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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Church Bowl : Black is Brown (5.9)
By: Sirius When: Apr 23, 2013 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbed this a couple of weeks ago. Had no guidebook and didn't know what it was, so just went straight up following the crack.
Thought it was 5.9+, fun, dirty and a bit flakey above the pin anchor. Never stepped right, must have been tunnel visioning on the crack. Crux was moving through a brief, steep section where the crack vanishes and you have to stem for glory.
Super, super loose up top on the ending ledge.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Reed's Pinnacle Area : Beyond the Fringe (5.10c)
By: Sirius When: Mar 12, 2013 | view comment >> |
Comments: It seems as if this pitch may not get repeated often, and as a result there is some lichen and some flexing features to be navigated. Be particularly wary of the thank-god jug about 20 ft off of the belay (the first big feature you get after a bunch of balancey, techy moves on small pro), which flexed a bunch when I grabbed it.
I don't think the pitch deserves an R or even a PG, but protecting the first half is more involved than your standard Yosemite crack climb.
Here's a link to one of the... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : El Capitan Base Routes : Sacherer Cracker (5.10a)
By: Sirius When: Mar 12, 2013 | view comment >> |
Comments: To the question above re. the Hollow Flake, my .02:
-I thought the HF had harder pure climbing.
-The HF is rated 5.9, the top of SC is rated 5.8.
-The HF is 70 ft (more?), SC wide less than 2 body lengths.
-The HF is a wicked, frightening head game, the SC wide is not. Contrast pro at your feet (SC) w/ a long arc of rope hanging back to a pendulum point that feels like 20,000 leagues beneath and to the side of you...
-You'll be just fine if you fall out of the SC wide; you won't be ... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Arch Rock : English Breakfast Crack (5.10c PG13)
By: Sirius When: Jan 22, 2013 | view comment >> |
Comments: Better save some juice for the top on the onsite attempt. Great, great climb.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Arch Rock : New Dimensions (5.11a)
By: Sirius When: Jan 22, 2013 | view comment >> |
Comments: Great line that surpasses the hype.
Last pitch is a mean bastard - I tried jamming it straight on while scumming my left shoulder on the book and hunting for feet out right. This worked not at all for me and I dogged the pitch.
In some ways what you get on New Dimensions is the opposite of the type of climbing you find on, say, Serenity-Sons. While S-S features splitters with clean movement on open faces, New D for me was all about thuggy jamming with physical body positioning in corners, fla... more >>
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Location: CA : Tahoe Vicinity : South Lake Tahoe : Phantom Spires : Lower Spire : Photo
By: Sirius When: Nov 1, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Damnit, just tried to rate this photo "great" and instead clicked on "average."
Anyway, great photo!
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Sentinel Rock : Steck-Salathe (5.10-) : Photo
By: Sirius When: Sep 11, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is actually a harder start to p1. The easier (but wider) start is twenty feet climber's right and up the hill from here.
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Location: CA : High Sierra : Lone Pine Peak : Bastille Buttress - Beckey ... (5.10d A0) : Photo
By: Sirius When: Aug 31, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: A back-country Mr. Natural... Beauty!
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Location: UT : Zion National Park : Mount Carmel Tunnel : Headache Area : The Headache (5.10+)
By: Sirius When: Aug 15, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: A friend just emailed me this link of a free soloist's POV video: youtu.be/Q2HObfWqszI
Don't know who the climber is and have no opinion on the feat, but the video shows every single jam on route in a ten minute send, so don't watch it if you don't want beta!
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Higher Cathedral Rock : Braille Book (5.8)
By: Sirius When: Jun 11, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Fun and exposed variation goes out right after traversing around the roof that caps the chimney/corner. Up to a ledge on right-slanting corner, then out right to good hands with lots of air under you feet and an amazing view of the complex, tiger-striped face of Higher's east face.
5-star route, no sandbag at 5.8, bring the #4 if in doubt.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Cathedral Spires : Higher Cathedral Spire : Regular Route (Higher Cathe... (5.9)
By: Sirius When: Jun 11, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Variations upon variations available on this one. We did:
Standard pitch 1,
Straight up through pins and roof variation on p2 (.10- I thought),
Straight up and right variation on steep flakes for p3 (.10-?),
And wrapped completely around the spire for two airy, moderate, and beautiful traversing pitches,
Finishing with a short steep pitch on good locks to a finishing jug on the east side of the spire. Odyssey!
Rapped down and linked up to Braille Book for a great day.
Don't leave food at t... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Reed's Pinnacle Area : Independent Route (Independ... (5.10b)
By: Sirius When: Jan 20, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: We did the first two of IP, Left and finished on the beautiful splitter of IP, Center.
2nd pitch was killer, and Henley Quits seems like a good comparison in terms of burl. But this one has tons of perfect hands after the fist section, about 50 feet of good jamming to the tree anchor, and Henley doesn't have that.
FWIW, I found the old BD 3.5 cams to be of more use on p2 than the new BD #4.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Royal Arches : Arches Terrace (5.8 R)
By: Sirius When: Jan 20, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: Good climb, definitely continue to the topout. Neat spot up there.
Second pitch traverse is probably a bit more sketchy for the second than the leader, particularly in moving from the last bolt into the ramp system - the climbing is moderate for sure, but you probably don't want to take a beginner and have them follow you on this pitch.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Royal Arches : Poker Face (5.10b)
By: Sirius When: Jan 20, 2012 | view comment >> |
Comments: 17 bolts, that's confirmed as of this weekend. Looks like it was retro'd. First fifteen bolts are ridiculously close to one another - clipping while the last bolt is at your shoes. You can easily skip bolts.
Then the last two bolts to the anchor are a bit more run, still super safe, and probably more in keeping with how the line was first protected.
FA: Dan McDevitt et al. No idea on who added bolts, if bolts were truly added.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Cathedral Spires : Lower Cathedral Spire : South by Southwest (5.11a)
By: Sirius When: Dec 16, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: I think if you're somewhere near pushing your limit and you only bring doubles in the #1 BD size you may wish you had more for the crux pitch.
For the gear belay above the .10d and below the .11a we used two #1 BD's in the anchor alone. There was a fixed hex there as of Oct '11, but besides that it's pretty much either red or gold BD cams as your only options, and there's a whole lot of parallel-sided steep hand crack above the belay (with pods, so that helps with gear). YMMV.
Gre... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Parkline Slab : Stonequest (5.8+ R)
By: Sirius When: Feb 28, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: A classic. We had it to ourselves yesterday in t-shirts. There's nothing like Yosemite in winter.
Using a 60m we were able to link the last two pitches with about 20 ft of simul-climbing. I'm guessing that with a 70m these would link w/o problem.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Parkline Slab : Free For All (5.9)
By: Sirius When: Feb 28, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: We climbed the first pitch, super fun with positive holds throughout and good movement. Good pitch for a novice leader, bolted closely.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Parkline Slab : The Chase (5.9+ R)
By: Sirius When: Feb 28, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: J. Albers, woops! I must have been editing my comment at the same moment that you were posting yours. Timestamps. I agree with much of what you've written, but not all of it.
To clarify for other readers: Before editing my comment, I had written that The Chase was squeezed on both the right and the left by newish looking lines. I thought more about that and changed what I'd written - before seeing J. Albers' comment - because it really isn't squeezed on the right. The climb that goes up the blu... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Parkline Slab : Eye of the Beholder (5.9)
By: Sirius When: Feb 28, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: Noticed this line yesterday while rapping Stone Quest and peering over the arete. Looks like a lot of gear was left on the upper pitches, maybe someone had to bail because of wx? An intriguing line that I'll check out in the future.
No FA info on this climb? Did you bolt this route, OP?
Thanks.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Parkline Slab : The Chase (5.9+ R)
By: Sirius When: Feb 28, 2011 | view comment >> |
Comments: FA: Dave Caunt and Eric Mayo, late 1980's (Rock Climbing: Yosemite Free Climbing, Reid 1994)
Great climb, deserves the R rating.
The nature of the climb seems changed by the semi-squeezejob bolted line that has gone in on the left of it. If the leader gets too wigged out on The Chase, in certain point of the climb it's now simple to make a few moves left and clip, clip, clip. Not the case when The Chase was first put up, I imagine, when casting off on lead meant committing.
That said, we cli... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Sentinel Rock : Steck-Salathe (5.10-)
By: Sirius When: Jun 23, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I also thought the pitch after the rappel was the hardest on the route, though I skipped the squeeze after the Wilson by traversing to the flake. This felt a little heady - you don't want to fall if taking this variation.
Great description here, the only part I'd disagree with a bit is the descent. Modified here to match my experience, with my additions in bold (YMMV):
"Descent: Before attempting this descent for the first time, take into account the amount of daylight you have remaining. If i... more >>
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Ribbon Falls Area : Gold Wall : The Silent Line (5.10 C1)
By: Sirius When: May 25, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: I lead p1 and wished I had linked to 2! The belay on top of 1 is hanging and pretty brutal; on top of 2 is a good ledge.
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Reed's Pinnacle Area : Independent Route (Independ... (5.10b) : Photo
By: Sirius When: Apr 13, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Lovely shot!
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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Reed's Pinnacle Area : Ejesta (5.8)
By: Sirius When: Apr 13, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: We did it in one pitch with double ropes, rope drag wasn't too bad - fun route!
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Location: International : South America : Argentina : Patagonia : Photo
By: Sirius When: Apr 1, 2010 | view comment >> |
Comments: Holy sh#t! Great photo man
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