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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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