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kilgymrats
Nov 28, 2003, 1:49 AM
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Registered: Jul 28, 2003
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Hey I've got a question for anyone who has climbed GM on the North Face of Looking Glass in the past few months. I went to scope out the rout and can't seem to find the first bolt on the first pitch. I have the old Kelly's NC climbers guide and it calls for a bolt right before the 5.11 move down low. There's a huge flake begging for a cam just beyond that move and then a bolt. But that 5.11 section seems a bit sketchy...considering there is no pro between you and the ground except an old rusty FP. Just curious if there is something there I'm not seeing. Thanx!
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the_alpine
Nov 28, 2003, 3:09 AM
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Registered: Nov 6, 2003
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Theres room for pro somewhere around there. Yellow TCU maybe. You shouldnt onl;y have those pins, I know there's other stuff.
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ncclimber
Nov 28, 2003, 3:18 AM
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Registered: May 5, 2003
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The "bolts" that are their are old. All of the belays are new but the first and fifth pitches still have old quarter inch bolts on them. Their are other options for gear right before the lower crux. Alpine is right If free climbing aid old aid routes the fixed gear shouldn't be trusted like a new shinny bolt, Obviously.
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tim
Nov 28, 2003, 3:20 AM
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There was a piece of trash thereabouts somewhere, but it definitely called for a little backup. I think my partner hooked that move.
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kilgymrats
Nov 28, 2003, 3:31 AM
Post #5 of 18
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Thanks for the info. I was considering the hook move just to reach that bomber flake. I took a pair of binos with me to spy it as best I could and I could see and old bolt hole with a little rust coming out of it and thought that maybe it had rotted out and someone removed it. Now...with that being said. If it has been removed and it was originally placed there on the FA would it be wrong to replace the bolt?
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ncclimber
Nov 29, 2003, 3:00 AM
Post #6 of 18
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Registered: May 5, 2003
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My climbing partner said that their used to be a bolt thant was chopped because it was a chicken bolt added later. if your aiding two hook moves and your at the flake. Aiding it I can give more advice but not about freeing it PM me.
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batguano
Dec 1, 2003, 1:53 PM
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Registered: Dec 10, 2002
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That old hole before the flake on P1 was definately a chicken bolt (rivet). That was drilled by the same ball-less coward who drilled the rivet in the 'slot of delight' on the Scott Fisher Memorial. (he seemed to have gotten a little off route) One of my friends chopped the rivet on GM, but last time I was there the rivet in the slot on SFM had not yet been chopped. I'll try to take some epoxy and camo that hole sometime if nobody beats me to it.
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jbur
Dec 1, 2003, 8:29 PM
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Registered: Oct 14, 2001
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Hey batguano, which rivet in the slot is not original? Is it the old one with a hanger? Me and a buddy did the first 4 pitches of that route last year. I seem to remember a rivet toward the end of the ramp, then an old bolt at the start of the slot, then a rivet up in the slot before the bat hook holes. That's the problem with some people and aid, they seem to think they can add what they want and tarnish the route in the process. As far a GM I remember 2 hook moves from the top of the dihedral to the flake. Later, Jody
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batguano
Dec 3, 2003, 2:15 PM
Post #9 of 18
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Registered: Dec 10, 2002
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hey, that's cool you've been on sfm, that thing is goood. at the end of the ramp on p2 there is a FA rivet, then an old bolt with a rusty hanger. this one is actually pre-original from what I gathered. I think it was a Huerman/Ellis creation, possibly from the 80's, that was used in an attempt to free the slot, traversing in from GM. the details are a little fuzzy... i can't recall if they retreated back to the GM or if they completed the slot and then traversed back to the GM. but that bolt is "legit" so to speak. it is the next rivet, the one with the cable hanger that is in the slot that was added after the fact.
I have not done the route again since this happened, but I remember when I did it before. I got to lead the slot and this was perhaps the best moment of the climb for my parter. off the old bolt i placed the biggest cam i had, and then the struggle ensued. from the depths of the slot, my grunting was amplified. still yet, from time to time, the faint sounds of laughter would drift in, just long enough to remind me of other places. this tasty sequence of slot moves can really be likened to the slot moves on the finger of fate on native son.
I fear with the retro rivet there now, the experience might not be the same. but i haven't done the moves now, and i don't know. it could be high enough in the slot that it doesn't change the character much. was this rivet easy for you to clip jbur?
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zetedog
Dec 4, 2003, 2:04 PM
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Registered: Aug 20, 2002
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What's the availability of rapping the route after the overhang?
My brother and I were planning on doing GM this winter before the Bird Closure takes effect, and I have heard rumours of the upper pitches being wet/frozen. I have set a new standard in bailing by taking the pre-emptive approach (my vacation time was "postponed" until after Feb 1, damn you work gods), but my brother was thinking about soloing this anyway.
Anyhow, out of big brother concern, I was wondering about retreating possibilities after the overhang pitch (5th on the topo I have).
Any thoughts?
Todd
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tim
Dec 4, 2003, 2:45 PM
Post #11 of 18
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In reply to: What's the availability of rapping the route after the overhang?
I rapped off the end of the 6th/7th pitch (it got dark, and I didn't realize that the top pitch was actually pretty cool) down to the anchors at the end of the 5th, and then off the 5th pitch anchor (with the mini-pig, if I remember correctly) with a 60 and a 70. If you have 2x 70m ropes (eg. a static + a dynamic, or two dynamics) you can hit the ground no problem from the end of the 5th (roof) pitch.
Do the route. It's awesome. It isn't very bold anymore (lots of bolts everywhere) but you'll still need a set of hooks, which is cool and exciting. I would say it's much easier than the Mordor Wall, but harder than A1 pitches I have done out West. Very manageable yet very spectacular. If you epic, just rap, you'll be fine. Whereas, solo, it might be a real bitch (though technically casual climbing). So go with your bro.
http://www.flaver.com/...-menagerie-thumb.jpg
Do the Womb while you're there, BTW. Another super rad climb. (I aided the crux.)
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jbur
Dec 4, 2003, 3:57 PM
Post #12 of 18
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Registered: Oct 14, 2001
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Hey bat, I don't remember the rivet being hard to clip. I just don't remember how high up the slot it was. I used a big cam also in the bottom of the slot, maybe the rivet was the next move after that. I've got to go back out and finish it. We called it quits at the start of the autobahn because of rain.
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crankingclimber
Dec 9, 2003, 9:12 AM
Post #13 of 18
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
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I don't know about bolts missing down low - I aided that section, but I do know a bashy pulled on us at the very start of the third pitch. This bashy was the first move off of the belay and was used to get higher in the open book corner so that you could then reach over and clip the bolt. Well when it ripped my partner took a nice ledge out factor two fall onto the belay ledge wich hurt his back. To get past that section then required me to stand high off of the belay bolt, place a hook on a creaky not especialy great flake and stand way high off of that to clip the bolt. If the hook ripped it would have been a nice 10 feet or so sideways fall to the belay ledge which I would have bounced off of to be caught by the factor two on the belay. Nice. So for any parties heading up there now, bring some bashies for the open book, get ready for a really crappy hook or just bring your shoes and chalkbag and free to the bolt - not sure how hard that would be but the pitch is only 11 something from memory so it's not too hard.
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crankingclimber
Dec 12, 2003, 6:38 PM
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This was over thanksgiving break, so about the 25th of November, give or take a day. Also I'm a pretty new aid climber, so maybe hooking up that arete is considered the best way to go these days??? Especially since there's a bolt up that direction from which you can lean over and get back into the open book from. Seems wierd though since there's a perfect open book right there - just too thin to sink anything into. And also that hook was FFUUNNNKKYY (atleast from my newbie perspective), the flake creaked and my feet would skate when trying to stand up reaching for the bolt. I'm six foot 4, and by getting my belayer to reach across and hold the bottom step of my right aiders from skating, I was able to JUST reach that bolt from the second from the top step. If you're any shorter expect a top step off of the funky hook with ledge out factor two fall potential.
Couldn't get camhooks or brassies of any sort to stick in place of where the bashy ripped on us. Can anybody out there remember how they got past this section? The fixed bashy, hooking, freeing, some other funkness method???
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jgardnerphoto
Dec 12, 2003, 7:03 PM
Post #16 of 18
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Registered: Nov 13, 2003
Posts: 24
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hey crankin' that bashie on the beginning of the open book is pretty notorious for tearing out of its' little spot, i've pulled it on more than one occasion. I think that overall the divot is pretty beat and last I heard, the hook is the way to do it now, I think that it is a little creaky but not too bad, if you want to get around a possible factor two fall onto the belay just do the first 2 moves (clip the lower anchor and do the hook move) of the open book as the end of the crap traverse pitch and belay at the higher station, also that makes the belay much nicer. By the way, the open book is the crux of freeing the route, I think it is about 13a or so. Have a great time down there and don't forget to say hey to Joe at the shop.
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crankingclimber
Dec 12, 2003, 8:12 PM
Post #17 of 18
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
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Hey Jgardner
Thanks for the info - good call on doing the start of the open book to avoid the factor two potential - had I known that bashy had a bad rep I would've done that. Still it made for an interesting start... :shock: The hook - in hindsight - wasn't that bad, pretty creaky and not quite symetrical so it gave the impression of wanting to twist or slide off, but it was incut, there was a littel divet there that I used with a bathook, or you could try and get a larger hook all the way at the back into the crack that was back there. Still, for about my 5th hook move ever it definitely had me focused :)
And the open book is the 5.13 pitch??? I always thought it was the roof pitch. If the roof pitch is down a couple of grades I'd like to try and go free it, that would be one wild lead!
As for saying Hi to Joe at the shop I unfortunately can't - we were on a week long trip down from Pittsburgh to try and get aid and big(ger) stone under our belts. I did meet him a bunch of times though, cool guy, almost ended up bouldering with him but we were too shot at the end of the day to go indoor when he finished work.
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the_alpine
Dec 17, 2003, 8:32 PM
Post #18 of 18
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Registered: Nov 6, 2003
Posts: 371
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Couple of things:
1. You can get down with 2 60m ropes from the roof pitch BUT you must downclimb a tree.
2. GM is open during preregrine closure (at least it was in 02/03).
3. The roof used to be the free crux, but a key hold broke in the dihedral making it the new crux.
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