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chugach001
Feb 20, 2003, 5:53 PM
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I've got plenty of ice, alpine, trad and rescue experience and want to start getting into Aid. The problem is that I no longer live near rock so have been hooking around my gym and jugging up trees.
Here's the question - I'm going to Yosemite this Spring and wonder if I should indenture myself as a belay slave and follow some aid-star up a wall. Friends who do aid say I'll be both bored stiff and totally wigged as I jug in space.
What do you think? Is this too much too soon? Should I just do some fun trad routes with a pitch or two of aid mixed in?
Thanks,
Jeff
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atg200
Feb 20, 2003, 6:25 PM
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just work your way up. practice rope soloing some splitter cracks in aiders, hauling up bags of rocks, and jugging. after a week or two of that you should be fine to do something like s face of washington column.
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iamthewallress
Feb 20, 2003, 9:33 PM
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The first time I ever aid climbed was also my first wall, my second Valley route, and somewhere on the underside of my 10th multipitch route. If you want to climb a wall and don't mind being someone's subby while you learn, it's an exhilerating way to go. I got to lead some, but mostly it was all I could do to clean at a pace that would limit our forced bivies to one. I was getting worked enough as it was that I can't say I was ever bored. The route that we climbed (Lurking Fear) had lots of free though, so a lot of pitches went pretty fast.
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dingus
Feb 20, 2003, 9:43 PM
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Slap together the basics of wall personal gear; jugs, aiders, daisys, fifi. Hook up with who ever and on what ever sane wall you can... the classic "learner routes" include:
West Face of Leaning Tower (fine for two wall gumbies as long as your abs are in shape and each of you can perform the basics of wall logistics, ie. jugging, hauling, fixing ropes, etc.)
S. Face of Washington Column - gumbies on parade, you'll have lots of company (SUPER hot in dead summer, faces directly into the sun, only 4 pitches of aid or so).
The Prow - Washington Column - need a portaledge for this one, but it's an excellent starter route.
You could also go up and do NW Face of Half Dome mostly free in a day if you're really strong or in 2. This is an intimidating place for the uninitiated.
I'm from the school that says rather than prostrating yourself before a master and working in servitude, hook up with another like minded and capable (but inexperienced) partner and go to it. This course of action better suits my personality. Maybe it will yours as well. I never much cared for that apprenticeship bullhookey.
And yes, by all means, do a lot of free climbing while you're there, preferrably with your wall partner so you can see if she's competent. The stronger you are free climbing (and the more solid your lead head) the better you will feel on some wild aid and the faster you will move. The best aid climbers are not plodders. They climb their aiders and the rock like free climbers. You'll see what I mean.
Best advice I ever heard for new aid climbers from Russ the Fish Walling:
(paraphrased) "When you get into the top aider, don't hang in the first step. Get in it and get up it, move it move it move it! You should only be hanging from your highest step."
If you think and practice this from the start you will be avoiding mistake #1. The other big cardinal sin is not understanding and having down pat the basics of wall belays, hauling and jugging. Study Middendorf's primer until you memorize those systems!
I'd also say study some of the masters here if you can manage to read all the way through one of their posts (I can't).
Cheers
DMT
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mrhardgrit
Feb 21, 2003, 12:07 PM
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My advice - Don't do Leaning Tower! The approach is WAY.... more scary than an El Cap trade route! I got really scared doing that catwalk bit ...
Tom
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iamthewallress
Feb 21, 2003, 6:22 PM
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Were you just going to the West Face or to one of the routes further along the ledge? The West Face ain't too bad if you fix a line and it's only a momentary horror if you trust the shredded floss left in place. No scarier or longer than the approach to Lurking Fear and only modestly scarier than for the Column.
More advice from someone who's bailed a lot (me)... Most people bail on their first wall. Half Dome is a long way to go to find out that you are like most people. I don't think I'd try to do a grade VI in a day either if I'd never done one over the course of several days.
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twrock
Feb 22, 2003, 5:48 AM
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Good advice from the wallress. I did exactly that, the long approach to Half Dome only to bail. Sucked big time. In the same amount of time you take to just approach and descend Half Dome, you can do the South Face of WC in its entirety, approach, climb and descend!
I met Rich (justsendingits) on the first pitch of the SF starting a solo ascent. We partnered up and ended up having a great time climbing it together. He had more wall experience, but neither of us were "hardmen." (My "training" was nothing more than my trad leading experience with a couple of practice aid pitches and a dozen "laps" up a bolt ladder at the gym.) It was nice to swap leads with someone of about the same ability instead of serving as a belay slave the whole way up. (I wrote up a TR if you are interested.)
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bigdan
Feb 22, 2003, 8:05 AM
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don't avoid an approach cause it's long... that's retarded. the point is that the climbing on half dome is incredible, and therefore worth the long approach. besides, i've always thought - the farther you're willing to walk, the more time you'll spend having the route to yourself. it's worth every step to escape a crowd.
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apollodorus
Feb 22, 2003, 8:55 AM
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Reverse the Tao, and use your experience to your advantage: enlist a belay slave that is enamored and agog at you, da man.
Mix it up with some free climbs, and make sure you teach as much as you learn.
Only then, Gasshoppa, will you become a true Shodakan Master of Rock, and have taken as much from the Camp 4 as you have given.
And when you have given much, and taken less, only then will you be the Shodakan Master of Rock, a true master: Da Man. For only then, Gasshoppa, can you truly be called a Master, for you have transcended your own thirst for knowledge and have quenched that of others, even as you seek more knowledge.
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iamthewallress
Feb 22, 2003, 7:26 PM
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From Pete's TRs I kind of got the impression that you were his support squad? I'm not saying that to be catty either...I really thought you were up there for the ride and the coffee and to try out your big cams.
I think Chad's experience that he just wrote about and lots of mine that you haven't heard much about illustrate how little the clusterF&*# that ensues from climbing and hauling up a traversing route when you are cold, hungry, and sleepy resembles those vertical practice pitches at the base of El Cap that you did when you were fresh as a daisy and had a warm dinner to look forward to.
I don't really see where spending a weekend as a subby on the wall is so much different than spending a weekend w/ a book as Dingus suggested except that you'll have more fun on the wall. And just because you are someone's apprentice doesn't mean that you need to be their jugger. Any of the walls mentioned would be fine places to start out sharing leads with someone who could help pick up the pace or detangle you from your haul gone awry.
Even if you 'only' jug a wall, you will definately not get the same sense of satisfaction that you would from sharing leads. But you will learn a lot, and it won't be easy. I've bailed off the column once because my jugging-only partner wasn't up for the task. The approach combined with his inefficient new-to-jugging technique in the hot July sun had him exhausted to the point where he was sick.
The point about avoiding the approach to Half Dome is merely that doing a wall is already a huge undertaking. If you add up 0 wall experience, and unknown partner, a grade VI, a hella long approach, and possibly the need to finish in a day or face a forced bivy, I think the probablility of bail will be huge. Really. Not everyone would bail, but most would. Why do I say this? Because most people heading up to the closer, smaller, and easier walls bail. You just don't hear them spraying about it here. Ever hear the term 'snail eye'? It's one of my favorites, and I don't even have a snail eye.
But, I also agree, the approach is no reason to stay away from Half Dome in the general case. It's and amazing place. I just think that for your first wall the most amazing place is the summit...of anything...by any means.
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dsafanda
Feb 22, 2003, 11:56 PM
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I think of this story whenever I think of the question "How much, how soon?"
http://climberonline.com/COLstories/st113000.shtml
Chris is way too humble to ever point anyone to this story. I just happen to stumble upon it one day while surfing the web. It's pretty inspirational.
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twrock
Feb 23, 2003, 5:27 AM
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In reply to: don't avoid an approach cause it's long... that's retarded.
Yep, that is one way of putting it. If that is your whole reason, I agree. But I think you missed the point.
The point I was trying to make was that if you time in the Valley is limited, you've go to decide how to make the best use of it. Wallress points out very eloquently that many, many people bail off their first wall. The logistics of the long hike in to Half Dome plus the (perceived) significant exposure of that wall only add to the statistics for failure. I certainly regret attempting it as my first wall and then having to wait a number of years for another chance to get back to Yosemite. I know that when I head back up to the base of Half Dome, I'll be ready for it.
I agree that Half Dome is a spectacular piece of rock. I've climbed it via Snake Dike, and standing on the summit is way up there on my list of great experiences. It is definitely worth the approach time and energy. But it is not worth failing on. That can be done on a number of other walls without spending a day just getting there.
Do I have a defeatist attitude? That would be one way of looking at it. Another way would be to say I'm being a realist and that from my own experience and from hearing from many others, I've concluded that the majority would find their first big wall experience much more satisfying if they actually had made it up. Yeah, maybe I'm a retard (or maybe a wuss), but I think I've got a lot of company on this one.
That was my point, for what it's worth.
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addiroids
Feb 26, 2003, 8:13 AM
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Awesome story from Mac. He as gone from high schooler, to Girdle master. I have looked up to him ever since seeing him on High Country Climber like 5 years ago.
To add my can of Guinness worth:
I had about the same experience as you. Just read (past tense) up on aid, and got some crap and started practicing. It all will follow a natural progression from there depending on your character.
TRADitionally yours,
Cali Dirtbag
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cantwinifyoudontplay2003
Feb 26, 2003, 10:04 AM
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Registered: Feb 24, 2003
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Don't be scared just do it. Life is to short and climbing in yosemite is the only way. If you wwant to make the most of it start doing El Cap. Be a slave or anything it takes, just start getting up that BIG STONE.
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