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yobbo
Jul 9, 2002, 11:39 AM
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Registered: Jul 9, 2002
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I am planning on doing the Salathe on El Cap this year in September, aiding it of course. I am pretty sure that I have 99% of all the gear I will need but one thing that is concerning me is that I have been told that a few number 6 wild country friends are needed and that the largest camalot is just slightly too small. Does anyone know if this is true or not. Can I get away with just using the camalots or will I need to fork out for some wild country cams?
Also I would like some more beta on the hollow flake pitch. Is there any places for gear on that at all or should I just pack extra underwear?
Last thing. Has anybody just reciently aided this route and has a pretty accurate list of gear that they used on it. I would like to compare it to what I have been told by someone that did it a few years back.
Any tips on this route would be much appreciated.
Thanks Yobbo.
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melonhead
Jul 9, 2002, 1:07 PM
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Registered: Mar 18, 2002
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Dude,
Check out www.supertopos.com
It might have what you're looking for.
Good luck, and have fun.
Melon
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billcoe_
Jul 9, 2002, 1:23 PM
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Registered: Jun 30, 2002
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Yobbo: perhaps you should put this on the aid section/forum. Lots of Yosemite Bigwallers there.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewforum.php?forum=19&1768
Maybe someone like Pete will flash his 12 incher at ya
I can't get the link because the RC.com database is "rebooting?" But it's a fairly sizeable cam he had a pic of Tom holding on Excalibur.
But it might be this one.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Method=ByUser&Action=View&UserID=passthepitonspete
BTW: you might try what Mike Corbet told me he did for that Wide MF on the Salethe. IE, Send Kurt Smith up to lead it. (really!! )
regards:
Bill
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radistrad
Jul 9, 2002, 2:05 PM
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Registered: Feb 25, 2002
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I have not climbed Salathe but I do know that it is characterized by lots of off widths and chimneys. Have you heard of the Hollow Flake pitch? I talked to two guys who are big time Yosemite climbers and they had bailed from that pitch 3 times.
I understand that the hollow flake is to be way run out, like no pro, or you'll need a 12" camming unit or two.
Do not expect the wall to be entirley aided either, I think you are going to find lots of horrendous free climbing.
You may want to PM Passthepitonpete, he may have more info on this route.
Also dont be discouraged by my words, I went to check your profile to see what your climbing backround is but ya left lots of info out of your profile, so I dont know what your experience is and I dont want to run off at the mouth if your an OW master or a great aid climber. \
Edit: sorry after re reading your post, you do know about the hollow flake pitch.
Let us know if you make it up!
[ This Message was edited by: radistrad on 2002-07-09 07:08 ]
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billiebob
Jul 24, 2002, 8:16 PM
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Registered: May 2, 2002
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Hi John. I did the Salathe with two friends last month to the day. I can offer some useful beta.
In general, you can't do it in 4 days if you aid all the 5.10 crack climbing, unless you're an aid monster. The pitches are really long, and there's lots of 5.10.
Here are the short answers to your questions.
1. The Hollow Flake protects well with a #6 Friend. A #5 Camalot is too small. A #4 Bigbro protects up high. A #3 would protect the 5.9 offwidth crux, but you'd have a terrible Z. Just walk up a #6 friend above you and don't use anything else. It's not like you're going to fall out of the flake. You'd fall INTO it!
2. Our rack. We had 2 sets of aliens up to 1 inch (red), 1 set of 4 hybrid aliens, 1 set of HB offsets, 1 set of stoppers with doubles 6-9, two sets of camalots to #3. One each camalot 4, 4.5, and a #6 friend. Bring an extra set of offsets. If you drop your set, life will be very hard. The upper aid pitches would suck with stoppers. I had 1 pink and 1 red tricam. The pink saved my ass in one place. We had one medium cam hook, one micro cam hook, and a chouinard hook. We only used the micro cam hook, and only once on the top headwall pitch. The radios were very nice until I dropped one into hollow flake. Doh!
I wanted one more #1 camalot and one more 0.75. This rack was slim for the Headwall pitch, a lot of which is 1-1.5 inches!
You don't need pins, rivet hangers, or a hammer.
The rigging plate was nice for three guys, two haulbags on a two bolt belay. Ropehooks are nice as well.
Below is a lot of beta, but not too much, I don't think. There are some places where really specific gear helped.
I highly recommend 70m lead and haul lines. We linked so much that you can't link with a 60. You can link a lot of the Free Blast to save time.
Day 1. Haul our two bags up the fixed lines to Heart Ledge. The fixed lines were not that good, but there were always two of them, so you could clip one with a Petzl Shunt while jugging. Our bags were very heavy. We used a Petzl Protraxion to haul. Such a pleasure. We counterweight hauled, shunting down the fixed lines for safety.
Day 2. Free Blast. How hard this is depends on your free climbing ability and how much weight you are carrying. It's not hard if you can lead 5.10 cracks. We took 6 liters of water in a small day pack and a rope we forgot to leave in the bags. Duh. I can give specific beta on this if you want, but most trip reports give lots of detail.. You don't have to hook or do any weird stuff on the 5.11b face pitch. French free it with one light aider and you'll be fine.
We did the first pitch off Heart linked up to Lung ledge with a 70m rope
Don't aid this pitch if you can help it. I mean really. It zigs and zags TERRIBLY. You don't need aiders, that's for sure. It's 5.8 until you move left, stick in a medium cam hook and pull on it to clip the bolt. Then you do two easy moves, place a #3 camalot, pendulum right on the fixed Lowe Ball, and climb 5.9 crack to the class 4. Haul from Lung Ledge by kicking the bag out or having the follower lower it over. The follower will have to lower down 20 feet or so to get the bag over a roof. Sleeping on Lung Ledge is fine for 3. Well worth it. If you want a rest day, descend from here and take it now! I wish we had.
Day 3. Hollow Flake: You can fix to the top of this the night before if you're feeling strong. It's pretty easy to get back to Lung Ledge. You need a long lowerout line to have the bag not rocket off left. Ours got stuck under a huge roof in the middle of nowhere. Scary to pendulum to retrieve! The 5.7 chimney is BURLY off Hollow Flake ledge. #6 Friend, kneepads, and an elbow pad are KEY. You cannot link this and the next pitch with a 70. The next pitch is easy aid or 5.10a, very excellent free climbing. The next pitch is very slick! The Ear looked OK, but I didn't lead it. There are footholds here and there. Begin facing the wall, then switch to face out. You must clip the bolt as you're pulling the lip or the follower will screw up the cams with the rope. The next pitch is long. If you place a piece at the lip of the roof, it may get swept back in the crack. The 5.10 offwidth to the Alcove is best aided. Alcove isnt' that great to bivy. Sleep on the spire! Haul from an anchor in the crack with a directional leading over the edge of the spire.
Day 4: A really, really long day. We were tired, and moving slowly. Link the two pitches with a 70, but you have to back clean like crazy, as most of the cracks are 0.75 camalot size. The next pitch is moist aid on old pins. The Jungle is next. Some loose rock. You'd have to be climbing pretty strong to aid the Jungle, clip the bad bolts for some gear, and free the 5.10 crack above. It's steep, very exposed, and all the same size. The block didn't look too bad for a bivy for three, but we didn't stay there. The next pitch was hard. Do the 5.9 corner, then the 5.10d seam, then crawl left to slings. Swing to the 10c lieback. I would have aided this if I led it, b/c the 5.10d looked really hard. The two aid pitches up to the belay under the roof take bigger camalots and tricams. The belay takes #3 camalots and bolts. The Roof pitch was wild and pretty easy. The lip move was hard. There wasn't bad rope drag, so I went to the midpoint belay. I didn't lead the 200 foot pitch to long ledge, but it took the leader 4 hours in the dark. It gets hard and thin at the top. Probably the aid crux of the route. The crux is reaching the bolt you clip before hand traversing right on the ledge.
Day 5. Aid pitch with offsets that's scary until you see the perfect cam placement to start. Leave your aiders and free climb to the belay. The next pitch has some tough 5.10 crack. The 5.9 offwidth has a fixed hex you can pull on to the top. The last pitch is easy.
Good Luck
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yossarian
Jul 24, 2002, 10:59 PM
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Registered: Mar 16, 2002
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Brought up the big green WC cam but it tipped out early on the hollow flake. Made the mistake of leaving it for pro and rope drag was hell. I was pretty gripped going up, but then again I'm not the best freeclimber. In addition, if you peel you will go for a ride and NOT fall into the crack as the last post states. I'm pretty thin and just less than half my body could fit in the damn thing. On the good side, you can wedge your chest in to rest whenever you need to. I also laybacked the middle of the flake which I thought was easier.
If you want pro for the pitch bring a big bro.
You will die in the chimneys!
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rollingstone
Aug 1, 2002, 10:45 PM
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Registered: May 22, 2002
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Yobbo, I did the route some 18 years ago, and had only Rps to an old style #4 Friend-no cam hooks, no big bros, no pins. It was not too bad, and I found the Hollow Flake to be fairly straight-forward,just a little funky OW which I do not like. You can indded, fall OUT of the HF crack. I do not recommend this, however, because you will be really messed up when you slam into the dihedral below (some 225-250')if you pop out near the top anchors. To give you some perspective, I have never comfortably led much harder than trad 5.10b, and only once led a .10c, so it's not like I am some hardman. Enjoy! It's a fabulous route deserving of the best style you can muster.
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yossarian
Aug 1, 2002, 11:13 PM
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Registered: Mar 16, 2002
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Wear long pants or you'll be nursing oozing, festering wounds up the wall
You'll still die in the chimneys!
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karlbaba
Aug 1, 2002, 11:16 PM
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Registered: Jul 10, 2002
Posts: 1159
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I found this route to be awesome but much burlier than the Nose. The Hollow Flake isn't hard for that grade of offwidth/squeeze, but you better not screw up!! A couple tips:
Do not climb up right on a ramp after the Block. I did and it screwed me good. The Penji over to the left is less than obvious.
Also, if it's getting dark on the headwall (like it would be if you got off route above the block ) don't follow the Skinner Free route bolts, they will take you to a memorable bivy. You'll remember that you never slept!
have a great climb
Karl
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climbera5
Aug 20, 2002, 10:52 PM
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Registered: Aug 20, 2002
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Back in the late 80's I led the Hollow Flake pitch twice. First time I squeezed it until I could put in a #4 friend and jammed the rest. Too much work! Second time I put in the #4 and swung out, liebacking the remaining 20 feet. A little bold but much faster, not too sketchy. You can get a good foot jam in near the top. I was climbing solid 5.11 at the time, all trad. Hope that helps!
It's a fabulous climb and deserves it's quality reputation. The headwall is incredible. I found the chimney's a blast.
Good luck!
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