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camhead
Aug 19, 2003, 5:26 PM
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okay, okay...
nearly a year ago, I posted THIS. It got a bit of a backlash, as well as numerous PM's from concerned individuals offering to show me their local granite in order to alleviate my prejudices.
Since then, I have extended my horizons a little, and climbed on a bit more granite. Enchanted Rock, Turkey Rocks, Vedauwoo, Lumpy Ridge, etc. It was all right... I mean, I learned to tolerate it. Just when I really was starting to like granite in early summer, atg200 sandbagged me into "Quivering Quill" at Turkey Rocks, which I attacked with my impeccable crack skills, only to be spit off because of failing to see a damn face hold. This really got me hating it again.
So what changed my attitude concerning the intrusive, slabby, mother-of-all-rocks?
well, I wound up going to some place called Yosemite, which evidently has a lot of granite, which I guess is considered pretty quality. It was fun. I learned to love the slabs of Tuolomne in a sick sort of way, learned the fine art of pinky locks in old piton scars, and even got a bit better at stopper placements.
Finally, I encountered the ultra-classic "Outer Limits," which was one of the most perfect granite cracks I had seen.* Halfway up, into its perfect jams, I just started thinking "okay, this rock is pretty good!" I was now a granite luvver. A few months later, I actually spent a week or so at City of Rocks (another old nemesis of mine), and managed to further hone my granite skillzzz. Happily, I am now cured of the prejudice, and my granite trad onsight level has crept up to within letter grade of my Wingate sandstone onsight level.
happy happy happy.
so, yeah. let it be publically known that camhead is a granite hater no more.
*still, if Outer Limits somehow found its way to Indian Creek, it wouldn't even get one star. But not everything can be perfect. The Creek is still the best crag and rock in the known universe, however.
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petsfed
Aug 19, 2003, 5:39 PM
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Okay, we'll allow that IC is better than anything on the planet, rock type notwithstanding.
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rockprodigy
Aug 19, 2003, 9:28 PM
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Granite is definitley more subtle than wingate...nothing like romping up a perfect splitter.
The problem with sandstone, is that it's kind of a dead-end. You can crag a lot, and do towers, but if you ever want to do the classic long multi-pitch free-climbs, they're all on granite.
Granted, Zion is sandstone, but it's mostly aid ('cept moonlight, and monkeyfinger), and Redrocks has stuff too, but it's not IC-style.
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cgranite
Aug 19, 2003, 9:36 PM
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everyone has their preference. Some like smooth parallels and others like textured offwidths. I like many different kinds of rock, but prefer granite since I'm surrounded by it.
There's one thing everyone must know before hating on granite!
There are MANY different kinds of granite.
Orange Patina
decomposing
bullet proof...the list goes on in variation...
I would like to know what most people prefer when climbing granite?
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copperhead
Aug 19, 2003, 9:43 PM
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Sedimentary sucks
Volcanic is choss
Metamorphic can be cool
But granite is where it's at
There's nothing better than the plutonic paradise of the Sierra Nevada batholith.
Don't forget your granodiorites, tonalites, diorites, gabbros, monzonites, syenites, aplites, and pegmatites...
Sorry to be so intrusive.
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nurocks
Aug 19, 2003, 9:52 PM
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Hey copperhead, what about some nice gniess? But cheers on the granodiorite...I hadn't heard that one since Physical geology class.
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renobdarb
Aug 19, 2003, 9:59 PM
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Glad to hear it. come on up to Wyoming and climb on Devils Tower and you'll like it even more...
-brad
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peas
Aug 19, 2003, 10:03 PM
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In reply to: Sorry to be so intrusive. |
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one900johnnyk
Aug 19, 2003, 10:28 PM
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here here!
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crackaddict
Aug 19, 2003, 11:59 PM
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In reply to: *still, if Outer Limits somehow found its way to Indian Creek, it wouldn't even get one star. But not everything can be perfect. The Creek is still the best crag and rock in the known universe, however.
Amen to that!
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tenn_dawg
Aug 20, 2003, 12:07 AM
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Didin't you just graduate Paul? How's life in the real world treating you?
Travis
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moabbeth
Aug 20, 2003, 12:32 AM
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Yep camhead, I was a Wingate (sandstone) fan until my first trip to Yosemite in April. Now I am ruined for all other rock except Tahquitz (which I think that rock is the only better granite than Yos). Long multipitch trad is my fave and Yosemite granite is purely sublime. I know the first few times I get back on Joshua Tree granite this fall I'm gonna be like "ewww, this granite sucks compared to Yosemite." :lol: :lol:
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calamity_chk
Aug 20, 2003, 2:25 AM
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he's even giving up on sport climbing .. i'm so proud. :lol:
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atg200
Aug 21, 2003, 12:59 PM
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paul - about time. quivering quill is easier if lightning isn't blasting all around you and your friends aren't all fleeing for their lives downhill.
ah rockprodigy - what about routes like primrose dihedrals on moses that are long sustained free routes on wingate towers? best of both worlds?
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maohaihuang
Aug 21, 2003, 2:11 PM
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In reply to: if you ever want to do the classic long multi-pitch free-climbs, they're all on granite.
ah c'mon now. visit Europ to savor some long (20 pitch long eough?)
routes on compact limestone and Dolomite. Granite cracks are nice.
but the face holds on good sediment rocks cannot be matched. apple
and oranges.
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camhead
Aug 21, 2003, 2:14 PM
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In reply to: Didin't you just graduate Paul? How's life in the real world treating you? Travis
no, I actually still have four years before I have to go into the real world, thank god.
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podunkclimber
Aug 21, 2003, 4:27 PM
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Yeah there are lots of different types of Granite, and people use as kind of a general name for many different types of rock. A lot of what I have to climb here in New England is granite, and I learned to climb on it and love it, I had a similar hatred of what we call Trap Rock, all of the local crags outside of Hartford are this I believe kind of Igneous rock. Very blocky, and fractured. Constanly exfoliating. I hated it, but it has one thing that is very rare here in Southern NE, vertical cracks. They are very blocky, and look like something a 2 year old would make out of lego's, but you can actually hand and foot jam if you want in the parallel, and off width sections. I've come to terms with it, and now go there frequently to climb. I've found I enjoy climbing most when I focus on a style or kind of climbing I don't noramlly do, or even think I like. To me it's all become about exploration.
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ebelay
Aug 21, 2003, 5:18 PM
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In reply to: The problem with sandstone, is that it's kind of a dead-end. You can crag a lot, and do towers, but if you ever want to do the classic long multi-pitch free-climbs, they're all on granite.
Go to Red Rocks and check out Epinephrine or some of the other class III routes in the area. I love granite too, but there's life beyond the igneous.
And yeah, volcanic does tend to be choss, but at least it keeps ya focused.
er
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roadguy
Aug 21, 2003, 5:25 PM
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most everyone who have replied to the granite quality issue have yet to mention the granite of the Needles of the S. Sierra. Not only does it have great splitters, the place rules when it comes to featured face holds too..
just my $0.02
Pat
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camhead
Aug 21, 2003, 5:29 PM
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yeah, splitters and face features. that was my original gripe the face features result in a less-than-pure crack experience, and certainly don't help people who are learning to jam!
come to the creek. ain't no face feature training wheels out there!
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rockprodigy
Aug 25, 2003, 2:55 PM
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In reply to: ah rockprodigy - what about routes like primrose dihedrals on moses that are long sustained free routes on wingate towers? best of both worlds?
In reply to: The problem with sandstone, is that it's kind of a dead-end. You can crag a lot, and do towers,.... |
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rockprodigy
Aug 25, 2003, 2:57 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: if you ever want to do the classic long multi-pitch free-climbs, they're all on granite. ah c'mon now. visit Europ to savor some long (20 pitch long eough?) routes on compact limestone and Dolomite.
In reply to: The problem with sandstone, is
At what point did I mention limestone? There are long limestone routes in Canada, and Utah, and other places too. I'm talking about wingate sandstone!!
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rockprodigy
Aug 25, 2003, 3:05 PM
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In reply to: Go to Red Rocks and check out Epinephrine or some of the other class III routes in the area.
In reply to: ...and Redrocks has stuff too, but it's not IC-style.
The majority of the multipitch routes at red rocks do not require IC-style crack jamming, there a so many face holds, that you don't need to jam....that was Camhead's original point:
In reply to: that was my original gripe the face features result in a less-than-pure crack experience, and certainly don't help people who are learning to jam!
Wow it's a quote-out-of-context-fest!
I climb sandstone plenty, it's lots of fun, but the skills don't transfer directly to granite. Therefore, if you have ambition to climb the classic free routes, you need to be competent at granite as well.
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