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Location: UT : Moab Area : Castle Valley : Photo
By: Alexander Nees When: Jan 26, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: I <3 blitzo
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto
By: Alexander Nees When: Jan 5, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: There have been recent reports that the AC Devil Dog column may be loose and shifting on its base. I haven't personally verified this. Obviously, if this is true then it presents serious danger to anyone climbing in the Grotto. Be careful out there! More details in the original report here: SuperTopo thread
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : AC Devil Dog (5.10d)
By: Alexander Nees When: Jan 5, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: There have been recent reports that the AC Devil Dog column may be loose and shifting on its base. I haven't personally verified this. Obviously, if this is true then it presents serious danger to anyone climbing in the Grotto. Be careful out there! More details in the original report here: SuperTopo thread
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : New Diversions : New Deviations (5.9)
By: Alexander Nees When: Nov 14, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: LOTS of hornets around the upper half of this route on 11/14/10. Didn't see a nest, but they seemed to be coming out of the upper crack, and I bailed from the bolt as they started to get angry...
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : New Diversions : New Diversions (5.10a)
By: Alexander Nees When: Nov 14, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: LOTS of hornets around the upper half of this route on 11/14/10. Didn't see a nest, but they seemed to be coming out of the upper crack, and I bailed from the bolt as they started to get angry...
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Sentinel Rock : Steck-Salathe (5.10-)
By: Alexander Nees When: Oct 18, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I only have one thing to add to the huge amount of quality beta for this route. The 5.9 squeeze after the Wilson Overhang is mellow, except for the last body-length or so immediately before exiting, which is HORRENDOUS. I highly recommend the following strategy:
Climb up the chimney to the point at which your chest is starting to get compressed by the squeeze, maybe 6-8 feet below the slung chockstone. Place a good piece (I used a bomber .75 C4), then slither back down the chimney to... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Tuolumne Meadows : Mountaineer's Dome : American Wet Dream (5.10b R)
By: Alexander Nees When: Sep 19, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbed this route Saturday morning 9/18/10. Missing a green C3 (#0) with neutrino racking biner, both marked with red tape. Believe that it probably fell out of the pack at the base of the route. It did NOT go up the route with us. If you find it, I would REALLY appreciate a return. I'm in the Bay Area, but would pay for shipping if you are not. 6 pack or the like offered in appreciation of a return. Thanks.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Tuolumne Meadows : Phobos/Diemos Cliff : Deimos (5.9)
By: Alexander Nees When: Aug 31, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Phobos is rated 5.9+ on MountainProject. My partner and I felt that the crux move over the roof on Pitch 1 of Deimos was harder than anything on Phobos, but they both just felt like solid 5.9 to us. Phobos a bit more sustained, Deimos a bit more funky.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Tuolumne Meadows : Pywiak Dome : Aqua Knobby (5.9)
By: Alexander Nees When: Aug 15, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: We started with the bolted 5.9 slab start, then linked pitches 2 and 3. Done this way, this is a new favorite TM multi-pitch for me; steep, fun, some good cracks, and just run-out enough to be exciting without being upsetting.
Standing at the bolt that protects the runout, the climbing feels hard and tenuous. But the bolt is protecting the hardest stuff; once you step up and over the overlap it's pretty cruiser to the crack and good gear.
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : Chicken Ranch Bingo (5.10b)
By: Alexander Nees When: May 14, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is the BEST bolted line I've tried in the Grotto area (incl. Ort Wall, Welcome Wall, Eastern Front) after AC Devil Dog, although I've mostly done the cracks. Decently long, really fun movement, good rock. Don't let the comments dissuade you; I noticed no crap on the rocks, and both of the two rusty bolts have good new bolts nearby, so it's safe. Pretty runout to the first bolt, but easy. If you think there's ANY possibility of you falling down low, you should anchor your belay... more >>
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Indian Creek : Donnelly Canyon : Drainpipe (5.10)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 29, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: This thing ate me alive... I got a knee gobie right through my pants from kneebar-ing my way most of the distance! Certainly seemed harder for me than other 10s at the Creek. I'd call it 10+ for the water polish, awkwardness, and bad rattly fingers at the top.
And yes, I'm pretty sure this route is the Drainpipe. That's what Bloom says, it squares with his description, and also this crack is definitely the primary drainage channel, not the one to the left (personal observation!).
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : AC Devil Dog (5.10d)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Absolutely stellar and unique. First couple bolts are tough, easier after that. Love the rest in the handjam slot halfway up!
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : Table Manners - Left (5.11a)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very contrived, but what a beautiful crack! ~1" for nearly the whole length; a very good challenge, and I would say solid at 11a. Certainly harder than Rawhide, and also feels harder than Snake Bite at 11b. Would be 4 stars without the contrived nature of it.
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : Prime Directive (5.10c R)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Yikes... a bit of a head-game to climb this one. No chalk, lots of lichen/moss, quite a bit of loose rock, and runout in the upper section. Wouldn't recommend it. If you do go for it, I would bring a couple cams to protect the bottom section before reaching the first bolt; I think I placed a .5 C4. The rock is pretty bad down there, though, so I'm not sure if the placement would really help keep you off the ground anyway.
Also, there is an alternate "direct" start to this climb. ... more >>
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : Hole in the Wall (5.10a)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Caughtinside is right about the questionable rock quality... but I really only noticed the "flaky crust" factor in a single 3' section of the climb. Put in gear just below the crust, and just above, and I don't think there's any reason to be concerned. Very fun climb; love it!
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Location: CA : Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) : Table Mountain : The Grotto : Gyro Gearloose (5.10c)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I think this route deserves more than 1 star. Admittedly it's not a great natural line, linking the bottom half of Snake Bite into a higher crack system on the right using a bolt. But the climbing is fun and interesting in the linkup, the bolt is solid and well-placed, and I didn't notice any worryingly loose rock on the climb. The Grotto is a small area; if you've done most of the clear lines, this is a good one to fill out your visit with. 10c for the face moves at the bolt, easi... more >>
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Indian Creek : Supercrack Buttress : The Wave (5.10+)
By: Alexander Nees When: Apr 12, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: A great climb, but I got a bit hosed by the gear beta in Bloom's 2nd ed. guide, which recommends 3 2.5 Friends. I typically convert 2.5 and 3 Friends to #2 C4s; the gear list led me to take lotsa 2s but only a couple .75s and 1s. NOT ideal gear for this climb; I ended up at the second bulge with nothing that would fit the crack. Take a bunch of .5s, .75s, and 1s, but only a single 2, or two at the most. Yeah, yeah, make your own decisions about gear, don't trust the... more >>
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Location: NM : Gallup Area : Mentmore : Original Side : (04) Benny Silva Wall : Razors from Heaven (5.10d)
By: Alexander Nees When: May 31, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Hey Marvin,
Thanks for straightening that out about the FA. Congrats on being able to pull that move...I had to work out an entirely different sequence to be able to do the route consistently.
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Location: NM : Gallup Area : Mentmore : New Side : (03) Wall of Dreams : Photo
By: Alexander Nees When: May 19, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The "Unnamed Crack" marked on this photo right of Stolen Dreams is "Turquoise Classic Thunder."
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Location: NM : Gallup Area : Church Rock
By: Alexander Nees When: May 14, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The best way to access the base of Churchrock is from Red Rock State Park, in the town of Churchrock just off I-40 east of Gallup. Leave the interstate at exit 26 (if coming from the west) or exit 33 (if coming from the east) and follow the frontage road and signs to Red Rock State Park. The trail starts from the Post Office in the park (not the Pyramid Trail). Park your car at the Post Office and walk north towards the redrock; you'll see the trail sign. The trail is marked along ... more >>
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Location: NM : Gallup Area : Mentmore : New Side : (04) The Balcony : Ten 'Til Eight (5.9)
By: Alexander Nees When: Nov 5, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: The 5.9 grade on this climb is a little funny, sort of a compromise. As the name suggests, this climb is a little bit of 5.10 to a lot of 5.8. If 5.9 is at your limit, the bottom of this route is going to be a shock. So, I would say that if you climb this one starting from the bottom, up the overhang, it's roughly 5.10a. If you start on the Balcony and traverse in from the right, skipping the first bolt of the climb, it's about 5.8.
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