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texasclimber
Dec 6, 2007, 8:13 PM
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Planet Fear describes Owens as, "The climbing is steep compact walls and aretes, which are generously supplied with (usually) good holds. There are also some excellent roof climbs to be found. Grades are most well represented between 5.10 and 5.12."
Does that sound about right? I am training in the gym for this trip in the Spring and want to make sure I'm on the right stuff...overhanging climbs. Any input?
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roseraie
Dec 6, 2007, 8:16 PM
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You'll want to train for steep stuff and for relatively open-handed holds. There's lots of kinda slopey jugs. (I know that sounds funny, but it's true.) Most climbs in the Gorge are dead vertical with some overhanging sections.
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caughtinside
Dec 6, 2007, 8:18 PM
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Dead vertical crimping on slick holds. 90% of Owens.
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roseraie
Dec 6, 2007, 8:19 PM
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Crimping my ass. If you climb 5.10 or 5.11 it's all big slick slopey jugs. :)
Unless you have sausage fingers, then maybe they're crimps.
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texasclimber
Dec 6, 2007, 8:24 PM
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5.10-5.11 is our range. What the hell is a "big, slick, slopy jug"?
How can a 5.11 have jugs on it if it is vertical? Is the climbing fun if everything is slick?
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roseraie
Dec 6, 2007, 8:30 PM
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Yes, it's still fun. You have to be precise with your footwork on holds since the friction is... nonexistent.
So the rock in the Gorge has these horizontal slots in a lot of places. They're big, and can be juggy, but they're openhanded jugs.
The rock there is varied, like anywhere. There are exceedingly crimpy routes. There are routes that force you to dyno. There are bolted cracks. There are roofs. There are less-than-vertical 5.11s and overhanging 5.8s, and vice versa. The only general advice I can give you is to train for slopers, precision of footwork, and vertical rock with bulges.
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crimping_bum
Dec 6, 2007, 8:32 PM
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Im going to ORG this saturday. I expect to see, just as the last time I was there, stretches of vertical walls that have bolts all over them. I always tell my friends that there is not other place I have been to that looks and feels so much like a gym. I think that ORG is so plentiful and so vast that ANY climber can enjoy themselves on a route of any difficulty. There are just so many to choose from.
Most of the holds are fairly big and positive. More endurance climbing if you ask me. If you go sometime in the next few months its going to be cold as hell, but it will be sending weather.
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dan_gerous1
Dec 6, 2007, 8:38 PM
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roseraie wrote: Yes, it's still fun. You have to be precise with your footwork on holds since the friction is... nonexistent. So the rock in the Gorge has these horizontal slots in a lot of places. They're big, and can be juggy, but they're openhanded jugs. The rock there is varied, like anywhere. There are exceedingly crimpy routes. There are routes that force you to dyno. There are bolted cracks. There are roofs. There are less-than-vertical 5.11s and overhanging 5.8s, and vice versa. The only general advice I can give you is to train for slopers, precision of footwork, and vertical rock with bulges.
Agreed, the climbing is varied, but the gorge is fun. Train hard and come to climb and experience.
A 70m rope is recommended for some lowers and raps. Oh, and bring a huge tarp, 14X14, for gear, rope, etc, pretty fine dirt that gets into just about everything.
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lithiummetalman
Dec 6, 2007, 9:27 PM
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Spot on about the "positve" slopers
Train / focus on endurance for Owens. Steep to slightly overhanging.
(This post was edited by lithiummetalman on Dec 6, 2007, 9:28 PM)
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texasclimber
Dec 6, 2007, 9:27 PM
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dan_gerous1 wrote: roseraie wrote: Yes, it's still fun. You have to be precise with your footwork on holds since the friction is... nonexistent. So the rock in the Gorge has these horizontal slots in a lot of places. They're big, and can be juggy, but they're openhanded jugs. The rock there is varied, like anywhere. There are exceedingly crimpy routes. There are routes that force you to dyno. There are bolted cracks. There are roofs. There are less-than-vertical 5.11s and overhanging 5.8s, and vice versa. The only general advice I can give you is to train for slopers, precision of footwork, and vertical rock with bulges. Agreed, the climbing is varied, but the gorge is fun. Train hard and come to climb and experience. A 70m rope is recommended for some lowers and raps. Oh, and bring a huge tarp, 14X14, for gear, rope, etc, pretty fine dirt that gets into just about everything.
Thanks for the tip. We have a 60m rope. Is that going to be too limiting with a 60? We were planning on buying a new rope before the trip anyway, but I wasn't looking to spend the extra $$$ for a 70m.
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lithiummetalman
Dec 6, 2007, 9:39 PM
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Unless looking at doing Looney Binge Wall (I think thats the name) then you'll want a 60M.
60M rope will do for the majority of the gorge, and rack of about 10-14 draws (maybe a small trad rack depending on the route)
Definitley get endurance up for Owens, there are some powerful routes, but I find that Owens requires more endurance than pure power, definitley focus on slopers, sledges (slopy-edges), smedges and foot precision.
Hope this helps
edited: thanx for the catch Texas
(This post was edited by lithiummetalman on Dec 7, 2007, 10:06 PM)
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texasclimber
Dec 6, 2007, 9:53 PM
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lithiummetalman wrote: Unless looking at doing Looney Binge Wall (I think thats the name) then you'll want a 70M. 60M rope will do for the majority of the gorge, and rack of about 10-14 draws (maybe a small trad rack depending on the route)
Do you mean a 60m would work for all walls except Looney Binge wall?
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docburner
Dec 6, 2007, 9:55 PM
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If you use a 60m rope please always tie a knot in the end. (in fact do it with a 70 too)
I find it to be much more vert then overhung there.
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roseraie
Dec 6, 2007, 10:08 PM
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There are climbs on many walls that require a 70m to get down.
If you don't own one, and don't want to buy one, you could always bring a second 60m with you.
And definitely get a guidebook, so you know which climbs require the 70m.
On Thanksgiving, some folks did a climb that was too long for their rope, they couldn't rap to the ground, so they tried to traverse sideways to get to another anchor. They knocked off an ENORMOUS flake, and two friends and I almost died. (The flake landed where we'd been packing up our gear, so we would have been toast if we hadn't run for our lives.) It smashed my pack with all my shit inside. Cracked my helmet, smashed my Nalgene, etc.
The moral of the story is... know FOR SURE that your rope will get you back to the ground before you leave the ground. Have fun in the Gorge.
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texasclimber
Dec 6, 2007, 10:27 PM
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roseraie wrote: There are climbs on many walls that require a 70m to get down. If you don't own one, and don't want to buy one, you could always bring a second 60m with you. And definitely get a guidebook, so you know which climbs require the 70m. On Thanksgiving, some folks did a climb that was too long for their rope, they couldn't rap to the ground, so they tried to traverse sideways to get to another anchor. They knocked off an ENORMOUS flake, and two friends and I almost died. (The flake landed where we'd been packing up our gear, so we would have been toast if we hadn't run for our lives.) It smashed my pack with all my shit inside. Cracked my helmet, smashed my Nalgene, etc. The moral of the story is... know FOR SURE that your rope will get you back to the ground before you leave the ground. Have fun in the Gorge.
That must have been so scary. I have a sencond rope that I could use, I just hate having to tie two together for a bunch of climbs. I guess I will buy the guide book ahead of time and go through it to see if I should get a 70m.
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powpierre
Dec 6, 2007, 11:23 PM
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Get the guide but you can certainly have a good time with a 60. There are a handful of routes in your grade that require a 70 but I would not blow the money on one unless you need it for something else. Many of the longer routes will have recommended rap options that will let you get off with a 60.
train endurance and more endurance and you will be fine. There is a lot of greasey stuff but if you stay away from Negress/ warmup and the great wall of china areas you will miss the worst of it.
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socalbolter
Dec 7, 2007, 11:51 PM
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It's been said already, but you will be fine with a 60m rope. The majority (85% ?) of the routes there will be fine with that length.
Especially if you have never been there, this will not limit options enough to have any significant effect on the quality of your trip.
If you are at all motivated, you should be able to get 10 or more route done each day. Both sides of the Gorge are staked with routes and there are many high-quality sectors that have many routes of a similar difficulty.
I'm quite confident that you'll have a good time.
Oh, and definitely get the book now to start working on your tick list.
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