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greatgarbanzo
Jan 12, 2002, 5:04 PM
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In the CANAIMA NATIONAL PARK you will find so many over 2.500 feet long walls that you may simply fade away... tons and tons of big walls ALL OVER THE PLACE but no one to climb it!!! (aid is not popullar here in VENEZUELA)
The only 2 ascents have been done in the Saint Angels Fall Wall which (apart from having the tallest water fall in the world) is the LONGEST OVERHANGING WALL IN THE WORLD with over 1150 mts (3775 feet) in length.
To see a topo of the Ruta Directa A4 click HERE
I forgot to add that is SO cheap here... and always really nice temperatures (20-25ªC) allthough on the rainy season rains A LOT but this is avoidable (try the dry season...).
[ Este Mensaje fue editado por: greatgarbanzo el 2002-01-12 09:14 ]
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passthepitonspete
Jan 12, 2002, 7:58 PM
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Ola!
Nice job on the HTML links!
The link to the route topo doesn't appear to work. Can you fix? Maybe the website is not responding?
Is the first ascent the one by Don Whillans and crew back in the 60's or 70's? They described something like a heap of choss! Who made the first ascent and when? Do you have a link?
Is this a different place than the "Lost World" plateau?
What is the rock quality like on the wall? Is it bueno or cago? What type of rock is it? Sandstone? Is it wet from the falls?
How easy is it to reach? What is the approach like?
When is the dry season?
I WOULD BE HAPPY TO COME DOWN AND CLIMB WITH YOU IF YOU'RE INTERESTED!
Cheers,
"Passo los pitonos" Pete
(my Mock Spanish needs work.....)
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greatgarbanzo
Jan 20, 2002, 4:10 AM
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The link to the topo DOES work... is just that sometimes gets funky...
The first ascent of this wall was done by a japanese team in the late 80´s. They didn`t do it from the bottom, they started on a ledge more than half way up.
You are probably talking about some other wall (there are HUNDREDS of equal size walls in this area) because this one is not chossy... is quite good... infact is so good that there already is a TEAM from Spain heading to do the second ascent of Ruta Directa A4/5.11a
The dry season is from december to june but this depends on a huge amount of variables... ask me for a specific date and I will research... or go for the sure one and climb in march.
This Area is also known as The Lost World I dont know about the plateau... The name comes from the fact that this is the area that has the OLDEST ROCK WALLS IN THE WORLD which tells you A LOT about rock quality... actually it has this name because Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got his inspiration for his novel ("The lost World") from here.
Click HERE to see a cool picture of the wall... jejeje... as you can see is not chossy...
The Rock is NOT WET FROM THE FALL. The approach is (from CANAIMA campground) a 2hrs drive on a boat and a 1.5hrs easy walk on a very well stablished trail trough the forest. I think is really easy to reach because i managed to go there, watch the fall, have lunch and come back to campground in less than 10 hrs. (I went with my dad, my mom and my little 10years old sister, we walked SLOWLY). You can camp on the base. I know there are closer campgrounds but i will have to research on that...
Remember this is only one of HUNDREDS of walls in the area... I will reseach for you about other stablished routes.
I WILL BE MORE THAN INTERESTED TO CLIMB WITH YOU I have done some aid climbing (up to A2) because I usually bolt the lines bottom to top but I have never done anything larger than 5 pitches... (Grade I or II right?)
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passthepitonspete
Jan 20, 2002, 6:23 AM
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Wow! Easy approach! Even a woosy-ass girlie man like me can make that approach!
Sounds like a plan, Stan.
March, eh? I could probably make that, but it doesn't leave much time. Anyone else wanna go? Ammon?
Let's talk! Please email me. Do you have much beta on the route? I would need to know what special gear we would need for the rock. Do you know the guys who made the first ascent, or the team coming for the second?
Do you have a route scoped and planned?
March is pretty short notice to climb a strange wall in an unfamiliar land. Could we get enough gear and beta together in time? What can you learn from the other ascensionists?
Or should we try for March of 2003? This I could guarantee with just over a year to plan. If I am going to come that far, I would like to climb the Biggest Big Wall!
Would you like to join me in Yosemite in late May and climb something on El Cap? Then you could decide how much you like living in a portaledge!
That photo of the falls is RAD, dude!
Cheers,
Pedro
P.S. What's all this about "Saint" Angel?
Has Jimmy Angel been deified?
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greatgarbanzo
Jan 21, 2002, 5:10 PM
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Ok... the actual name of the wall is Churún Merù which is name that aborigens used wayyyyy before Jimmy Angel arrival... but ya know... the first occidental world pic is the "actual" discovery of the wall... before this it "did not exist"... i hate when this happens... for me is Churún Merú and thats IT!!!
I was thinking more like March 2003... we`ll need a good plan and some more data recolection... I am already working on it...
The biggest wall around is the Churún Merú one... allthough there are several 1700 feet walls with routes already stablished on them like Mundo Perdido A0/5.12b - 1650feet
Check this pictures out!!! of the German Ascent at Roraima Wall. Navigate through this WHOLE site to get tons of Info on the surroundings...
I've found an article on Angel Falls, in Rock and Ice 82 you may want to check it out...
Allthough a bit sensacionalist... you may want to see This article.
I did NOT read This other one but seems nicer with TONS of great pics of the Rock Face.
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johnhenry
Feb 28, 2002, 5:17 AM
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Registered: Feb 28, 2002
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Man the Greatgarbonzospeaks speaks the truth!!! If anything he is way understating. Picture like 4 yosemite vallys with jungles. The rock can be super-bomer, even a royal bitch to drill. The tepuis represent adventure on a epic scale. Commitment, jungle, lethal insects, dinasours, maze like summits, intricate cave systems, you name it. You can charter fixed wing aircraft for way cheap and recon your project(s). It really isnt that far to fly to and you really got to see it to believe it. See the National Geographic article "Venesuela`s Islands in Time." Please post any new actities you guys engage in. Rock on!
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big_wall_theorist
Feb 28, 2002, 5:31 AM
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Registered: Feb 19, 2002
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I'm sooo f---ing sold. First I gotta get my ass past 5.10 A2 though . Maybe this summers big wall tour will do it for me.
Just wondering...what's the summer weather like?
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blueman
Feb 28, 2002, 6:18 AM
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Registered: Feb 7, 2002
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I am starting to plan a trip down to South America. I would totally be up for getting together and doing some climbing in Venezuela. My wife and I visited Salto Angel and the Lost World in July of 2000, and I can't wait to go back. If you like, I'll keep whoever is interested up to date on my plans.
Cheers
Ben
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