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passthepitonspete
Nov 2, 2002, 11:53 PM
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Registered: Oct 10, 2001
Posts: 2183
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"Enhanced hook placements," which is where someone has taken a drill [not] and put a hole on top of the edge to make the hooking easier, are very common on the easier El Cap routes, and on some of the harder ones, too.
It's cheating - plain and simple.
If you need to drill, then you should place a rivet. End of story. To do anything else is to contrive to make the grade harder than it really is.
If it's possible to hook, then unless you're drilling a bat hook hole [see paragraph above] then you would not need to enhance the placement to make it work. Better to point your hooks [Chouinard Sky/Cliffhanger, and Grappling] as this will allow you to hook on the raddest of places!
If you read my ascent of Jolly Roger, then you will read of the raddest hook move I have ever made! Definitely PDH/DFU hooking! The first time I ran into real unenhanced and hence hard hooking was on Reticent Wall. We were only the eighth ascent, and the chickenshits had not got there ahead of us.
So to answer your first question, "hell yeah!
I do not remember any hook enhancements on either Jolly Roger or on Reticent Wall. Native Son also had some "good value" natural hooking, especially on the second pitch. Click the link to read of my screamer onto a duct taped hook that held!
Sheesh.
I believe not enhancing hook placments to be a Very Good Thing since it allows the routes to remain PDH/DFU for a longer time to come, which is never forever.
Remember, the Triple Cracks pitch on The Shield when put up in the 70's was totally desperate with something like 35 RURPs in a row! Now those cracks are around A2 because they've had the shit beat out of them. ALL aid routes follow this evolution from hard to easy. It is merely a matter of time, number of ascents, and willingness of ascent parties to cheat, though pin cracks get bashed out and become larger and easier by repeated placements, which is not considered to be cheating.
If you want to climb hard aid, then you had best do so now before your prospective route "evolves" into something easier.
I don't know anything about the route Tales of the Scorpion. What and where is it?
I am Dr. Piton,
and although it is proper to use italics when referring to proper route names, I use bold print which is a Dr. Piton Hallmark.]
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tf
Nov 3, 2002, 12:00 AM
Post #2 of 4
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Registered: Oct 15, 2001
Posts: 3
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Streaked Wall - Zion
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hawthorne5630
Nov 4, 2002, 3:12 PM
Post #3 of 4
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Registered: Sep 30, 2002
Posts: 15
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Does anybody know what these two routes (JR and TOTS) have in common? I do... Who can guess??
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copperhead
Jan 3, 2003, 9:15 AM
Post #4 of 4
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Registered: Nov 26, 2002
Posts: 668
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Quote:
"Enhanced hook placements," which is where someone has taken a drill [not] and put a hole on top of the edge to make the hooking easier, are very common on the easier El Cap routes, and on some of the harder ones, too.
It's cheating - plain and simple.
Tell Bridwell that; and while you’re at it, include many of the FAists from the early 80’s and on…
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edit:
Point of clarification: Enhancing hook placements on an existing route is cheating and very bad style. However, when climbing where others have never before, it is purely up to the climber as to what gets drilled or enhanced and what doesn’t.
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Quote:
If you need to drill, then you should place a rivet. End of story. To do anything else is to contrive to make the grade harder than it really is.
That is a matter of ethics.
[ This Message was edited by: copperhead on 2003-01-03 10:29 ]
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