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| Messages 1 - 6 of total 6 in this topic |
BlakeHerrington
Mountain climber
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May 31, 2017 - 09:19am PT
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I can't imagine the "A5" any harder than A1/A2. The fixed pro (some with perma slings) is quite close together for nearly the whole pitch, which is only ~10m long.
Does anyone know if there's actually a freeclimbing option to finish via the Fat City ramp/corner to the right of the Razor Blades flake?
Some of the topos for Corazon, or Golden Gate, or Heart Route show a possible finish via the ramp and corner on the right (a pitch or 2 above the A5 traverse) but in my one time up there, I wasn't able to figure out how one would leave the corner and finish up that moderate ramp, without using a pendulum. It seems like every other freeclimbing party I hear about also ends up on the razor blade flakes, rather than the featured ramp just to the right.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2017 - 01:23pm PT
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Okay.
This may not help, or maybe it will.
When Sierra and Robert and I walked up to Will and Mike and Alex outside the Mountain Room bar and offered help, Sierra told us a story about his course on climbing up in Squamish. Will had done the first day. The next day an older but also well-versed guide took over the instruction. After the 5th pupil had raised their hand to say, "But Will said...," the older guide said, "Will Stanhope is a master of his craft. Which is stupid scary sh#t which no-one else should do."
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TLP
climber
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May 31, 2017 - 07:31pm PT
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I have a dim recollection that the A5 Traverse was only A2 to begin with, and the FA party named it that, as a joke, because every gnarly El Cap route had an A5 traverse, so they had to have one too. Seems to me it's in the article about the FA.
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Kligfield
Mountain climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 28, 2017 - 02:49pm PT
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Sometimes the history gets lost when the years pass by...During the first ascent of the Heart Route by Scott Davis and Chuck Kroger in 1970, the A5 traverse was named that by them in a tongue-in-cheek way to make fun of the fact that any big new route needed an a5 pitch to be taken seriously. When I made the second ascent of the Heart Route in 1971 (together with Jimmy Dunn and Andy Embeck) I led this pitch. Realistically in 1971 it was A4 because it required a number of hook moves and bashies in the thin seams of the traverse. During the time of our second ascent there were NO bolts on this pitch--all the areas that currently have bolts were bypassed using hooks and thin aid--hence the realistic A4 rating. Subsequent ascents prior to the free climbing by the Huber brothers added some bolts in the middle of this pitch. And of course the free climbing attempts gladly utilized these bolts. Anyway that is the history of the pitch. And for those asking about free climbing the corner above the exit ramps, in 1971 we nailed about 50% of these pitches and free climbed the rest--probably up to 5.10 but not beyond. We didn't even notice the flake system that struck out straight up that modern free climbers are using--primarily because this was the first route up that part of the wall, and it simply was happy to use the Exit Ramp cracks. I hope this clears up any confusion relating to the original route and rating on this portion of the Heart Route.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2017 - 07:34pm PT
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Thank you, Kligfield.
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| Messages 1 - 6 of total 6 in this topic |
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