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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 11:02 AM
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Looking at making our 1st Seneca trip of the season and my wife (kuperkutie) will be making her 1st trip up. She's never done any multipitch and I'd like to put her on something comfortable (5.3-5.5) to avoid any pants shitting incidents. I was thinkin maybe Thais or something similar. Ay advice, route beta, gear beta, or any other beta would be greatly appreciated. Also, is it possible to rap with only 1 rope? I've only ever climbed there with 2 others and thus we 2 rope rapped off. I'd rather not have to carry an extra rope just 2 rap. Feel free to flame me if I sound n00by. Thanks everyone!!!
(This post was edited by WVUCLMBR on Mar 25, 2008, 11:23 AM)
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notapplicable
Mar 25, 2008, 11:53 AM
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WVUCLMBR wrote: Looking at making our 1st Seneca trip of the season and my wife (kuperkutie) will be making her 1st trip up. She's never done any multipitch and I'd like to put her on something comfortable (5.3-5.5) to avoid any pants shitting incidents. I was thinkin maybe Thais or something similar. Ay advice, route beta, gear beta, or any other beta would be greatly appreciated. Also, is it possible to rap with only 1 rope? I've only ever climbed there with 2 others and thus we 2 rope rapped off. I'd rather not have to carry an extra rope just 2 rap. Feel free to flame me if I sound n00by. Thanks everyone!!!
I'm sure somebody will take care of ya by the end of the day but if they havent I will get into this a little deeper after works (running late actually).
Thais is a great route and like most of Senecas moderats, if anything gives her trouble it wont be the climbing, it will be the ass in the breeze factor.
You can rap with a single rope from several points or you can just que up and bum a rap from somebody else who already has a rope hung. I have done that several times and had other people do it to me, its pretty common.
I'm going to be out there the 29th - 31st, when you headed out?
(This post was edited by notapplicable on Mar 25, 2008, 11:54 AM)
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 12:06 PM
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I just realized I gotta play in a bs golf tournament this weekend. It's on Saturday so I guess we will be heading down Sunday (unless I can't play golf b/c I make up an injury). There is a chance my wife will puss-out on me....if so maybe we could meet up. If your headed up alone and don't mind moderates you can be our 3rd.
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reg
Mar 25, 2008, 12:20 PM
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thais route finding can be problematic - i've heard. one can climb into trouble - easy. better know your way. chk with the guides and/or take a look at tony's guide book fer info - R
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 12:39 PM
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Yeah...I've got the newer guide book. I've been up Seneca before but none of the routes I've done are in her range. I've climbed with Chad from SRMG so I'll definately swing in there/say hi to Tom/get beta. I am definately open to other routes if anyone has suggestions.
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reg
Mar 25, 2008, 1:07 PM
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for her - at the level ur seeming to imply i'd say old mans (or old ladies even) both fun, both with some exposure to get her blood going or for even more knee knockin fun try "gunsight to summit" (west face route) and - shall i dare say - "skyline traverse" where my wife employed the "nipple jam" on the one very exposed traverse section (2 moves?) - i believe they are all under 5.5 - have fun!
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piton
Mar 25, 2008, 1:15 PM
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well if you want to avoid shitting the pants bring double ropes, helmets, guidebook w/ topos so you know where to go and plenty of gear.
i think conns east is a easy climb up to the top. bring a camera for the summit photo. have fun be safe
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markc
Mar 25, 2008, 1:28 PM
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reg wrote: for her - at the level ur seeming to imply i'd say old mans (or old ladies even) both fun, both with some exposure to get her blood going or for even more knee knockin fun try "gunsight to summit" (west face route) and - shall i dare say - "skyline traverse" where my wife employed the "nipple jam" on the one very exposed traverse section (2 moves?) - i believe they are all under 5.5 - have fun!
I agree with Old Mans and Skyline Traverse. Both are a lot of fun. One concern with Skyline is the lack of sight between the leader and the second on P2 and P3, but the climbing on P3 is very straightforward. (I think Old Mans is 5.2 or 5.3 in the new guide, and Skyline is 5.3 or 5.4.) Conn's West Direct is 5.5, but it's fun, straightforward climbing and you can usually see the second.
I'd hold off on Gunsight To South Peak for the first day. The climbing isn't hard if you find the holds, but it's extremely exposed and you don't have sight of your partner during the crux unless you break up the pitches. Old Ladies is a lot of fun, but once again you don't have visual contact with your second on the traverse pitch. As that's also an opportunity to take a decent fall as the second, I wouldn't pick it as an introduction for the nervous.
I've done the Conn's West rappel and the Traffic Jam rappel with a single rope. The old guide had descent information listed at the start of each area description. I haven't looked up descent information in the new book, but I'm sure you can find it.
Edit: I forgot to mention Ecstasy Junior is a fun two-pitch route that goes at 5.4. The climbing is varied and interesting for the grade. (It also avoids the hike up the stairmaster if you're going to the southwest face, which is a plus.)
(This post was edited by markc on Mar 25, 2008, 1:32 PM)
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reg
Mar 25, 2008, 1:46 PM
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one thing about the traffic jam rap with one rope is the hanging third station - a scary one for the faint of heart. once when the wife and i were hanging there, i was pullin the rope and noticed a knot go by about 20' away - yup i had forgotten to untie the saftey knots. so had to rope up the wife and send her over. she's ah trooper! first time on that rap but she traversed that sketchy section and retrived our line! whew!
edit: that's her - on the left - smilin on top of the third flatiron
(This post was edited by reg on Mar 25, 2008, 1:47 PM)
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markc
Mar 25, 2008, 2:20 PM
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For Traffic Jam I think you come out of the nitch to the tree, rappel down to the pair of bolts on the right side of the vegetated ledge(fairly short), then rappel to a mid-sized ledge about half-way down Le Gourmet Direct. The next rap puts you on the deck. I don't remember any hanging portion. Which way did you go?
Edit: If you meet up with another party with a 60m rope at Traffic Jam, you can do a double-rope rappel all the way down. The pull isn't too bad so long as your knot doesn't get held up.
(This post was edited by markc on Mar 25, 2008, 2:22 PM)
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justroberto
Mar 25, 2008, 2:20 PM
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I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but I've managed to find myself off route twice (once leading, once seconding) on Thais, both times getting into a precarious situation requiring harder climbing and less gear.
On my lead, I managed to find myself on what I imagine to be the West Pole/Thais Escape ramp, then downclimbing and traversing maybe 15 feet over to the third (?) anchor station having only clipped some suspect pin a good bit below. Then, having lost all my mettle on that silliness, I backed off the direct finish to the top and instead angled up and left over easier terrain to the top of Tomato (I think).
Oh, and if you're using the Horst guide - throw it away. I still don't know where that route goes...
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markc
Mar 25, 2008, 2:24 PM
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Finishing Thais is on my to-do list. When I first started seconding I got about half-way up (to a very cramped belay for a party of three) before rain turned us back.
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justroberto
Mar 25, 2008, 2:30 PM
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Yeah, I'd like to get back and figure out where the hell I went wrong on that thing. I'm also still itching to get Pleasant O's, which I've been rained or crowded off of three times now.
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 2:31 PM
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We have settled on old mans route. Can you summit from this route? (my guide book is @ home...sry). If you are @ Seneca this weekend and see a dude with wayyyyy to much gear on old mans say hi to WVUCLMBR & kuperkutie......
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justroberto
Mar 25, 2008, 2:39 PM
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Sure thing - you'll just go through the chimney below Traffic Jam and then walk up to the top.
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 2:41 PM
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Sweet...well hopefully monday my wife will get to post her 1st Seneca Summit Pic on here.....either that or Majid will have another accident to red/green arrow all over...
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markc
Mar 25, 2008, 2:45 PM
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justroberto wrote: Sure thing - you'll just go through the chimney below Traffic Jam and then walk up to the top.
Right. She'll probably want to be roped up for the 4th class summit scramble. Don't forget to sign the summit register, and have a great trip.
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 2:51 PM
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Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I really appreciate it. Rock On!!!
Bryan...
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reg
Mar 25, 2008, 3:13 PM
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hummm sounds like a better descent - we hit the second ledge then went south onto the face to a pair of bolts that require hanging to reset rap. ther's ah bush and a wee small toe ledge there - then to the deck. forgot the name of the right facing route - "thousand pitons" maybe? it's been awhile - too long 
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erclimb
Mar 25, 2008, 3:15 PM
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i have a different suggestion for your wife's first time...i ALWAYS take beginners up le gourmet (5.4) to front c (short 5.6) the exposure is not bad for either pitch...from there, you can scramble up through the traffic jam notch (traffic jam is a fun 5.7 crack with mild exposure) and walk to the 4th class summit pitch...or, if you want another fun pitch, scramble up and left to climb critter crack (short, 5.6 hand jams) to the summit ridge and then walk to the summit pitch...all of these pitches end on big, comfy ledges
i prefer to rap off old man's/conn's west...one rope will require three raps with one bolted hanging station
candy corner is a good single-pitch intro to seneca climbing, including the exposure...on a busy weekend, however, the area gets a lot of rock fall from folks on the skyline traverse
ecstacy jr is another great intro with brief exposure at the top of the second pitch
gunsight to summit is the most spectacular 5.4 in the country, but the exposure might get you a divorce
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vector
Mar 25, 2008, 3:47 PM
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One thing to add, Thais is on a north face (for most of it anyway) and is probably not in condition the early in the season. (And _everybody_ seems to get lost.)
With one rope I would go for the Conn's West rap station. Pretty mellow stances to start from on at all three stations.
Have fun!
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 25, 2008, 4:10 PM
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Yeah...I've done the Conns west rap and that was my backup plan, now plan A....thx.
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notapplicable
Mar 25, 2008, 11:59 PM
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I knew these guys would take care of you.
I think Old man is a good intro to climbing at seneca, it has good belay stances and not too much exposure for a first outing.
If its not too hard for a warm up (5.4 and one of the best moderates at the place), I would suggest climbing Ecstasy Jr. to Luncheon Ledge and then stroll over and do Old man for the summit. It may be just a pet peeve of mine but I hate hikeing all that way when you can climb. That being said E Jr. isnt exactly easy for the grade but its very manageable. If I'm near by I would be happy to bring up the rear so she can focus on the climbing and not have to clean gear.
I'm planing on being there Sat. and Sun. (possibly Fri., we will see) and will be climbing alone. Even if we dont rope up I'd still like to say hi, you know put a face with the name and all that. I'll be the guy with the long hair, short but full beard, small black camel pack.
See ya out there.
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WVUCLMBR
Mar 26, 2008, 12:03 PM
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Cool man. I'm still not sure what day we are gonna make it down. You won't have any trouble recognizing us. I'll be the guy with 40lbs of gear I don't need (Should I even bother bringing my bigg-ass hexes?) and my wife will be the one bitching about something (climb faster, climb slower, I'm hungie, are we on top yet, etc...)
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