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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 24, 2009 - 02:22am PT
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image from SP.org
So I'm minding my own business reading the new Secor guide and out pops the massive North Buttress of Dragtooth image on pg. 453.
I go to search the taco and nary but two threads even mention this Sierra gem. I've never been and it looks cool.
Brad and Micha, speak up. I know you've been in there.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Mar 24, 2009 - 02:41am PT
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Dang, I think I see the line forming as we speak!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 24, 2009 - 02:51am PT
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chocks to 5" it says
hrm
maybe the right side route is worthwhile too.
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climblight
Mountain climber
Northern NV
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Mar 24, 2009 - 04:05am PT
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Soloed the left skyline in that shot and a crummy route from Polemonium pass. Next up - the buttress, ready?
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Mar 24, 2009 - 04:16am PT
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Munge;
I would bet DR has scoped it out or has done it.
Bruce
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 24, 2009 - 10:20am PT
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Yeah, I've done it. First time by the class four (and descent) route near the left side (on a trip where Vicki was with, and Chief was still with us).
Next by the Dragway, the jaw-dropping, left facing corner to the right. This was fabulous, one of the hardest pitches I've onsighted in the Sierra (5.10d, stemming). It's in the Fiddler/Monyier book and deservedly so. Good pro in smaller cracks near the main crack, but bring up to a #4 Camalot too. The pitch above the corner is a great 5.9 finger crack. I've got photos, but they are not-yet-scanned slides.
Third was a "first ascent" right up the middle with Micha. In quotes because we found some abandoned/fixed gear up to about halfway up. I think whatever line we found climbed up and right for five pitches, whereas we diverted up and left from about halfway up. I think we reported this to Secor; is it in the third edition (I haven't got it yet)?
Lots of other good stuff there, such as the Teeth (great traverse, took all day). The Horse Creek Tower and Horse Creek Spire (I think the third edition will differentiate between the two, they've been confused for each other since Roper's High Sierra Guide).
Great place, but you never hear of anyone climbing in there much any more.
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Dapper Dan
climber
Menlo Park
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Mar 24, 2009 - 11:23am PT
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awesome beta mtnyoung .
how is the approach ?
scan those slides wouldya ?
PS. does anyone know if the third edition of the Secor guide is available ? in the works ? i know he was injured in that glissade accident awhile back...
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 24, 2009 - 11:44am PT
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The approach is "only" 5 or 6 miles. Mostly on trails, and then on use-trails. But it is very uphill. There is a perfect lake/tarn that sits about 3/4 mile north of Matterhorn Peak on that side of the Sawtooth. It has nice, flat places for tents. This is an ideal base camp for all climbs in the area. Take a day to the lake, and then climb from there (although I've done it in a day, too, it's a loooong day).
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Hoots
climber
Tacoma, Toyota
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Mar 24, 2009 - 12:00pm PT
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3rd Ed. of the Secor Guide is out, and it is purdy. This one is definitely on my ticklist this year. Dragway sounds cool.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 24, 2009 - 04:04pm PT
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bump, for more stories/
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2009 - 03:53am PT
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Mtnyoung, yep you and Micha are in there.
Amazon has the 3rd edition available if anyone is interested.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 25, 2009 - 09:55am PT
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I'll tell Micha that we're famous. I just ordered two copies of the third (always get two copies of guidebooks you like, one to use and one to keep pristine).
I'm going to get my photos of that climb scanned in the next weeks. Seen close up the corner is really cool. For two pitches. And at the top of the second pitch there's this huge flake. You're almost done with the hardest part of the the route and then there is this six foot flake that you've got to get by. I ended up climbing over it - and from above it's obviously well wedged - but that isn't so obvious from below.
BTW, Dragtooth's summit is well to the left in the photo you posted. It doesn't look like it from the angle of the shot, but it is.
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Mar 25, 2009 - 10:37am PT
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done the north buttress of dragtooth, fun but don't expect the rock quality of say the whitney region. The Doodad is a fun thing to do on your way down, cool exposed short 5.6 (?) to top of LARGE boulder on ridge. :)
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Mar 25, 2009 - 02:56pm PT
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Brad - how hard was your route up the center - I was eyeballin that one too*
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tallguy
Trad climber
bay area
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Mar 25, 2009 - 03:12pm PT
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Done it too.
For a topo with a "5.10 ow" on it, it is a pretty easy crux. One or two moves of ow, bring a 4.5 camalot if you are worried (we did), but it wasn't too bad, and thats not a sandbag comment. Typical for a sierra climb, a fun good pitches here and there, some questionable rock, and a good long get in shape day.
Fun route to tick, though it is the only sierra climb I have ever done that I had to leave gear on the descent down the nasty gully near the matterhorn. Tricky descent during certain portions of the year, and a long way to the summit and descent after you finish. Start early
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 25, 2009 - 03:15pm PT
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"It's in the Fiddler/Monyier book and deservedly so."
It is? Is this a newer edition we're talking about?
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 25, 2009 - 03:25pm PT
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Aldude: If I remember right it was 5.9? Not particularly good climbing and not particularly good rock, but a nice location. And Micha is one of those partners who makes any climbing day a good day. So it was a fun route.
tallguy: You're right about the "offwidth," the crux pitch is supposed to be 5.10a as an offwidth and 5.10d as a stemming problem. With my long legs, I chose to stem. I've descended it three times on the left skyline, which is also one of the fourth class ascent routes. I suppose I had an advantage in descending this way since I first ascended it by this route and so had a pretty good idea of where I was going on the way down. It's not so bad coming down that way.
Fat Dad: Yeah, the Falcon Press edition, the newer one, has it (doesn't it?). Now I'm questioning my memory and I don't have the book to hand.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 25, 2009 - 06:23pm PT
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I remember too using a new type of gear on the route I did in the center. They turned out to be very, very handy. The base of the climb is behind a steep area of snow. Usually one can get into the bergshrund or walk on rocks, and the snow isn't a big issue. That's what I've done most times before in getting to the base of High Sierra routes. But this "glacier" area was wider and steeper than I've commonly seen (and it appeared that way in photos I looked at beforehand).
So I brought these halfsize aluminum "crampons" for my approach shoes. I think the Brits call them "creepers?" Small and very light, they fit onto my low-top approach shoes perfectly. I was able to walk right up the snow. Micha had a tough time of it; I gave him a top belay. Without these one of us could very easily taken a big, nasty slider.
I then put them in my pack for the climb and barely noticed them. Anyone else ever use these?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2009 - 01:26am PT
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kewl, thx
pic would be rad
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Brutus of Wyde
climber
Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA
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Mar 27, 2009 - 04:37am PT
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I used "creepers" way back in 1973 when I was learning the ropes. Scary things... the points were only about 1/8" long, made for traversing icy sidewalks. For a Sierra snowfield, I generally take Camp 6-point adjustable crampons these days, fit great on the front part of my approach shoes.
If you lack creepers or any crampons, an old-timer's trick I've used is to take off the shoes and do the snowfield in wool socks. Surprising the amount of traction this generates.
Nurse and I gazed longingly at the Dragtooth line, but on that trip Matterhorn Peak was all we could handle.
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