Yosemite Practice Aid Circuit

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Ferretlegger

Trad climber

san Jose, CA

Jun 21, 2010 - 04:21pm PT

Hi all,
I'm a geezer planning on doing some walls this summer and fall. Did El cap a few times BITD and many of the Grade V's and standard nailups of the times. Things like Bishop's Balcony, Swan Slab A5 traverse, etc. I am hoping to solo something if my aged bones permit, and am looking for some nice practice lines. I recently got my lovely Fish ledge, and want somewhere obscure, but not too much of a deathmarch to practice setting it up, and some new hauling techniques I hope to use. I spent a lot of time talking with Mark Hudon (THANKS Mark!!), after his trip up Tribal Rite, and got a lot of ideas from him that I want to try out also.

So I was wondering if there are any RECENT ideas about good practice lines. I did Le Conte Boulder last week, and that went well, but something like the Southwest face of Rixon's would be better for what I want to do. Anyone know if it is still in the death zone? Another oldie I was thinking of was the Bear Rock Bolt Route. Anyone seen this in the last few years?

Basically I am looking for something to lead (solo) that is long enough to actually use the tools (minimum of 5 placements or 20 feet) and reasonably safe (I REALLY know how to place gear- I just want to work on procedures, solo leading, setting up a solo belay, portaledge, rappelling to the bag, jumaring the pitch back up, etc). So A4 right off the deck is not what I am looking for. I would like a decent anchor (can replace if necessary), and preferably not overhanging too much. I was toying with the idea of finding a suitable boulder somewhere in the valley and putting up a short aid route and good belay, but perhaps this already exists. It seems to me that this sort of thing would be useful to many doing their first walls, to get the procedures worked out, and that sort of thing.

Anyway, I already know I am going to die (at my age you cannot escape the fact...), so I would enjoy having a dialogue with others with some ideas, both about locations to practice that won't get in people's ways and which I can stagger up to without losing lunch and in procedures for self belay, rappel back to the previous belay, and hauling methods and procedures for soloists. I can think of many ways to do most of these things, but would like to avoid re-inventing the wheel and use battle tested methods.

All the best,
Michael

mucci

Trad climber

The pitch of Bagalaar above you

Jun 21, 2010 - 04:37pm PT

the far right side of Arch rock has a A1 nail up crack.

Don't know the name but obscure fur sure and accepts iron from what I hear.

Urmas

Social climber

Sierra Eastside

Jun 23, 2010 - 12:06am PT

One of my first aid leads was NW Corner of Kat Pinnacle. Yes it is steep and exposed - exactly what aid climbing is all about! I recommend it highly, just watch out for (or ignore) the poison oak on the approach. It's also a cool summit, which offers a reward for the effort!

Dave Sessions

Trad climber

Thousand Oaks, CA

Nov 2, 2012 - 11:59pm PT

If you're looking for C1, maybe the best starter aid climb of all time is Church bowl tree, up to the bots. Solid, and varied, close to the car, comes with a bench - and it's right next to the medical center (!)

Kalimon

Trad climber

Ridgway, CO

Nov 3, 2012 - 11:31pm PT

Werner's Ant Trees is a must do practice aid line. At least that what we thought back in 1978.

Dave Sessions

Trad climber

Thousand Oaks, CA

Nov 14, 2012 - 12:08am PT

Here's an interesting practice climb I just 'found' - the Robbins route on Rixon's, aka Far West has a first pitch variation that was rated A4 when Jeff Foote/Eric Beck added it in '63. The Reid guide has it down as being A3+. Wonder when the last time that thing was done....!

GDavis

Social climber

SOL CAL

Nov 14, 2012 - 12:22am PT

Serious question - how much do you need to practice aid climbing? Why does it have to be on a rope?

Can't you just take a crashpad, an etrier, a sh#t load of pins/heads/offset bullsh#t, go to boulders by the base of your objective and see what hooks and stuff fail?

When I was a bright eyed child (2 days ago?) I thought you had to do all these bolt ladders and shtuff.

Single pitch aid climbing, where you are always less than a full pitch off the deck... not a good place to mess with tenuous placements.

Just my .02, I think Minerals is a bad ass and does more for the community (and more rock climbing) than I can shake a stick at, so big props to him - plus, his beard is AWESOME.

(cool I didn't check to see that this thread is 3 years old. I'm a dum.)

karodrinker

Trad climber

San Jose, CA

Nov 14, 2012 - 01:25am PT

I really never practiced too much, just went out and did the "easy" south face of the column route. kinda of a cluster through the first aid pitches off Dinner Ledge, but not much to hit if I blew it! Learning close to the ground sounds pretty sketch.

Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber

Old and Broken Down in Appalachia

Nov 14, 2012 - 01:50am PT

You need a shitload of practice if you want to be fast. Free-climbing is fast, aid climbing is slow. If you want to be slow as f*#king molasses, then be a slow aid climber.

"Aid bouldering" is a great tool for getting quick with placements, learning to trust your placements, and learning to make secure placements that can be cleaned quickly and easily.

The old British tradition of girdling can be applied to "aid bouldering" along the base of a cliff.

micronut

Trad climber

Nov 14, 2012 - 10:12am PT

Minerals,
Thanks for the effort here man. Good stuff. We'll be gettin on some of these this winter in prep for our first El Cap ascent this spring. Great resource. Much appreesh.
-Scott