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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 26, 2016 - 10:14am PT
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Nope, not even close. Here is an overlay on your photo. Your photo is at a poor angle for documenting this, so it's not exact. The Backbone is on the left, and the route I did with Ed Hartouni is on the right.
The Powerhouse Couloir posted by Stewart Johnson, goes right between the North Ridge(left) and The Backbone(right) on his photo.
-Eric Gabel
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 26, 2016 - 10:40am PT
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Here's a Google Earth view
 Eric Gabel
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 26, 2016 - 11:07am PT
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Ok, here's one more overlay of the area, for clarity.
Eric Gabel
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 26, 2016 - 12:38pm PT
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Duh! I think I finally get it, Eric. Even the correct names for the ridge-aretes. Back to the drawing board!
I bet those routes are real obvious once you've climbed them. Trouble with Ellery Bowl is that it's been a sort of terra incognita for many years with individual routes going up without any long historical record chronicled in guidebooks. This string (plus your concrete experience) is clearing up a lot of mysteries.
Some people on my FB site have even stated that they thought those arete-ridges were further east in the canyon. Where!?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 26, 2016 - 02:05pm PT
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Great overlay, Eric.
The formations are so "3-D" that a single standard photo has trouble showing the full situation.
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 26, 2016 - 03:39pm PT
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Here is the overlay from up thread. I deleted the original because it had the Northwest ridge in the wrong place.
From left to right:
-East Ellery Ridge 5.6
-North Ellery Ridge 5.6
-The Backbone 5.7
-Northwest Buttress 5.6
Except for The Backbone, these are just geographical names, and if you think they should be changed or aren't accurate, feel free to call them what you want.
This photo was taken from the Green Bridge area I believe. It's a good location to catch the sun/shade highlighting the ridges, so they show up in the photo. Of course the right time of day is important for getting the shot right too.
Eric Gabel
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2016 - 01:28am PT
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Don't think you can make many mistakes about the North Ellery Buttress:
Pretty symmetrical.
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 27, 2016 - 09:33am PT
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North Ridge looks good. I'd call that a "ridge" not a buttress though. It's probably only a grade III though and not a grade IV, unless you were roped up for it the whole way, which would probably ruin the climb. You'd only need a rope here and there, and a short one at that. We brought a hundred feet of 8mm on all the climbs, but never used it.
Bruce, could you make sure you change your photo on Mountain Project to the one I posted just above this. The original one I posted had the wrong overlay for the Northwest Buttress...oops! The one above is correct.
Thanks - Eric Gabel
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 27, 2016 - 09:54am PT
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if only it was just "every inch"
but the insanity-of-detail you witness here is just the tip of the iceberg, believe me...
and though it is not necessarily evident in the completed product, it is a part of the process
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2016 - 11:41am PT
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Right, Ed. You can't get to honest simplicity until you work your way through all the nasty details. If you simplify too soon, you get big boo-boos.
Eric, you'll notice that I did change out the Ellery Ridge Panorama shot on Mountain Project. Starting to look a bit more accurate over there on MP thanks to all this banter. Rome wasn't built in a day!
I don't think I call them "buttresses" anywhere else except above. In fact, have been substituting "ridges" for "aretes" throughout. Search, Locate, Replace!
It's become painfully obvious throughout this string that there isn't any definitive topographic covering the Third Pillar of Dana area and adjacent ridges. So much anonymous activity through the years up there, that's little wonder, is it? Wonder what Falk knows? Will have to ask him when I return to the Pass in a few days.
But just think of the awesome overwhelming task of any guidebook author/editor who tried to include all the ice climbing in Lee Vining Canyon in a definitive guidebook! Better stick to rocks unless you've ice climbed up there for 30 years.
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 27, 2016 - 02:10pm PT
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Randisi,
sorry about the all details, but having the line on the right ridge isn't the worst thing a guide book author can focus on. If you get one detail wrong in a guide book, everybody will call you out on it on the Internet, saying you should have done your homework better.
As far as the Ellery Ridges go, I don't share my adventures online very often, but thought some people would enjoy some of these. I did them with friends 12 to 15 years ago, so there has been plenty of time for people to discover them on there own. I wouldn't doubt they had been done prior to our ascents, too.
If your looking for adventures, there are at least 3 more major ridges and some good looking gully's to do in the Ellery Ridge area, so have at it if your interested.
That being said, I get your point and mostly agree, but a guide books purpose is to get people to a climb and remove the mystery from it, like it or not.
Eric Gabel
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 27, 2016 - 02:22pm PT
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Bruce,
Perhaps you can help me out with a Yosemite Guide Book question?
There is a bolted route above Highway 120, between The Trix Area and The Owl. It goes up a white slab 50' above the road and into some knobs, where it appears to end unfinished. It has 6 or 7 bolts on it. I have a note in my book saying that this is your route?
If so, how hard, what's the name, who did you do it with, and when did you put it up? I have the 70's written down and "Sail Away" as a name?
Thanks for any help you can give me with this.
Eric Gabel
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2016 - 10:53pm PT
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There is a bolted route above Highway 120, between The Trix Area and The Owl. It goes up a white slab 50' above the road and into some knobs, where it appears to end unfinished. It has 6 or 7 bolts on it. I have a note in my book saying that this is your route?
"Sail Away" does sound familiar, but I can't recall drilling 6 or 7 bolts in the area between Trix and The Owl. Perhaps it's an obscure Cantwell route? Sorry I couldn't offer any specific help.
And, yes, if a guidebook author sends people onto non-existent routes, there's certain to be a chorus of jeers and complaints. Even if it takes a while to get the information right, it's better to take your time than to give other climbers misdirections.
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2016 - 11:55pm PT
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Ellery Ridges (so far):
Point out any big errors or omissions. These are already up on MP so I can edit them there.
Better view of the East Buttress and "The Backbone":
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Aug 28, 2016 - 07:02am PT
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If only My ankles and knees were in condition to get to get on these....
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2016 - 08:58am PT
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Know what you mean. My old broken left leg still gets sciatica. Climbs and boulders close to the road okay but big alpine ridges not so good. Ouch! But Lonnie Kauk did love soloing The Backbone. Many more will now do it for sure. New classic!
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 28, 2016 - 10:51am PT
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Bruce,
your overlay for the Backbone (fourth photo down) is still on the wrong ridge. Look at my overlay again. Your photo is still not the best angle for overlaying that route.
Your overlay for North Ellery Ridge (third photo down) is not very accurate either. You really can't see it from the photo angle you have, as it is further around the corner. Again, not the best photo angle to overlay that climb.
Everything else looks good.
Eric Gabel
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2016 - 11:14am PT
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I'm assuming then that the Backbone is in the correct position in the 5th picture down? Kinda hard to miss it from that angle. Probably need to take another picture of it from the Green Bridge to work with.
So my sunset Backbone isn't completely wrong, my yellow line is just too far left of the true line of the arete. Hard to distinguish from that angle with the sun on it. Easier to see from down canyon or from across the way.
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ablegabel
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 28, 2016 - 11:23am PT
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Yes, the last picture is a correct overlay for The Backbone (sixth picture down).
-Eric Gabel
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Belmont, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2016 - 11:31am PT
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So easy to see it from a distance, so hard close up!
This must be wrong, but I had to give it another try anyway:
From this angle all the ridges are foreshortened and blend into each other without shadows.
I have another down-canyon shot that shows it even better, but the sunset shot is the direction a climber would be approaching it from.
By the way, Lonnie is still shouting about his solo of The Backbone. Really jazzed days later. "All alone on the Backbone!" Bet next summer parties are going to be lining up to do it. Just don't drop any rocks on the party behind you!
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