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Location: OR : Trout Creek : The Main Wall : Mr. Squiggles (5.10b/c)
By: ben kenobi When: 6 days ago | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbed this after JR Token and Goldrush, and I must say, it was my favorite. What a stellar climb. The ring locks at the beginning made for one of the more memorable starts of anything I've climbed.
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Location: OR : Broughton Bluff : Sheer Stress (5.10a)
By: ben kenobi When: Nov 22, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Agreed. A fine climb with some very thin moves through the crux. I placed one #0 TCU, and that seemed sufficient through the crux. Another one wouldn't hurt though. I'd recommend being solid at the grade on this one.
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Potash Road : Wall Street : Static Cling (5.11a/b)
By: ben kenobi When: May 28, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: For me, the key gear were a #0 and #00 TCU (purple + grey). These can protect the crux moves below and through the small roof.
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Location: OR : Broughton Bluff : The Sickle (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: May 18, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: The upper portion of Sickle is awesome. Great jams deep in the sickle-crack, great gear, and solid rock. The bottom portion presents many options, and I'm not sure whether these are different routes or simply alternate starts. I did a start to the right of what is shown as the red-dashed line in the photo. Nice finger locks and jugs, probably around 5.8.
Get on it! It's a great route.
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Location: WA : Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
By: ben kenobi When: May 12, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: Camping Update:
Camping is only allowed on the south side of the feathers (the area with the bulletin board and the trailhead for the hike into Echo Basin).
There are currently NO TOILETS. The old sani-cans were getting hammered by concert-goers. The company that cleaned them kept finding syringes, rocks, etc. in the toilets, and decided it wasn't worth it. Can't blame 'em. Anyway, the Frenchmen's Coulee Climbing Coalition is currently raising money for a permanent toilet structure that is ... more >>
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Location: OR : Broughton Bluff : Gandalf's Grip (5.9)
By: ben kenobi When: May 10, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: What a great 1st pitch! Some fun, weird, more-solid-than-you-think rock leads to a very nice finger crack. I'd call this section 5.9-ish. The face moves above and to the left of the crack seemed a little harder than 5.9. But then again, 5.9+ is a notorious rating just about anywhere.
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Island In The Sky : Monster Tower : North Ridge (5.11)
By: ben kenobi When: Mar 26, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: We climbed this route on 3/25/09. Below are some observations that may be of some use
-This route is burlier, harder, and generally more thought-provoking than Standing Rock or Primrose Dihedrals. Not necessarily better though...
-All anchors are questionable. Each consists of 2 star-drives, and 1 decent, newer bolt. These newer bolts, however, are not necessarily bomber. The very top anchor's "newer" bolt is spinning...uggh. This is a prime recipient for the good works of the ASCA. I wo... more >>
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Lost Horse Area : Left Hand of Darkness : Left Hand of Darkness - E. ... : Uncle Fester (5.10d)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 11, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I didn't know what this was when I saw it, just that it looked beautiful. Perfect splitter from tiny tips to beautiful hands. With my sausage links, it was very hard off the deck. Well worth doing if you're in the area.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Lost Horse Area : Left Hand of Darkness : Left Hand of Darkness - E. ... : Jane Pauley (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 11, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: This route makes a good last climb for the day, as it's 30 seconds from the car, right off the paved park road, and a relatively safe and easy lead. Do the real finish on the upper crack, it's the best part. Descent with a walk off to the right (toward the dirt road and parking area).
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Lost Horse Area : Left Hand of Darkness : Left Hand of Darkness - E. ... : Granny Goose (5.7)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 11, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Honestly, I loved this route. Very fun moves, and juggy flake climbing. I'd say 5.7 as well.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Real Hidden Valley : The Thin Wall : No Calculators Allowed (5.10a)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 11, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Count on your Fingers, at 5.9, is a more sustained climb in my opinion, while this is fairly soft for J-Tree .10a (much easier than say, Bird of Fire). Instead of using the bolt as a directional at the top, just plug a bomber cam below the lip. Less rope drag, and no real danger for the second at that point. Great route, get on it.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Real Hidden Valley : Sports Challenge Rock : Sports Challenge Rock-East ... : Clean And Jerk (5.10c)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 11, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very nice line, with fun, committing moves right off the deck. I found that one can get a #0 TCU in to protect the first big move. For me, this was necessary, as I whipped on it (more evidence that Metolius makes bomber gear). After that, the #1 camalot fits perfectly in a horizontal. If you're not used to overhung, gymastic starts, and/or are short, the beginning moves can feel quite hard (as they did for me). Overall, the 5.10+ rating is accurate.
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Island In The Sky : Moses : Primrose Dihedrals (5.11+)
By: ben kenobi When: Nov 16, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbed it in 5 pitches by linking P2 & P3, P5 & P6, and then went one pitch to the top from the top of the Ear. Make sure you bring some 48" runners for linking 2 & 3. P1 was the 5.8 traverse.
Rack: Triple set of cams, from blue TCU (nothing smaller is needed) to #3 camalot. We brought a #4 camalot, but never placed it; in other words, don't bring any cams larger than a #3 (unless you do the original first pitch). Four #3's would be nice on P4, but not ne... more >>
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Island In The Sky : Standing Rock : The Regular Route (5.11c)
By: ben kenobi When: Nov 7, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Rack: 2 sets of camalots from .5 to 3. No big cams needed. 1 set of TCU's (00-4). 1 set stoppers, including RP's.
Notes: The aid on pitch 3 is fairly straightforward, with one good bolt, a decent drilled angle, and some scary old hardware (nails). If free climbing, I would fall only on the bolt, as the rest of the pro above it is, well, crap. The elephant ear flake is still there, but it was creaking, and I barely weighted it. I felt that with a nut tool I could have pryed it off.
Anch... more >>
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Location: UT : Moab Area : Arches : The 100-yard Wall : The Doil (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: Nov 1, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: When I climbed the route (Oct. 2008), the chockstone anchor was still there, but the main anchor were two drilled angles, which appeared and felt much more solid than the old anchor.
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : P38 (5.10b PG13)
By: ben kenobi When: Oct 12, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The Radcliffe pine tree is completely rotted, as in, it's just a rotted stump. Bring gear for an anchor, and downclimb Radcliffe.
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Location: NY : The Gunks : The Trapps : Retribution (5.10b PG13)
By: ben kenobi When: Oct 12, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I found that my key piece of pro at the roof ate up the key undercling; it was a choice between a solid piece or good hold. Great route.
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Location: WA : Lake Cushman Area
By: ben kenobi When: Feb 13, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: There are several routes here, but none are that good. If you live near here, it's worth a visit, but don't go too far out of your way. Also, beware the poison oak. It grows all over the hillsides in the lowland Olympics.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Lost Horse Area : Hemingway Buttress : Hemingway Buttress (East Fa... : Overseer (5.9)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 22, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: Try climbing the beginning half of dung-fu and linking it with the second half of overseer. the moves out of the chimney and onto the face below the overseer lip are pretty fun. this method of climbing these routes links the best of both.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Stirrup Tank : Stirrup Rock : New Toy (5.6)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 22, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: do you like climbing over birdshit? lots and lots of birdshit? then this climb's for you!
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Hidden Valley Campground : The Old Woman : The Old Woman - West Face : Dogleg (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: Dec 22, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: I'd agree with most of the above statements. The route seemed to want to spit me out constantly. I'd suggest a solid 5.8+ rating, and if 5.8 is your limit, start on double cross and then climb this one.
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Location: WA : Vantage (Frenchman Coulee) : The Feathers
By: ben kenobi When: May 18, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: Although this area can be overrun with climbers, it has some excellent routes that would make the most experienced 5.13 crimp-masters smile. I end up climbing here every time I go to Vantage.
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Location: International : Canada : British Columbia : Squamish : The Chief : ... : Diedre (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: May 13, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: Diedre also makes a good first simul-climb. The rating is easy, the gear, aside from the runout slab portions, is plentiful and solid. And it'll get you past the multitude of parties that commonly choke the route's belay bolts.
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Location: OR : Smith Rock : Red Wall : Peking (5.8)
By: ben kenobi When: Apr 17, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climb the first pitch, then rap. The rest of the route is chossy and not fun at all. We were pulling delicately around dinner plate sized rocks for much of it, so we nicknamed it "mutually assured destruction." First pitch is great though.
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Location: WA : Mt. Adams : South Spur (Easy Snow)
By: ben kenobi When: Apr 16, 2007 | view comment >> |
Comments: Definitely climb this route before the end of June. I've done it late season as well when all the snow has melted off, and it's hell on the knees. Mid-June seems to be pretty good for road access and for spring snow conditions. But it all depends on the winter snowfall.
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