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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 28, 2018 - 03:19pm PT
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anyone else notice their news feed filled with sponsored bouldering gym climbers setting and sending slab problems?
Is this a new wave?
Ondra does a slab problem? what?
Just another product being pushed by the sponsored-elite via Instajam?
SlabDyno4lyfe!
-removed image to prevent FB from copying without permission
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Aug 28, 2018 - 03:38pm PT
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sponsored bouldering gym climbers setting and sending slab problems?
Guess I don't get the news feeds you do. Links? Are they setting them ground up or rap bolted? Sport slabs with bolts every five feet or trad runouts?
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 28, 2018 - 03:46pm PT
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It's fake slab if you top rope to the first bolt. Hell, getting to the first bolt is all the fun.
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:12pm PT
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Hell, getting to the first bolt is all the fun.
At Suicide/Taquitz/TM/JT climbing slabs to the first bolt was "stimulating".
edit: If I recall correctly, one didn't feel safe on many routes until the second bolt was clipped.
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ec
climber
ca
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:22pm PT
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Hell, getting to the first bolt is all the fun.
At Suicide/Taquitz/TM/JT climbing slabs to the first bolt was "stimulating".
Southern Sierra, Sequoia/Kings, Kern Canyon!
 ec
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:32pm PT
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It's fake slab if you top rope to the first bolt. Hell, getting to the first bolt is all the fun.
Nah, the real fun starts when it is three times as far to the second bolt and the crux is just before it.
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:34pm PT
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When I was a youth in DFW and Norman climbed a bit at Quartz Mountain. Dug out my Southern Exposure guidebook Raleigh and Thomas put out.
That puppy had quite a few X rated routes. Several had no pro till the first pitch belay bolts. After that were long ass runouts. The common thought when climbing those routes was a hip belay by the second was mandatory. Reason being a sticht plate would not allow the second (belayer) to yard in enough rope to prevent a leader groundfall.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:51pm PT
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Nah, the real fun starts when it is three times as far to the second bolt and the crux is just before it.
And traversing!
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Aug 28, 2018 - 04:55pm PT
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A slab of New York on the barb'q.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Aug 28, 2018 - 05:16pm PT
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Several had no pro till the first pitch belay bolts. After that were long ass runouts. The common thought when climbing those routes was a hip belay by the second was mandatory. Reason being a sticht plate would not allow the second (belayer) to yard in enough rope to prevent a leader groundfall.
At Stone Mtn. NC, the “running belay” was just that. If the leader fell, you turned and ran to take in slack.
The worst injury I saw there was a belayer who turned and ran when the leader fell just before the belay on Mercury’s Lead. She ran into a tree. The first bolt was at 40 ft, then nothing to the end.
The leader lost big chunks of flesh from his palms, which I had to climb past when it was my turn and to retrieve their gear.
I think ebeck was with me that day.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 28, 2018 - 05:43pm PT
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Nah, the real fun starts when it is three times as far to the second bolt and the crux is just before it.
A perfect description of the steep slab leading to the arete on Carson Kodas Arete at Courtright...
The second bolt (with someone's bail biner on it) is by the thin right facing flake above. It's 5.10 something to rock up onto that sloper just above my left hand to make the clip. That move, stepping up to the drilling/clipping stance is not the crux of the route, but it's sure as hell the scariest. Yikes.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 28, 2018 - 05:50pm PT
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I've done a few new routes with Laeger. Second to Ron Carson, Herb is the best climber at stance drilling I know.
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Aug 28, 2018 - 06:12pm PT
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The leader lost big chunks of flesh from his palms,
Base104 took a 100' slider at Quartz. Wasted his EB's(?) and had serious road rash. At least that's the story I remember.
edit: here's the story from R&I:
"In 1980 my college roommate, Mark Herndon, fell 100 feet on a two-pitch route. I was belaying from a stance at the end of the first pitch, cooling my feet, shoes off. Mark had just cruised the second-pitch crux, a near-holdless paddle up granite glass, and was nearing the end of a 50-foot runout above the route’s only lead bolt when he slipped.
Back at the belay, I figured that the serious climbing was over and was gazing stupidly at my toes when a giant loop of slack suddenly spooled down the face. I glanced up to see Mark looming larger and larger.
I froze, horrified by the prospect of witnessing—and catching—the daddy of all falls. As Mark scorched past me, I caught a strong whiff of his E.B.s burning on the rock. Panicked, I reeled in an arm- load of slack—just enough to catch him a few feet above a sea of knobs. Instead of splintering his ankles, or worse, Mark walked away with a serious road-rash and a backside full of quartz granules that my mother, a nurse, carefully tweezed out of his buttocks that evening."
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 28, 2018 - 06:30pm PT
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I used to fancy myself a slab-climber back in the late 1970's & early 80's.
When I was in "the zone," those long run-outs seemed so cool.
Occasionaly, I ran out of friction, but I never suffered a slab-fall longer than about 40'.
I remember a couple falls, where I would just start sliding back down the slab. After a short period of backwards skiing, a bump would upend me & the tumble would commence. Happily, the tumble never ended at a ledge.
On a new route on Idaho's South Fork Clearwater River, a long, but easy, unprotected lead took me to a 1' x 3' sloping ledge covered in verdant 2" thick green moss. Since I wasn't sure of how sticky the moss would be, I put in a 1/4" by 1 1/2" bolt before stepping onto the moss.
After clipping the bolt, I destroyed the environment by simply tearing the carpet of moss off the ledge. I stepped up onto the slightly damp ledge & stood there looking up at where my route might go next.
At that moment, all the micro-organisms, whose environment I had just destroyed, gave an upwards push & I skidded off the ledge.
I was very pleased that I had placed the bolt by the ledge.
Here's a photo I took of Avery Tichner on a late 70's new route on Lightning Dome on the S. Fork Clearwater River.
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two-shoes
Trad climber
Auberry, CA
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Aug 28, 2018 - 09:43pm PT
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Slab has always been here. There's no coming back.
I like low angle slab as that is all I seem to be able to climb anymore.
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Aug 29, 2018 - 12:38am PT
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Hmm I've done a few of these things. Talk about being in the "puzzle factory". You lead the slabs and I will lead the O.W. The #2 camalot cracks will be a fist fight! Or a hand fight between us!
Just curious why would you do them in the gym?
Anyway...
Cheers
S...
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Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Aug 29, 2018 - 07:03am PT
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Slab is such a mind game. When I am in the zone it is just a total hoot and when I am not it just scares the poop right out of me. I recall one effort in the south Platte on Helen's Dome when I was climbing steep slab that entailed using small feldspar phenocrysts about the size of my little fingernail as the only positive holds. The wind was quite gusty that day and I had to wait for the occasional drop in wind speed to do the moves or risk being blown right off the face. A stimulating day, that.
Long live slab
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Aug 29, 2018 - 09:31am PT
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60 footers?
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Cragar
climber
MSLA - MT
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Aug 29, 2018 - 09:46am PT
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I wonder where it is coming back from; maybe a couple of years partying with Buffet down in the Keys?
The Meadows delivers hella in this realm and one of the reasons I dig it so..
Kris, thanks for those pics of CarsonKodas. When I started climbing I lived in Bako and did the KernCanyon/Dome/Needles things. The horror stories of respect I had heard about you guys and your route devo blew my mind and still does. When you add R to your life, an enhancement occurs can that can come from nothing but climbing.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 29, 2018 - 09:49am PT
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Slab never left
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Aug 29, 2018 - 10:51am PT
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If I recall correctly, one didn't feel safe on many routes until the second bolt was clipped.
Maybe you have a different comfort zone. My experience on the Apron and up in Tuolumne is that one didn't feel safe until they had clipped the final anchor and sometimes not even then because of having to free solo up the unprotected fourth class slabs to top out and get down.
I had a few long skin/rubber burns but nothing serious. Had a partner that tumbled once and had to take a few months off climbing.
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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Aug 29, 2018 - 12:48pm PT
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It's the strategic tick marking of phenocrysts with superglue that will bring on the 5.14's lol.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 29, 2018 - 01:06pm PT
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Slab climbing is neither.
I've got a few slabs for you that are mos def climbs :-)
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
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Aug 29, 2018 - 01:29pm PT
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Second to Ron Carson, Herb is the best climber at stance drilling I know.
+1 for Herbantor! Even the stuff he put up at Book Rock looks spooky as hell. Stance from what?!?!? He'll be coming back for a quick week long stay in a week. Marco and I are trying to wrangle him up for one last hoo-rah before he heads out to AZ for good.
Herb on the sharp end, putting in something new.
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ec
climber
ca
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Aug 29, 2018 - 07:37pm PT
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Thin stances, great slab routes @ Parker Bluff in the Kern.
ec
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bob
climber
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Aug 29, 2018 - 09:15pm PT
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 29, 2018 - 09:59pm PT
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Laeger taking a break on the shore of Courtright Reservoir. We were on our way up to Locke Rock.
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ec
climber
ca
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Aug 29, 2018 - 10:28pm PT
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Takin’ in some Herb...
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Aug 30, 2018 - 03:20am PT
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Slab climbing? Did just enough to say not just no - but hell no.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Aug 30, 2018 - 05:49am PT
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i got no problem with the description "solid, all around ..."
who wants to look up and hear "no son, not for you?"
there's more to it, if you plain love moving up
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Aug 30, 2018 - 07:53am PT
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I put up a 5.12 b slab route ("Touchy Feelie") in Sinks Canyon, Wyo. It was, at the time, the most feared route in the Sinks, and has had very few repeats. Anyone can pull down on big holds, but you need to sack up when there is nothing to pull on, and your only pro is a shitty 1/4" bolt far below your feet.
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EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
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Aug 30, 2018 - 08:54am PT
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AntiChrist
I find it laughable when someone takes pride in bolting "the most feared route" somewhere... as if they did something more than masterbate all over the rock while others of similar perversion look on, drooling over the mess that only a "special" few feel compelled to lap up.
Tell us about your noteworthy FAs.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 30, 2018 - 09:10am PT
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Many of my best memories of climbing are routes where I was mentally pushed right to the edge. Long runouts teach you something about yourself that you will never learn anywhere else and I think prepare you well for life.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 30, 2018 - 09:15am PT
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^^ Yes.
One of my best memories is of a slab route. I kept looking at it, and turning around. That bolt was way off the deck. Then one day, I did it.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Aug 30, 2018 - 10:43am PT
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Anti christ
"I find it laughable when someone takes pride in bolting "the most feared route" somewhere."
My post was meant to be ironic. In a world class sport crag famous for hard overhanging pocket pulling, a 5.12 route is on the easy end of things. It was the nature of the route, not its grade, that kept the crowds off
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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Aug 30, 2018 - 11:08am PT
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Well, of course, if youre totally gripped on a route you are going to remember it better than a clip up route. I took an upside down fall while liebacking the good book, I was looking at my feet and the sky and two cams pulling out. I remember every millisecond of it lol.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Aug 30, 2018 - 11:37am PT
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"must be on that sandy sh#t down low."
Not sandy at all. Hard, clean Dolomite, just low angle and thin.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Aug 30, 2018 - 12:58pm PT
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I love slab climbing. It’s really fun, after the fact.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
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Aug 30, 2018 - 01:09pm PT
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Spookiest slab route I've ever had the chance to lead was 'Esto Power' on Courtright's Power Dome. Damn those Laeger! Must've cursed their names a few times. Paper thin friction moves on the first pitch right after the 2nd bolt. Slighty windy the day I did it, so each move became increasingly longer as I waited for the right time for the wind to calm down. I could not erase the looming possibilities. I know Kris, Jan and Guyzo have all done it.
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/114446356/esto-power
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 30, 2018 - 01:59pm PT
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Must've cursed their names a few times.
Ha! Spider knows LeRoy and will appreciate this. LeRoy is about 6'4" or so. I was leading a slab route he'd put up, from the ground up, very old school. It was quite a ways to that first bolt, but it had a pretty nice ledge right below. Sweet. A great stance for drilling. I reached up to clip and...came up short! LeRoy had drilled as high up as he could. Smart...for him! I kept leaping up from this ledge, like an idiot, trying to clip and muttering, "G-dd--n you, LeRoy!" I had to make a too thin move off that beautiful ledge to clip.
Good times. Fun climb.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Aug 30, 2018 - 02:32pm PT
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Many of my best memories of climbing are routes where I was mentally pushed right to the edge. Long runouts teach you something about yourself that you will never learn anywhere else and I think prepare you well for life.
Yea, it is a great learning experience right up until you take a 50 foot tumble and break your hip.
Then it is an even greater learning experience.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Aug 30, 2018 - 02:33pm PT
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I love slab climbing. It’s really fun, after the fact.
Drinking beer around the camp fire is fun to do.
Having a long, gnarly climbing epic is something that is fun to have done. (And how else do you get great camp fire stories?)
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Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
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Sep 11, 2018 - 06:24pm PT
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I have fond memories of many great slab routes back in my old Tuolumne,and even Mount Lemmon AZ days (mid-80s). But emphasis on "back in the old days;" that stuff would scare the crap out of me now. It's now hard to imagine routinely taking long run outs those loose, shitty 1/4" buttonhead bolts.
It just seemed so normal then.
The last time I climbed actual slab was some 5.8 or 5.9 sport climbs two years' ago in City of Rock/Castle Rock. These generously graded climbs had closely placed bomber bolts - all very reassuring and civilized. But it felt a little like cheating...
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Mule Skinner
Social climber
Bishop
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Sep 11, 2018 - 09:02pm PT
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No one better than Hensel. Still at it hard till this day.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 12, 2018 - 12:02am PT
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You better be a top notch slab climber if you want to do almost any route left of Tobin's Dihedral on Dome Rock. Some wicked stuff over there.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
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Sep 12, 2018 - 11:00am PT
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'Carsonoma' or 'Just Barely' comes to mind!
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Sep 12, 2018 - 11:33am PT
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5.9 on Glacier Apron is hard enough, I can't comprehend how one would distinguish between 5.10 and 5.11, let alone 5.12 on that type of rock. I guess I just didn't spend enough time on it to find out.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 12, 2018 - 12:35pm PT
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Snow Creek Wall BITD - did all the poosy routes with cracks and bolts. Time to head over to
the right for White Slabs Direct. Only 5.9, how bad could it be? We fingered it was sandbagged
but it turned out to be so literally. 5.9+ runout as hell on ancient 1/4” with a liberal dusting of
fine sand. Did I mention we were in Robbins boots? Muy memorable!
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Sep 12, 2018 - 12:52pm PT
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I really liked Nothingness and Eternity. That and Saucer Full of Secrets are two of my favorites on Dome Rock. I practiced tying off Chicken Heads with one hand for the former.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 12, 2018 - 01:25pm PT
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'Carsonoma' or 'Just Barely' comes to mind!
Chemotherapy, Carsonogenic, and Skid Row are good too. I wanted to do Pipe Dreams (Yaniro slab) and Chemotherapy, but after one look I replaced the bolts first.
I can't recall if it's the second or the third bolt on Skid Row, but it's hard to imagine drilling that one on lead. But reliable witnesses have described it to me. At least he had the courtesy to drill one there. It's only 5.11c, so Ron could have just kept on going and left us a death defying stunt instead of a good, albeit heady, route.
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