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Location: AL : Steele : Monopoly (5.9)
By: Cres Simpson When: Dec 22, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Really fun climb -- great exposure.
For me, the traverse was very thin. The feet are great but it's heady and the potential for a pendulum fall adds some mental difficulty to the route.
The arete is easy and well protected.
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Location: NC : Laurel Knob : Seconds (5.8+)
By: Cres Simpson When: Dec 16, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Agree with Ryan Williams' excellent review of the route.
As far as safety goes, this route probably gets a PG-13 rating anywhere else but by North Carolina standards it's well protected. Biggest runouts were probably 25-30 feet on P4 and P5. I'd say be reasonably comfortable at the grade as a 50' fall on slab would be exfoliating to say the least. Crux portions were extremely well protected.
For those who cut their teeth on NC slab at Looking Glass (as I did), Seconds is definitely a totally ... more >>
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Location: AL : Steele : Bird's Nest Crack (5.9)
By: Cres Simpson When: Dec 9, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Not sure where the PG-13 grade came from on this one, but my guess is it's probably because of where you belay -- you belay from a ledge about 15' off the ground with potential for a nasty fall for everyone involved if the leader bails off early in the climb. Place a piece or two on the ground to secure the belayer and you're all set. The gear is excellent all the way up the climb, definitely not PG-13.
I used doubles of 0.75 C4s and 0.5 C4s.
Great climb!! Crux is down low and it's tough for ... more >>
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Location: AL : Sand Rock : The Pinnacle : Pin Chimney (5.8+)
By: Cres Simpson When: Dec 6, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Awesome trad route and my favorite trad lead at SR (though I haven't built up the nerve to lead Comfortably Numb yet). I think I actually started halfway between the direct start and the true start -- it's slightly overhung but on huge jugs and protects extremely well with a slung horn about 10' off the deck. From there it's smooth sailing!
I did not clip the fixed pin in the chimney as it looked pretty manky, but there's ample pro, albeit finicky. I had some large tricams with me (grey and gre... more >>
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Location: AL : Steele : Vineland (5.9+)
By: Cres Simpson When: Nov 26, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Fun climb, absolutely awesome view from the top. I ended up trending too far right of the line and placing gear, which meant I had to split it into two pitches due to rope drag. It goes very well in two short pitches which helps keep rope drag under control.
The trad section in the middle of the climb is easy (and forgettable) 5.6 climbing and the harder sections are bolted, so this one goes well even if you're not leading 5.9 on trad. Agree with other posters that the climb is more than adequa... more >>
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Location: NC : Linville Gorge : Amphitheater : The Daddy (5.6)
By: Cres Simpson When: Oct 16, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Did the Daddy, the Mummy, and the Prow back-to-back on Sunday (10/14). It was a bit overcast but other than that amazing weather and an absolutely awesome day of climbing.
I decided to do the 5.8 direct variation of P3 since I had been on it before and traversing the ledge seemed less fun. It's really only 2-3 moves of well-protected 5.8 and then it becomes easy 5.5 to the P3 belay. That said, there wasn't any pro for me above the 5.8 section, so be careful not to misstep and fall close to the ... more >>
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Location: AL : Palisades Park : Boobs (5.9)
By: Cres Simpson When: May 26, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Someone left a yellow TCU stuck about 8 feet below the crux in the horizontal as of 5/25. I didn't have any luck getting it out but I didn't spend a lot of time on it. Looked to be in pretty good condition if anyone wants to fiddle with trying to get it out.
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Location: AL : Palisades Park
By: Cres Simpson When: May 26, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: One of the few places that seems to offer tolerable climbing "out of season" (aka deep summer) in AL. The cliffline gives shade from morning through early afternoon and there's plentiful access to water from the top of the cliff.
As a heads up, the park office doesn't open until 9am to sell permits -- though we did manage to find an employee who doesn't normally work the office who was willing to open it up for us before the ranger got there. We were only charged $2, but that may reflect inexpe... more >>
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Location: AL : Palisades Park : Cashmere (5.7)
By: Cres Simpson When: May 26, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Bolted anchors now at the top.
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Location: AL : Palisades Park : Tim's Route (5.9+)
By: Cres Simpson When: May 26, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very fun route with lots of balance-y moves on thin holds. Want to reiterate what the description says though -- there's basically no pro through the first 15 feet which is very thin (imho, the crux of the climb). Definitely want a pad and a spotter if leading this one to protect against groundfall.
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Location: AL : Steele : Photo
By: Cres Simpson When: May 3, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: So I couldn't find this climb listed her on MP, but it's very possible that it goes by another name.
I thought maybe this was analogous to what's listed on MP as "Easy Street", but I don't know my way around Steele well enough to know if they're the same climb. If anyone can clarify for me, that would be awesome.
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Location: AL : Sand Rock : Holiday Block : Oyster (5.10a)
By: Cres Simpson When: Jan 28, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Great late afternoon climb in cooler weather -- this route gets sun all afternoon.
More 5.8+/5.9ish except for pulling the roof at the top, which felt like a solid 10a move.
Definitely an underrated Sand Rock route -- great views from the top and a solid climb.
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