Photo...is this the "right" way at the top of NE Buttress?

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 41 - 60 of total 61 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder
Mar 29, 2007 - 12:41am PT
Ed that image rocks! Thanks.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 29, 2007 - 01:35am PT
here is a blow up of the upper section... a little fuzzy..
someone who knows the route well should mark the route...

Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Mar 29, 2007 - 01:44am PT
Perhaps the route description should be something like "From the top of the main corner, traverse left on a quartzy band on flakes and cracks past the base of one corner, then left and up to a second corner which has a tree at its base. (5.8) Climb that corner for 1 1/2 pitches (5.8+) to a roomy ledge just below the top."

It could even say "Alternatively, climb the first corner for a pitch and a half (5.10-), then move left 5 m to a tree at the base of a clean wide crack. Climb that crack, which quickly eases off, for 15 m to the roomy ledge."

I wonder if anyone has stayed in the main corner right to the top? That would be some diretissima!
WBraun

climber
Mar 29, 2007 - 01:50am PT
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Mar 29, 2007 - 02:07am PT
Thanks Werner, and Ed - an excellent picture, and topo. Now that I see it, I know what we did, and where we should have gone.

One of the nice things about the route are that there are options, all of which are feasible, though some are harder than others.
Russ Walling

Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
Mar 29, 2007 - 02:13am PT
Werner might remember this:

I'm suckered into doing the NEBoH with Larry Zulim. He tells me it is about a 15 minute approach, so I go. We take off pretty late and have no topo. Neither of us have done the route before. So we are going about our business up there and then we see a guy catching us fast.... while we are lost and looking for the start of some pitch up there, Werner on the freesolo comes by, tells us we are gonna get lost for sure, and says he will leave a chalked "hand slap" for us at the start of each pitch..... he disappears and then we carry on, looking for and finding a big ass chalk imprint of his hand at the start of each pitch. Easy route finding after that. Got down well before dark.
WBraun

climber
Mar 29, 2007 - 02:23am PT
Hahahaha LOL
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
Mar 29, 2007 - 02:30am PT
that's too cool

wash away in the next rain, but like a free guided trip by Werner.

:)
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder
Mar 29, 2007 - 03:09am PT
I recall going from the top of the main dihedral past the X,
up the little 5.8 to the spot above the tree in one pitch - bit of rope drag not bad.

Sure most do it the way it's marked above.

Neat photos.

Hey Werner, anyone do those two major shallow crack/corners that shoot up left and parallel the main NE Buttress dihedral?
426

Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
Mar 29, 2007 - 09:46am PT
Hey Clint, thanks for the beta...I think we went the worst way possible. My partner, who was pretty solid through 10, needed a winch TR for that 'little' move. Mebbe should have looked around more.
Wild Bill

climber
Ca
Mar 29, 2007 - 12:12pm PT
"He tells me it is about a 15 minute approach" Hahahahahahaha, hope you kicked his ass later for that one.

Wish Werner was around for us - we finished the last three pitches in the rain. It was an absolute wrestling match to stay on/in the rock (with a pack, of course, probably the reason we ended up be-nighted).

Based on the topo, for the last pitch we went right, figuring we could get some aid placements if we needed them. But the Meyers/Reid topo back then showed the first thin crack as '5.9-' and it seemed harded than that. Could have been the rain, though.
Mimi

climber
Mar 31, 2007 - 01:44am PT
Really Werner, wish you were on our heels too. That was one of my first Valley long routes. What a classic. Didn't bring enough water and baked, tricky rookie route finding, got benighted on the descent but had a fun night sleeping at the base with a small fire. We luckily had water and some food as we were totally parched. Comfortable night considering it was a minor epic. I've never been that thirsty before.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Apr 17, 2007 - 08:18pm PT
Joe (jghedge) commented:

> Some guy from Argentina(?) bought the farm on that 20' off-width finish as I recall, it's easy to blow it there at the end of a long day and you might not have the right sized gear...

Probably you are referring to Gustavo Brillembourg, who died after he fell nearly 100' on pitch 11 in October 1993. He was a college classmate of mine and originally from Venezuela. There is a nice article about him (with some accident details) by Susan E.B. Schwartz titled "Why Do People Climb?"

http://www.newpaltznation.com/Shwartz-WhyClimbing.htm
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder
Apr 17, 2007 - 08:25pm PT
any thoughts on this unfortunate accident?
WBraun

climber
Apr 17, 2007 - 08:37pm PT
Ray

He fell and died. It was time to go.

I was on the ledge with him waiting for the body bag and recovery litter. The meat bees were already starting the process on his body.

He had a peaceful expression on his face.

Tragic ...........
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder
Apr 17, 2007 - 08:39pm PT
wow.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jun 27, 2007 - 03:05pm PT
In May I felt "further research" was needed (like Werner said, "looks nice, I should try it sometime"!)

Chris Chan following the nice 5.9 hand crack on p11 (standard left side finish):


and a slightly revised topo showing the different finish options:

le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
May 2, 2013 - 05:18pm PT
Great thread on a great route.

Clint wrote:
The 5.10a thin rating might be a bit of a sandbag. It was pullups on fingerlocks without much for the feet, and I have small fingers. I think my partner was saying something more like 5.10c. But the Meyers + Reid topos say 5.9 there, so I didn't want to bump it up too much. There is an even thinner crack just 3' left with a pin scar which I tried to climb at first, but it was even harder.

When we did this finish (11 right from Clint's pics above), we didn't realize there was a second crack out of view climber's right. So we both tried like hell on the pin-scarred thinner/harder crack.

Finally Nutjob got it. Pulling up the thin crack itself isn't too hard, but then you have to do a committing mantel @ solid .10. If you blow it, you and your ankles will go back to the ledge. Better to step further right and find the .10b fingers.
nutjob

Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
May 2, 2013 - 06:04pm PT
Man, it's like we're dancing around the Internet together. This thread caught my attention again, I was trying to find where we actually went, and lo and behold le_bruce is a step ahead of me :)


Here's a pic looking back after pulling that mantel onto a higher slab:

My attentive belayer:

And it links back into a speedier path where people behind us passed us:

And this is where that path pops out on top:

I love that summit. Looking in any direction, new dreams are born. Here was the seed for another adventure:


I can't believe it's been 3 years since my last lap up there. Now my dilemma is whether to revisit such fun climbs or go explore something new, during the limited time windows I'll have there.
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
May 2, 2013 - 06:47pm PT
Arrowhead Spire/Arete is a must do if you haven't done it. Shitty approach, but worth it I think. NEB is great though. Have not done a better route in Yos. Liked it more than Serenity/SOY link up to be honest.
Messages 41 - 60 of total 61 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta