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sierramike
Apr 16, 2005, 12:49 AM
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Anyone have any updated info regarding The Shield? Is the Supertopo rack suggested right on? I was on the route some 15 years ago and we needed many more rurps than we had, but I hear things have changed.
Thanks.
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lambone
Apr 16, 2005, 1:04 AM
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Didn't need a single rurp when I did it almost 5 years ago.
Probly if anything I think it's safe to say perhaps you need more sawed-offs now.
I think the ST recomendation would be a safe bet.
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texplorer
Apr 18, 2005, 4:09 PM
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I have some friends that did it spring break about a year ago. They pounded about 9 pins but on of them said that he thinks he could have done it clean. If I was going up I would agree with lambone and take a few extra sawed offs but probably less iron than supertopo calls for.
You can check out their pic in the new BD catalog.
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micronut
Apr 18, 2005, 4:32 PM
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In reply to: one of them said that he thinks he could have done it clean. .
Charile Fowler, Will Oxx, and Xavier Bongard did the first hammerless ascent back in the early 90's. I saw a film at Banff about it. the triple cracks looked a little bold without a hammer.
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climbhigher
Apr 20, 2005, 5:12 AM
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Bring a few black/blue hybrid aliens.
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the_dude
Apr 20, 2005, 5:41 AM
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I climbed it about 6 years ago, and I remember sawed angles being key. One tap and they would hold. A few LAs and a few KBs were used as well. I think we tapped one beak. A friend gave us a few tucans to try out and I'm glad we had them. a spanish team was above us and they were hammering wooden blocks into the pin scars and leaving them(Not sure of their tactics). The tucans could be hammered in to the side between the rock and wood with a few taps and the camming action held them in place. If we didn't have them we would have been screwed. The wood came out after the iron was removed. I keep two of those pins on my wall rack just in case I encounter anymore Spaniards!
Cheers
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lambone
Apr 20, 2005, 7:43 AM
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You know....as silly as it sounds I bet those wood blocks probly damage the rock much less then a steel angle. However they tend to clog the placement. I remember seeing some hammered wood on the Shield...weird.
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guanoboy
Apr 20, 2005, 4:05 PM
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I just came across some wood wedges pounded in on the sundevil chimney route on the titan last week. I ended up hooking the top of the wood or finding another placement. Has anyone out there placed these things? What do you do with them?
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sierramike
Apr 21, 2005, 4:20 AM
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Thanks for the updated info. I'm anxious to see what the Groove Pitch looks like this go 'round. In the late '80's, my partner stacked many RURPs in that rascal. As I was cleaning, I thought that not much would have held. Should be fun.
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lambone
Apr 22, 2005, 1:51 AM
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RE: Groove
Expect alot of fixed heads, mostly bomber but some ancient rotten ones wth a few timepiece rurps for good measure. Might want to bring some very thin wires or string and some sort of hooking device. Threading chord on some of those old peices was the crux of the route for me. Also bring a couple BD Peckers or beaks for hooking on deadheads...
That pitch goes in about 20 minutes now.
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the_alpine
Apr 22, 2005, 2:33 AM
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The first piece once you get out the roof and on to the headwall is one of those bleached, rotted, splintering fixed wooden pegs. It has a beautifully rusty angle driven into it. I was fortunate enough to have the privelege of taking a 20 footer onto said placement. Im not sure which was more ass-puckering - falling onto a wooden peg, or the instant and unintended 2000 feet of exposure. This pic was taken after I had already started jugging:
http://highexposures.com/images/shield.jpg
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pinkylock
Apr 22, 2005, 2:51 AM
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the shield was climbed hammerless about 9 years ago by charlie fowler and others. tiff levine was with them, but she bailed at mammoth ledges. john wason and john middendorf were there to film the ascent. a movie was produced. etc, etc.
if yer using a hammer on the shield, you don't belong up there.
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pinkylock
Apr 22, 2005, 2:54 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: one of them said that he thinks he could have done it clean. . Charile Fowler, Will Oxx, and Xavier Bongard did the first hammerless ascent back in the early 90's. I saw a film at Banff about it. the triple cracks looked a little bold without a hammer.
umm...what he said. next time i guess i'll examine the whole thread before hittting the "reply" button.
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climbhigher
Apr 22, 2005, 4:37 AM
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I know a few climbers who climb A5 on a regular basis who have brought and used a few pins on the shield. They bring a couple of sawed offs and a couple of beaks.
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lambone
Apr 23, 2005, 8:34 PM
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yeah, I don't agree with the statement...
In reply to: if yer using a hammer on the shield, you don't belong up there.
You can tap your way gently up the Shield with sawed angles and not ruin the climb.
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texplorer
Apr 26, 2005, 4:21 PM
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Just because routes have gone clean doesn't mean that everyone will do them clean thereafter. Granted we all shoot for the clean ascent but there is a difference between a clean ascent by an aid master and what the average aider will do. Just because it went clean 9 years ago has no bearing on what the route is like today. If it is banged out it can be easier (or harder) or if it hasn't been climbed much may still be quite gnarly.
My point was not to say that it has never gone clean but that it is reasonable for a competent aid climber to get the route clean without it being performing levitational techniques on theoretical A18 grade. In other words -you should be able to get it clean if you have reasonable aid skills and a good lead head.
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lambone
Apr 26, 2005, 4:43 PM
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In reply to: In other words -you should be able to get it clean if you have reasonable aid skills and a good lead head.
...don't forget to add...",and all the crucial fixed gear like copperheads and rurps are in place."
:?
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climbhigher
Apr 30, 2005, 1:59 AM
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This subject has been pounded into the ground. Clean? or Nail? The only way you will have a realistic view on this subject is by climbing. So, go CLIMB.....The Next time i go up on the shield i will bring a few pins.
For the person who wants to go climb the shield, it would be logical to bring a few sawed offs and beaks even if u don't use them. Never know what u might encounter up there.
Any route you are depending on fix gear, I bring pins and heads. The Black and Blue offset Aliens work wonders in some of those scars!!!!
That was a cool video of Charlie Fowler climbing the shield clean with his big Ice boots becasue he just came back from the himalayas and had frost bite on his toes. Tiffany Levine...or is it Tiffany Campbell?....Wussed out and had to come down. Cool video.
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