Poll: Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
not good enough to get any where with sport climbing? eg never got past 5.8 but has high hopes for A2+
6 /
16%
just liked the fact once being a aid climber could justify, buying 150 crabs, 3 sets of cams!......portaledge .......hanging stove................hmmmm you know what I mean? ;-)
11 /
30%
just likes being sh*t scared for hours at a time..........
13 /
35%
actually alwys wanted to test a RP Nr. 1 placement in sandstone, brightened up with a screamer!
2 /
5%
have always thought the girls/aka boys, would be impressed if you told them you had climbed El Cap, (even if that entailed jumaring up 3/4 of the pitches)?
Jul 23, 2007, 9:26 PM
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Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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well, reading the latest version of Rock&Ice, I decided I had better retire from sport climbing! The youth seems to have over taken us! I mean 12 year old kids who already climb 5.13's, which mind you I will NEVER ever be able to climb! Even if I tried my hardest (and honestly driving a desk ain't doesn't help), I will never reach the 5.13! Fantastic for these kids! Lama the austrian kid, I mean.....what can you say? Or I belayed Leah Crane on her first 8a french on Kalymnos! And I believe she was 16 then! Just fantastic! Unfortunately being realistic, at my age/fitness.....not really realistic!
So what was your reason to start aid climbing? I can honestly say, its because I love the rock and because I will never be able to free climb the Nose!
Hence one day, I would love to solo aid the Nose! Not tomorrow, not next year but before I tumble off this earth! Even if I beat PTPP's record for longest on the wall!
What was your reason?
PS Kate if your reading this, when can we expect your & PTPP's trip report for the Ranch? I am waiting with anticipation!
(This post was edited by dirtbagger on Jul 23, 2007, 9:41 PM)
Jul 23, 2007, 11:20 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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None of your poll options really hit my reasons on the head, but I think it boils down to -- I kind of like to suffer. On my own terms of course. But there isn't a much finer feeling than when you've just survived biting off a bit more than you could chew.
Admittedly, the thing that sealed the deal was my first trip to Yosemite. It changed me, irrevocably. Standing in the Meadow in the shadow of El Cap the first time I knew it would be my obsession to climb it -- and so it has been for several years, now. I think, if you're a climber (and also for many people who aren't), a visit to Yosemite leaves a mark on your soul that can't quite be put into words. It's a powerful, life-affirming mark but with just a little bit of irritant. It becomes an itch that you never can quite scratch to satisfaction, but it's OK because you love the itch.
Ed
(This post was edited by epic_ed on Jul 23, 2007, 11:25 PM)
Jul 23, 2007, 11:23 PM
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Re: [epic_ed] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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I find it odd that CLIMBING something huge isn't on your poll. You SURE you want to aid climb?
Jul 23, 2007, 11:50 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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My parents used to take me to the Valley every summer when I was growing up. I remember meeting some of the Hardmen at a slide show when I was about 5 years old and thinking, "They climbed El Capitan! That is the coolest thing in the world and someday, I will climb it, too." I stared up at that rock for 25 years before I finally tried to climb it. And when I finally did climb the Captain, it was like my whole life came full circle.
Aid? It's all climbing, man. And I can't free 5.12 cracks, much less 5.13 or 5.14. But I can hook and pull on gear like a mo-fo!
Jul 24, 2007, 12:33 AM
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Re: [dingus] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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dingus wrote:
I find it odd that CLIMBING something huge isn't on your poll. You SURE you want to aid climb?
DMT
pm'ed epic_ed to add your reason! I don't seem to be able to edit the poll choicces anymore, only the text :-(
Jul 24, 2007, 3:08 AM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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I saw El Cap for the first time, saw the climbers up there...I was so impressed and jealous. It flipped my whole perspective on where rock climbing could take you. I knew I had to do it, and have been hooked ever since...
That isn't on your list, but I'd check "Climbing something Huge."
(This post was edited by lambone on Jul 24, 2007, 3:10 AM)
Jul 24, 2007, 3:33 AM
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Re: [lambone] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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Climbed the East Buttress back in the mid-80's and looked left over a huge expanse of rock that was just begging for me to climb it.
Aid climbing was the means to that end.
I also met some very cool folks that shared my dementia and made the whole experience more fun.
Jul 24, 2007, 4:01 AM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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The fact that I suck! I didn't used to. Until my wrist exploded I could climb 12's, but after that I had no desire to hurt myself. So parts I cant climb get aided. I have no shame when it comes to "style". I just like getting to the top. Or wherever I feel like giving up.
Jul 24, 2007, 4:14 AM
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Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
Only been learning for almost 2 years. I'm getting old and broken up, can't crank like "the good ole days". But I still like to put in a day of hard work. Well, that and I like watching money disappear.
Jul 24, 2007, 5:19 AM
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Talking about El Cap. I figured out why my parents never took me to Yosemite, I would have never stopped bugging them to let me get into rock climbing. But only if they did, I would have been climbing years ago.
Jul 24, 2007, 11:06 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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Necessity -the inability to free climb ridiculous grades.
Determination -determined to get to the top, despite my inability to free climb ridiculous grades.
..and possibly the desire, (maybe in another life) to be a pack mule or a yak.
Jul 25, 2007, 12:46 AM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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I had been climbing for just over a year, having started out roped soloing to teach myself how to place gear, then climbing ice with a buddy from work, then TR-soloing harder sport routes... I was for the first time in my life feeling like I had found my calling.
Well, by then I was working in a shop, having realized that I needed to get the discount and the exposure to climbers to become a really good climber myself, when a guy came in to pick up some aid gear. We got to talking about gear, technique, and the systems necessary to aid climb. Well, it came out that he was planning to solo a line on the SE face of El Cap, and that IF i was willing to clean and haul, he would allow me to accompany him up the line.
A month later, we were meeting at the Meadow, packing haul bags and hiking loads to the base. I was willing to give it a shot, though I would reserve an opinion till we topped out as to whether I liked it or not.
The first day he taught me how to jug (I had never jugged before) as well as some little tricks for cleaning. We made it three pitches that day, and I got dibbs to sleep on the wall side of the portaledge. To be honest, the whole idea of the thing made me nervous! However, the anchor was a bomber multi-bolt setup and my logical side told me nothing really bad could happen, so I seemed to sleep o.k.
Day two I was recruited to lead a short pitch involving some 5.7 free-climbing, followed by a short section of C1 traversing to the anchor ledge. I had plenty of experience placing gear, so it wasn't too difficult... I could see how some people could enjoy this kind of climbing, but I was still undecided as to whether I would like it or not.
I was sleeping quite well, as the intense workouts of jugging (I had not yet discovered the efficiencies available when jugging) and hauling were leaving me very tired come nightfall.
Somewhere in the middle of day 3, sitting on the portaledge (we were flagging it, so it's handy to set up) while Alan was leading a pitch, I came to the realization that this was something I would definitely do again.
That was in the fall of '03, the route was Lunar Eclipse. Since then I have revisited that side of El Cap three times, having had to bail once due to weather conditions (an April snow resulting in large ice chunks falling from the rim... EXCITING and SCARY!!!), while the other two time I have topped out.
Once as a party of three on Zodiac (hey, Wall Kittens!), the other time with the guy who introduced me to the whole program, this time on Zenyatta Mondatta.
Will I ever do it again? Well, I hope to, though with my last trip to the Valley leaving a really bad taste in my mouth I will have to be satisfied with climbing in the Black Canyon if I wish to do any big walls anytime soon. Besides, the Black is closer anyway, as well as a tad more remote.
Climbing in the Black I won't miss hearing all the activity on the valley floor, what with all the tourons and busses an whatnot, but I'll still miss the impeccable granite of El Cap.
Oh well.
I read somewhere that the average bigwall climber will ascend three walls in their lifetime... I aspire to something above average, however. Only time will tell.
Jul 25, 2007, 6:05 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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dirtbagger wrote:
So what was your reason to start aid climbing?
I ran out of long valley routes that were within my free climbing ability.
Aug 13, 2007, 11:38 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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Or need something to do while I heal up from .11a lead, fu*king finger!
>Cam
(This post was edited by coastal_climber on Aug 21, 2007, 10:26 PM)
Aug 23, 2007, 8:20 PM
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Re: [dirtbagger] Honestly, what made you get into Aid climbing, or at least pretend to want to aid climb?
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I got into aid climbing so I could put up big new routes at El Potrero Chico. The end result of my aid climbing is long free routes.