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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 15, 2014 - 12:11pm PT
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Over the years, ne decades, there has been ongoing double-sided diatribe about Wing of Steel. Was it a good route? Was it worthy of el Cap? Did the FA party belong up there? How much shite does it take to ruin a rope?
This thread is not about WOS.
Instead, I want to point to a lesser-known route by Richard Jensen. Another route on el Cap and quite near WOS. Jensen did the FA of this route solo in 32 DAYS! and it is rated VI 5.10, A5. Let me repeat that...
A 32 day solo FA on el Cap rated 5.10, A5 done by someone who some believed was not worthy.
The route is called WINDS of CHANGE and was done a decade after WOS.
The route had a rather convoluted second ascent in '95/'96 by Grega Lajen and Iztok Mihev . They climbed half the route from the base and then descended, walked to the top, rapped down and climbed the upper half of the route.
Here is a video of a solo ascent made by an Italian (I believe).
https://vimeo.com/42181541
I post all of this because it seems to me that Jensen's hard-core climbing achievement was completely glossed over by the rhetoric about WOS.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
in the oil patch...Fricken Bakken, that's where
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Dec 15, 2014 - 12:13pm PT
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Meh....Drilled when on the Octopussy section. WTF?
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 15, 2014 - 01:20pm PT
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Are you sure Jensen drilled those holes or could it have been another party on Octopussy? It seems strange that someone who had already done five pitches of A5/A4 lower down would suddenly start drilling on easier ground.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 15, 2014 - 01:32pm PT
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Huh. Seems kinda trollish to me.
Not trying to be. I just wondered why he got slammed for WOS and ignored for this route.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Dec 15, 2014 - 02:39pm PT
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Yes, don't forget Ring of Fire! Another hard unrepeated route put up by Richard and Mark.
Most significantly, Valerio made a solo ascent of Winds of Change, and he has written of it online someplace. Maybe someone can provide the link? It's pretty hard. The hooking on the first pitch - above that little pinnacle thing - has turned back many suitors.
Here's the thing about Richard - just ask him, and he will tell you. Everything. The truth. In excruciating detail. More than you ever want to hear. But that's Richard. [love you, buddy]
Hey Richard - did you drill on Klaus' route? If so, what and why?
Hey Richard - when I did Octopussy with Kate, I looked over at some of your Winds of Change anchor bolts, and they looked - how do I say this? - pretty ugly. Like crappy looking hangers, or crappy looking bolts, or something like that. I can't remember exactly. I just remember thinking they looked ... crappy.
Comments?
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 15, 2014 - 02:42pm PT
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Crunch, thanks for the link. I actually did a search on ST before starting this thread and found nothing. Weird. If I had seen that thread I would not have started this one. Oh well. The more the merrier!
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OR
Trad climber
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Dec 15, 2014 - 03:17pm PT
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He joined my route Hole World for the last 5 pitches and drilled several bolts on this route that I had done the FA of just the year before.
I guess he's a good climber though
Yeah thats kind of weak sauce Eric.
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Dec 15, 2014 - 03:58pm PT
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klaus
Big Wall climber
San F*#kincisco
Apr 28, 2006 - 02:27pm PT
Richard, tell us about how you joined my route Hole World for the last 4 pitches and drilled all over it.
klaus
Big Wall climber
Pacif*#ka Muthaf*#ka
Dec 15, 2014 - 01:30pm PT
He joined my route Hole World for the last 5 pitches and drilled several bolts on this route that I had done the FA of just the year before.
It's funny how 4 pitches became 5 pitches in the 7 years between posts.Kind of ironic considering klaus has claimed that Richard wasn't being "an Honest person."
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Dec 15, 2014 - 04:15pm PT
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Yes in this day and age being a good climber and bolting pre-existing terrain are not mutually exclusive. He was a hard climber, but perhaps the truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Dec 15, 2014 - 05:34pm PT
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It was 4 and 1/2 pitches so I rounded it up to 5 in my last response because those were the pitches affected.
Just going by the topos, it looks like maybe 4 1/4, but yet it affected the last 5 pitchs of your route.
Pitch 12 on my route had one hauling bolt next to an A1 anchor of as many cams as you want to place. He added at least 2 bolts here according to his original topo.
Funny that an A5 climber would do that, but what do I know, I'm a jerk for pointing these things out according to the Taco homos.
Your P12 is his P16. Yes, your FA topo shows 1 bolt and his FA topo shows 3. What is weird is that the printed topo just shows 1. Is the printed topo wrong? Or did 2 of the bolts get chopped?
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Dec 15, 2014 - 05:36pm PT
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Valero's topo of WOC shows WOC ending at his P12 and the rest as HW. I was looking at this to see how many belay bolts were there at Richard's P16, but this topo doesn't include belay bolts.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Dec 15, 2014 - 07:25pm PT
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Can I climb the Great Roof and re-name it?
I think you have to re-engineer it, then you can rename it... If I get the gist of the argument right...
but I don't climb aid routes, so what do I know.
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Dec 15, 2014 - 09:23pm PT
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Additionally, I find it amusing and lame that he would NAME a pitch on my route that was already there. Can I climb the Great Roof and re-name it?
What pitch did he name? I see a bivy spot named--am I missing something?
Also, if he did doesn't this explain it?
He had no idea that there was a route called Hole World until after he did WOC.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Dec 15, 2014 - 10:34pm PT
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The greatest roof.
Boom.
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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Dec 15, 2014 - 10:38pm PT
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^^^^
hahahahaha...
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Dec 16, 2014 - 01:29am PT
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He had no idea that there was a route called Hole World ... Ignorantia juris non excusat.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Dec 16, 2014 - 06:14am PT
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This Jensen reminds me of myself.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 16, 2014 - 03:18pm PT
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This may be an impossible to answer question, but with all the traffic on el Cap (even a decade ago) how do we know for sure that Richard drilled the additional holes on routes he joined? Could it have been someone who did Hole World, etc. BEFORE Richard did his solo route?
Are we relying on word of mouth or did Richard flat out state that he drilled holes on existing routes?
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Captain...or Skully
climber
in the oil patch...Fricken Bakken, that's where
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Dec 16, 2014 - 03:24pm PT
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My speculation was based on word of mouth.
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!