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ticebf
Jul 22, 2009, 8:53 PM
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Hey All,
I'll be making my first trip to Old Rag this weekend...I've got the guidebook and I'm a certified lead climber. I'll have a couple of girls (new climbers) and one other guy (intermediate) with me.
Does anyone have a favorite area/route they'd like to rec for both the girls (5.4 - 5.6) and me/my friend (5.7-5.10)?
Thanks!
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IsayAutumn
Jul 22, 2009, 9:00 PM
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ticebf wrote: Hey All, I'll be making my first trip to Old Rag this weekend...I've got the guidebook and I'm a certified lead climber. I'll have a couple of girls (new climbers) and one other guy (intermediate) with me. Does anyone have a favorite area/route they'd like to rec for both the girls (5.4 - 5.6) and me/my friend (5.7-5.10)? Thanks!
Well, I've never had the pleasure of climbing there, but I think this should answer your question:
Oh My God! Dihedral. Get 'er led.
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cclarke
Jul 22, 2009, 9:02 PM
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Sunset has a couple of decent easy routes as well as plenty of harder stuff but there is a fair chance you will get lost trying to get there the first time.
PATC Wall is right off the trail and is shady which might be an important consideration this time of year. It has a bunch of fun moderate routes but I am not sure if any are 5.4-5.6. I remember doing a couple of 5.7s that were pretty straightforward and beginner friendly.
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koepkeca
Jul 22, 2009, 9:03 PM
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Bring a machete and snake gaters...
Have fun, post a TR and let us know how it went. I'd be curious this time of year.
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uni_jim
Jul 22, 2009, 9:40 PM
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ticebf wrote: I've got the guidebook and I'm a certified lead climber.
bwahaha!
edited to apologise and just say that being a gym leader does not mean too much on the clifs.
(This post was edited by uni_jim on Jul 22, 2009, 9:42 PM)
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jman
Jul 22, 2009, 10:06 PM
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wear long pants on the hike in.
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minibiter
Jul 22, 2009, 10:37 PM
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Second the machete and snake gaiters bit. This time of year the nettles can be horrendous, at least on the approach to the reflector oven / OMG / bushwhack crack area. Snakes too!
Be ready for anything, some of the lines aren't as straightforward as at the New or Franklin. For some you may not be able to set a TR even after leading the route. Take a good look from the ground first!
I'd probably go the PATC wall this time of year. Though it's been cool this year, maybe you'll luck out and get a 75deg day. Have fun!
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ticebf
Jul 23, 2009, 1:38 PM
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andersjr
Jul 23, 2009, 1:50 PM
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can you please scan and post your certificate for being a "lead climber," and tell me where i can get one. I have lead climbs before, but am not yet certified.
(This post was edited by andersjr on Jul 23, 2009, 1:51 PM)
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brianc
Jul 23, 2009, 2:12 PM
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2nd for PATC. I've never top-toped there but you may be able to set some stuff up around the keyhole. Rhodey crack etc may be able to set up a rope on. Dobie Gillis has anchors - don't know if you'd want to TR off them.
I keep mentioning the TR thing b/c of the beginners. If you're just doing the lead/follow thing there's all sorts of stuff to do.
Having said that, OR would _not_ be my choice to bring beginners. Long approach, not a lot of easy climbing, and tough TRs does not a successful day make. Don't know if they're first-timers - if they are I'd focus on ensuring a successful day - which to me translates as you having 100% confidence that they will get up some thing easy enough to get up, yet hard enough that they feel like they were really climbing.
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koepkeca
Jul 23, 2009, 2:23 PM
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Be aware that the approach is quite intense. Seeing as you are a Marine I'm sure you are in optimum physical condition, I would make sure your climbing partners are up to the task as well. When I was climbing there on Memorial Day weekend, we did actually need a Machete to clear out the approach paths to OMG and the Summit Walls. (That wasn't a joke) Also, I spoke with a a PATC Volunteer on the approach and he said that emergency services are at least a 12 hour operation and they typically Bivy with the injured person until they can setup a descent plan. I have never set up any Top Ropes at Old Rag.. I personally would never go cragging there, it's more of a trad practice area to me. Hope this helps..
(This post was edited by koepkeca on Jul 23, 2009, 2:31 PM)
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ticebf
Jul 23, 2009, 2:51 PM
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brianc,
On target and I agree. This is the intel I was looking for. Def want to find a place for them to feel comfortable (easy TR) and where I can send a few trad .9s and .10s ...seems to be a little bit hard to find in the area. Think I'll leave OR for the next trip with the boys.
If anyone has recs, let me know. Anyone have any thoughts on Hidden Rock or Hone Quarry?
Thanks for the beta!
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erclimb
Jul 23, 2009, 3:03 PM
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where are you? stony man on skyline drive is fun with an easy approach...annapolis rocks has a long approach, but it's easy...sugarloaf is fun, too...great falls and carderock have plenty of good climbs
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mike_devildog
Jul 23, 2009, 3:05 PM
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Sack up..and make the trip over to Seneca Rocks, WV! Trad climbers paradise! The Lower slabs area of seneca would be a good place to bring your group, you can get your harder leads in, and they can top rope other routes as well. The majority if not all of the routes at the lower slabs are single pitch, and it seemed that most of the rotes had pretty good natural protection for setting up a top rope if thats what your looking for!
Seneca has been known to be a bit sandbagged in some peoples eyes..Some of the tens there I have put up are stout, and then some of the 5.4 routes will blow your mind with exposure and steepness..Beautiful climbing, a place of heaven on earth West by God Virgina!
Semper Fi
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cclarke
Jul 23, 2009, 5:00 PM
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mike_devildog-
Which tens at Seneca did you put up?
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Wunderkind
Jul 23, 2009, 6:19 PM
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Oh my god dihedral (pictured above) is the coolest route on old rag IMHO, but you need to be SOLID at the grade b/c it it committing at the top and you're a long way from the car if get hurt.
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mike_devildog
Jul 23, 2009, 6:27 PM
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Cottonmouth10a to Venom 10b..Breakneck Direct 10a..Castor and Pollux both 10a I think..great routes, Orange Aid great 10b on the East Face!
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raymondjeffrey
Jul 23, 2009, 6:44 PM
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Who the hell 'certifies' a lead climber? Is that like getting certified in CPR or something? I never heard of such a thing.
The notion is kinda funny actually; the more I think about it.
jefro
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cclarke
Jul 23, 2009, 7:08 PM
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Good routes for sure but I thought you meant that you had done the first ascent of some tens at Seneca.
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ticebf
Jul 23, 2009, 7:18 PM
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stonefree
Jul 23, 2009, 8:00 PM
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mike_devildog - Thanks for putting up those routes, I have led them all and they are really great. The cottonmouth to venom variation is one of my favorites. And Orange Aid really is a stunning lead!
Travis
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raymondjeffrey
Jul 23, 2009, 8:05 PM
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Oh dude, that is badass. Climbing in the Marines would be so frickin cool!! When The Marines say 'certified' then that means you've been highly trained and that makes much more sense. Thank God for the US Marines and what they do.
Good luck with yer crack climbin and Semper Fi!!
jefro
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mike_devildog
Jul 24, 2009, 12:36 PM
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I didnt put these routes up (to clarify) by no means am I that much of a hard ass! There are other gentleman that have the honor of FA on the routes I mentioned above! To clarify again..when I said put up..I meant that I have done, or lead at Seneca, not the FA by any means...But yes they are great routes!
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scrapedape
Jul 24, 2009, 2:16 PM
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ticebf,
I'm not sure where you're coming from, but I can tell you that from DC at least, you can be on the rock at Seneca probably just as quickly as you can at Old Rag. The drive to Old Rag always took longer than I expected, and then you have to add on another hour or so for the approach. Plus, Old Rag is pretty confusing as you try to find the various crags. Not sure how tough the ladies you'll have along are, but they might find the scenic drive and 15 minute approach to Seneca a little more enjoyable. I'll second the recommendation for the Lower Slabs.
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ubu
Jul 24, 2009, 2:37 PM
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scrapedape wrote: ticebf, I'm not sure where you're coming from, but I can tell you that from DC at least, you can be on the rock at Seneca probably just as quickly as you can at Old Rag. The drive to Old Rag always took longer than I expected, and then you have to add on another hour or so for the approach.
Absolutely. From DC the run to Seneca is only 2.5 hrs, thanks to Corridor H.
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IsayAutumn
Jul 24, 2009, 3:28 PM
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scrapedape wrote: ticebf, I'm not sure where you're coming from, but I can tell you that from DC at least, you can be on the rock at Seneca probably just as quickly as you can at Old Rag. The drive to Old Rag always took longer than I expected, and then you have to add on another hour or so for the approach. Plus, Old Rag is pretty confusing as you try to find the various crags. Not sure how tough the ladies you'll have along are, but they might find the scenic drive and 15 minute approach to Seneca a little more enjoyable. I'll second the recommendation for the Lower Slabs.
I was very happy with the well-traveled climbs at the lower slabs (Scuttle - 5.7; Discrepency - 5.8; and Warlock - hard 5.9). Great quality. However, most of the other routes I looked at were dirty and looked like nobody had been on them the entire season. Bring your Batman spider repellent and clip it to your rack.
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ticebf
Jul 24, 2009, 7:17 PM
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2.5 Hours? Everything else is reading 3.5....What's Corridor H and how the hell do I find it!?
I'm ruling out Old Rag for the moment, but am pondering between Seneca and Hidden Rock. If Seneca really is 2.5, then it's a done deal.
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ubu
Jul 24, 2009, 7:33 PM
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ticebf wrote: 2.5 Hours? Everything else is reading 3.5....What's Corridor H and how the hell do I find it!? I'm ruling out Old Rag for the moment, but am pondering between Seneca and Hidden Rock. If Seneca really is 2.5, then it's a done deal.
Corridor H is the new Rt 55 and does a great job of connecting Wardensville to Moorefield...it easily shaves 15 min off the drive, and more like 30 min on average since I used to inevitably get stuck behind a sloooow logging truck with no chance of passing on the old 55.
If they ever hook the route up with 66 (this was the original plan I think, but VA has backed off from implementing it) it will really cut down on travel time to Seneca...
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brianc
Jul 24, 2009, 7:41 PM
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As I'm constantly reminded by one of my partners, Seneca is only 2.5 hours if you live outside of DC and close to 66. Like say, Fairfax. He's coming from Alexandria which tags another 45 mins to an hour onto the trip.
Despite what many say, Seneca is fine for a day trip. Tiring, but fine. Been doing it for years.
Corridor H is the name for parcels of land set aside in WV for a highway between Elkins and VA. Right now it only runs (I think) from Wardensville to Moorefield (which is where you'd get off for Seneca anyway). As for finding it, it's _the way_. Turn on outside Wardensville and off when the road stops at Moorefield.
(This post was edited by brianc on Jul 24, 2009, 7:46 PM)
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brianc
Jul 24, 2009, 8:04 PM
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ubu wrote: brianc wrote: As I'm constantly reminded by one of my partners, Seneca is only 2.5 hours if you live outside of DC and close to 66. Like say, Fairfax. He's coming from Alexandria which tags another 45 mins to an hour onto the trip. An extra 45 min from Alexandria? That's extreme, unless he's leaving during rush hour...in which case an extra 2 hrs is more like it 
You can take it up with him. Not my drive, not my problem. Without getting too deeply into the charms of NOVA traffic, 45 mins doesn't seem terribly far off the mark.
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virginiapine
Sep 24, 2009, 3:16 PM
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Yup, climbing regularly at Old Rag is definitely only for the very motivated and fit. I still like it better than Seneca 'cause I'm actually out getting exercise all day instead of crammed into a metal box on wheels for hours on end...
Plus it's great back-country experience, which will stand you in good stead if you go out to other wilder parts of the world. And only half the crags/routes on the mountain are listed in Horst's book - plenty of scope for exploring (which I've been gradually doing over the last 6 years)...
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lofstromc
Sep 24, 2009, 3:46 PM
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I'm assuming your talking about Horst's book, when you mentioned a guide.
Be warned that his road directions are wrong, unless there has been a new edition. Use the directions off of this site to get there and you'll get there.
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lodi5onu
Sep 25, 2009, 1:18 PM
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lofstromc wrote: I'm assuming your talking about Horst's books, when you mentioned a guide. Be warned that his road directions are wrong, unless there has been a new edition. Use the directions off of this site to get there and you'll get there.
Fixed that for ya
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koepkeca
Sep 25, 2009, 1:47 PM
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lodi5onu wrote: lofstromc wrote: I'm assuming your talking about Horst's books, when you mentioned a guide. Be warned that his road directions are wrong, unless there has been a new edition. Use the directions off of this site to get there and you'll get there. Fixed that for ya
+1
Additionally, the directions were so bad, and our crappy GPS so outdated that we ended up using the Topo map we purchased thus providing the only way we could of ever figured out where to go the first time. I think we ended up needing it two or three times before we finally memorized how to get there.
I believe it was the National Geographic Shenandoah Topo map. (It's worth the six bucks, trust me.)
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rockandlice
Sep 25, 2009, 4:35 PM
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ticebf wrote: uni_jim / rockandlice: Actually, I'm a Special Operations Marine, was trained by the Marine Corps as an Assault Climber and Mountain Leader, and have led day/night climbs on rock and ice. But I guess you're right, I'm probably not ready for the scary "cliffs".
Sorry to laugh at your expense, but the notion of being "certified" to climb outdoors is very humorous. It does show a level of inexperience when it comes to the sport of free climbing. You may very well be competent, but citing your military training to try and prove so over the internet gave me a chuckle as well.
Training and experience are two entirely different things. Don't take this as me passing judgement on you. I couldn't evaluate your true level of competence without actually being around you in a free climbing scenario. I'm simply commenting on how it all comes across.
That said, thank you for serving our country. It may not seem like it, but I am grateful for your service.
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LoveGettingStoned
Oct 2, 2009, 11:34 PM
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lofstromc wrote: I'm assuming your talking about Horst's book, when you mentioned a guide. Be warned that his road directions are wrong, unless there has been a new edition. Use the directions off of this site to get there and you'll get there.
Horst is a moron.
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