Tyrollean Traverse from Lost Arrow

Tyrollean Traverse from Lost Arrow

Page Type Page Type: Article
Activities Activities: Aid Climbing

Lost Arrow Tyrollean 

In the fall of 1970 Louis Reichardt and I climbed Yosemite Point Buttress (my first grade IV climb), bivouacking in slings near the top before finishing the climb (short days in the Fall). On our way back to the Valley on the Yosemite Falls trail we had a direct view from the valley rim of the  the Lost Arrow Spire, which I expressed an interest in climbing. We returned in November (1970), hiking back up the Yosemite Falls Trail. We decided to attempt to return to the valley rim via Tyrollean traverse. To set up the Tyrollean traverse back from the tip of the spire I tied a 1/8" "parachute cord" to the end of the 150' rope, tied to a tree, used for the first rappel to the notch. As we climbed on to Salathe ledge and up the cracks on the valley side of the spire tip I managed to pull the parachute cord higher and higher, around the east edge of the spire without snagging it on flakes or protrusions. Once on the summit we could pull the end of the rappel line over to us. Kathy Licking (now Kathy Reichardt) who had hiked up the trail with us helped us double the rope for retrieval after we returned. The ropes we used for the traverse were Berkeley Hiking Club Goldline ropes with unknown history, so I chose to minimize the strain by allowing as much slack as possible in the lines. 

External Links

Add External Links text here.

Comments

No comments posted yet.