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HalHammer
Trad climber
CA
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Apr 23, 2008 - 03:13pm PT
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Is the Ho Chi Mihn trail runout more or less so in comparison to the first 7 of the DNB, they really didn't seem that bad at the grade the scary parts were more one move wonders and the harder parts overall protected decently with good feet rests every so often.
The upper chimneys took it out of us more than the face climbing. The route finding with the traversing stuff around pitch 12 is pretty weird. We called the difficulty crux of the route the start of pitch 10 the polished 5.8 offwidth. We met a euro team where one partner fell and broke his hand here leading. Plenty of pro if you got it. Oh btw this is one route where the supertopo rack makes me laugh lol. Gimme a break we used way more small cams down low and were pysched to have a couple 3s up high. Brought along 2 screamers like Karl's recommendation for clipping some of that old mank.
For 5.10d down lower those pitches weren't strenuous we ended up linking almost every pitch down low and we were intimidated going into they just went much easier overall than we thought they would be. Thats probably why Im always psyched on the bigger rack too hehe.
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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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Apr 23, 2008 - 03:17pm PT
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hey hal-
i had an apple in my pocket as i led that polished 5.8 flare pitch-
apple sauce baby!
hahaha
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Mimi
climber
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Apr 23, 2008 - 10:39pm PT
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Beyond funny, Matt.
Back when we did it in 1983, it was a feared and respected classic. How dare any of you clowns say it shouldn't be on the list.
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2008 - 09:15pm PT
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It looked like weather was comming in last wed so I went to the grotto instead.
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2008 - 03:09am PT
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Nice pics hoping to go Wed!!
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Topic Author's Reply - May 15, 2008 - 04:00am PT
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Went up to do the route and there was a party just starting up. Damn all that drive for nothing.... No we did the E Butt of Lower Cathedral, was good.
How is that N Butt route??
HCM - Noted!
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Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
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May 15, 2008 - 04:14am PT
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the EBoLCR is way cool, if a bit of a sandy hike at the very top.
we brought along a #4 and i left it behind at the belay on both the pitches i'd brought it for (oops!)
was there webbing hanging from that pin outside of and ovr the flaring angled chimney?
that sh#t was rigid when i ws there a few years back, and of course, as i said, the big cam was on my partner's harness. seems funny now... =)
the NBoMCR is awesome too.
pretty casual to freesolo until the chimney on p4 or p5, otherwise those early pitches would be a hassle, w/ your rope running through bushes and around trees, etc.
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2008 - 03:21pm PT
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Ok so the North Buttress MC is good. I have been wondering about this for a little while. It seems pretty casual grade wise but I was wondering about pro, route finding and all that. I will have to put this on the hit list.
The webbing resides still, we clipped the pin directly.
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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May 16, 2008 - 04:48pm PT
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clustiere,
Doesn't the rock texture and color in the pics makes you salivate?
What a beauty this is, way up there feel, with just the right tummy twinge about the funny mantle, easy for arm cockers but not for others, but how will it be for you, you wonder, and maybe you find all the beta on the move and pro a bit confusing, thankfully, but soon you crank your head up and see looming the high darker recesses, maybe a bit of loose rock there where you might talk to yourself about setting the pro to keep the rope from rubbing over that bit, and then that bit, caution neurons leaping next to movement neurons. And then there are route options (rap, U bowl, go for it) to hash with your partner before or maybe during and maybe after ("I told you we should have ....") and descent route options too ("Why is this wet, damn it - it's hotter than hell ...") …
Here's wishing you all the fabulous mind jumble making the way home to the flatland like returning to earth from a spaceship, road and restaurants flying by seemingly out of a movie, and causing you years later to tell your kid about it, leaning on a bridge or standing in the meadow, holding your hands together to form a prow and saying, see, it goes there, then there, then ... and getting the quizzical smile back from that small face. Praise the old, crooked, weathered Yosemite giants for they build and build in you and stay and stay, ever larger as time goes by.
O, and another option: if the night is warm, worming into the sand and dozing under the stars ain't so bad either. Let’s see, where’s that little star chart …
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2008 - 11:52pm PT
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Oh man that was beautiful! Now I gotta
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Impaler
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Sorry to revive this thread. Just wondering if anyone has any reasonable gear recommendations for this route. ST says to bring stuff up to 3", but comments that larger gear might come in useful to reduce the runouts on the upper pitches. Is it a good idea to bring 4, 5, or 6"? Second 3"s, RPs? By the way, is there anything harder up there than ahab, generator crack, or the Steck-Salathe cruxes? The ratings in the book make it look easy, but that doesn't seem to be the consensus... Thanks a lot.
Vlad
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punjab
Gym climber
oregon
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impaler-
did the dnb about a month ago, and brought doubles to #3 camalot and maybe a #4. as far as rp's go, we had a few but didn't place many. i think a double set makes linking sections of the upper pitches pretty easy. the upper pitches are neither hard, nor easy...just relentless. overall the climb is amazing and the lower section is un-real! have fun!
matt.
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HalHammer
Trad climber
CA
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2 screamers for clipping crappy pins, a decent set of nuts maybe with a couple of the midsize offsets, 2# 3s, maybe a #4, doubles of small sh#t so you can link/go for it on the face pitches down low. like doubles from blue alien to red alien at least.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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The North Butttress goes way faster and is in no way a Grade V; if you've never been up there it's not a bad idea to learn the descent in the daylight via this route before you get on the much longer DNB.
North Butt topo is from like 1492 and bears only a passing resemblance to the route, and does not include several large landmark features in the immediate neighborhood. Scope it from the meadow.
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Impaler
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Thanks for the advice! Can't wait to get on it this weekend.
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