A Cheap Way to Die - The Mace, Sedona Trip Report

My friend Tom Umidi aka Bandit and I had been dreaming about climbing the Mace since we started school in Flagstaff this year. We did it on the 15th of October, here's our story.

The weather was good but cloudy and we had a window of a bout 5 hours to make the summit and rappel. I lead pitch 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Mace all of them were brilliant and we were having a blast. I ran every pitch out like a Needles climb and was feeling great on lead. When I started to lead the crux pitch I had no idea that was where the fun would begin. 

Good, solid movement all the way up, comfortably ran out the gear and brought the recommended 5 but did not end up placing it. I got to the cave just below the protection bolt, I used a sport draw to stick clip it which was a stretch and very difficult because the hanger is spinning freely. I climbed higher until I ran out of feet and my long legs could not fit in the skinny off-width. I reached up to find a juggy pocket and latched on to it. I pulled myself up to soon and immediately blew out my feet. My left hand blew off the rock and I was left hanging by my right hand 10' feet above the bolt. I spent what felt like an eternity hanging there moving around until I determined that I could not fall confidently on the bolt below me so I threw my left hand up into the pocket as well and pulled the last bit of the crux pitch. I definitely made the last pitch a little harder because I was becoming impatient.

Tom had little to no trouble getting up to the crux and finished the last pitch in style and brilliance as he coolly did the moves with his Elvis leg wobbling here and there, what a climber he is! 

With both of us on the lower summit we turned our heads to find that we had maybe 20 to 25 minutes to either do the step over, get to the higher summit and jump to rappel or skip the last pitch and rappel from the lower summit. Tom's eyes sparkled with a glint as he grabbed a draw from his harness and looked onward to the singular bolt and about a 200' drop. I put him on belay secured myself at a second point to the anchor and watched him work his daredevil magic. It took him about 10 minutes to get the guts, sign the summit log and do the jump back and by that time the wind hit.

This storm was not like any storm we had encountered while in Sedona yet. The winds had a distinct howl and enough force to take you off your feet and throw you through the air like a plastic bag. I setup the rappel between the two summits with 2 dry mammut 70m ropes and a rethread figure eight. The ropes ran clean down the rappel line and because the storm was only getting worse I began the rappel. About 5' down the rappel I realized that Tom could not hear me, another 15' the wind picked up, I looked over my left shoulder to see the ends of my two 70 m ropes flapping in the wind and I soon came to terms with the fact that I was about to take flight. The small channel in between the two summits funnels the wind making it extremely strong. I continued rappelling for a while longer until I was about halfway down the strongest gust of wind hit me and I flew out into the air as I held on for dear life. I could suddenly see all of Sedona and was pretty much flying. The gust receded and I grabbed on to part of the Rappel Route to keep me from being blown out again. I finished the rappel and waited for Tom to get on rappel. We both made it to the ground and are so happy that everything worked out. 

The storms in Sedona are no joke!

Wow, great write up! Thats a route ive been eyeing as well!

A cheap way to die was Tims first sedona book , tim and i re printed the book in 2002 and called it “a better way to die” our Flagstaff guide was “ a cheap way to fly. Your post really should say “ a cheap way to die”!
Ted Roberts 

Is there virtue in manufacturing runouts on a climb that can be easily protected? The author seems to think so.

SethG wrote:

Is there virtue in manufacturing runouts on a climb that can be easily protected? The author seems to think so.

Wow, pretty tough crowd 'round here . . .

Nice TR James, good on ya. Brings back some precious memories.

The only problem with running it out when you don't have to is when you suddenly get to the spot where you wish you had gear but you stupidly passed up the good placements and now it's all crap and suddenly flared and insecure and you have nothing good in... Sometimes it is darn nice to have gear in that helps keep the whole system from failing. Thats All about vision and reading the terrain properly. I have seen some very good climbers get themselves in a pickle because they passed on the good gear when it was easy and then suddenly it is not easy and they have crap.. love the needles BTW.  speaking of run out how about this easy gem ;) 

I trust the figure 8 knot was a follow through knot?  A figure 8 with both free ends coming out the same side is extremely dangerous.  Much less reliable than the EDK.

James your always supposed to place the big gear and make your second carry the weight. I see you know Larry, from your ticks Two Minute PlanCuster SP > Cathedral Spires > Stimulation Spire     75.10+ Trad 2 pitchesAug 3, 2022 · 1 pitch. Lead / Onsight. Did the first pitch with Scary Larry. Great stuff! he would bribe me with weed to sit and belay for hours while he worked on https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105958730/iron-lingerie dude was so strong and capable of things that would make Nick's head explode. Was it the smartest way to climb probably not, was it dam impressive you bet, he's the exception to the rule; there are no old bold climbers. James just don't let your ego write checks your abilities can't cash. I see you have Cochise on you to do's, the place is awesome like a Needles south. Be safe and climb on, glade to see the Needles spirit still going in the new generation just make sure you live to climb another day.

Tim. i have climbed a few things mostly on ice that made my head explode  ;) 

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Tim. i have climbed a few things mostly on ice that made my head explode  ;) 

To quote Paul Piana from the documentary Strong Fingers and a Stout Heart climbing in the Needles by SDPTV, "while lying in the tent at night maybe somewhere in Spain, the climbs I dream about are the one's in the Needles. Climbing is not worth dying for, but there are climbs that are worth rising dying for. To climb in the Needles you have to accept that". Or something like that. 

All bravado aside I think we spent a lot more time climbing the safer stuff and saved the near death experiences for special occasions. 

Glad you managed to stay on the ice without your head ;)

Tim it's been multiple decades since I have been on Cerebus but everything we climbed in the Needles on the last three visits has been just awesome pleasure climbing. even that skinny thing in the picket fence wasn't terrible. about 7ft past that 70yr old bolt was a bomber #2 camalot. 

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Tim it's been multiple decades since I have been on Cerebus but everything we climbed in the Needles on the last three visits has been just awesome pleasure climbing. even that skinny thing in the picket fence wasn't terrible. about 7ft past that 70yr old bolt was a bomber #2 camalot. 

Was that the bolt on Sickle? Pretty sure that's the only bolt the Conn's placed, Jan said something about how she wished they hadn't not because there was gear above but that the climbing turned out to be easily within their comfort level. Jan was the original bad ass of the Needles, I don't think she ever soloed but I know she thought about it, "if you can climb a route without falling you can imagine your good enough to solo it" was one of her quotes from the SF&SH doc. She did the first all women ascent of the Tower because a tourist had said it was nice of Herb to take her along.   

Pretty sure they placed other bolts  i suspect this  is one of theirs as well . also in the picket fence area. 

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Pretty sure they placed other bolts  i suspect this  is one of theirs as well . also in the picket fence area. 

What am I looking at?

I assume its a summit register attached to a very old bolt with a piece of bailing wire. Didnt open it as we were running away from a nasty lightning storm that turned to hail and then rain a min or so after i took this photo.  But I thought that i had read several accounts of the conns placeing these?  Tim that bolt on the sickel is actually rather nice to clip as you have pretty much nothing below you and the move is plenty thought provoking ;)

Yes it's likely a Conn register there weren't many left in the 90s glad it's still there. 

Yes they were also intimidated by that move, that's why they had to come back with the bolt kit. 

Herbs register bolts were likely as good as some of the protection bolts other climbers used. 

you stand on a pedestal with a slung horn that doesn't seem all that secure. pretty much nothing else in for 70 ft. step across the void and climb up a ways to clip the bolt. another body length or so and you get that gold Camelot that they obviously did not have. 

Yeah exposed for sure but then the moves turn out to be easy, it was definitely a different time when the leader must not fall was still a thing. And climbers praised each other for the ability to climb when pro was scarce, bolting was usually reserved for routes over 5.7. 

Tim McCabe wrote:

James your always supposed to place the big gear and make your second carry the weight. I see you know Larry, from your ticks Two Minute PlanCuster SP > Cathedral Spires > Stimulation Spire     75.10+ Trad 2 pitchesAug 3, 2022 · 1 pitch. Lead / Onsight. Did the first pitch with Scary Larry. Great stuff! he would bribe me with weed to sit and belay for hours while he worked on https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105958730/iron-lingerie dude was so strong and capable of things that would make Nick's head explode. Was it the smartest way to climb probably not, was it dam impressive you bet, he's the exception to the rule; there are no old bold climbers. James just don't let your ego write checks your abilities can't cash. I see you have Cochise on you to do's, the place is awesome like a Needles south. Be safe and climb on, glade to see the Needles spirit still going in the new generation just make sure you live to climb another day.

Thank you Tim and Nick! I've never had a dull outing with Larry haha even when we're caving. It's nice to always be learning especially from giants of their time, recently I have been trying to enjoy the journey of it all rather than pointless grade chasing. Something that I notice a lot of young climbers these days are guilty of and I am guilty of this myself is knowing when to bail but ignoring it and putting ourselves and partners in harms way, it is never a bad idea to call it a day haha! 

James Parr wrote:

 

The only Conn register I know of is on the Integral Sign which comes in at 5.4 or so. That was a pretty spectacular day for me finding that piece of history and to have your name in the same book as some of the greats really humbles you. Paul Muehl and friends made the second ascent of that spire as their names where on the first page, Herb and Jan's signatures have fallen apart and faded away. Glad to know that no one has taken it and hauled off with it. I've heard that there is a Fred Beckey register on one of the spires around Cathedral Spires.

James glad your back in the conversation, sorry for the highjack of your Sedona thread. 

Not sure if it will still be there but the one on East Gruesome had all of the big names from the visiting climbers of the 60's RR, Mark and Bev Powell, ect, each ascent was numbered I got 48th and 50th.