By Crag Dweller
From Denver, CO
Nov 19, 2009
| this is a story that taught me the absolute stupidity of acting stupid while climbing. fortunately, no one was injured although a pair of underwear had to be retired after the climb along with a portion of my rope.
many years ago when i was a gumby (as opposed to the present when i'm still a gumby), i was out climbing with my girlfriend. we went to north table mountain to enjoy the wonderful friction and solitude the rock offers. well, ok, we went there because it's easy to set up a top rope. i'd just started leading but wasn't yet very comfortable on the sharp end and she didn't know how to lead belay.
i was also just starting to get interested in trad. i brought my rack (can you call a single 'biner of gear a rack?) to practice building anchors. we selected a trad line, hiked to the top, and i set up my first anchor using gear. after yanking on the cordelette from every possible direction, i was confident the anchor was solid. i rapped down and she followed.
after we did a couple laps, i went up for one last climb and to tear down the anchor. as i mentioned, i was still a beginner at the time but this was a really easy climb. so, i decided to have a little fun...
i was about 2/3 of the way up the climb, standing on a ledge. i decide to try my first dyno. i leap and reach for what appeard to be a big jug. it wasn't. it was a sloper...covered in sand. i immediately came off the hold and was falling. it's amazing how quickly the mind works.
in the fractions of a second while i was falling, i thought, "holy hell, i built the anchor. oh, please, please, please hold!" it held. a wave of elation passed through my body. that is, until i looked at the rope.
the rope on my side of the anchor (e.g. the end i was tied into) had somehow gotten stuck in a crack. when i fell, the sheath remained stuck in the crack. i was hanging from the rope's core!
i now know the core is the strongest part of the rope. i didn't know that then or, if i did, it didn't cross my mind. i climbed to the top faster and with a greater sense of desperation than i ever have.
i will never forget that climb. | 
FLAG |
By Tony B
From Around Boulder, CO
Nov 19, 2009
| Brian Adzima wrote: Most of the fresh out of the gym types I have meet have been on trad routes, I suspect because there are more easy trad routes than easy sport routes.
That's really odd considering of all the people who climb in the gym, less than 1/2 have ever climbed a trad route and a great number more have climbed sport. I wish I remembered the stats, but they have been published. The latest stat I've seen suggests that those with gym, sport and bouldering expereincs combined were 4.7million, yet when you combine those who have climbed trad with Ice and Mountaineering, you only get to 2.3 million. It's hard to seperate from that stat how many gym climbers have climbed trad Vs sport, but it does make it seem less 'popular' I presume mostly due to accessability of trad to noobs.
Not that it matters. I just found this comment very odd. YOu must be encountering a non-random cross section of climbers. |
FLAG |
By jhump
Nov 19, 2009
| Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), Ten Sleep, WY
Satisfaction Guaranteed, Summersville Lake, WV
Time Wave Zero, Potrero Chico, Mex
Anarchitect, Clear Creek Canyon, CO |
FLAG |
By matthewWallace
From plymouth, nh
Nov 20, 2009
| James Otey wrote: Thin Man at Rumney! Thanks for the belay Lee...
Good send James I belayed Seth on this a while back it was impressive, good work |
FLAG |
By Pat C
From Honolulu
Nov 20, 2009
| Sport climbers have wimpy muscles. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHaha Ha |
FLAG |
By camhead
From The Old Northwest
Nov 20, 2009
| Paleface, Logan Canyon
Aesthetics, Mill Creek
Sendero Luminoso, Potrero
Kansas City, Gunks (fixed stoppers make it a sport route, right?)
And way too many Southern Sandstone routes to mention. |
FLAG |
By lee hansche
Administrator
From goffstown, nh
Nov 20, 2009
| James Otey wrote: Thin Man at Rumney! Thanks for the belay Lee...
anytime sir :) |
FLAG |
By Fat Dad
From Los Angeles, CA
Nov 20, 2009
| camhead wrote: Kansas City, Gunks (fixed stoppers make it a sport route, right?)
Fixed stoppers, huh? This may be a rhetorical question, but are they fixed because the only way to get good placements is to tap/hammer them in or because all the hardmen/women who want to send it don't want to bother placing their own gear?
BTW, I had kind of bagged on sport routes in my first post, but I definitely enjoy longer, bolted routes. They kind of combine the airyness and sense of adventure you get with longer trad climbs. I'd love to climb some stuff in the Verdon, Ratikon, Potrero Chico, etc., given the chance. |
FLAG |
By Kat A
From Bart and Lisa Ville, CO
Nov 20, 2009
| Buffy, how epic was Grizabella - did you guys get benighted? |
FLAG |
By Darren Mabe
From Flagstaff, AZ
Nov 20, 2009
| Buff Johnson wrote: Grizabella -- it was epic!
ah c'mon... tell me Guppy is better!
EDIT: or am i fishing? ;) |
FLAG |
By Francisco Di Poi
From Boulder, CO
Nov 20, 2009
| Underdog at Rumney, first 5.10 I ever onsighted. Was a sweet climb, made me sweat like crazy. The view was nice at the anchors. It was a very memorable experience. |
FLAG |
By Brian Adzima
From Pittsburgh
Nov 20, 2009
| Tony B wrote: That's really odd considering of all the people who climb in the gym, less than 1/2 have ever climbed a trad route and a great number more have climbed sport. I wish I remembered the stats, but they have been published. The latest stat I've seen suggests that those with gym, sport and bouldering expereincs combined were 4.7million, yet when you combine those who have climbed trad with Ice and Mountaineering, you only get to 2.3 million. It's hard to seperate from that stat how many gym climbers have climbed trad Vs sport, but it does make it seem less 'popular' I presume mostly due to accessability of trad to noobs. Not that it matters. I just found this comment very odd. YOu must be encountering a non-random cross section of climbers.
Makes sense now that I think about it. Places I trad climb Vedauvoo, Lumpy, and Eldo tend to have a pretty good diversity of route grades 5.5 to 5.11. The places I sport climb tend to be smaller and more focused at a given grade. |
FLAG |
By Reed Fee
From White Salmon WA
Nov 20, 2009
| My first, Bunny Face Smith Rocks Nov. 1994. A 120' arete climb I put up called Power Child Sept. 2007 Inti Watana at Red Rocks this Oct. That ones not all sport but I loved the constant supply of incredible holds. |
FLAG |
By Buff Johnson
Nov 20, 2009
| Kat A wrote: Buffy, how epic was Grizabella - did you guys get benighted?
It's still so traumatic; it was like every time I clipped a bolt, a kitten took a dirt nap |
FLAG |
By Ben C
From Portland, OR
Dec 30, 2009
| most memorable route, Too Many Puppies .12a RRG. worked on it for 2 solid days and didn't send. frustration yes, but at the same time, i think it was good because never before have i been able to leave a route and still be psyched on it. usually i leave frustrated and bumming. definitely going back for that one, even if it takes me 4 more trips!
And besides my little emotional connection, its a BEAUTIFUL singular line of gorgeous rock. if you don't believe me, look at it when the setting sun hits the top of the route. it literally glows.
and a side note, i feel like a lot of routes in this list are from RRG. so, if you want to make memories, go there! |
FLAG |
|
RSS Feed
