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landgolier
Jun 7, 2005, 1:56 PM
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Registered: Mar 3, 2005
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Gurus:
I'm building up a new rack with the knowledge that I'm moving to Chicago this fall, and wondering what I ought to go for on the small end for the "local" areas. I know the usual chant around here is "When I say small cams you say Aliens! Small Cams! Aliens! Small Cams! Aliens!" but from what I've read about the rock at DL it sounds like you might be better off with a TCU given the slickness and the need to have some bump or rugosity to hold the cam in. In my (limited) trad experience, the middle lobe on a TCU is great for that sort of thing. I'm also going to be getting down to SoIll once in a while (family in western Ky, so I have more incentive than most to make the drive), and I have no idea what the rock type tends toward down there.
Less importantly, what are people packing on the larger end? Slick rock to me says avoid U-Stems, but this is me Talking Out My Ass™
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duality4569
Jun 7, 2005, 2:08 PM
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Registered: Dec 21, 2004
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Hi...
I climb out at DL/Mississippi Palisade a lot.
I find that TCU's are best for the small cracks, while the forged friends are best for the larger ones.
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jpdreamer
Jun 7, 2005, 3:17 PM
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I have had an easy time placing aliens in SoIll. It's all sculpted and weathered sandstone, so a typical small cam placement is finding a a good spot within a larger flaring pod. No experience at Devil's Lake or with TCUs, so can't help you on that side.
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euroford
Jun 7, 2005, 9:48 PM
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Registered: Aug 26, 2002
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we use aliens and zero's with excellent results. people paint this nightmare scenario about placing cams out there and i gotta say it just ain't so.
i've used a friends tcu's for free climbing out there, and i've used my own for some aid climbing. i've since sold them and stick with the single stem jobs. in small sizes dual stems are a PITA out there and 4 cams better comform to irregularities in the cracks.
you will on average place more passive gear than active at the lake, but cams are excelptionally usefull out there. i do suggest you add the three largest HB offset brassies to your rack.
be prepaired, its a little diffrent at the lake. the ratings are old school, and do not take into acount the incredably slick rock. example: the 5.6 route Calypso at Eldorado Canyon in Boulder, CO is very comparable as far as pro, moves, exposure and pump are concerned to the 5.6 route Brintons Crack (considered the benchmark for 5.6 at the lake), except for the fact that you can stick to the hard standstone at Eldo like a gecko and easily walk your feet up on friction alone, while at the lake you are essentially in a zero friction enviroment, moves must be precisly placed to take advantage of posative edges. the required crux handjamb on brintons is very sketchy as your gun for the high jug before your jamb oozes out. on Calypso i never felt anything but 100% secure hold wise as i would expect for 5.6. Compaired to the climbing i've done elsewhere i climb 2 grades lower at the lake, due simply to the friction.
another point is, when climbing on-site you should carry a large rack. it is difficult to guage pro requirments from the ground and the pro varies greatly as the extremely hard quartzite cracks are fractured in a very inconsistant fashion. i have placed the #5 zero, made two moves and then placed a 3.5 camalot... then say a #5 stopper. its just weird like that.
all in all though, DL is a good spot for some trad climbing with a long history, and the place will make you feel uber strong climbing the same grades out west.
just so long that you can get poeple to move their topropes out of the way..... (wankers!)
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landgolier
Jun 7, 2005, 10:30 PM
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Thanks, that was just the kind of beta I was looking for. What specifically do you mean when you say u-stems are a pain for little stuff out there? I ask because I'm considering both TCU's for the small stuff and the DMM 4CU's for the larger (figure if you're going to haul a big load for onsight you might as well use light cams). Also, somebody in an old DL rack thread suggested forged friends, how are they out there? Would be another way to reduce weight. The irregular cracks sound like a hex fest, am I right? I <3 hexes, death to all haters.
I'm not afraid of slick rock, my home turf right now is the greasy, polished schist of Carderock on the Potomac. Total slip and slide, if you can get a smear to stick out there you're probably off route.
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euroford
Jun 8, 2005, 2:34 AM
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yeah, the DMM's are awsome at the lake. i carry sizez 1-4 along with .75-3 camalots on most routes. the comment about u-stems really only applies to cams that would be smaller than the #1 dmm, when they get small that inner side of the u-stem can frequently prevent a proper placement.
sure allot of poeple carry and use TCU's, but size for size i think you'll find more and better placements if you choose either aliens or WC zero's.
personally, i'd stay away from forged friends out there, way to many funky placements that i think would greatly reduce the utility of them.
hex's are damn solid at this place! i frequently carry the two largest sizes of metolius curve hex's and they have served me well. i do have to suggest either the metolius or the wild country hex's over the standard BD ones. sure you'll find some good placements with the BD's, and again tons of poeple do, but i think the straight sides are a real setback at the lake.
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