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Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:20 pm
by Bob Sihler
Not Daria, though I must tip my hat for a pretty good impression of her if that was the intent.

I'm not outing the person or giving any hints; sad to say, since it's dark here, I just got finished climbing, and it might be too cold to climb tomorrow unless I want to test the numb-fingers technique, I might need this drama to enliven this dull Friday night.

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:28 pm
by Vitaliy M.
Bob Sihler wrote:Not Daria, though I must tip my hat for a pretty good impression of her if that was the intent.

I'm not outing the person or giving any hints; sad to say, since it's dark here, I just got finished climbing, and it might be too cold to climb tomorrow unless I want to test the numb-fingers technique, I might need this drama to enliven this dull Friday night.


Where are you climbing?

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:33 pm
by Bob Sihler
Vitaliy M. wrote:
Bob Sihler wrote:Not Daria, though I must tip my hat for a pretty good impression of her if that was the intent.

I'm not outing the person or giving any hints; sad to say, since it's dark here, I just got finished climbing, and it might be too cold to climb tomorrow unless I want to test the numb-fingers technique, I might need this drama to enliven this dull Friday night.


Where are you climbing?


Local crags in Mather Gorge of the Potomac River: http://www.summitpost.org/great-falls-carderock/283338

(shameless plug for my page)

Having given up on finding a reliable partner in the area without joining some stupid club, I mostly TR solo with a Petzl Ascender and backup knots but am looking into learning solo trad in the spring. I take my son climbing out there, and he does well, but he's too small and young to belay me.

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:43 pm
by Vitaliy M.
Cool, sounds fun. If you are around eastern sierra in the summer let me know, we can climb that face on Norman Clyde! I wanted to for a while....still didn't get to it.

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:39 am
by Bob Sihler
Vitaliy M. wrote:Cool, sounds fun. If you are around eastern sierra in the summer let me know, we can climb that face on Norman Clyde! I wanted to for a while....still didn't get to it.


It's a fun route, the kind of thing that you wouldn't rope up for but can turn nasty really fast. The route-finding was a blast.

I expect to be in the eastern Sierra for a bit every year for the next several years. Since my parents live in Vegas now, it is very convenient to dump the kids on the happy grandparents and head off for the mountains!

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:47 am
by Bob Sihler
The Chief wrote:Old Carder Rock & Great Falls... April of '77 was the first time I cranked on many of the stellar lines.

Schmoe's Nose, Sickle Face, Lost Arrow to name a few. Great place to do laps.

Use to take students from Old Dominion and William & Mary up there for weekend Intro courses.


Lost Arrow is still one of the hardest climbs out there (and way beyond me right now and probably ever).

I need to check my book, but I think Schmoe's Nose is not even in the published guides anymore. Was that one at Aid Box, where the prominent feature is the Nose? See pic below.

The shame about Great Falls and Carderock is that the routes are only one pitch, which means you usually spend more time setting up and cleaning up than you do climbing. The routes tend to be harder than the grade, though, due to all that river-polished rock.

Image

Despite the short pitches, you gotta love climbing directly above this, as I was today, and yes, you would fall straight in and drown if your equipment failed.
Image

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:08 am
by Vitaliy M.
Bob Sihler wrote:
Vitaliy M. wrote:Cool, sounds fun. If you are around eastern sierra in the summer let me know, we can climb that face on Norman Clyde! I wanted to for a while....still didn't get to it.


It's a fun route, the kind of thing that you wouldn't rope up for but can turn nasty really fast. The route-finding was a blast.

I expect to be in the eastern Sierra for a bit every year for the next several years. Since my parents live in Vegas now, it is very convenient to dump the kids on the happy grandparents and head off for the mountains!


I am talking about Twilight Pillar, not the NE ridge. Although I want to try TP in winter. Sounds challenging.

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 2:18 pm
by John Duffield
This one seems under appreciated

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCYZZPwJr_c[/youtube]

Re: Favorite under-appreciated routes of the season?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:51 pm
by seano
Vitaliy M. wrote:I am talking about Twilight Pillar, not the NE ridge. Although I want to try TP in winter. Sounds challenging.

Dragging things back on-topic... If I had been including stuff I roped up for, this would definitely be on the list: good climbing, cool peak, reasonable day-trip. I enjoyed it much more than the more popular and similar-grade Venusian Blind and Whitney's East Buttress, even though it isn't OLD SKOOL HARDMAN SH*T.