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evanwish
Oct 5, 2009, 5:41 PM
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Background: I am currently living up Humboldt County for college and have always been obsessed with climbing and have climbed a few high Sierra peaks and many other routes where protection can be sparse or inadequate. Here in Humboldt, only a ten minute bus ride from campus is Moonstone Beach which features Karen Rock, a 70' top rope rock known for its ever changing face due to chunks of rock commonly breaking off the face and lack of cracks.
Situation: After climbing most the routes there and getting bored with the place, i decided to try leading two of the routes. The one that is the subject of my question is a 5.9 with the first nest of gear being about twenty feet up, followed by the second fifty feet up, then the bolted anchor at 70 feet. The route is all face climbing with only those two sections of crack/pods (only about foot long). My first nest of gear was in a *potentially* loose block where i was able to get a #1 cam on the right side, and a large nut on the left side, i equalized them with a sliding x and clipped it with a screamer. My thought was if the block actually shifted under weight of the cam, it would only pinch the nut in there tighter.
The QUESTION: Would it have been safer take a chance with the first nest of gear (knowing that anything involving a block is sketchy) or to run it out the 50 feet to the first piece?
Conclusion: I wasn't too concerned about it, (i was more focused on enjoying the amazing route and the crash pad placements!) but i think its one of those spur the moment decisions that should be evaluated.
thanks,
Evan
(This post was edited by evanwish on Oct 5, 2009, 5:45 PM)
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hafilax
Oct 5, 2009, 5:57 PM
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Sounds like you were free soloing on loose rock with an imaginary protection system and not worth the risk IMO.
As for placing marginal gear: If it's at a good stance and won't tire me out then definitely. If it will make the following moves more difficult either by plugging up holds or by sapping me of strength due to a strenuous position then I'll think twice about it and also think about backing off. If it's on a choss pile then I'll be placing a ton of gear in the chance that something... anything will hold.
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shockabuku
Oct 5, 2009, 6:26 PM
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hafilax wrote: Sounds like you were free soloing on loose rock with an imaginary protection system...
That.
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lodi5onu
Oct 5, 2009, 6:31 PM
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Sounds like you wanted to tell some people online about your HUGE ballz
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rockandlice
Oct 5, 2009, 6:59 PM
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lodi5onu wrote: Sounds like you wanted to tell some people online about your HUGE ballz
That.
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evanwish
Oct 5, 2009, 7:24 PM
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hafilax wrote: Sounds like you were free soloing on loose rock with an imaginary protection system and not worth the risk IMO. As for placing marginal gear: If it's at a good stance and won't tire me out then definitely. If it will make the following moves more difficult either by plugging up holds or by sapping me of strength due to a strenuous position then I'll think twice about it and also think about backing off. If it's on a choss pile then I'll be placing a ton of gear in the chance that something... anything will hold.
yeah thats pretty much what it was..
fortunately there was a good stance/ledge to work on the first piece with two hands.
the problem with the place is that there are almost no cracks, the first crack was exposed by a large loose block that was pulled free two weeks ago, and the second crack is just a rare occurrence there
In reply to: Sounds like you wanted to tell some people online about your HUGE ballz
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seatbeltpants
Oct 5, 2009, 7:44 PM
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evanwish wrote: The climb led to a conversation afterwards about how the best way to protect it would be and how to judge the integrity of the rock.
best way to protect it? if you're soloing it up to 20 ft, then soloing again in the runout from say 35 to 50 feet (assuming that the first set of gear would hold a fall when you're above it but not risking a ground-fall), then hopefully protected in the last 20 feet to the anchor (though you wouldn't count on it), i'd suggest that the best way to protect it is to top rope the pile of choss.
it sounds like the climbers before you have judged the integrity of the rock and deemed it unfit for trad, or indeed sport climbing. i live near a sea cliff that sounds similar to this and have learned that just because you can put in a few pieces doesn't mean that you should. top roping is a bit shit, but killing yourself trying to climb choss is a foolish way to go.
my 2c, anyway.
steve
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dingus
Oct 5, 2009, 7:52 PM
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"Don't Fall" is the best way to protect that route?
The rest is just mindless we weren't there internet bullshit. Put yer pecker in that upper pod... whatever. Its all imaginary to the great unwashed, ie. us.
DMT
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shimanilami
Oct 5, 2009, 7:56 PM
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What are you thinking? Bolt that fucker.
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evanwish
Oct 5, 2009, 9:59 PM
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well actually it was bolted back in the 70's with quarter inchers and were poorly chopped leaving a tiny rusty stud of the bolt.
i've met quite a few people who have led the other route (5.8 with slightly better pro) there and one person who has led the 5.9
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notapplicable
Oct 5, 2009, 10:09 PM
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Boredom can cause a person to do some strange things. I've lead a number of sport routes and TR's in similar fashion and pretty much take what gear I can get, marginal or not.
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angry
Oct 5, 2009, 10:14 PM
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Take an extra rope, tie overhand knots on a bite about every 10 feet or whatever and hang it from the anchor. Lead the route clipping the bites on your way up. Insta-sport route.
Totally weke but you're just fucking around anyway aren't you?
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notapplicable
Oct 5, 2009, 10:29 PM
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Assuming you use a static line, thats kind of a good idea.
No doubt I would bust out laughing if I saw someone doing it IRL but still a good idea.
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dingus
Oct 5, 2009, 10:30 PM
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I remember skinner doing this back in the day, at Hueco.
DMT
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