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philbox
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Sep 27, 2004, 3:37 AM
Post #1 of 2
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Registered: Jun 27, 2002
Posts: 13105
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This is a repost of one of my trip reports as posted on rec.climbing a few years ago.
The weekend just gone I learned how not to place RP`s, but I`m getting a
bit ahead of myself. After the washout of the previous Sunday we decided to make a big weekend of it on the 17th and 18th. So up at 4.30 A.M. on
Saturday to drive to Frog, got to the carpark at about Quarter to seven,
down the scree slope to the left and into it to try to acheive our goal of
18 grade 18`s in a day.
On our way across the base of the cliff we met up with Bill the Canadian
[well I think he`s Canadian judging by his accent] who recommended we do a climb called Drop Out which is a 24 metre 19, we decided to do Iron Mandible 24m 18 first which Grant flew up and then I did Drop Out which I would highly recommend.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=31234
Hal Dobbins on Infinity showing the beautiful crack trad placements that Frog is capable of offering.
After Drop Out we moved on to Straight Mans Fear 13m 18 and Fast Eddie 15m 18. We were aghast at the large blocks that have been dislodged from the top of Fast Eddie and trees that have been taken out, one dirty great block had even speared into the ground about 18 inches. Grants turn to Lead so he ran up Footloose and Falling Free 11m 20. We noticed a 10 m 18 called Bay Play just to the right of Footloose which looked insanely hard but once on it we were surprised how pleasant it really was with some delicate bouldery moves.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=32333
Jo on Straight Mans Fear displaying how to avoid getting into the cracks. Use the crack Jo.
Next we went to Catharsis 20m 19 which Grant dispatched with three pieces of gear and not to be outdone I lead up Elastic Rurp 20m 18 with two pieces of gear which by the way I would never recommend anyone else doing the same thing as me, everyone should naturally be responsible for their own safe means of progressing up a cliff, in this particular instance I was having an extremely low gravity day and felt absolutely bomber on this climb. That`s my excuse to head off the safety nazis.
Micron a 20m 19 was Grants next lead and what a sweet little climb it is,
mmmm very nice and delicate. So that put me on Hollywood Rattlesnake 18m 18, sob, whimper , quail with knees trembling as I aproach the greasey open book corner. I fully expected to have to flail my way up this awful thing as has been my style in the past buuut to my surprise as I mentioned before I musta been having a low gravity day, mate I can`t believe how I flew up that thing as though I were transported on the wings of angels, oh yeah, right, back down to Earth Phil.
Grant was up next, snicker snicker, he scored Hello Sailor 20m 18, eighteen, my foot, that thing is hard. Enough said I`m up for Saffron Crack an 18 that in the book is 40 metres but the top finishes up a grade 16 body jam so we rapped off the tree at 30 metres. What a delightful hand crack, I gotta tell you I just love tape gloves and the shape of my hands just eats hand cracks, I`ve got this big knob of bone on the back of my hand that acts like a bit of passive pro so yarding up on my hand I can nearly stand on it to pull through and reach up past thin bits.
We race across back towards the scree slope to encounter our next climb
called Warlock 26m 18 which Grant dispatches with an easy style. I get to do Sorcerers Apprentice 30m 19, love that hand crack at the top. That put Grant up for Gladiator 17m 18, he don`t like that climb but I do, he still rockets up it like there`s no tomorrow. From there I pretty much soloed Witches Cauldron to gain the ledge from whence I lead Plume 25m 19 with some difficulty, hey I was getting tired about this time it`s been a long day.
What happened to the low gravity, the Earth seems to have gotten heavier all of a sudden.
We weren`t sure what we climbed next but it turned out to be Psychadelic
Apricot Pitch Two 25m 19, you can`t half tell they named this climb in the
late sixties, anyway I felt a lot more comfortable on this climb than the
previous one of the same grade. Sun`s starting to droop low on the horizon so we need to hurry this along, what`s next in the guide book Grant, let`s do something easy and short to finish on seeing it`s my turn, WHAT, Egotistical Pineapple 14m 20, I said short and easy not short and hard, gotta get that boys hearing checked out, I SAY GOTTA GET THAT BOYS HEARING CHECKED OUT [anyone seen foghorn leghorn lately]. Stuff that, Grant you can do this one. Yep wouldn`t you know it he blasted up that climb. Me seconding, a horse of an entirely different colour, smatter of fact a whole nuther species. Up off the ground through the head height roof I struggle valiantly in the fading light, what`s that a foothold, no, too late I realise it`s only a chalk mark, dang, drag myself back up to where I was and find the right foothold in the cloying dimness of fast aproaching pitch black, struggle, struggle, flail, flail, NOOO not again, batman up the rope. Climb, climb, climb, hey is that you Grant, let`s get outta here and go to the Dugandan pub for a steak and a glass of sarsaparilla or two.
Sunday dawned all too quickly for my poor aging bones. Twas decided to have an easy day so of course Grant decided to go for Odin 30m 19, I found it to be a tough workout getting through the roof but the top was well worth the effort. I tried out my new found aid climbing skills on Thor 30m 20 which I hunted around on up at the top third to find the thinnest shallowest seam to practice my RP placements. I learnt something very special for all the boys and girls now pay attention get your eyes up a little closer to the screen now here it is , NEVER put an RP in a crack which expands when you put weight on the RP. Result six metre very quick slide down the wall arrested by a spectra sling over a chockstone. Whoo hoo what a rush but where the biner hit my shoulder blade still hurts.
Moving round a little to gain the Warlock ledge Grant threw himself up
Yankee Go Home 26m 22, this slowed him down hehe, I could tell, he stitched up the thin finger crack on the bottom half like a sewing machine. I could see this was gunna be a chore for me so I taped up my finger knuckles, I love hand jams but loathe finger cracks. Launched up from warlock ledge like the space shuttle off the launching pad two thirds up the most difficult part I run out of fuel and sputtered to an ignominious end to yard up on a piece of gear. Loved the hand crack up the top though.
We`ve been working on a project called Wild One a 20m 24 which has as
described in the guide book and I quote a thin crack direct start
[diabolical]. Grant tried the onsight sometime ago but injured himself via a
pulled nut and him bouncing off the start boulder and land flat on his back
with his arm crashing to the ground onto a sharp rock sticking up. A bit of
blood and a couple of band aids and he was back into it. Back to the present I aided up the thin fingers start and found some awesome gear placements absolutely bomber, funny that when your standing around in your aiders without the forearm burn and time to spare you find all sorts of interesting gear placements. Up and into the flared v groove hand crack, not pleasant, the cliff keeps trying to suck you into it. So I reach the cliff dwelling fig tree, got myself comfortable to enable Grant to spend a whole bunch of time working Wild One into submission eventually gaining the upper hand to dispatch this fearsome creature on top rope belay as a second and cleaned the top half to boot. He is sure that this climb will go clean as a lead for him.
Time is fleeting and we must make our way up the dreaded scree slope, Grant the mongrel with twice the weight of my pack charges up and is out of sight within no time as I trudge forlornly four or five steps and rest , I`m
stuffed from a real hard workout of a weekend, I`ve gotta go to work for
some rest and recreation.
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mark99
Oct 1, 2004, 10:50 PM
Post #2 of 2
(1304 views)
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Registered: Feb 3, 2003
Posts: 92
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Nice post!
I am heading over in a couple of weeks and this has just made want to go now!....
Keep it up..
Mark
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