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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Jul 26, 2007 - 05:39pm PT
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The mandatory free is easy. I freed the end of 5 and the start of 6 to the first bolt on the steepness. And I'm not great at free climbing.
Your main enemy is the heat...
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pimp daddy wayne
climber
The Bat Caves
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Jul 26, 2007 - 05:47pm PT
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Look at the tarp we brought to keep the sun off us. We woke up real early so we wouldn't get torched.
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soaring_bird
Trad climber
Cheyenne, WY
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Jul 26, 2007 - 05:50pm PT
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Unless you are dead set on WFLT for some reason, I'd suggest either the Prow or Ten Days After on the East Face of Washington Column for a solo in August. At least you'll be in the shade during the hottest part of the day in the afternoon. You might really be thankful of that decision. Between these two routes, TDA is much better than the Prow, but technically a little harder. WFLT and WDD are steeper and more exposed, but I'd save those for a cooler time of year.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Jul 26, 2007 - 06:33pm PT
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Tarp- good idea.
Climb from 4AM to 1PM. And maybe from 7PM to 9PM.
I wonder about bringing a bag or block of ice in a soft sided cooler for these summer wall attempts. If you kept the ice clean and it just melted into drinking water you wouldn't be brining much extra weight. If you put a bandana in ice cold water and put it on your neck it's amazing how much better you can deal with the heat.
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Moof
Trad climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Jul 26, 2007 - 07:24pm PT
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Pre-freezing your gatorade and water bottles works for a couple days, but you need ot get to the base pretty quick after leaving your home base.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jul 26, 2007 - 10:47pm PT
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Wow. PTPP must be a really sketchy free climber is that was his crux LOL! :-) It's greasy, but easy there. I did the route in Tevas and led that pitch in the dark. It was my first wall ever, in about '94. The route is way easier now. Bolts are better and there's TONS of fixed gear.
As of last month there was a lined fixed across the ledge to the base of the route, and another fixed from Guano to Awahnee. It's the same black static line thats been there for a couple years, but is still in good shape.
From the top, rap or batman down super low angle slab about 50' with one cord to slings on a block. Then, double ropes take you to the notch in one rap. The rest of the descent can be done with one rope, which is way less Clusterfukage than two, especially with a pig in a loose low angle gully. Last month we accidentally knocked a rock down from high in the gully. It rolled and bounced like the bucket down the well in that scene from Lord of the Rings. Kept going and going and going and...
Take candy. Jolly Ranchers are great when you're parched. Cytomax is helpful too.
Have fun.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Jul 26, 2007 - 10:52pm PT
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did it in cool weather '83 w/ skinhead tim - October, it was easy, even w/ bad bolts - fun climb - we took a four pack of bud and wished for a six.
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Grandmastergoat
Trad climber
Lake Stevens, Washington
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2007 - 11:10pm PT
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cigarettes, check.
beer, check.
big ass block of ice, check.
Ipod shuffle, check.
Gallons of water, check.
Umbrella, check.
Thanks for taking the time to post up for a aspiring big waller. Lots of great ideas here. I'm getting more and more amped as the day approaches. How do ya'll fall asleep the night before? I haven't found anything that works yet.
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Wade Icey
Big Wall climber
Indian Caves, CA
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Jul 27, 2007 - 12:32am PT
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Jerry,
Tevas?
!!
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jul 27, 2007 - 12:57am PT
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With socks. It's all aid... might as well be comfy.
:-)
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Jul 27, 2007 - 10:45am PT
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How do ya'll fall asleep the night before?
Get laid.
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Dragon with Matches
climber
Bamboo Grove
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Jul 27, 2007 - 11:02am PT
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"How do ya'll fall asleep the night before? Get laid."
And if you're soloing... does this mean you're, uh, "soloing"??
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jul 27, 2007 - 11:19am PT
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Don’t forget to take matches or a lighter. WFLT was my first big wall and I turned 19 on it as well and was going to light up a j to celebrate (on Ahwahnee Ledge) and my partner (his first wall as well) and I realised we had no fire. Bummer.
And yeah, we ran out of water on the second day with a couple of pitches to go.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jul 28, 2007 - 01:10pm PT
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Just got off Leaning Tower. It was as hot as it gets in Yosemite barring a heat wave.
There's plenty of great advice here so I'm just reinforcing it. Recommend wake up early climb, slack under umbrella in afternoon. Some folks found a personal mister (makes mist, not that inflatable sex toy) that you pump up, (again to make water spray) that would be worth taking since the hauling is easy.
For soloing, Hike up in the morning early, climb to Ahwahnee, slack.
Start early, climb to bivy at 10, slack
Descend while gully and talus are still in shade.
Enjoy, it's bearable but bring lots of water and juicy food. Be used to the heat or
yul die!
Peace
Karl
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Grandmastergoat
Trad climber
Lake Stevens, Washington
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 28, 2007 - 04:06pm PT
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Thanks Karl. Heh, heh, you lost me there for a second with the "personal mister" comment. Good stuff. Sounds like there'll be a fair amount of slacking in the noon day sun. Gets me to thinking of stuff to do to pass the time. Anyone ever bring a kite up for fun? Could be a cluster waiting to happen. Hmmmmm, who's got an interesting wall pastime to share?
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jul 28, 2007 - 06:19pm PT
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Lookin' pretty chill there for such a warm day Karl. Nice umbrella. I think pink is your color. ;-) Way to get after it.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jul 28, 2007 - 07:02pm PT
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Cool Show. Looks like a good time for all.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jul 29, 2007 - 02:38am PT
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Some minor BS:
First pitch, bat hook and cliffhanger moves pass missing heads.
Fifth pitch, bring aliens (or maybe scary cam hooks) for some pin scars that probably used to be fixed but were probably pulled for free climbing holds. Around the yellow size, they ain't great as I had 3 pull while testing, not usual for me anywhere.
Recommend linking 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, do seven on it's own then link 8 and 9 to the plush ledge to wait out the heat. Then 10 is a killer bivy, place to chill (or bake)
Peace
Karl
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Grandmastergoat
Trad climber
Lake Stevens, Washington
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2007 - 03:49am PT
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Scary cam hooks? Aliens poppin? Yeeehaw. Now we're talkin. Thanks for the up to date info, Karl.
later
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jul 29, 2007 - 02:06pm PT
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Somebody asked about spinners.
Yeah, there are a few spinner bolts but I didn't give em a second thought cause they're huge. The first time I climbed Leaning Tower in 1980, the bolt ladders had bolts that were little more than rusty nails, there were tiny copperheads pasted into 1/4 bolt holes with the wires 2/3rd wasted and the fixed mank stunk worse than the piss smell of my first wall. I used a cheater stick on that one.
It's a picnic now by comparison but fun.
peace
Karl
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