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phaedrus
Jun 14, 2005, 7:12 AM
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On May 23, 2005, Austrian climber Heinz Zak soloed one of Yosemite's historic climbs, Separate Reality. According to PlanetMountain.com, Separate Reality is a memorable part of climbing history. The six meter roof's crack is rated at 5.11d, and is considered to be intense. The crux is exposed, nearly 200 meters above the Merced River, and sheer muscle won't get you through it.
The rock was first ascended by valley local Ron Kauk in 1977 and was first soloed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1986. Heinz Zak was the cameraman who captured Güllich's first ascent.
You can read an interview with Zak on Planetmountain.com (link below).
http://www.planetmountain.com/...separatereality1.jpg
Heinz Zak on his solo of Separate Reality
http://www.outdoornewswire.com
http://www.planetmountain.com
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bandycoot
Jun 14, 2005, 7:22 AM
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That's sick.... :shock: I hope to lead that someday!
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ikefromla
Jun 14, 2005, 7:24 AM
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gullich sure didn't need no tick marks.
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vegastradguy
Jun 14, 2005, 8:16 AM
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In reply to: gullich sure didn't need no tick marks.
ugh, i agree....the tick marks, imho, taint both the picture and the solo...
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killclimbz
Jun 14, 2005, 1:10 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: gullich sure didn't need no tick marks. ugh, i agree....the tick marks, imho, taint both the picture and the solo...
You guys will just have to go there and solo it without tick marks.
More of a footnote that there are tick marks there than anything. It's also possible they were there before the Zak started working it. It's not like a lot of rain washes the underside of that roof.
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nowinowski
Jun 14, 2005, 1:10 PM
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i don't think those are his ticks. people ussualy put tick marks on after they fall. If you fell off that you would end up in Merced.
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j_ung
Jun 14, 2005, 1:10 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: gullich sure didn't need no tick marks. ugh, i agree....the tick marks, imho, taint both the picture and the solo...
No shit! Somebody really ought to fire up the Photoshop and get to scrubbin'.
Disclaimer: I AM JUST KIDDING. The above post should, in no way, be construed to represent my actual views on Photoshop, freesoloing, sticky rubber, tape, bolts, do-rags, cleaning for first ascents, digital vs print vs slide photography, tick marks or the use of chalk in general, Iraq, North Korea, the 2006 midterm elections, vegetarianism, life after death, God, Dog, the national speed limit, abortion, stem-cell research, communism, capitalism, Max Cams, Super Cams, Link Cams and the Michael Jackson verdict.
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tradnomad
Jun 14, 2005, 1:50 PM
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I believe it's only 40ft from the starting ledge to the roof. You rap in from the top and climb out. The route doesn't go up the whole 200m.
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ax
Jun 14, 2005, 1:59 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: The crux is exposed, nearly 200 meters above the Merced River I thought the roof was only ~40 feet above the ground directly below it? I've never been on it & don't mean in any way to detract from his accomplishment. I'm just wondering how 40 feet turns into 200 meters. Is this a metric conversion thing? :lol: In any case props to Heinz - the tick marks in no way diminish his ascent.
The climb starts on a big sloping sort-of ledge... you climb up the back (I don't even think it's 40'... maybe more like 25') and then climb out on the roof crack. By the time you get to where he is in the pic... you're no longer above the ledge thing, but instead... way the hell over the valley.
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boulderman
Jun 14, 2005, 2:06 PM
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In reply to: The climb starts on a big sloping sort-of ledge... you climb up the back (I don't even think it's 40'... maybe more like 25') and then climb out on the roof crack. By the time you get to where he is in the pic... you're no longer above the ledge thing, but instead... way the hell over the valley.
So, how high is he? If he falls right there, what is the distance to the ground/water where he will land?
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bigjonnyc
Jun 14, 2005, 2:09 PM
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j_ung, if i could rate posts today, I'd give all five to your disclaimer. Classic.
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dingus
Jun 14, 2005, 2:25 PM
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Zak has to be solidly in his 40's too, maybe even 50?
Ah, here it is, thank our Lord Google! He's ~46 or so. Not bad for an old duffer!
http://www.vimff.org/speakers.html#hienz
Cheers
DMT
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flowerpowerlover
Jun 14, 2005, 3:57 PM
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kinda cool little side note...
My buddy and I were spending the week in camp4 while on a bouldering trip to the valley. We brought 2 mondo pads and 2 satelitte pads. Well, one night I was making oatmeal and two guys looked like they were heading right toward us and it turned out to be Heinz Zak and his climbing patner...he inquired to see if he could borrow the pads to solo seperate reality. it seems that he did it two days in a row, the second day being for a film crew. Heinz took my buddy Jacob and I to the Pavilion Buffet in curry the evening after his ascent and we really had an amazing time. We asked him questions about climbing and he answered. Some of the insights he has about climbing were really profound, he told us that he had been climbing for like 30-something years, so it was really cool to hear a climbers perspective who has seen the scene for that many years. I'll shut up...but Heinz really was a great guy, his climbing partner Warner was also really cool and his wife seemed very sweet.
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dougsabum
Jun 14, 2005, 4:26 PM
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Looking at that picture, it looks like his shoes are brand new. If I was going to do a life-or-death type climb, I think I would prefer broken-in shoes in good shape (i.e., a known commodity) to new shoes with brand new rubber and fit, etc. That just doesn't seem like the time to try that new pair of shoes.
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crackmd
Jun 14, 2005, 4:30 PM
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[quote="ax"][quote="dbyte"]In reply to: The climb starts on a big sloping sort-of ledge... you climb up the back (I don't even think it's 40'... maybe more like 25') and then climb out on the roof crack. By the time you get to where he is in the pic... you're no longer above the ledge thing, but instead... way the hell over the valley.
That's just not true. You rap off the lip directly down to the sloping ledge. If you fell from any point on that route you would splat on the sloping ledge and not end up in "the Merced River". If you want to do Tales of Power, which is below SR, you have to walk another 20 or 30 feet to where the sloping ledge drops off. Regardless, a fine solo.
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epic_ed
Jun 14, 2005, 4:58 PM
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Plus, the guy can take photograph or two, too...he has some amazing shots of climbing in the Valley.
Ed
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bvb
Jun 14, 2005, 5:05 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: The climb starts on a big sloping sort-of ledge... you climb up the back (I don't even think it's 40'... maybe more like 25') and then climb out on the roof crack. By the time you get to where he is in the pic... you're no longer above the ledge thing, but instead... way the hell over the valley. So, how high is he? If he falls right there, what is the distance to the ground/water where he will land?
if a soloist were to fall from the lip of SR, they'd fall about 40 feet, clip the steepest part of the sloping ledge right about where tales of power tops out, then get thrown into space and go about another 250 feet, eventually crashing through the oak trees and auguring way out into the steep forest slope beneath tales of power. the exposure at the lip of seperate reality seems pretty fearsome the first time you get out there....
i haven't kept up much on valley happenings. is this the 2nd solo, or has someone else (croft, potter, et al) also done it?
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thorne
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Jun 14, 2005, 5:36 PM
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From Planetmountain.com
In reply to: On 23 May Heinz Zak made the audacious second solo ascent of one of Yosemite valley’s finest, and representative routes, Separate Reality. |
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caughtinside
Jun 14, 2005, 5:56 PM
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I love the wanking!
I can't believe he used tickmarks!
I can't believe he has brand new shoes on!
Wank on, my friends! :lol:
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crankinv9
Jun 14, 2005, 6:18 PM
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oH Yeah!!! the bastard used chalk too!!!11111
and what's up with all of that tape?
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hasbeen
Jun 14, 2005, 6:18 PM
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In reply to: if a soloist were to fall from the lip of SR, they'd fall about 40 feet, clip the steepest part of the sloping ledge right about where tales of power tops out, then get thrown into space and go about another 250 feet, eventually crashing through the oak trees and auguring way out into the steep forest slope beneath tales of power. the exposure at the lip of seperate reality seems pretty fearsome the first time you get out there....
yep. nothing un-exposed about this. the ledge isn't even close to flat. it's a terrifying solo, which is why it's only been done once before.
as i recall, gullich reheared the thing 12 or 13 times the day of and before soloing it. no tick marks but he could have climbed it blindfolded by then.
ticks on cracks are often for gear placements but, hmm, SR swallows modern gear and doesn't really get 'hard' until right before the lip. i'd think if you're solid to solo the sucker you would not have any use for tick marks.
no matter how you dissect it, this is a seriously bold bit o' climbin'.
kudos.
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hasbeen
Jun 14, 2005, 6:34 PM
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Before the uninformed of you continue to pop off please read the interview.
http://www.planetmountain.com/...cordID=33640&-search
It brings back some memories about how I've felt about this climb and I'm shaking with adreneline just thinking about this prospect. When I wrote in before I almost said that if it were only 5.9 I still would be afraid to solo it. After reading Zak's words, I think it holds true. SR isn't that hard but, like BVB said, there is something especially wild about turning that lip. On my first attempt I was too scared to even aid the lip. Years later, these moves proved to be less difficult than things that I'd solo'd so it was something that would go through my mind as a "possibility". But, oh, man, it's was always just so ridiculously scary to even consider--and it's a complete intangible since falling off is never an option while soloing. But something about SR is just different. So before you slag this off I would highly suggest that you go have a look for yourself. It's a very special climb.
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solidstate
Jun 14, 2005, 6:39 PM
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The exit move of Separate Reality is less than 40 feet above the ledge. The ledge itself is quite big and if one is to fall from the crux he is going to roll for another 30 feet before departing for the river. If there are spotters on strategic spots it is conceivable that one would survive a fall from the crux. The point here is though that the apparent exposure (200) is not the true exposure (<40) the climber experiences. Using tick marks is arrogant way of treating common resources and spoiling others climbing experience. I hope he cleaned the thick marks after taking his photo-op.
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bvb
Jun 14, 2005, 6:54 PM
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you could be right, solidstate. the last time i was there was in 1988 with tom lindner, so my memory may be a bit fuzzy. if zak took pads, maybe there's more room on the ledge than i recall and he had some spotters who were roped in?
hairy solo in any case.
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billcoe_
Jun 14, 2005, 6:58 PM
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Awesome solo. The fact that it's only been done only 2 times - ever, should speak for itself. That pic really stands out. The Jardine pic of him roped and upsidedown in Mountain still stays burned in my brain like 28 years later.
If I remember correctly, wasn't the first ascent also controversial? Done by Ron Kauk with preplaced hexes dropped down from above? Which was not a common valley practice (then or now).
Regards:
Bill
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