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yanqui
Aug 21, 2009, 4:03 PM
Post #26 of 33
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Registered: Feb 24, 2004
Posts: 1559
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OK ... here's a story. I was in the Frey (northern Patagonia) with my wife maybe 10 years ago and I'd just got spanked on some multipitch 11d (some of the old 7a routes in Frey are pretty stout) so I was looking to try something easier, but also something I'd never done before. I settled on a two-pitch route on a formation called El Gruyere, so named for the 100 foot high second-pitch face, that's littered with huecos.
The route was rated 6a in the guide (in Frey this usually means 5.9 to easy 5.10) but it had me a bit worried because the second pitch was a rather unprotectable looking face. At any rate, it seemed liked the last 40 feet might have some protection in a flake-like feature and the topo showed one bolt about 50 feet up the face, so I decided to give it a go.
The first pitch was a fairly easy and protectable 5.9 offwidthy crack thing which I groveled up and which Gaby (my wife) followed with graceful ease. This deposited us on a long ledge at the base of the beautiful, hueco-studded, 100 foot-high face. I was a bit nervous about getting Gaby a bomber belay (I didn't want to kill us both) so I carefully surveyed the ledge looking for the best gear possible. I settled on a 4x4 foot square platform at the lefthand edge of the ledge sitting atop an exposed, airy dropoff. Here I could at least get one, big bomber stopper placement (and some other stuff as well).
As I started up the face, I was very aware of the fact I may need to retreat, so I carefully weighed each move to be sure I could downclimb. The climbing was pretty easy (5.8 maybe up to 5.9) on good huecos, if a bit dirty with lichens. Gee, I thought, why so dirty? Maybe noboby ever climbs this route?
About 15 feet up I traversed right to flake like feature, where I managed to place an OK TCU. Then about 15 feet above the TCU there was a couple of trickier moves, which I carefully thought out, in case they needed to be reversed. The climbing continued pretty smooth until I was about 40 feet above the TCU (50 to 60 feet above the ledge) at which point things started to get a bit more complicated. Straight up, the huecos got fewer and farther apart and the climbing looked to be more 5.10ish, with at least another 40 feet to go to the top ... and NO protection. The topo had shown a traverse at this point, maybe 20 feet to the left, to a flake-like feature in the center of the face, which could offer me some protection. But the wall of the traverse bulged out a bit and the traverse also looked 5.10ish, trickier than what I'd tackled so far. I wasn't at all sure I could reverse it. What if I couldn't get any protection past the traverse?
Anyways, where the fuck was the bolt that was shown on the topo? I had seriously considered the possibilty that it might not exist, so I really wasn't so surprised not to see it. But at this point, one good bolt would make all the difference in the world. I could safely try the traverse and check out the last part of the climb. Without the bolt, a fall would not only kill me, but would rip out the belay and kill my wife as well.
I guess I wasn't so much gripped, more like really anxious at having to make the decision to go or to start down. I felt I could do the rest of the climb, but the idea of falling, ripping out the belay and killing my wife, who was innocently sitting below enjoying the view, was weighing pretty heavy on me. Shit. And where was that bolt? Had I started off on a fool's errand?
I scanned the face again, looking all around ... and there it was, almost right next to me. A small hole in the rock, with threads inside. But no hanger and no bolt. At least I was on route.
OK, that's it, I thought. I'm outa here. "Gaby" I called. Her head popped out from the ledge hidden down below: "what's up?". "I'm here at the bolt, but there's no hanger and there's no pro. I don't like the way things look, but I´m sure I can downclimb. After that I think we can escape off the ledge to the right. Just watch me a bit now, and take in slack, but DON'T PULL!"
And that was it ... maybe I was a bit gripped when I started downclimbing ... after all I was looking at an eighty foot fall onto an OK TCU placement, that would surely rip, after which I would rip out the belay and kill my wife. But after I got moving, the climbing went pretty smoothly, the TCU got closer and shortly I was on the ledge again. Just like I'd thought, a short pitch traversing up and right off the ledge put us into a gully and off El Gruyere.
At that point the score stood: Frey: 2, Tim: big fat zero.
(This post was edited by yanqui on Aug 21, 2009, 4:13 PM)
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mushroom
Aug 23, 2009, 5:12 AM
Post #27 of 33
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Registered: Mar 10, 2007
Posts: 230
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I can't think of a event specific, but I can share a feeling:
A few times I've been way above my pro.... the last piece was shit. The one before that one was shit. I can't even remember the previous and definitely can't calculate the potential fall geometry. Regardless, I got a tough move in front of me--backing down is pointless. "Don't fuck this one up, Nick" I says to meself and I make the move.
"whew!"
O how good it is to be on the sharp end/clip the anchors. =)
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curt
Aug 23, 2009, 6:11 AM
Post #28 of 33
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Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
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yanqui wrote: At that point the score stood: Frey: 2, Tim: big fat zero.
Too bad, but great story, Tim. I would have been gripped too.
Curt
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keithspernak
Aug 23, 2009, 6:25 AM
Post #29 of 33
(559 views)
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Registered: Apr 1, 2007
Posts: 92
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Some random "moderate" route out at Granite Basin. It was pretty Hair Raiser, but not "Hair Raiser". I had heart burn that lasted a few days after that one.
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johnwesely
Aug 23, 2009, 1:29 PM
Post #30 of 33
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Registered: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 5360
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I took my first trad fall yesterday. It was on Cracked Actor (10+) at Leda. I have had this huge mental block about 5.10 and up gear climbs, so I had never had the guts to get on one before. Maybe a 10+ wasn't the best choice for first 5.10 on gear. Anyways I exited an offwidth into a finger crack. The locks were pretty good but there were no feet at all once I started climbing. I placed a blue TCU and started climbing. My only feet were a right smear on the face and a left smear on polished rock inside the OW. I made a few strenuous moves, my feet slipped, and I was off. The Blue TCU held and I was eight feet below it. I rested for a minute or so and climbed back up to my piece. It was less than optimal. Had it failed, I would have fallen onto a bomber red C4 seven feet below, but the fall was really clean. I got back on, set a bomber nut, and finished the pitch. I felt pretty good afterwords.
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darkgift06
Aug 24, 2009, 7:45 PM
Post #31 of 33
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Registered: Mar 16, 2009
Posts: 492
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we went out for an afternoon after work climb, my partner a few friends & myself. We started off climbing a few 5.9's that we had climbed in the past & everything was going smooth. 4 climbs in we decide to go for a more difficult 5.10b route which we had also climbed in the past.
Well the climb starts off easy 5.7-9 ish & goes over 2 roofs the first of which is an easy good feet move, the 2nd is a tougher less feet & more side pull of a move over the roof to a few crimps & poor feet & then a clip. Well after working all day & then climbing a few routs I was starting to feel the pump. I tie in & move quickly up to the 2nd roof I then get my hands & feet into a good spot to rest, at this point I'm feeling like I would be fully pumped 1/2 over the roof & fall.. I collected my self chalked, & chalked again looking at the moves & studying them, mentally charging my self for what was to come. A quick yell to the belay, "ok I'm gonna go for it!" & I get my hands into position & make the first move to get my chest over the roof. Fewf... I'm working hard at this point, my feet looking for that hold & wosh.. my feet slip out!! now its all hands... I gather my feet up on to something (I can't see them at this point). I look up at the crimps that are staring me in the face & I figure they look great compared to this akward side pull move I'm making. So I move the load from my hands to my feet so I can move my hands to the crimps which I found to be way harder to pull than usual.. & that's when it happened, feet failing, hands on pour crimps, bolt hanging right in front of my face & fully pumped/gripped wondering how I'm going to take a hand off to clip this bolt... I hold on & time seems to stand still for a moment, my mind telling me to go for the clip & my body telling me not to let go or your gonna fall, I yell down "hey man if I'm gonna fall its right here" & with out telling my hands to let go my feet slip out & my hands just seem to follow suite, sending me on a good whipper.....
that is my Gripped story so far. Nothing stupid just a hard day & got pumped at the crux.
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rrrADAM
Aug 24, 2009, 7:59 PM
Post #32 of 33
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Registered: Dec 19, 1999
Posts: 17553
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I don't remember being too twisted on Sidewinder back when I did it... Although it started raining when I was belaying the 2nd, so I was hunched down in a ball belaying by feel. The 2nd, Jorge (jorgle here) "swam upstream" and cleaned my gear. Kudos to him.
The most gripped I've been was when I was relatively new and leading Roller Ball, .10b, out in J-Tree... I placed two pieces under the small roof, and spent way too much time pulling the roof... When I passed the roof, both legs and arms were shaking violently, and uncontrolably! I was frozen there, just shaking, and I meand badly! My friends were giving me encouragement, saying, "c'mon Adam, you got it!". I was sure I was gonna fall, as I wasn't finished yet, couldn't place any more pro, as I'd have dropped anything I pulled off my harness, so I just kept going, no style, and ended like a beached whale.
When I got back down, they told me they were sure I was gonna fall!
Not on any .11s, like Curt, but the runout .10s in Tuolomne I've been on are a 2nd... Lots-o-pucker factor.
Then there was that time...
(This post was edited by rrrADAM on Aug 25, 2009, 12:50 PM)
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dylanransom
Aug 26, 2009, 7:28 PM
Post #33 of 33
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Registered: Oct 1, 2004
Posts: 39
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Of all the great west coast places I've climbed, and the horrifying moments, the grippiest time was at a crap local cliff some 60 feet tall. I thought the climb was fully bolted, but it wasn't. I got through the protection, and crux was the last five feet and looked easy, so I figured to have a look.
"Having a look" somehow turned into pulling a bulge, looking at a ground fall. You know those bulge moments- where your arms are failing and your ass is stuck a few inches too low. Not being able to downclimb, I did the obligatory coin-flip thrutch, and got there.
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