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ctclimbz
Apr 9, 2004, 6:49 PM
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When I first started climbing, I remember reading a great 'whipper of the month' in Climbing mag about a climber who was on some thin crack pitch. He ran out of pro, and ended up slinging his class ring and slotting it, as he was super run out. He then proceeded to take a long fall above it, pulled a piece or two above the ring, but the class ring held, and prevented him from decking. The ring was totally mangled, and the guy put it on a string and wore it as a necklace. My question is, does anybody know about this incident or have a similar experience? Have you ever totally improvised when super runout to get anything in as "gear?"
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braon
Apr 9, 2004, 7:01 PM
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I was once on a climb which was bolted according to the guidebook. Apparently the guidebook forgot to mention the 30 feet of handcrack and 15 foot face traverse, all over a ledge, before the next bolt. I started up the crack to check it out, and found a little slot near the top. I ended up climbing back down to the ledge, grabbed a rock that I noticed down there, and wedged it in the slot. Wrapped a sling around it and got to listen to my partner telling me what a bada$$ I was for being oldschool using a chockstone. Never did test it with a fall though.
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gds
Apr 9, 2004, 7:07 PM
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Not mine but.... Once I was climbing a short easy route and found a series of old (very old-they fell apart to the touch) runners that had big knots tied and jammed into cracks. There was one about every 10' so I imagine that was the pro for the entire route. No one bothered to clean it for a long time. The climbers must have gone down the back side of the rock.
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ctclimbz
Apr 9, 2004, 7:07 PM
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Right on, thats exactly what I'm talking about! I can't remember the name of the place, but there is some location in Germany where the only pro you can use are knots made out of webbing, and wedged in the crack. I did it only once, super run out, no gear left, but fortunately never had to test it. I'm curious if anybody has actually fallen on those things....
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junnos
Apr 9, 2004, 7:07 PM
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Nothin' to hanous here, but I got on a route that had the first couple bolts chopped. On a route that was wicked run out to begin with. When I pulled moves I couldn't reverse I found a deep flare that I wedged a draw in, like a nut. I wouldn't want to fall on it, but it sure looked good.
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sharpie
Apr 9, 2004, 7:43 PM
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In reply to: He ran out of pro, and ended up slinging his class ring... pulled a piece or two above the ring... If he was out of pro, how'd he place a piece or two above the ring??
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maculated
Apr 9, 2004, 7:45 PM
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maculated moved this thread from General to Trad Climbing.
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alwaysforward
Apr 9, 2004, 7:49 PM
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In reply to: Right on, thats exactly what I'm talking about! I can't remember the name of the place, but there is some location in Germany where the only pro you can use are knots made out of webbing, and wedged in the crack. I did it only once, super run out, no gear left, but fortunately never had to test it. I'm curious if anybody has actually fallen on those things.... Elbe River?
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mtnbkrxtrordnair
Apr 9, 2004, 7:50 PM
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In reply to: I can't remember the name of the place, but there is some location in Germany where the only pro you can use are knots made out of webbing, and wedged in the crack. Elbsandstein http://hep.phy.tu-dresden.de/~waldi/elbsandstein.html
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lovesclimbing
Apr 9, 2004, 8:00 PM
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On yam most of the pro on easyer routes are chock stones but up in jasper on morro peak theres a nice climb called guides route that there are many peaices of wood cut and wedged in cracks that were (at the time of the fa?) slung for pro.
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j_ung
Apr 9, 2004, 8:06 PM
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The crux moves of (if I remember correctly) Paralleling at Big Green in NC were protected on the FA by a figure-8 device wedged between two knobs.
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keithlester
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Apr 9, 2004, 8:08 PM
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I used to carry a short rope sling tied with a double double fishermans knot, wedged that knot into a gnarly crack. Never fell on it though. I eventually got a job and bought some hexes, safer but not so much fun :troll:
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ctclimbz
Apr 9, 2004, 8:56 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: He ran out of pro, and ended up slinging his class ring... pulled a piece or two above the ring... If he was out of pro, how'd he place a piece or two above the ring?? Perhaps he was out of that size pro. As I mentioned this article dates from about 10 years ago, and the exact details are not immediately at my fingertips.
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thegreytradster
Apr 9, 2004, 9:14 PM
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Slung crushed beer can, (NR) aircraft hydraulic fittings home made nuts intentionaly placed chockstones threads jambed knots Small wires in lieu of bolt hangers
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andypro
Apr 9, 2004, 9:44 PM
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In reply to: On yam most of the pro on easyer routes are chock stones but up in jasper on morro peak theres a nice climb called guides route that there are many peaices of wood cut and wedged in cracks that were (at the time of the fa?) slung for pro. Oooh OOhh. I did this :lol: In a chimney, I slung a piece of firewood hacked to length. Stuck it in diagonal and slung the high end, Ah-La big bro. I actually got the idea from the "stove legs" on el cap, where someone jammed the legs off of stoves to protect the chimney. I jsut happened to be out of stoves at that moment.
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ctclimbz
Apr 9, 2004, 10:27 PM
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In reply to: Slung crushed beer can, (NR) Definitely my favorite so far...
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a_guy_named_smith
Apr 9, 2004, 11:24 PM
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If you go back far enough you find odd things being used as pro---though does it count as non traditional if the tradition hadn't been set? On first ascent of 'recompense' in 1959 at cathedral ledge the climbers lacked pitons big enough so they used a wooden wedge which lasted until 1975. Or the pipe that was used to protect whitney gilman on cannon mtn. Or the stoveleg that gave stoveleg crack on el cap its name. I'll bet that most climbing areas that saw pre 1960 ascents you will find a lot of very odd things that ended up being stuffed into cracks for pro. my $.02
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mesomorf
Apr 9, 2004, 11:34 PM
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In '75 there was a log about 7 inches in diameter, maybe 18 inches long, jammed in The Great White Book (Tuolumne) as a chockstone. Horn's Mother in Vedauwoo used to have pieces of 2 x 4 that Rick Horn had ground into pitons by leaning out of a moving car and pressing them onto the asphalt. As far as I know, all these pieces of wood are still there.
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ilikecookies
Apr 9, 2004, 11:45 PM
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a tire iron.
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dredsovrn
Apr 10, 2004, 12:33 AM
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What do you suppose the kn rating is on a well slotted knot? I can see how it would hold. I don't know that I would want to take even a 5' fall on one though.
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wallwombat
Apr 10, 2004, 12:40 AM
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I once wedged my helmet in an big offwidth and then tied it off. I took it off first, in case anyone was wondering. It was to back up a dodgy belay ( I didn't have a drill) on some loose, chossy new route that I failed to get up. I don't climb stuff like that any more
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dredsovrn
Apr 10, 2004, 12:43 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: He ran out of pro, and ended up slinging his class ring... pulled a piece or two above the ring... If he was out of pro, how'd he place a piece or two above the ring?? Good question.
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andypro
Apr 10, 2004, 1:17 AM
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In reply to: What do you suppose the kn rating is on a well slotted knot? I can see how it would hold. I don't know that I would want to take even a 5' fall on one though. Do a search for elbsandstein, or however it's spelled. There was a thread a little while back that discussed nothing but soft pro. It may ahve the answers your looking for, I dont remember though.
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cobra652004
Apr 11, 2004, 11:59 PM
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I was just thinking that since Nalgene bottles are pretty hard to break, has anyone ever wedged one in some weird crack and girthed it w/ a sling or anything like that? Weird question, I know, but you never know...
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pyrosis
Apr 12, 2004, 2:40 AM
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One of my favorite climbs is called Candyland, an overhanging knobby face at the Phantom Spires in near Lake Tahoe, which could have been bolted but its not. You just go right up, slinging the knobs as you go. They're bomber. I guess its not that untraditional, but its ALL the pro for the whole climb. Its the un-sportclimb. Tavis
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reno
Apr 12, 2004, 3:21 AM
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I once did a climb with a guy who slid a small rock into a length of webbing, and tied it off above and below the rock. The rock was now INSIDE the webbing, and he slotted it like a nut. I had concerns about the abrasion of the webbing in case of a fall, but as he didn't fall, it was a moot point. Still and all... kinda unique.
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swissy131
Apr 13, 2004, 2:45 AM
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yo, I’m not going to be to historically precise here (do your own research to verify what I say) but back in the day (1920's-1950's) climbers in Europe (specifically Great Britain and Czechoslovakia) didn't have premade gear and would use nuts (as in nuts and bolts) on cord as pro. Also the cowstail (Piece of rope with a knot on the end which would be jammed into cracks) used to be standard gear throughout Europe. When you compare the gear those climbers had to get by with to the "luxurious" gear we have today you start to realize that they were Ludicrously hard core. - The Swiss Man
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summerprophet
Apr 13, 2004, 3:01 AM
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On an aid wall once, I hooked in a crack with my nut tool. It did the job, and saved my partner from having to dig out the hammer and pins from the bottom of the bag for a single move. J.
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jt512
Apr 13, 2004, 3:21 AM
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In reply to: I once did a climb with a guy who slid a small rock into a length of webbing, and tied it off above and below the rock. The rock was now INSIDE the webbing, and he slotted it like a nut. Actually, slinging chockstones is about as traditional as pro gets. -Jay
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vincent
Apr 13, 2004, 3:44 AM
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the stovelegs a few have referred to were not actual stovelegs shoved into wide cracks. they were pitons made out of scrounged stovelegs. i'm sure you could find a crack to shove an actual stoveleg in though....
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json
Apr 13, 2004, 3:56 AM
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In Squamish there is a climb called march of the kitchen utensils- forget the grade, 5.8 maybe and in the smoke bluffs, anyways the FA was done using kitchen utensils for pro. A toaster, was used, knives and forks, stuff like that, made me laugh.
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norushnomore
Apr 14, 2004, 9:13 AM
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[quote="pyrosis"]One of my favorite climbs is called Candyland, an overhanging knobby face at the Phantom Spires in near Lake Tahoe, which could have been bolted but its not. You just go right up, slinging the knobs as you go. They're bomber. I guess its not that untraditional, but its ALL the pro for the whole climb. Its the un-sportclimb. Tavis Goes at 10b/c, very fun, all you need is 4-5 trad slings, quickdraws won't work thus a very true trad climb all face but the last move of the shalow horisontal crack Must do
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sharpie
Apr 14, 2004, 4:48 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: I once did a climb with a guy who slid a small rock into a length of webbing, and tied it off above and below the rock. The rock was now INSIDE the webbing, and he slotted it like a nut. Actually, slinging chockstones is about as traditional as pro gets. -Jay He's saying that the guy put a rock inside a length of tubular webbing and tied it off then placed it like a stopper...not slung a chockstone. But, if he knotted one end, presumably the end that held the rock in place and got placed in the crack, how did he sling the other end or clip into it...Reno???
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rjavery10
Jun 23, 2004, 1:59 PM
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No sh-t, I actually used one of my climbing shoes as "pro". I took it off and slammed that bad boy into a crack and girth hitched it. I fell about 3 feet above it and it held. I didn't rest too long though. I think I fell because I didn't have the shoe on one foot so maybe I would have been better off not to have done it at all.
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gritstoner
Jun 23, 2004, 2:49 PM
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there is a route in north wales that has a cordless kettle about two thirds of the way up. suicide wall has a tent peg in a small amount of grass on a ledge as one of the few pieces of gear.
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off_route
Jun 23, 2004, 10:17 PM
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I've always wanted to use my nut tool as pro.... Off_Route
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sandstone
Jun 23, 2004, 10:47 PM
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placed stones, slung with runners jammed knots, cord or webbing machine nuts slung with cord home-made wooden wedges home-made steel pitons It's pretty cool that with a little drive and ingenuity you don't have to let something like poverty stand in the way of your dreams. That said, I am very thankful I'm no longer dirt poor, and especially thankful that I now have a proper rack. I still use the pitons on some aid climbs.
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mingleefu
Jun 23, 2004, 10:49 PM
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Isn't there some legendary off-width that was climbed by a couple of legendary climbers involving 2x4's? If I remember the story correctly, the leader climbed up with a tape measure and measured the crack, while someone else on the ground cut them to the right length and sent them up via zipline. They were slung and placed longways like a big bro, but this was pre big bro era. I just did a google search and found something along this line called "Stahl Brothers Chimney" at The Outback-Rock Hudson.. Linked.. is that the one I'm thinking of? There's also a TR about using a 2x4 as pro on terragalleria.com My question about that story still stands.. I know I read it somewhere...
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wlderdude
Jul 2, 2004, 3:04 AM
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I have heard of people using sissor jacks for chimney pro. I have always wanted to try it, but have never been willing to pack in anything that heavy, even for TR.
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goodwill
Jul 2, 2004, 4:44 AM
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In reply to: Isn't there some legendary off-width that was climbed by a couple of legendary climbers involving 2x4's? If I remember the story correctly, the leader climbed up with a tape measure and measured the crack, while someone else on the ground cut them to the right length and sent them up via zipline. They were slung and placed longways like a big bro, but this was pre big bro era. I don't know about the tape measure and zipline, but Open Book at Tahquitz was first climbed using 2x4's for pro. I'd consider it a pretty legendary climb (America's first 5.9) and it was first climbed by Royal Robbins, certainly a legendary climber.
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incogneato
Jul 2, 2004, 5:11 AM
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In reply to: In Squamish there is a climb called march of the kitchen utensils- forget the grade, 5.8 maybe and in the smoke bluffs, anyways the FA was done using kitchen utensils for pro. A toaster, was used, knives and forks, stuff like that, made me laugh. Sorry dude, but that is way off! "March of the Kitchen Utensils" is an easy off-width on the back-side of the Chief (not the Smoke Bluffs). It was named for the first nude ascent of Diedre when the climbers used utensils for pro, pots for helmets, and paper bags over their faces to conceal their identity.
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ikellen
Jul 2, 2004, 6:05 AM
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This guy I climbed with told me this story that back when he first starting tradding, he would simply grab car parts from a junk yard, wedge them and then sling them, and that was his pro :lol:
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qpang
Jul 2, 2004, 6:08 AM
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I once tried using my nuts as "nuts", but I wouldn't recommend it. It really hurts if you fall on them, and they tend to pull out as you climb up. :shock:
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mrtristan
Jul 2, 2004, 12:59 PM
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That pic is awesome! I've been thinking about jamming slung rocks and knotted slings into cracks and then testing them to see how well they hold... Maybe when I go climbing tomorrow... I'll keep you guys posted. -Tristan
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angry
Jul 2, 2004, 1:24 PM
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There's a climb called Horn's Mother in Vedauwoo that was climbed using 2x4's, in fact, some of them are still stuck back in the pod. As far as the Nalgene bottle goes, I don't think you guys were talking about me but I have placed mine on lead. Not because I needed to but because it was funny. I placed a toothbrush to protect the final moves of some silly route in Boulder last weekend. Again, just screwing around. I met a dude in th valley a few years back who actually had cast wallnuts out of brass. He used them like stoppers and loved them. I talked to a guy that said a king size snickers burried in a T-trench is a bomber anchor. I called BS on him and it was summer so he couldn't prove it. Maybe it'd work.
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crag
Jul 2, 2004, 1:33 PM
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In reply to: This guy I climbed with told me this story that back when he first starting tradding, he would simply grab car parts from a junk yard, wedge them and then sling them, and that was his pro :lol: Valves made great pitons, gotta love them old push rod engines.
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