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climbchick
May 12, 2002, 4:05 PM
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OK, here is my Big Announcement:
Next week, on Thursday May 16, I am going to climb the West Face of the Leaning Tower with PTPP, hopefully summitting on the 17th.
In terms of the fear factor, this will be the biggest challenge of my life to date!
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treyr
May 12, 2002, 5:26 PM
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Have fun man. You are so lucky!!!
Trob
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nikegirl
May 12, 2002, 5:36 PM
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Right ON!! Everyone!!
:0
:0 climbchick!!:0
GO TO IT GURL!!!! Tuna Packets ROCK!! Congealed Chile
yuck!!!!
T
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apollodorus
May 12, 2002, 11:40 PM
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I didn't knmow I had to do this on the internet. I thought I could just tell people I knew personally. But, here it is:
I AM GOING TO CLIMB THE EXCALIBUR ON EL CAPITAN WITH MUTANT, GIANT CAMS THAT I MADE MYSELF.
http://home.pacbell.net/takasper/index.html
THIS WILL BE MY SECOND WALL CLIMB, THE FIRST BEING IN 1983. I HAVEN'T BEEN CLIMBING IN OVER FIFTEEN YEARS. MY PARTNER IS EITHER INSANE, CRAZY, OR BOTH. THANKS, PTPP.
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passthepitonspete
May 13, 2002, 1:25 AM
Post #30 of 60
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Emphatically, I am BOTH!
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!! [Diabolical Dr. Evil Laughter]
Besides, I need your cams......
Fifteen years, eh? Talk about "make or break". This is where Big Wall Theory will become Big Wall Reality.
And nowhere is life more real than on the big wall!
Fifteen years......damn, I just love it when we up the ante!
OK, so consider this my Big Announcement:
Be it with Tom (hopefully!) or be it solo (by default and with Wee-Wee the Big Wall Crab) I - "Pass the Pitons" Pete - shall summit El Cap at least once, and hopefully twice, before I return home.
If not, then you can call me a Big Wall Theorist.
No greater insult could you hurl.
P.S. Don't say "thanks" - just leave me some cams....
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jmlangford
May 13, 2002, 1:26 AM
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Good luck Tom! I still want to see those cams! Are you kinda like a member of the A-Team? You know, able to make a machine-gun out of a vacuum cleaner, etc?
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passthepitonspete
May 13, 2002, 1:30 AM
Post #32 of 60
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How the heck did you know???
You can click here to see where Tom did make a, make a...
...what the hail DID he make?
I think it's a vacuum cleaner from a machine gun.
He's like, the California version of Red Green, eh?
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apollodorus
May 13, 2002, 4:32 AM
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Red Green is the Canadian Bob Villa. I'm not either one of those guys.
Maybe I need to link you to the patent office, where you can see my name on FIVE DIFFERENT PATENTS. That should put any "Red Villa" nonsense to rest.
And PTPP, as long as you're into having the ante upped, I call your Dr. Evil and raise you this: I escape from the local mental hospital this coming Friday evening.
BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH . . . .
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passthepitonspete
Jun 11, 2002, 4:04 PM
Post #34 of 60
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Two down (Leaning Tower, Excalibur) and one to go (Shortest Straw).
Looks like Shortest Straw will be a solo ascent.
Yikes. That route is Pretty Darn Hard. I'll pick up a couple extra beers today. And more coffee.
Freakin' bear busted a couple of my water bottles yesterday. Sheesh. All this objective danger, and I haven't even left the ground!
I'll feel safer soloing those A4 hooks today.
Cheers,
Pete
P.S. If you don't hear from me for a couple weeks, you know where I'll be. Look for my Crab-O-Ledge on the right side of El Cap, the SE Face, just left of the grey circle of Zodiac. I'll be on Channel 2 if you want to call up. I'll need some help on the descent.
P.P.S. You can click here to see a photo of Tom's twelve-inch Valley Giant Cams which we used to defeat the spooky offwidth cracks of Excalibur.
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spike
Jul 1, 2002, 5:53 PM
Post #35 of 60
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3rd Wall this season.
Heading to Yosemite Valley tonight (07/01/02)
Going to solo West Face Leaning Tower.
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cragchica
Jul 1, 2002, 6:27 PM
Post #36 of 60
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Good luck, man! It's awesome to hear you're going for it. Let us know how it goes.
With any luck, I might see you in the Valley.
Cheers,
Cragchica
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duck
Jul 1, 2002, 7:04 PM
Post #37 of 60
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I hate michigan....there's nothing to climb here but the stairs.
There are 2 rock gyms within an hour drive (Climb Kalamazoo here in town and Higher Ground in GR). The nearest rock is Grand Ledge and that's hours from here.
Anyone into urban climbing? Overpasses, train bridges, buildings? Etc?
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spike
Jul 10, 2002, 6:22 PM
Post #38 of 60
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Solo'd West Face - Leaning Tower over 4th of July week. July 2nd - approach & fixed P1. July 3rd did P2,3,4 and fixed P5 & 6. July 4th did P7, 8 & 9. July 5th did P10 & P11, rapped and hiked down to truck. I will write up a detailed trip report. I collected 6 carabiners, 2 nuts and 1 blue Metolius cam --- booty. THANKS PTPP --- the FROG system to jug and the Gri Gri with single ascender to clean made the climb possible.
Richard / SPIKE
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atg200
Jul 12, 2002, 7:50 PM
Post #39 of 60
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On August 1-3, Wigglestick and I will climb Christoper Robin on the Diamond on Longs Peak in Colorado. Not looking forward to humping all that gear up the 6.5 mile approach at high altitude, but the climbing should be great.
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wigglestick
Jul 12, 2002, 8:18 PM
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Wait a minute. You never said anything about a 6.5 mile approach. I am not going anywhere unless I can get there in flip-flops
It should be a good time. I am looking forward to it.
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spike
Jul 16, 2002, 11:02 PM
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Driving to Yosemite Valley Monday (07/22/02) to climb THE PROW with Ben. Planning to spend 2 nights on the wall & bivy at the summit before hiking down the North Dome Gully.
Richard / SPIKE
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spike
Jul 27, 2002, 4:19 AM
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Just got back from Yosemite --- SPIKE (Richard) and Ben Banks did The Prow. 07/22/02 (Monday) drove to YV, hiked to Washington Column and Ben fixed P1 on The Prow. We bivied at the base (no one on the route). 07/23/02 Tuesday morning Ben jugged the staticline and hauled as I cleaned P1. I lead the even pitches and Ben lead the odd pitches. We did P2 & P3 plus fixed P4 & P5. We bivied at Anchorage Ledge using an A5 double portaledge. On Tuesday a forest fire started on the west side of Half Dome and burned for 4 days. 07/24/02 Wednesday we jugged up the staticline on P4 and hauled. Ben cleaned P5 and took the staticline up to haul. As Ben hauled I jugged up the leadline. We did P6, P7, P8 and fixed P9 and bivied on Tapir Terrace. 07/25/02 Thursday Ben jugged the staticline on P9 as I cleaned it. We did P10, P11 and P12 summitting at 3:30pm --- We enjoyed the summit, sorted gear and watched the fire burn on Half Dome. We bivied at the summit (full moon - every night) and rested up for the North Dome Gully Descent. We started hiking down at 6:45am 07/26/02 (Friday morning) and got down to Ahwahnee parking lot at 10:15am (3 1/2 hour hike down). A more detailed trip report will be posted.
SPIKE/Richard
[ This Message was edited by: spike on 2002-07-26 21:21 ]
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freeclmr
Jul 29, 2002, 5:11 AM
Post #43 of 60
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Posts: 36
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Spike,...that's awesome! So what's next??
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spike
Aug 4, 2002, 10:04 PM
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Hi Freeclmr,
It looks like Skull Queen V 5.8 C2 on Washington Column the first week in September.
Richard / SPIKE
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spike
Sep 23, 2002, 11:39 PM
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Didn't have a partner for Skull Queen, so helped PTPP get his stuff to the top of P3 on Lunar Eclipse. Will be heading to Zion on Wed. Sept. 25, 2002 with Ben. We are going to do Lunar Ecstacy V 5.9 C2+ on Moonlight Buttress.
Richard / SPIKE
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rocks4jules
Sep 23, 2002, 11:42 PM
Post #46 of 60
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 287
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Wow -- what a great ambition!!! Good luck and blessings to you. YOU CAN DO IT!
Climb on!!!
JULES
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victoriaclimber
Sep 23, 2002, 11:48 PM
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You inspire me, post your pics when it is done! GOOD LUCK, Climb Safe
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spike
Sep 28, 2002, 6:42 PM
Post #48 of 60
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Ben Banks and SPIKE did Lunar Ecstacy V 5.9 C2+. Wednesday (09-25-02) drove from LA to Zion. Ben B. did odd pitches and I did even pitches. We bivied at top of P3 with lightening and light rain. Tuesday (09-26-02)we did 5 pitches and bivied at top of P8. Ben B. did P8 in the dark, so I could do P9 a C2+ pitch. This gave both of us a C2+ pitch, Ben B. got to do The Amoeba pitch. Friday (09-27-02) morning I did the Original Finish pitch, we took photos on the summit, hiked down, back at the visitors center by 1:00pm and home by 8:00pm.
Richard / SPIKE
[ This Message was edited by: spike on 2002-09-30 11:02 ]
[ This Message was edited by: spike on 2002-10-01 11:26 ]
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timpanogos
Jan 24, 2003, 6:12 AM
Post #49 of 60
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Posts: 935
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Well, the national weather forecast says It’s prime time to go do a Zion wall, as it will be partly cloudy – high’s in the days 60 lows at night 30 – through next Tuesday. Tony, sorry, I’m bailing on you Sunday and heading south.
Zion, Prodigal Sun, V 5.8 C2 here I come – shaking in my boots, twisted stomach – but something inside is driving me to go and do it.
slabbyd said you can fix 3.5 pitches with 2 ropes. I’m going to leave early tomorrow (about 4.5 hour drive), and start fixing as soon as I get there – got the weekend to figure it out, If I get stuck doing a hanging bivie – so be it – I’m heading for the top.
If you don’t hear a report by Tuesday, you can read about me in the funny papers.
Chad
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nailzz
Jan 24, 2003, 7:06 AM
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Posts: 244
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Quote:
Tony, sorry, I’m bailing on you Sunday and heading south.
PSHAWW!!
Don't ever apologize to me for bailing on some loosely laid plans to go to Zion!
Go man GO!! Be safe ... or at least safe-ish, and send that sucker! I wish I could join you. Call me when you come back, I wanna hear about it.
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