Chimneys; Not for everyone

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flyingkiwi1

Trad climber
Seattle WA
Jul 23, 2007 - 07:49pm PT
A couple of Washington State classics:

Third pitch of The Lizard, Index. A joy once you've found your path; 20' of depair-in-the-flair til then.
Upper half of Damnation Crack, Leavenworth. Pure, heady, beautiful
5.9 chimney climbing up the (in)side of a detached pinnacle.

Nice thread, Todd. Hope you and yours are doing well. Seems like forever since I choss-creased Tucker's forehead while attempting a wide crack FA he gave me out at Queen Mountain. I don't know if it was that one or another one that I called Latifah. Get it? Heheh.

Best, Ian
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 23, 2007 - 10:24pm PT
the Basket Dome waterfall is really a figment of imagination, a manifestation of youthful lust for life...

it's an inside joke...
WBraun

climber
Jul 23, 2007 - 10:25pm PT
Not if it's raining hard .......
TGT

Social climber
So Cal
Jul 23, 2007 - 10:28pm PT
Not if it's hot and you are wearing shorts and a T back....

Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Jul 23, 2007 - 11:57pm PT
Steven on Steck Salathe

Included in trip report at

http://www.yosemiteclimber.com/Return_of_Gunks_Gumby.html

peace

Karl
WBraun

climber
Jul 23, 2007 - 11:58pm PT
The chilling chimney of horrors is Royal Robbins route on Higher Cathedral Spire.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 24, 2007 - 12:13am PT
Higher Cathedral Spire - Northwest Face

VI, 5.8, A4. This face, the steep wall visible from the valley floor, was climbed June 1961 by Tom Frost and Royal Robbins. The route begins near the left margin of the face. Three pitches of mixed climbing (5.8, A2) lead to the base of the chilling Chimney of Horrors, a flared, overhanging slot. Exit from the chimney onto strenuous aid; the lead exits on a good belay ledge. Pitch 5: using aid, work right along prominent white flakes for about 50 feet, then nail straight up to a sling belay 50 feet higher. Next, a long, difficult aid pitch leads diagonally left to a belay stance 150 feet directly above the good belay ledge. The pitch above involves a leaning bong crack and ends in a sling belay. Pitch 8: nail an A2 crack and belay in slings at a short bolt ladder. Above lies a difficult aid pitch involving rurps, knifeblades, and expanding flakes. A 150-foot lead (A1, 5.7) ends at a small tree. Pitch 11: climb past a large pine tree, ascend a rotten pillar, then traverse right a few feet and climb a high-angle face (5.7) to ledges near the summit block. Hardware: 45-50 pitons, including rurps, knifeblades (4) and 8 bongs, up to 3".

Steve Roper
Climber's Guide to Yosemite Valley
page 242
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 24, 2007 - 03:27am PT
Interestingly, the only chimney/flair climbs in Meyer's listed in Appendix II are:

5.9: Moby Dick, Left; Entrance Exam
5.10a: Handjob; The Riddler; Ahab
5.10d: 10.96
5.11b: On The Edge

I've been on a lot of these, and seen them all except On The Edge, which looks like it would be an amazing climb on Half Dome.

I must have seen Realm of the Lizard King before, but not recognized it...
...a slightly more complete list of chimney/flairs in Yosemite Valley

4 Juliette's Flake, Right
5.4 The Iota;
5.6 Chimney for Two; Church Bowl Chimney;
5.7 Kat Pinnacle, Northwest Corner; Gilligan's Chicken; Pat Pinnacle; Remnant, Right; Inner Reaches; Loggerhead Ledge; After Five; Pygmy Pillar; Uncle Fanny; North Dome, South Face;
5.8: Cool Cliff 170; Juliette's Flake, Left; Elevator Shaft; Just Scraping By; Dromedary; Split Pinnacle, East Arete; Tweedle Dee; Cid's Embrace; The Hanging Teeth; Church Bowl Chimney; Trial By Fire; Chockblock Chimney; Tilted Mitten, Right; The Syllable;
5.9: Parkline Pinnacle, Center Route; Entrance Exam; The Cookie, Right; The Cleft; Whim; Block Horror Picture Show; Chockstone Chimney; Peter Pan; La Cosita, Left; Mobby Dick, Left; Commissioner Buttress; Doggie Diversions; The Buttocks; Jolly Green Giant; Steck-Salathe; Tilted Mitten, Left; The Sphinxter; Worst Error, Left;
5.10a The Enigma; Free Press; Reed's Pinnacle, Left; The Reception; The Riddler; Nottingham; Absolutely Free, Right; Rixon's Pinnacle, East Chimney; The Girl Next Door, Left & Right; Geek Towers, Right Side; Lost Arrow Chimney; Milk Dud; Foaming at the Crotch; Lost Error; Right Side Route; Crack of Doom, Crack of Dispair;
5.10b Midterm; Moby Dick, Ahab; The Sermon;
5.10c Generator Crack; Bridalveil East;
5.10d The Gerbil Launcher; The Slack, Center; 10.96;
5.11b On The Edge;
5.11c Thin Line; Realm of the Lizard King;
Patrick Sawyer

climber
Originally California now Ireland
Jul 24, 2007 - 10:59am PT
Church Bowl Chimney was my first chimney in the Valley (already had climbed chimneys on Mt Diablo), so I remember it somewhat fondly (kind of perverse, eh), but the photo of the Left Side of Reed also brought back memories.

I guess I would be lying if I said that I always wanted to do 1096. Looking at that thing has always given me the heebie jeebies (that’d be a good name for an off-width or chimney).
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 24, 2007 - 11:48am PT
I've never been on the thing Tami, but you sure aren't making a good sell to get people up there to check it out!

Gotta think that if it was so tenuosly balanced to move around under a climber's influence that mother nature would have found a way to trundle it all herself. Stranger things exist, I guess... and you should know, you've climbed in Canada.

My card is pretty full up for the next decade or so, but I'll put it on the list of "Places Which Are Sure to Scare the Crap Out Of You" (sometimes refered to as the PWASSCOY list) and maybe I'll post sometime around 2020. Should have gone digital by then, if the cell coverage in the Valley ever gets better I might be able to upload from the summit (or live web cam?!).
golsen

Social climber
kennewick, wa
Jul 24, 2007 - 11:51am PT
Anyone have pics of the Honeymoon Chimney on the Priest? Starts on one side of the tower and goes all the way through to the other. Thats pretty cool. Did cost me a brand new pair of painter pants though....
bvb

Social climber
flagstaff arizona
Jul 24, 2007 - 12:08pm PT
did 10.96 with john wason and then a week or two later did a hideous squeeze chimm with tom lindner -- it was either the 2nd pitch of manana or ying-yang -- can't remember which. but it was WAY harder then 10.96 and i think it was rated like 5.9 or something.

wide cracks....beware...here be dragons....
Jello

Social climber
No Ut
Jul 24, 2007 - 12:56pm PT
CD and me starting the chimney pitches on Ron's classic chimney route, Iron Messiah. Photo by PR, hisself.


Jaybro

Social climber
The West
Jul 24, 2007 - 01:17pm PT
Thanks for the Beta, Tami. I wanna go ride that chimbly, who's with me?

Warbler, that handcrack pitch on hotline is one of the best ever, anywhere.


But I dunno Beevb. I thought thasecond pitch of whatever was pretty straight forward, and way easier than 1096. (10b) Gotta be some reason no one ever does it, though. When we climbed it, circa Cyndi Lauper, there was a rap rope stuck on it. When I got to the top and pulled it out, it was incredibly sun damaged on one side, jt even felt noticably lighter than a regular rope, kinda lariat like too, heard it had been there for years, or something.
WBraun

climber
Jul 24, 2007 - 01:23pm PT
Running it out again, eh? Jello and no gear on your rack.

Those old skool type guys always scaring the sh'it out of us.

And BVB, it was ying-yang. When me and Kauk did the FA I look at the potential second pitch and tell Ron we need to do that too.

Ron says no way Jose, and I say we must do it because it's there.

Ron says OK you can lead it but I'm knott going to follow this hunk.

But I made him follow, hee hee hee
bvb

Social climber
flagstaff arizona
Jul 24, 2007 - 02:13pm PT
i dunno you guys, maybe i was having a bad day, but lindner led that 2nd pitch and i swear to god i barely scratched up it and was so worked that it signaled the premature end of our climbing day.

next morning i had sore muscles that i'd never even felt before. full-body pump like "whoa!"
spyork

Social climber
A prison of my own creation
Jul 24, 2007 - 05:01pm PT
I'll head up there with ya Jay.

Nothin like squirming up a chimney feeling like I'm gonna puke. Makes me feel alive.

Cheaper than therapy anyhoo...
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
Jul 24, 2007 - 05:17pm PT
You'n me, spy, from entrance exam to post grad dynamics!


Bvb, who knows, maybe it's Chaos theory, I had one of those moments on Jerry Brown, couldn't touch it, word on the street is it's easy. We all have moments that someone else has sworn us to secrecy over. I've experienced both extremes on the same climb, more than once.
looking sketchy there...

Social climber
Latitute 33
Jul 24, 2007 - 06:12pm PT
Here is a better shot of the chimney up-thread (The Firewater Chimney). Yes, it is bolted. But, at 10b and 90+ feet (1.5 to 5 feet wide) and no gear, you will thankfully clip the 6 bolts. A chimney classic.


Jaybro

Social climber
The West
Jul 24, 2007 - 06:17pm PT
Cool! I've been known to bolt things like that, avoids stolbisistiskii, style mishaps.
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