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bigwalling
Aug 19, 2002, 7:40 PM
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I'm thinking about going here. What is the best guidebook(that has beyer aid routes, jarrets routes)? Also does anyone know where I can find a topo for Hazing? Is there any good short(1-2 pitch) nail ups to practice on? Any info would be appreciated.
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atg200
Aug 19, 2002, 7:46 PM
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The most complete guidebook are the Bjornstad guides - Desert Rock III has the Fishers. There is more or less a topo for the Hazing in Desert Rock III. Be awfully careful when getting on anything that isn't a trade route in the Fishers - they probably haven't been done more than a handful of times and you will likely be sandbagged if you do happen to get beta from someone. There are plenty of 1-2 pitch nailups, and potential for a lot more. Check out the Minotaur, Dragons Tail, Rockytop, Putterman's Pile, and the Projects. River Tower has some cool looking nailups and is shorter - only about 3-4 pitches. Do a few trade routes to get used to the rock before doing anything hard. Phantom Spirit on Echo Tower and Colorado Ridge on the Kingfisher are good choices. These are nothing like granite aid routes by the way. Expect lots of wierd trickery on the hard routes. Everything feels much harder and scarier in the Fishers than Yosemite. [ This Message was edited by: atg200 on 2002-08-19 12:47 ]
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bigwalling
Aug 19, 2002, 8:20 PM
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Thanks, Bryan Law said that there are no hangers on the bolts on Hazing. I don't know if it says that in the book or not. The place looks so cool.
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pbjosh
Aug 19, 2002, 8:25 PM
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bolts that are anything other than VERY new or in great placements where the mud was alrady washed off a good layer of underlying sandstone are very suspect... you'll see stuff sticking out of holes where the rock (or dirt as you may call it) has literally washed away from the bolt leaving it 1/2 way out of the rock and pretty worthless josh
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atg200
Aug 19, 2002, 8:55 PM
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pbjosh speaks the truth. i bring a bolt kit on pretty much every route in the fishers - even the trade routes. some of the mank there makes tangerine trip look like a sport route. i also bring a cheater stick on everything so i can skip missing bolts without drilling.
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pbjosh
Aug 19, 2002, 9:06 PM
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Also bring some industrial goggles and your balls man. That place creeps me out to be honest. After you hone your skills in the Fishers check out the Mysteries... josh
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bigwalling
Aug 19, 2002, 9:39 PM
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Sounds really scary! But also fun. How hard is it to solo there?
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pbjosh
Aug 19, 2002, 9:51 PM
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No harder than anywhere else. Maybe better because there won't be anyone to later relate the stories of you pissing your pants and waffling and spending all day getting a pitch and a half off the ground. In all honesty it's not the end of the world on the easier routes. I wouldn't get on a hard route off the bat. Personally I ran away with my tail between my legs last time. Maybe next time, if there is one. I still don't think I'm keyed to go back to the place, especially not with all the wingate around... josh
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atg200
Aug 19, 2002, 10:08 PM
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if you don't mind rope soloing 5.9 mud chimneys, its ok. personally, i am a coward about soloing offwidth/chimney - and they seem to be mandatory on every route there. solo the colorado ridge on the kingfisher, and see if you still have your mind. better yet, find a partner.
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bigwalling
Aug 19, 2002, 11:29 PM
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What times are best to go there? I don't want to fry to death. Or is that part of the experiance?
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atg200
Aug 20, 2002, 2:11 PM
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The best season tends to be from late September to early December and then late February through late April. Summer is out of the question for me, though I hate heat so YMMV(it is usually well over 90 degrees every day). The dead of winter is often ok, but the days are very short and it can be cold and snowy. Phantom Spirit and Finger of Fate are both pretty shady, so they are good early fall or late spring climbs. Sundevil Chimney and Colorado Ridge on Kingfisher and sunny, so save those for late fall and early spring.
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mudjunkie
Aug 20, 2002, 5:37 PM
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I've got a topo of the Hazing if you're interested. I haven't done the route (I doubt it has seen a second ascent), but the topo is from Big Wall Pete who was one the FA. Let me know if you want it and where to fax it to. If you're stoked on soloing in the Fishers, Phantom Sprint on Echo is a great intro. Straightforward, clean (for the Fishers), and moderate in difficulty. Not to sound like an ass, but the Hazing is a huge step up from Phantom Sprint. Don't swim too far into the deep end!
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mudjunkie
Aug 20, 2002, 5:41 PM
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Just a quick point of correction to avoid confusion: Jim Beyer's line on Echo is Phantom SPRINT, not SPIRIT (as atg200 has called it in his above post). Bjornstad botched the name in his first guidebook. Phantom Sprint is a Hendrix tune ...
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atg200
Aug 20, 2002, 5:45 PM
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And then Cam Burns botched it in his guidebook too...
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bigwalling
Aug 21, 2002, 12:44 AM
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I just checked out the Desert Rock lll guidebook. IMO that book sucks. It has like no topos for the routes. Is it tradition to go up on something without a topo? I'm not in to soloing a ton. I would way rather have a partner. But if you look at my profile you will see why I solo most of the time.
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bigdan
Aug 21, 2002, 6:31 AM
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the fishers ROCK! the rock cleans up fairly well, so the trade routes are much better than the reputation. the seldom-traveled routes are a different story. my recommendation: do finger of fate or phantom spirit, something like that, see how it feels. as atg pointed out earlier, the aid feels much different, it takes some practice to do it reasonably fast. at least, it took me some practice. once you get into it, the novelty of the place hooks you...
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atg200
Aug 21, 2002, 3:15 PM
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the desert ain't yosemite. topos are very rare, and you are lucky if the descriptions resemble the climb at all as a huge number of the routes have been repeated only a handful of times. it is a place for adventure - not a place for doing well documented trade routes. there are good topos out there for phantom sprint/spirit, finger of fate, and colorado ne ridge.
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