder ,more phisical but i love the place...
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bigbird
climber
WA
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Jan 30, 2014 - 04:52am PT
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I've followed it, it's amazing, it captures an era, and would likely have a different rating today,
Please elaborate.... Explain how it "captures" an era? I was not around when this took place, so i'm out of the loop...
Question for the offwidth gurus....
I've been told that basically any offwidth that Bob Scarpelli, Craig Luebben or Jimmy Dunn put up above 5.10 is worthy of testpiece status... Is this true?
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Jan 30, 2014 - 05:23am PT
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the cleft, cookie.
5.9, chuck pratt.
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Jan 30, 2014 - 01:20pm PT
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I think StahlBro nailed it:
Test pieces force you out of you comfort zone, regardless of the grade.
This means that a testpiece for some could be easy for others. This makes a lot of sense, but doesn't help us come up with a list.
Per a comment above Freestone is a route I've been nervous about getting on. Hard to say more until I've climbed it.
If you are looking for test pieces in Red Rocks I would say that WML hints at some good ones.
Adventure Punks, Drifting, Rock Warrior. All should provide some excitement.
Levitation is pretty awesome but would only qualify as a testpiece in my mind if you did the whole route on gear. No bolt clipping at all. That would be a good show and way scary!
Ryan,
I'd say that Freeway is not really a testpiece. It's not as intimidating as Astro-man (IMO).
I would say something like Cerberus would more fit my definition of a testpiece for Squamish. It's something that I would need to spend some time working up to. A bunch of the slabs you listed above also sound pretty damn exciting. I'm hoping to be up your way in September if things work out.
With Freeway I just went for it with a solid partner and wasn't really concerned about getting hurt. The pitches are pretty stacked but everything is safe and goes down easy with an extra helping of try hard.
Luke
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Jan 30, 2014 - 01:43pm PT
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Damn Luke, that photo of Harding slot makes it look VERY intimidating…
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jan 30, 2014 - 02:43pm PT
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Luke, thanks for your comments regarding the relevance of OW skills. Having "grown up" being very YV-centric in the days of pitons, I needed OW technique good enough to lead with poor or no protection to do many of the most appealing lines and climbs. Modern technique and equipment, as well as the much greater geographic range of American climbing, make the necessity of OW technique far from universal now.
I also think you hit the nail on the head for defining a "testpiece." Thanks again for sharing your insight.
John
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Jan 30, 2014 - 03:13pm PT
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Here's a photo of a Taylor Canyon, Gunnison - used-to-be test piece - the deceptibly flaring trough that even though it looks like a crack from the bottom, you pretty much have to face climb on the outside of the flare and put small stuff in the back to protect - Whiskey Crack 5.10d - Nowadays younguns probably wouldn't think of it as a testpiece (as you can see, the pic even shows a "girl" climbing it, please, I'm kidding).
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 30, 2014 - 05:41pm PT
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I thought Desert Song in JT was stout at the time.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Jan 30, 2014 - 05:46pm PT
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Agent Orange @ the New
The Oddessy @ Looking Glass
The Prow @ Cathedral Ledge
.....
I know there's more than a few here from the right coast. This thread is a little left centric. Let's even it out people.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 30, 2014 - 06:45pm PT
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Has anybody here actually done Entrance Exam at Arch Rock? My guess is I'd have to call it stout 5.11. Done pretty much everything at Arch and EE was the only thing I thought I might die on. Then there's P2 of Reed's. Those were different times.
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lucander
Trad climber
Shawangunks, New York
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Jan 30, 2014 - 07:42pm PT
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Leaving mountains out of it, focus on crags - here's choice of eleven (get it, less than .12)
Yellow Wall (.11), Gunks
El Matador (.10+), Devil's Tower
Grand Wall (.11-), Squamish
Magic Carpet Ride (.11), Squamish
Leave it to Jesus (.11), New River Gorge
Vertigo (.9), Cannon
Intimidation (.10), Cathedral Ledge
Modern Times (.8), Gunks
Tits and Beer (.9), Looking Glass
Great White Way (.8), Stone Mountain
Figures on a Landscape (.10), Jtree
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Jan 30, 2014 - 07:51pm PT
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I didn't plan on posting to this thread, but then, while reading some posts...bam!...The Flakes, 5.10+, in the Black Canyon. Sub-5.11 even. The pitch that scares them away is an unprotected, 5.9 bombay chimney. It's an adventure climb.
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Johannsolo
climber
Soul Cal
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Jan 30, 2014 - 09:35pm PT
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Anything harder than 11c at Suicide.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 30, 2014 - 09:42pm PT
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No sh#t man. Suicide is way oldschool. +1.
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Dingus McGee
Social climber
Laramie
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Jan 30, 2014 - 10:08pm PT
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...and 5.14 relatively commonplace to whom? Must be hundreds of climbers on this site that just crank 14's off? And they would have the answer.
For you [5.14 climbers only] which sub 5.12's are a must for you to do? You know to test yourself against what what was done decades ago.
Donini,
I think you are trying to pitch that soft ball in the wrong stadium?
"We don't do no stinkin test pieces; we wrk R projects."
And from another side: The Lander Climbing Guide by Steve Bechtel boasts of 111 climbs at 5.13. Go there and you will find no one on them. Climbers of this level must be working the 15's or seeking the famed testpieces?
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 01:53pm PT
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As far as RR testpieces, again, testpiece is relative. Levitation is definitely considered to be one, although the hardmen all babble and detest the bolts, as they clip them. Routes like Adventure Punks and the hardman sh!t up on the Challenger and Jetstream Walls are supposed to be warm-weather testpieces here. Cloud Tower another testpiece for 11+. Desert Reality is a cool roof for 11+.
I've only climbed Levitation of that bunch, but hopefully at least Cloud Tower will go down for me this spring. Maybe pay a visit to Desert Reality if I can get my core strength to "burl dawg" level.
Have not yet done Levitation or Cloud Tower. However, in the last month or so I have been on Adventure Punks, Drifting, and Jupiter 2, which are all out at Jet Stream and Challenger.
I would not call Adventure Punks a testpiece at all, except possibly for the OW pitch 5 (though not really a true OW like you get in Yosemite). Besides that, it's very moderate. Really really excellent rotue, though. Disclaimer: We did not have time to do pitch #5. Another party was above us, and we ended up running out of daylight. I guess if you're a newish 5.10 leader, then it could test you. But not in that "mental control, keep it together or you might get whacked" sort of way.
Drifting is a much more testy, but bolts or solid gear protect all the hard moves very nicely. So, that one is testing of physical skill, with a variety of different / hard crux moves.
Jupiter 2... This one could possibly qualify as a test solely because of pitch #2 which was crazy hard (and felt like an absolute sandbag at 11c) and rebuffed us severely.
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 01:58pm PT
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WTF
climber
Jan 30, 2014 - 12:15pm PT
Imaginary Voyage. Donner Summit.
^^^^^^^+1..
Seldom done in completion. The only route at Donner i ever lusted for and did in fine style. GOOD call. A Hudon/Jones vision..
About 15+ years ago we did the whole thing. I led every pitch. The memories have faded, but what I do recall best was struggling badly with (I think) pitch #1 which was a left angling thin hands splitter that was way harder than it looked.
Every other pitch I managed to onsight. One of them, I recall possibly as, a roof (possibly with splitter crack?) that ends abruptly with a jug over the lip. I remember reaching for the jug and snagging it just as my feet cut off. It's entirely possible that the rope came tight slightly to keep me from swinging outward too much.
Anyway, at that point, I did a one arm pullup for the first and only time while actually climbing, as the fastest solution to what was going on. Never before, and never since (not that I can do one anymore) was that the solution to anything.
I can't even remember the names and grades of all the individual pitches anymore, but IIRC they are all roughly 5.11b/c?
Can you fill in the gaps in my memory?
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:04pm PT
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Yes, it was headstone that was the ass kicker. The belay for it is a huge flat area, yes? I think I remember now.
And, I guess sky pilot was the roof?
MP.com rates both those pitches as 11+?
Grade creep? At the time I had the old yellow tahoe guide and I think headstone got 11b/c and sky pilot 11b?
Those grades seemed right on at the time, even with being bouted by headstone. Nostalgia is fun. Also, a lot easier than getting back out there!
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:10pm PT
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I didn't think levitation was very hard. It had a couple of hard moves but all in all after the third it's a cruiser for those who climb 5.11.
I thought the crux was the walk off. Talk about a long long long long descent.
The approach and walk off are the things that will probably keep me from ever doing it. I have an arthritic hip that sort of needs replacing. When it gets fatigued, I stumble and am prone to falling down (especially if any boulder hopping is involved) and move pretty slowly.
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fosburg
climber
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:38pm PT
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Did anyone mention Stoned Oven in the Black Canyon? I will buy anyone beers who onsighted that crux 5.11 pitch (Tim Wagner did and described it as, "like the Endurance Corner without footholds...).
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:40pm PT
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Automatic D/Q!
Everything rated 5.11 at the Black is a test-piece.
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:41pm PT
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Thanks to all.
Man, I miss Tahoe. That's where I learned to climb and consider myself very fortunate. It made me pretty well rounded with all the different rock types and styles.
I think about moving back all the time. Probably won't happen, though.
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KabalaArch
Trad climber
Starlite, California
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Jan 31, 2014 - 03:48pm PT
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How about The Token or Ribbon Candy.
How many ascents of The Token?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 31, 2014 - 05:47pm PT
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I can't wait to do some of these test pieces!
Especially Jihad....
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Dingus McGee
Social climber
Laramie
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Jan 31, 2014 - 06:01pm PT
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Testpieces?
By the abundance of these examples I gather they must be to each climber like noticing tits on a girl is to a guy. Every climbing formation has 2.
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा
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Jan 31, 2014 - 06:49pm PT
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Jan 28, 2014 - 11:22pm PT
As others have said, there are deadly challenges at all grades in the natural settings and here is the stuff with which we really should be fascinated.
snow in birmingham, all hell breaks loose in the flatlands.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jan 31, 2014 - 07:11pm PT
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Hercules - Josh - fingers, hands
Hidden Arch - Josh - stemming, thin crack
Wet Dreams- Suicide - crack, tricky strenuous pod
Green Arch - Tahquitz - stemming, thin crack, face
Pipe Dreams - Dome Rock - steep slab
Liquid Sky - The Needles - runout steep slab
Ankles Away - The Needles - stemming to long thin crack
Insomnia - Suicide - perfect crack
Bendix Claws - Josh - tricky face to fingers
All sub 5.12. All fairly testy, some more than others...
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Jan 31, 2014 - 08:29pm PT
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bjj
Come on back out to the summit just let us know and we will do the IV again.
This time we will do it top down. ;)
Thanks, man. Maybe one day...
Funny, I've always thought about doing a top down toprope of the B/Y. Just spend the day lazily rapping and tr'ing every pitch, to see what all the hoopla is about.
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Della
Trad climber
Salt Lake City
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What about Pervertical Sanctuary on the Diamond? Or even "the Casual Route," for many climbers, though clearly not for Charlie Fowler.
Another possibility: Jules Verne in Eldorado. I remember a climbing video about that one when I first started trad climbing...
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cornel
climber
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
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Hercules at Josh, Turbo Flange at Tacquitz and many 5.11 cracks in the Valley..
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poneil82
climber
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Feb 10, 2014 - 06:24pm PT
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Great thread!!
I started climbing in 2010 and I'm pushing into .11s on gear in the Valley. That frame of reference established, if I had to choose one or the other, between climbing First Round First Minute or the Bachar-Yerian, hands down my choice is the B-Y.
Mental testpieces are what climbing is all about in my opinion!
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2014 - 07:51pm PT
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Did anyone mention Stoned Oven in the Black Canyon? I will buy anyone beers who onsighted that crux 5.11 pitch (Tim Wagner did and described it as, "like the Endurance Corner without footholds...).
I got so close to getting it but ran out of gas towards the end of the pitch on my only ascent in 1991. What a pitch! The rest of the 5.11 pitches were trivial in comparison. I really wanted that one...
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Feb 10, 2014 - 08:32pm PT
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Damn, I gotta get on that!
Enduro is my thing…maybe I can get some beers off fosburg.
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nah000
climber
canuckistan
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Feb 10, 2014 - 11:05pm PT
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most climbers know about the testpiece nature of just about any route rated 5.9 a2 in the canadian rockies. but there are also the sub 5.12 "cragging" testpieces that have withstood the test of time and are still proud notches on any climbers belt. most of the following climbs are in the 2-400m range:
from lauchlan/keller in the cmc valley:
the maker, 10c/r, 1977
on yam, the cheesmond/gross/quinn trilogy:
the heat is on, 10b/x, 1985
brown trousers, 10d/r, 1985
the wild boys, 10d/x, 1985
on yam, from demiao/marshall and other 80s era hardmen/nutjobs:
astro yam, 11c/r, 1986
above and beyond, 11c/a0, 1986
and if a person finds all of these boring, they can move onto the shrouded in myth and afaik still unrepeated demaio/marshall route on the north face of windtower:
iron butterfly, 11a/a4, 1988
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Feb 11, 2014 - 02:57am PT
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what route is 11d, but absolutely could not get any more difficult?
what the face climb left of Gold Dust and Heathenistic? That used to be easy-ish on TR, and almost lead it, but something has broken on it. Could be stout now?
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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Feb 11, 2014 - 09:00am PT
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^^^^
29 Palms
Budapest
Kligfield's Follies
All qualify for 11d+++
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fosburg
climber
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Feb 11, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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I thought of another really good one, the 11+ finger crack of Tipping the Bottle on Bottleneck Peak. Step right up, 5.12 sport climbers...
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Feb 12, 2014 - 01:22am PT
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Moratorium still has a vibe to it.
I remember someone crowing about how they were gonna
link it up w/ east Buttress iad.
Thank god it rained, or didn't rain etc etc that day,
and nothing was spoken anymore.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Feb 12, 2014 - 02:33am PT
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Well…….maybe I was just having a bad day but Orangutang Arch (11b?) kicked my ass when I was at my fittest. Just pathetic.
Couldn't get off the ground on Human Sacrifice.
Huge and Choice 11c-d Josh
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weezy
climber
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Feb 12, 2014 - 03:25am PT
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Liquid Sky, North Six Shooter
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fosburg
climber
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Feb 12, 2014 - 10:10am PT
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Does Liquid Sky get done much? Jaybro? I loved reading Jeff Achey's description of that route, how the Harding Slot is way roomy in comparison.
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Feb 12, 2014 - 11:37am PT
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BJJ, you and I both....wish I could move back to Reno...
Also, headstone is HARD lol. Only pitch of the imaginary voyage I have done, but got spanked on it.
You live over here near Red Rock somewhere, don't you? I thought I remember a thread from a while back where that came up.
We should try and get out there together sometime. I'm on layoff right now, my left elbow started acting up from over doing it too soon after my return to climbing after a 10 year hiatus. I've been sidelined the last 3 weeks. Hoping to have it sorted before another month passes.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Feb 12, 2014 - 11:50am PT
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The Pat Adams dihedral in JT felt like 5.11++++
I think it's rated 11b. Of course placing gear is probably the crux.
Crux of Hercules is carrying enough Epi pens or a beekeeper helmet and smoker.
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Feb 12, 2014 - 02:06pm PT
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^^^ I hear ya.
Last year, I had this problem with my right elbow. Took 6 weeks off and hit the rehab super hard and fixed it right up. But, I neglected to do the same exercises on my left side because it was fine at the time. I guess that was a mistake.
Mine is on the inside. It's getting better. I only really feel it when loading the arm in a palm up position. Some days, it doesn't hurt at all.
I've been going to town with the armaid device, plus tons of the resistance exercises that PT's recommend.
Kind of a drag as I was starting to flirt with climbing 5.12 again a few months back. Then the pain started creeping in, and I didn't slow down quick enough. Blargh.
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bigbird
climber
WA
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Feb 13, 2014 - 01:01am PT
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Anything on Troll wall.....
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 10, 2014 - 09:49pm PT
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Generator Crack Yosemite
Twilight Zone Yosemite
Cream Yosemite
Throbbing Gristle JTree
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WBraun
climber
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May 10, 2014 - 09:58pm PT
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Realm of the Lizard King lower Lost Brother.
This one will make you cry like a little girl ......
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Sanskara
climber
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May 10, 2014 - 10:47pm PT
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Awesome thread,...
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Yes awesome....
some 5.10???
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brotherbbock
climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Flower of a High Rank at Suicide.
I call that one my gym climber test piece. Dudes that climb 5.12 in the gym can't even make it up this 5.9.
I think we may be delving into the realm of sandbags...
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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I've taken a couple of young guys who were pretty solid on 5.12 sport out to Moonstone near here onto the 5.9/10a friction routes and after the first pitch of the day, they both refused to do any leading. It really freaked them out.
Whole different thing...head game, yes, but that's big part of it all, not just cranking.
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Larry Nelson
Social climber
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Hey, it's gravity, the same in the gym as in the wild. Right?!! Right?!! Haha.
Good points about getting strong in the gym, but then finding that the variables and uncertainties of trad climbing expose one's inexperience.
I always viewed trad as much mental as physical. Those old guys, before sticky rubber and cams? Whoa, those guys were mighty impressive.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 10, 2017 - 09:03am PT
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Gorilla Warfare...
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Feb 10, 2017 - 09:29am PT
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Linking 'GREEN DRAGON'WITH 'MR NATURAL'
Then, from the Near Trapps in the Gunks;
a test piece and a heady lead, 'Lost World Direct' ( just left of center, right of the trees )
The line climbs thru the tiers on the left till the original, snivels,20 feet left to end at the tree - it is very good 'G' rated way to go - The Direct, I went straight up at the spot where the line of lichen Is cleaned back to a straight line. . . .far-more 'R' than going left, if you blow the crux double hand slap & mantle, the ride sends you almost glancing off the slab below.
"Raise high, your feet! if you blow off the meat!"
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Mike Honcho
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2017 - 01:13pm PT
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I can't scroll the whole thread, but Magnolia Thunder Pussy 5.9+ at Granite Mountain, AZ??? That is the most 5.12 5.9 in the US.... IMO
~Caylor
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 10, 2017 - 01:26pm PT
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Tar and Feathers.
Race with the Devil.
(Suicide Rock)
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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Feb 10, 2017 - 04:10pm PT
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anyone rep the second part of the book of deception?
5.11++
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:10pm PT
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:36pm PT
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Peaches and Cream (.11+ - Jimmy Dunn), at Lumpy Ridge, Colorado. I failed to send on my only attempt in 1989? Crack of Fear feels like 5 grades easier.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Feb 10, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
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Fun thread. Thanks.
Got a kick out of Granite Mountain being mentioned.
Yeah, placing gear at the edge or having no gear to place is different than cranking bolt to bolt.
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 10, 2017 - 06:26pm PT
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all time, full body, full value. (and a Donini favorite)
best little route ever!
its not rated that hard but...ninja skills required
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Feb 10, 2017 - 06:30pm PT
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Hey, I just read Chief's post about Orangutan Arch. Turns out, that was the very first 5.11 that I ever did in the Valley (probably 1975). I remember referring to it as the reverse traverse.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 10, 2017 - 07:44pm PT
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Anybody mention Insomnia?
It's not really all that hard, but I've seen a lot of good climbers get hosed on it...
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:24am PT
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Most of the old school 5.10+ and 5.11 routes at Tahquitz and Suicide are still pretty stout. They feature climbing styles that no longer popular or practiced much (crimps from hell), often have moderate to longish runouts, and the pro is rarely situated so a leader can hang in the middle of a crux bit and session the moves. Move the rating up to 5.12 and the list of routes (mostly by Darryl H.) gets formidable indeed. I'd wager that the 5.12s at Suicide see less traffic than about any other routes of that grad in So Cal. But that might have to do with the area seeing so little traffic from leading sport climbers. And as Kris mentioned, Tar and Feathers has to be one of the hardest 5.11s in Tranation. Back before cams, you didn't fall off that one or you risked ripping the whole lead.
JL
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Vlad Pricker
Mountain climber
Alaska West
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:40am PT
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From January 28 2014, from the OP Donini
climbing remains an exercise in starting at the bottom of a cliff or mountain and thru cunning, skill and guts finding your way to the top. Aesthetics and style become equally as important as sheer difficulty.
Climbing has become segmented....so be it. For many pure athleticisim with preplaced gear is the way, others might prefer a different challange.....to each their own, no path is better than the other.
I couldn't agree more. If I got my butt up a 5.12 nowadays, leading, wow, but it ain't gonna happen. Neither is M9 or the North Face of Nanga Parbat.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Feb 11, 2017 - 10:55am PT
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Do 'museum' routes qualify as 'testpieces'?
I'd second most of what Largo says, and nominate obscurities such as The Hangover and Flying Circus on Tahquitz.
Seldom done, at least…
(What about all those Tahquitz and Suicide routes that have seen 'ratings creep' over the ensuing years?!)
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Feb 11, 2017 - 11:27am PT
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Crosstown traffic, Purple Haze, Under the bigtop, Blue wind all at The Leap. Carls gym at Donner, man who fell to earth and second pitch of blue velvet at Sugarloaf. Lotsa good Will Cotrell testers there. Fat Merchant Crack.....
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Feb 11, 2017 - 11:45am PT
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TwistedCrank
“I was told there would be no math on this test piece.”
Hah hah that is funny. Good humour always makes for a fun thread.
StahlBro
“Test pieces force you out of you comfort zone, regardless of the grade.”
Yep. Back when I could, I used to lead 5.11 okay. Last year I was FOLLOWING Street Fighter (HVS, about 5.8+/5.9-) in Dalkey Quarry, I was gripped.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 11, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
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Do 'museum' routes qualify as 'testpieces'?
How about Black Harlot's Layaway and it's neighbor with the shared start The Reach. I went up there with EE once. That long armed mutant could tag these holds that I couldn't reach to save my life.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 11, 2017 - 09:34pm PT
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Bump for Ron Carson's routes at Dome Rock. F'ing power slabs. Most of them are .12, but a couple are .11's, and every bit of it.
Carson-ogenic
Skid Row
Yaniro got in on the action too with Pipe Dreams:
It might not look like much but...
This is a cool thread.
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Oso Flaco
Gym climber
Atascadero, CA
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Feb 12, 2017 - 02:22pm PT
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When I think testpiece, I think of routes that are testpieces for their grade. So I guess calling them sandbags could work too. I also think testpiece routes carry a heavier mental challenge than their peers. I haven't climbed many, or any for that matter, but here are some routes that were or are personal testpieces:
Of these I would say that Sacherer Cracker & Final Exam felt the most like testpiece routes.
5.7: South Face of North Dome (Yosemite, nails harder than Snake Dike or Royal Arches, both at same grade) stout 1950s route with lots of liebacking and runout slab, not a single piece of fixed gear to be found (saw one chopped belay bolt in sustained lieback pitches toward end).
5.8: Trial By Fire (in Yosemite, Royal Arches area) low angle wide flare looks easy from ground then eats you alive
5.8:P-Wall Direct (R) (at Bishop Peak, CA) sparse, marginal gear on seldom-traveled, lichen-strewn dacite to the first bolt 20m up. Then again to the anchor at 45m.
5.9: NEB, Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock (Yosemite) full-value wide sections
Steck-Salathe (Yosemite) very long route that has its way of slowing you down
5.10a: Sacherer Cracker (Yosemite, El Capitan base) polished, pumpy liebacking and crack climbing to an even smoother OW finale.
5.10a: Out of Hangers (5.10aR, Bishop Peak, CA) technical, runout face climbing up a blunt arête for 50m.
5.10b: The Pancake Flake & Skull Queen p11 (Yosemite) both offering mind-bending views from sustained layaways
5.10c: Generator Crack (Yosemite) 'nuff said
5.10d: The Final Exam (base of Half Dome, Yosemite) groveling up a very sustained fist/OW crack for 40m, crux may be conserving all those #3s and 4s you brought up the death slabs with you. You did bring those right?
5.10d: p2 of OZ (Tuolumne) exposed, technical, face climbing with sloping knobs for feet
5.11a: Humps (5.11aX, Bishop Peak, CA) Thin, balancy, face-climbing. Failing at the crux sends you for some air-time. The hard bit is cryptic. I'd love to see someone onsight it then ask them what grade they think it is.
5.11b: The Moratorium p3 (Yosemite) thin, polished lieback, pods in the lieback seep wetness
5.11c: Enduro Corner (on Astroman, Yosemite) just hanging in there on the long section of 0.75
5.11d: Desperado (at Pat & Jack Pinnacle, Yosemite) this route kinda throws the kit & caboodle atcha. Start in chimney behind flake and move sideway over a stalagmite that promises to impale (with no pro), improbable arête moves to gain the opposite side of the flake, thin face with well-spaced bolts, awkward transfer to adjacent cliff face, sporty liebacking, underclinging, mantel over roof, victory jugs up patina to finish
Question from Mungeclimber earlier in thread:
what route is 11d, but absolutely could not get any more difficult?
what the face climb left of Gold Dust and Heathenistic? That used to be easy-ish on TR, and almost lead it, but something has broken on it. Could be stout now?
I think that one is called New Wave (5.11d). Excellent face climb.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Feb 12, 2017 - 02:50pm PT
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^ ^ ^ ^awsome ! Max-beta, Bata -Max!'mm ! Well that makes this gem of. Thread a real Dimond.
This is a picture from the Gunks, a place where once, you could drive to within a 1/4 mile
Across the talus, to The Sun-bowl, looking up past the Sinus at Marooned up, center right.
( I've no idea which , 'Right' Double or some such?)
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 12, 2017 - 04:47pm PT
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awesome pics guys!!! +1 on that Desperado!
what about that crack a go go? 11c
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Oso Flaco
Gym climber
Atascadero, CA
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Feb 13, 2017 - 08:52am PT
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Nice work on Desperado, Dan. One of my favs. Looks like it got bumped to 12a in the new "750 Best" guide.
Sweet photo; unique rest stance. I've yet to climb that Crack-A-Go-Go; it looks great. I'll give it Go-Go this year.
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Friend
climber
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Feb 13, 2017 - 09:56am PT
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Driving South 5.11d by John Bachar. 5 star finger crack problem.
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Feb 15, 2017 - 02:22pm PT
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Any "11+" in NH...Prow 11+...right Possessed..uh...Shadowline
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:22pm PT
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+1 on Desperado.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
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I was gonna say Mr. Clean 5.11 at Devils Tower Sustained 1" crack.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
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This is a photo of my friend Katie.... She asked me how to become a rock climber after she had done a few climbs.
I told her to go to the Valley for 30 days, climb as much as she could... by the end of that month she had swing leads on Nutcracker and had done Snake Dike- camp4 to camp4 in a day.
A few weeks later..... we were in TM and I told her... lets go climb this,, its only 5.6,,, but it will let you know if you want it... to become a real rockclimber.
She stood there for a long while... and she went for it... and of course she made it.
Thats a TEST PIECE
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:37pm PT
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When I think testpiece, I think of routes that are testpieces for their grade. So I guess calling them sandbags could work too. I also think testpiece routes carry a heavier mental challenge than their peers.
A perfect description for anything Ron Carson put up.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:42pm PT
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Great photo of Ron. And yes, that does look like not much. Amazing to look so casual when he's one of a few that can even get there.
I'm happy to see climbs that I have gotten to the top of, and saddened by the ones I haven't (but not without trying!).
I remember Warbler telling a story about his first outing with the Bird on the Left Side of the Remnant. Now that scared me away!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 15, 2017 - 04:50pm PT
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Great photo of Ron.
If you're referring to my post, that's not Ron. He wouldn't have stood round long enough to get the camera focused.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 16, 2017 - 02:19pm PT
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Carson Kodas is a testpiece at it's grade for sure. Ron Carson and Vaino Kodas working together is either a dream or a nightmare depending on your point of view.
I never thought about cutting your rope up there, but if you fall off the left side of the arete (don't friggin' do that) I suspect all bets would be off.
It's one of the best short rock climbs I've ever done. Perfect rock, spectacular setting and exposure, wild and heady...
I proved my singular lack of common sense by doing it several times. As I said on the SP comments I also backed off it more than once when I wasn't feeling the love or it was hot. It's in a bit of a reflector oven so it it can be very pleasant down below and cooking hot on the route.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 16, 2017 - 04:46pm PT
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This is a testpiece.... Seam Stress 12c .... and Kris was a stand up guy and put in a retro bolt just to keep the rest of us off of the deck.
I wonder if this even gets done anymore.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Feb 16, 2017 - 04:54pm PT
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- Jules Verne to Lene's Dream to the Naked Edge, Eldo. It's 'only' 5.11b/c ;-)
Terrorvision, The Needles. 'Only' 5.11 and only 1 pitch ;-)
Primrose Dihedrals, Moses, Canyonlands, 5.11c/d. Pretty good tower value.
Don Juan Wall or Atlantis, The Needles, 5.11b/c. Awesome routes, sustained.
Middle Age Crazy, Josh, 5.11c. Will keep your attention, have only followed this.
Smith-Crawford Route, Middle Cathedral, 5.11d. Filled my shorts after the first 5 or 6 pitches, didn't even do the crux...
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 16, 2017 - 09:36pm PT
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Middle Age Crazy, Josh, 5.11c. Will keep your attention, have only followed this.
That route is the real deal. Very exciting.
Terrorvision is two pitches unless you have a 100+M rope.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Feb 17, 2017 - 10:28am PT
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Uncle Fanny 5.7
You sir are barred from this discussion.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 17, 2017 - 11:29am PT
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Kingtut.... I think "one Mans testpiece is another mans death route"
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renzo
Trad climber
Whitefish Mt
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Feb 18, 2017 - 09:39am PT
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I think Aerial Book on Rincon Wall in Eldo would fit in the sub .12 club. I just remember putting in a whole bunch of Crack n' Ups to protect it back in the 70's.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 18, 2017 - 11:53am PT
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Those Crack 'n Ups were pretty good in the right places. For the longest time there was one fixed on P1 of Peg Leg/Ankles Away at the CA Needles. Then one time I went over to run that rig and it was gone. Changed things up a little bit.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 18, 2017 - 02:59pm PT
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Was just wondering if someone had mentioned the Naked Edge - glad to see it make it into the conversation.
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Feb 18, 2017 - 03:18pm PT
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Kodas/Carson is wicked good,,,semi-serious and hard...a sweet route. We did it after a session in JT and it was full value.
I'll chime in Autobahn..11C...not sure about that...long runs, hard climbing and perfect stone...YES
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Feb 18, 2017 - 03:23pm PT
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This one is fun in EB's.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Feb 18, 2017 - 06:38pm PT
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Mike Waugh has done the Bachar Yerian 5 times without a fall, anyone else?
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Jon Clark
climber
philadelphia
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Feb 18, 2017 - 08:40pm PT
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 18, 2017 - 09:29pm PT
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malachi
climber
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Feb 22, 2017 - 11:43am PT
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I vote for The Meltdown on Pywiak. I still get the shakes thinking about it.
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malachi
climber
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Feb 22, 2017 - 11:47am PT
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Oh... and on the East Coast I nominate Repo Man (Cathedral) and Dol Guldur (Connecticut). The former is for f*#king real.
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Teo
Social climber
CA
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Feb 22, 2017 - 12:50pm PT
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Hollow flake (Salathe, 5.9) anyone? No pitch has ever crushed me so thoroughly as my first time through, leaving I think 8 fingers bleeding from under my fingernails, had to take a rest day on el cap spire...
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Feb 22, 2017 - 01:37pm PT
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If you're referring to my post, that's not Ron.
D'Oh!
Had I looked for another few secs, I woulda/shoulda known. While I never met RonC, I do know he's blonde...
So who is that, looking so casual?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 22, 2017 - 02:55pm PT
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Our very own KSolem. Probably me belaying and Guyzo or Laeger taking photos.
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CAC
Gym climber
Clairemont
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Feb 22, 2017 - 03:51pm PT
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Those Crack 'n Ups were pretty good in the right places. For the longest time there was one fixed on P1 of Peg Leg/Ankles Away at the CA Needles. Then one time I went over to run that rig and it was gone. Changed things up a little bit.
I observed it disappear... Maybe 10 years ago Dave Sorric led the route and of course clipped the 'Up, which was placed pretty low on the route. If it holds, it keeps you off the deck.
His follower unclipped the draw and the 'Up just fell out of the crack... With no way to reset it, the piece became a souvenir from a bygone era...
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Feb 22, 2017 - 07:26pm PT
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Feb 22, 2017 - 07:44pm PT
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Welcome to Dome Rock
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Feb 22, 2017 - 08:50pm PT
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FOOPS 5.11
I wanted to switch that shot before someone with real photographic chops chimed in
Oh well. . .m. Fixed it though.
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Urmas
Social climber
Sierra Eastside
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Feb 22, 2017 - 08:57pm PT
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Dan, thanks for posting that shot of Chingando. This is a perfect example of a climb that feels harder than it's rating, only because OW feels so insecure, even when you are doing it properly. Most offwidths feel like testpieces. When I led it, I was onsighting 5.11 cracks all over the Valley, but I thought I was going to die!
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Dan McDevitt
Trad climber
yosemite
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Feb 22, 2017 - 09:24pm PT
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Urmas! funny. thats how i felt on it last year. true wrestlin' match.
good as it gets bud!!!
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Feb 23, 2017 - 05:17pm PT
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I flamed on She's the Bosch at the city. The holds were big but it was steep and sustained. Bicep beach for sure.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Feb 23, 2017 - 09:53pm PT
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I tried Chingando a couple of times in the 70's , and got a terrible beat-down both times. I never did get up the thing. There came a time in the 80's when I could hold my own on Off-Width, but I never did go back to Chingando. My relationship with that climb is sort of like an abusive domestic relationship where I was the one getting thumped. Once I broke free, I went into hiding, never to return! I was so scared of Chingando I wore a disguise every time I went to Reed's. I wore a dress and a wig and used make-up when I went to do Goldrush.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Feb 24, 2017 - 06:13am PT
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The only things I remember about Chingando is that it was led out at the end and there is a section that has weird nubbins on the outside. Seems like I did offer some blood to the god Chingando.
Cool pic above. Does seem tilted a bit.
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Jkruse
Trad climber
Las Cruces, NM
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Feb 24, 2017 - 09:22am PT
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Not all that hard, but it has a reputation around here and is a sandbag for the grade. Great exposure, beautiful rock, and guaranteed 30-40ft cheese grater falls if you blow it. Pitch 2 on Tooth Or Consequences in the Organ Mountains.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 17, 2018 - 10:05am PT
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Bump for climbing content.
^^^BVB quote from above. Classsic!
My relationship with that climb is sort of like an abusive domestic relationship where I was the one getting thumped. Once I broke free, I went into hiding, never to return! I was so scared of Chingando I wore a disguise every time I went to Reed's. I wore a dress and a wig and used make-up when I went to do Goldrush.
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mynameismud
climber
backseat
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Feb 17, 2018 - 10:35am PT
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The Affliction, Higher Cathedral Rock
Mother Earth, Middle Cathedral Rock
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Feb 17, 2018 - 10:36am PT
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On the front range...many climbs at Vedauwoo. Do an 11 there and you are psyched. Many in Eldo. Center Route, Climb of the Century, 2nd Pitch Pony Express. D7 on the Diamond and Yellow Wall. Diagonal Direct. The list goes on....Interesting topic. All that I've been thinking are well protected but require a skill set that requires lots of experience in many techniques all wrapped up in 80-100ft pitches.... or just some crazy gift in athleticism.
S...
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Mike Honcho
Trad climber
Glenwood Springs, CO
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Feb 17, 2018 - 11:22am PT
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Orange Blossom Special, 5.9 and terrifying. Stone Mountain, NC
Magnolia Thunderpussy, 5.9 Granite Mountain, AZ (it seemed really freakin' hard)
Horns Mother, 5.11 Veadawoo, WY
Pretty sure "The Harding Slot" on Astroman is 12b as well
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Ropeboy
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Feb 17, 2018 - 11:48am PT
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Chingando. In February 1972, without a partner for the day, I was rigging an anchor at the top of Chingando so I could climb it with a jumar as my protection. A climber came up the crack towards me unroped. It was Mark Klemens with a cast on his left ankle. He did not seem to have any difficulty and told me he just wanted to climb something he could still do without full use of his left foot. You remember stuff like this.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Feb 18, 2018 - 07:17am PT
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The older I get, the more testpieces there are.
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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Feb 18, 2018 - 09:17am PT
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Perilous Journey and perhaps the Wisdom/Lene's Dream in Boulder, or are people hiking those before breakfast these days? Been a while since I was in Boulder.
Hairypin, Superpin, and Freak's Fright in the SD Needles at 5.10 and Trojan Determination at 5.8+? Vertigo at 5.11?
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A-Train
climber
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Feb 18, 2018 - 10:03am PT
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"Perilous Journey and perhaps the Wisdom/Lene's Dream in Boulder, or are people hiking those before breakfast these days? Been a while since I was in Boulder."
Both still proud and rarely repeated. The Wisdom to Green Willow Wall to Lene's Dream to the Naked Edge is sub-5.12 and has only been led a couple times. And that is in the uber-hard world of Boulder 5.14 superstars.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Feb 18, 2018 - 07:15pm PT
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Mr. Clean at 11a and El Matador at 10d at devils tower comes to mind.
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Fogarty
climber
BITD
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Feb 18, 2018 - 07:33pm PT
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Burning Down The House 5.11c X
Any second on this?
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Feb 28, 2018 - 09:26am PT
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Donini's Crack (5.10C) at City of Rocks. I onsighted Gemini (5.12a) on Bath Rock immediately before getting on Donini's Crack. I managed to pull the roof first try, but it was much harder than the 5.12 right next to it
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Feb 28, 2018 - 01:09pm PT
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How 'bout The Hangover on Tahquitz? 🤡
It was rated 'hard 5.11' or (maybe) 5.12 back in 1978. Some are claiming it 13a now…
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Feb 28, 2018 - 08:49pm PT
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Should sandbagged ratings even count? I think there is a George (?) Lowe route at City of Rocks that for many years was rated 5.9. Most consider it solid 5.11 and runout. No thank you!
BAd
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Sep 20, 2018 - 01:20pm PT
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Bump.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 20, 2018 - 02:09pm PT
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Tune Up in Tuolumne is only 10b but is rarely done. You most likely would not die on it if you fell. Most likely...
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 20, 2018 - 02:49pm PT
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Bad, what _ _ _ Lowe route isn’t ‘bagged’? Not necessarily on purpose,
they just had no clue! 😉
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Sep 20, 2018 - 03:11pm PT
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When you get my age you change the name from testpieces to failpieces
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 21, 2018 - 08:59am PT
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Sep 21, 2018 - 09:39am PT
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Vedauwoo
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ktg
climber
San Diego
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Sep 21, 2018 - 12:21pm PT
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There are a handful of sub 12 tests at Mt. Woodson down here in San Diego.
Couple of the old Bacher routes;
Hear My Train A' Comin 11d, overhung finger crack
Uncertainty Principle 11d
Also;
Mother Superior, 11d offwidth.
Test Tube 11
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A Essex
climber
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Sep 21, 2018 - 01:16pm PT
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testpieces or museum pieces?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 21, 2018 - 05:44pm PT
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A few sort of obscure Josh sub .12 climbs that will get your undivided attention:
Snap on Demand
For Peter
Morality Test
Of course Morality Test is a Woodward .11d, so it probably doesn't count as "sub .12"
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 21, 2018 - 09:32pm PT
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For Josh, how about Cresent Wrench out at the Baskerville Cracks? Only 10c in the book! Hahahahahaha!
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Sep 22, 2018 - 12:00am PT
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I always thought testpieces were attached to grades (and sometimes locations). As in, 'One of These Days is a testpiece for the Tahoe 5.10 climber.'
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Sep 22, 2018 - 06:45am PT
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What Mike said.
I'm thinking that Tulgey Wood was pretty stout for 5.9
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REIGN 1
Trad climber
Las Vegas, Nv
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Sep 22, 2018 - 12:14pm PT
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Arch angel
Picante
Suicide rock
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 22, 2018 - 09:14pm PT
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Revisionist ratings have Tulgey Wood @ .10a
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 23, 2018 - 03:27pm PT
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Has anyone mentioned the Regular Route on Castle Rock Spire, free? 5.11c but a test-piece in all respects. Sport climbers need not apply.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 23, 2018 - 03:38pm PT
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No 5.12 on that righthand ridge but it’s been giving good climbers the fits for the past forty years.
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Sep 23, 2018 - 03:47pm PT
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Wailing Wall is only 5.11
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breastboy
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Sep 26, 2018 - 09:46am PT
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I'd throw The Tube (yosemite) in as an 11a testpiece. Onsighted multiple 5.11+ routes before getting this one. Hardest 11a I've done to date.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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May 31, 2019 - 02:06pm PT
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Dump Monkey!
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