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cgranite
Jan 25, 2004, 2:25 AM
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In the Valley slab routes, Single or Multiple pitch. List what you know.
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curt
Jan 25, 2004, 2:33 AM
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Hall of Mirrors.
Curt
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radistrad
Jan 25, 2004, 2:37 AM
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While these are not the hardest they are a bit run and I've climbed them.
Barney Rubble 10d
The Violent Bear it Away 10c
Double Trouble 10b lead this one and TR the other two.
These previous climbs are found in the Royal Arches Base area.
Check out Glacier Point Apron, there is sure to be some run out butt kickers there.
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copperhead
Jan 25, 2004, 3:53 AM
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Southern Belle, SF Half Dome
The Shining, Royal Arches
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bvb
Jan 25, 2004, 6:03 AM
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when you say "hardest", are you talking numbers, commitment and grip factor/fall factor, or both? and does quality count?
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bvb
Jan 25, 2004, 6:11 AM
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In reply to: Hall of Mirrors.
woodward wrote a great article for climbing a few years back, about his experiences repeating the route. him and his bro were the first guys to get on it in well over a decade. he concluded it was probably the best slab route on the planet. cantwell, zappa, morris, and burke were way out there on that thing....apron visionaries.
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rizzuh
Jan 25, 2004, 7:19 AM
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These sound like some awesome routes... hall of mirrors, the shining... i gotta check these out. Anyone know where I could find some pics of these climbs? Oh yeah; I know there're some really tough slab climbs over on glacier point apron.
rock on,
nic
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cgranite
Jan 25, 2004, 8:15 AM
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I'm talking about the technical difficulty.
Is the Apron safe yet?
what is The Shining rated? I've never heard of it.
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phylp
Jan 25, 2004, 11:27 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Hall of Mirrors. woodward wrote a great article for climbing a few years back, about his experiences repeating the route. him and his bro were the first guys to get on it in well over a decade. he concluded it was probably the best slab route on the planet. cantwell, zappa, morris, and burke were way out there on that thing....apron visionaries.
That was a great article. At one time I was very into slab climbing and spend many hours on the Valley Aprons (in EBS and later Fires!) and had dreams of someday doing Hall of Mirrors! If I recall correctly, Woodward also replaced a lot of old 1/4 bolts, yes? And maybe even added 1 or 2?
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bvb
Jan 26, 2004, 12:21 AM
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no, i don't think he and his partner -- who i've met many times, but i'm drawing a blank on his name, he works for b.d. and was one of the four folks tied for 2nd at the 1986 woodson bouldering comp -- they didn't repalce bolts, but they had to replace a lot of hangers -- many of the bolds were just naked studs.
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bvb
Jan 26, 2004, 12:37 AM
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In reply to: when you say "hardest", are you talking numbers, commitment and grip factor/fall factor, or both? and does quality count?
well, if all you're after is "hardest grade", it's not going to be a very enlightening list. most of the climbs will be on middle cathdral (space babble, for example) the middle's north apron (quicksilver and freewheelin), etc.
botton line, with the exception of perhaps and hall of mirrors, you won't find a lot of 5.12 plus and 5.13 slab routes in the valley.
the truly great slab routes in the valley are 5.10 and 5.11, and have history, position, exciting runouts, and extreme bolt drilling stances as their distingishing characteristics. hell, if suicide's "caliente" were in the valley, it's be the scariest slab route there.
of the routes i've done, these stand out:
poker face
stoner's highway
space babble
the calf
misty beethoven, continuing as far as you can go on h.o.m.
freewheelin'
the token
greasy but groovy
spiderman
shakey flakes
west face of el cap, (pitches one and two)
the believer
not a lot of big numbers, (the believer is hardest at 12a) but all a bit scary and commiting. especially on a nice, warm july day.
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strider
Jan 26, 2004, 1:11 AM
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In reply to: what is The Shining rated? I've never heard of it.
In reply to: Is the Apron safe yet?
Bottom Line: I would take the odds and climb there. I know that I have damn good odds that I won't get hit with rockfall and if I am wrong then I will talk about it with you when you join me in the afterlife. But for heaven's sake, wear a helmet at least!
-n
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cgranite
Jan 26, 2004, 4:48 AM
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With a place like Yosemite there has got to be hard slab routes. I have read of such routes as the West Buttress and Lurking fear which have 13+ slab crux's. Are there any others?
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yosemite
Jan 26, 2004, 5:51 AM
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Strider wrote
In reply to: What are the odds of you getting hit by naturally occurring rockfall? Slim to almost none but it can happen and it will happen to the unlucky few.
and he's right. But also be aware of rock debris on the few ledges you find on GPA.
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kalcario
Jan 26, 2004, 6:02 AM
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Actually I think you're right about p2 of Lurking Fear, 13+, yes guys that's right the hardest slab route in the Valley was put up by a 5'2" sport climber named Beth, will wonders never cease...
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copperhead
Jan 26, 2004, 6:06 AM
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In reply to: With a place like Yosemite there has got to be hard slab routes. I have read of such routes as the West Buttress and Lurking fear which have 13+ slab crux's. Are there any others?
There are more slabs in Yosemite than you can shake a cheater stick at; your options are almost limitless. Give us something new.
Those who can stance-drill bolts on the FA of a tricky, run-out, stink-buggin’ slab deserves the utmost in respect.
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bvb
Jan 26, 2004, 6:22 AM
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In reply to: I have read of such routes as the West Buttress and Lurking fear which have 13+ slab crux's. Are there any others?
oh, i though we were talking slab climbing.
the hard faces pitches on lurking fear are steeper than what would typically be defined as "slab" -- if just-off-vertical faces are included, it's a whole new ball game. magic line is 14a and as far as i know unrepeated....
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the_alpine
Jan 26, 2004, 6:24 AM
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Though it has more bolts than most of the above-mentioned routes and is pretty steep and actually has a few holds, that thing in the BIG chimney to the left of Reed's is sweeeet (Footsteps I think?)!!!
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cgranite
Jan 26, 2004, 9:03 PM
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I'm talking about anything that is less than vertical. I don't know why there aren't more people listing routes. Even if you know of just a really awesome route that should be mentioned.
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morcomm
Mar 29, 2005, 5:09 PM
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I don't think the Burke's "Shining" (5.12c) has had a repeat, so no one really knows if it's "the best" slab. All depends on what you call a "slab" and what you mean by the "best" one. I wouldn't call the routes on the back side of Pywiack Dome in Tuolumne Meadows "slabs", nor a 13b pitch on El Cap. Those, to me at least, seem like granite "face climbs". "Hall of Mirrors" is certainly "pure slab" climbing. Some of the ones on the back side of Half Dome seem like "slabs" too. Let's say a granite slab is 80 degrees or under and involves smearing or fonting?
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morcomm
Mar 29, 2005, 5:12 PM
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I don't think that Burke's "Shining" (5.12c) has had a repeat, so no one really knows if it's "the best" slab. All depends on what you call a "slab" and what you mean by the "best" one. I wouldn't call the routes on the back side of Pywiack Dome in Tuolumne Meadows "slabs", nor Beth Rodden's 13b pitch on El Cap (not in any way detracting from her accomplishment, of course). Those, to me at least, seem like granite "face climbs". "Hall of Mirrors" is certainly a "pure slab" climb. Some of the routes on the back side of Half Dome seem like "slabs" too. Let's say a granite slab is 80 degrees or under and involves smearing or fonting? There are lots of high-angle face climbs that involve edging.
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hasbeen
Mar 29, 2005, 5:28 PM
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If steep slabs count than Kauk has done a bunch of stuff, and Skinner's 13d on Half Dome would also be on the list. Isn't Magic Line rated 14b? While a crack, it's certainly a slab in the sportclimbing sense. Kauk's Peace, 13d, on Medlicott is a knob climb. There's a pretty decent, and safe, slabby sport route that Kauk used to train for Magic Line at the Cookie. Don't remember the name but it's off to the left and an old aid line that has new bolts. Good practice for the harder stuff at around 13-.
But if SLAB climbing, like standing on your feet with your palms down, is you thing I reckon Hall of Mirrors is your Holy Grail.
Oh, to train try Burden of Dreams. Slabby but well-bolted multi-pitch slab thing next to Moratorium. 12-something. All I remember is that our feet hurt so bad after a couple of pitches we bailed.
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mattm
Mar 29, 2005, 5:57 PM
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In reply to: In the Valley slab routes, Single or Multiple pitch. List what you know.
Hall of Mirrors - Had a buddy do like the 4th ascent. Said he had different shoes on each foot for some of the moves and some involved "moving up while sliding down" Also read a great anecdote about the first ascent party using a "two man belay" to keep the runout falls to a minimum. They basically did a speed climbing belay where the first would tend the rope and the second would yard it in hand over hand when the guy fell. Crazy.
Galactic Hitchhiker. low 11 on the Apron - KArl baba has info on his site somewhere...
I've heard stoners highway is fantastic
the royal arches stuff looks BLANK as well.
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addiroids
Mar 29, 2005, 6:43 PM
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You people are sick. Slab climbing is like trying to pull the trigger on a gun pointed at your head so that the cocking mechanism goes back as far as possible without firing. Whoever gets it the farthest gets the hardest slab rating. Slab climbing is the new "in" thing in 2010!!! Instead of little 8 year old girls doing V12, they will be climbing runout 5.12 slabs. Won't their parents be proud!
TRADitionally yours,
Cali Dirtbag
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rizzuh
Mar 29, 2005, 7:11 PM
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yup; it's all about the runout.
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