solar slab

Will it be busy? On 2/15/13

Looking to climb lower tier. Johny vegas tomorrow and on Saturday the hole slab. Never climbed here so dont no how busy it will be. Will be climbing with a party if 3. 1 new climber. So dont want to get in the way if a bunch of fast climbers.

I think it's one of those climbs that will always have a party on it if the weather is good. Don't forget to plan some extra time for the decent. It can take quite a while if you don't know the way.

I wouldn't recommend taking a noob on SS in a party of three. It will likely be crowded, and any party of three will likely slow down everyone behind you.

I wouldn't take a noob on a climb like SS if were just the two of us. I would aim for six pitches or less as long as your noob is in for a TOTAL adventure, and on a less popular route.

Be safe, have fun!

Well if the OP's profile is correct "lead 5.6 trad and 5.8 sport" and 26 years old I would say you are very inexperienced and taking three people up will end up being a cluster fuck... Find something less crowded, everyone will enjoy it more.

RockyMtnTed wrote:Well if the OP's profile is correct "lead 5.6 trad and 5.8 sport" and 26 years old I would say you are very inexperienced and taking three people up will end up being a cluster fuck... Find something less crowded, everyone will enjoy it more.

As far as I can tell RockyMtnTed has never once made a positive or constructive comment. His most recent posts include insulting someone for carrying too much gear and berating another person for having too long a tail on their knot. Still can't tell if he's doing this as a joke or is just a true curmudgeon.

Solar Slab is a fun climb, but as I recall, it's somewhat committing. You have to go all the way to the top of the climb before you rap or walk off. If you include Johnny Vegas, that's a lot of pitches for a party of three. Try not to get benighted. Bring headlamps and know the descent route you're using.

Logan Schiff wrote: As far as I can tell RockyMtnTed has never once made a positive or constructive comment. His most recent posts include insulting someone for carrying too much gear and berating another person for having too long a tail on their knot. Still can't tell if he's doing this as a joke or is just a true curmudgeon.

Logan I have written RockyMtnTed a few direct messages questioning his curmudgeon-ness because it is very unwelcome and frustrating to read. The user has not responded, so perhaps it is a joke. I've decided, and hope others, simply ignore the user's posts.

I normally loathe climbing in a group of three, but...

The route was done in FA style as a party of three - enjoy the climb and let fast people pass. You can all meet up at the pub later and tell lies about how awesome you are. Tradition matters.

Well more info for u guys profile hasnt been up dated in awhile. I have doneu lots of multi pitch stuff in the salt lake area I can lead a solid 5.8 can lead 5.9 trad but only single pitches. I can lead 5.10 sport..That's my bio
Climber 2 can lead 5.11 sport never done trad. Said he will lead trad after a crash course on placement i trust him
Climber 3 rented shoes lol

Go for it. Just try to be efficient. If you've got a fast party chasing you, let them pass, good ethics. At least you'll have 2 ropes right?? You can bail at pretty much any time if you're not making good time. Johnny Vegas is a worthy climb by itself and well worth the hike out there.

John Wilder wrote: You can rappel the route from any point, fyi.

Thanks, John - I guess I remembered incorrectly. I didn't know the SS anchors had rap rings.

Maybe an option would be to go up the gully in the afternoon and bivy on the terrace, then fire up SS in the early AM (and retrieve bivy after the descent)?

^^^ Gokul - that would be GREAT, but I don't think it is allowed. We hiked up the night before to stash gear and water then hit it the next day via the easy gully then the trade route (5.6?). Great climb! Long day.

Steve

Park outside the loop and get a very early start. This will give you a leg up on most people heading there and only add about 1/2 mile each way to the hike and you avoid the heinous loop drive. Be prepared for some run out easy climbing. Be sure your rope management is solid since you will be constantly dealing with two ropes. If your partners are not comfy doing long rappels, this is not the place to learn. Stuck ropes are not uncommon. It isn't daylight savings time so get a late leaving pass for sure if you decide to drive the loop.

Have fun!

My buddy and I did SS a season or two ago. We did Johnny Vegas to the SS upper tier pitches and skipped the SS gully completely. As I recall we were at the gate when the park opened, race tracked to the pull out, and walked in. The approach was about 35-40 min (mellow paced walking and talking). JV went pretty quick, SS had two parties ahead of us so we hung out on the upper tier ledge/ Top of JV. You need to get to (I believe but don't quote me) Pitch 9 (upper tier) by 1 ish (winter) other wise you might not have enough day light to walk out. SS is a fairly forgiving route and you can pretty much bail at any pitch upto the 9th pitch if you feel the need to. The raps are easy to find. If you decide to go to the top the raps are easy to find too and with a 70M rope only the last rap is a rope stretcher. The walk out took about 2 hours (we took our time)and had a lot of scrammbling down the wash. This was my first time in the area, we took our time and managed to go from car to car in about 8 hours. PS bring water! I think even thou the temps were amazing the sun will be on you all day.

I asked John Wilder about the climb before I did it and he is spot on with very good advice.

thedogfather wrote:only add about 1/2 mile each way to the hike

Thats just not true. It's well over 1/2 mile added each way. It's still a good option, depending on your strategy, but considerably longer then 1/2 mile each way.

josh

Funny how people have been posting after your itinerary start of 2/15, and don't look at a calendar to see that 2/15 is a Friday, not Saturday, lol. Hope you got up fine and enjoyed yourselves. (PS, I have had 3 beers on an empty stomach and figured this out.)

Andrew Yasso wrote: Logan I have written RockyMtnTed a few direct messages questioning his curmudgeon-ness because it is very unwelcome and frustrating to read. The user has not responded, so perhaps it is a joke. I've decided, and hope others, simply ignore the user's posts.

Waaaaaaah. Waaaaaaah. lol! you really let what some annonymous person posts online effect you that much? Are you always so sensitive or just on your period?