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ElGreco
Mountain climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 6, 2015 - 11:01am PT
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A buddy and I want to dream big and set our sights on Astroman. Because it's there. We want to go in with a fighting chance. He's a 5.13 sport climber but with limited trad experience, I am more of a tradie/alpine guy but have not tackled anything above the 5.10s yet. He's smaller and more comfortable on the finger sizes, I have bigger hands and like the wide.
We'd love to spend each weekend in the Valley and prepare for it, but life (job, school, family) gets in the way... So it seems to me that a Wide Boyz style approach to training for this climb may be needed: isolate skills and drills, work them hard at home and in the gym, and then optimize our time on granite when we get the chance.
Your views? Crazy/doable? What would you focus on and how would you train for it? (e.g. endurance vs strength/power, particular widths, drills etc). Hard cragging vs. longer routes? Ways to replicate the climb's demands?
Thanks in advance.
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dhayan
climber
los angeles, ca
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It is a very physical climb so I'd focus on endurance and getting in good "Valley" shape. Astroman really covers the gamut of sizes and tests you in many ways; thin hands endurance crack climbing, bombay chimney, squeeze, thin crack/face, fist cracks and everything in between. The Harding Slot is totally exhausting. If you have lots of strength and endurance you will enjoy it more and if you friend climbs 5.13 face then the last 10+ face pitch shouldn't be a problem. The protection is great and easy to pull through cruxes if needed on every pitch except the last one. Have fun!
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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I'd recommend doing all the 10's at Cookie & Arch Rock first. Then get on the easier 11's at both of those crags. Then do R side of the Folly & Moratorium. As a final prep, do the Regular N face of the Rostrum. That should see you ready for Astroman.
As a side note, I found the cruxes of both Astroman and Rostrum easier than pitches of a similar grade on Cookie & Arch.
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Maybe if you can climb the rostrum twice in a day, you'll be ready to send Astroman
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Do Nutcracker a couple times and you're all set!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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The first time for me,
ever
to get to be
the first to say
YER' GONNA DIE
If you are BIG? The Harding slot, the move into and up into the squeeze may be ruff, The modern small stuff is not nearly as important as the really big boat anchors , get the beta
see the old stick figure beta max, in the routes section . For fun and understanding, has anyone recommended Entrance exam?
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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If you're looking to onsight it, come back after you get a few more years trad experience. Doesn't sound like you have a chance. Otherwise, stop wanking around and just get on the thing. You can bail from anywhere below the Harding Slot. At that point, you'll know...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Be fit certainly, but this one is less amenable to wide boys style tactics. Unless you have a gym were you can do a lot of cracks in a day.
As others have said it is a very varied granite climb, and you have to be able to do it all to a moderately hard level.
Have fun!
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ElGreco
Mountain climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 11, 2015 - 04:13pm PT
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Nutcracker scares me dudes. That mantle is BURLY #imgonnadie. I think we may lap the Grack a couple of times (p1 only) and then go for Astroglory...
More seriously though, thank you all for the advice. Appreciated. I was hoping someone would tell some crack machine success story like this one: http://climbinghouse.com/2013/04/the-crack-machine.html
But we'll get out as much as we can on some test pieces and see how we fare.
Thanks all.
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 11, 2015 - 04:26pm PT
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Believe it or not but we used to have a crack machine in Camp 4 back in the day.
I did laps and pump out on the thing after a days climbing or whenever all the time.
It's one of the best static workouts for crack climbing.
It strengthens your hands to become powerhouse formidable human crack tools.
A secret weapon not to be underestimated and used by many .....
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ElGreco
Mountain climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2015 - 04:19pm PT
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Werner, it's astounding to read that you used those things in the land of juicy granite cracks... Guess they have their uses after all!
Out of curiosity, how did you use them? Enduro hangs? Horizontal/overhanging for max strength?
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Mar 19, 2015 - 05:05pm PT
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George, let's go to the gym together I will give you many tips.
In short you need very good power endurance to not feel like sh#t climbing sustained pitches after enduro corner. Than passing through the Harding slot will be cruxy if you are 180 or more. And if you are not, prepare for a battle anyway. The narrows on steak salathe is a joke in comparison. Than you have a bunch of more sustained climbing that doesn't feel as enjoyable as it should because you feel drained. And a 5.10 R pitch to finish the climb. Your 5.13 weapon will cruise though. I led it and managed to not eat sh#t, and I suck at face.
Do a bunch of cragging at the cookie cliff. Laps on catchy corner. Do the steak salathe. Rostrum (closed now I guess). You can also go do astroboy first to get your feet wet and see how you feel on it. Feel good, continue up, feel beat like a dog rap after the Harding slot. 2nd time will feel better.
Not kidding, some people go to the top to TR the runout pitch. I think it takes away from the climb, but whatever, it is a personal choice of style.
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 19, 2015 - 05:22pm PT
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The crack machine is only for building power and strength in the hands.
Nothing else.
It doesn't do sh!t for crack technique.
When you have good crack technique to begin with and excellent strength and power in your hands
then one will be able to capture the technically difficult harder crack climbs with ease .....
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Mar 19, 2015 - 08:57pm PT
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We have pretty good artificial cracks in planet granite gym. My beef with them is that overhanging cracks have really good pods for jams. Would be great if they were completely parallel inside. Would make you work a lot harder to get good jams. Even though I should be thankful we have them available in the first place....
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JohnnyG
climber
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Mar 19, 2015 - 10:57pm PT
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this thread is getting me stoked to climb some granite cracks. But it's still chilly ice season here now in NH. Crack machine it is.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 19, 2015 - 11:26pm PT
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Would be great if they were completely parallel inside.
Agreed. I found that if you try to jam outside the pods in "harder" spots it makes for a better workout.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Mar 20, 2015 - 07:23am PT
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The first half of the enduro corner is red cam size and much harder for large hands. I'd say if you can do Crimson Cringe ( also red cam size ) you'll walk the enduro, but not a lot else I know compares....
Astroman is next level physical compared to Rostrum - a full step up in burl
Werner, I remember the stories of you rope gunning that thing for Galen and RK's photo shoot. Galen couldn't pay the rope out fast enough.......
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 20, 2015 - 08:17am PT
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David
I led the whole climb on a 11mm static line so that Galen wouldn't have to deal with rope stretch and bounce while jumaring and photographing.
Probably never the so called "Supertopo" approved method of climbing technique ......
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Mar 20, 2015 - 08:28am PT
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David, I don't know about doing the Cringe as a prep for Astroman. It's like saying if you can summit Denali, you are ready for Mt.Whitney. I did Astroman in October with a friend who failed on the Cringe but hiked Astroman. IMO, the Cringe is harder by far. If you think about it, the C.C. is sustained 5.11 for a long ways. The Enduro corner is sustained 5.10.
I still think the best prep for Astroman is the Rostrum.
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