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dawn wall send attempt

will smith · · boulder · Joined Jan 2008 · Points: 35

"It is being characterized as a red point attempt which would indicate that pre-placed pro is totally acceptable."

I've been under the assumption that is considered a "pink point" I must be old school.

Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837
CJC wrote: Yeah that's wrong
...but they have been pre-equipping some pitches. Not that it takes away from the achievement.
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Looks like Tommy is done with the dyno workaround pitch - doesn't this mean that Tommy has sent all of the crux pitches and is basically sailing from here on? In that case, what do people speculate will happen if Kevin can't send 15/16? Will Tommy take the send and have Kevin jug/belay?

Chris Bersbach · · Arroyo Grande, CA · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 356

Directly from Tommy:

"Yeah, we are trying for a ‘team free’ ascent. We want to both free very pitch. We started out swinging leads. Then, at some point it just doesn’t really make sense. When we reached pitches where we had to try them a bunch [to redpoint], we would just alternate [lead] tries. If one person sends it, the other person would just top rope it afterwards. So far this has worked out great. There’s enough sketchy gear up here that, mentally, it’s a lot easier to just top-rope [certain] pitches. We can play off each other’s strengths that way."

Source: eveningsends.com/climbing/l…

The only bad style is not being honest about the style you used. I'm not sure that there has *ever* been a more transparent effort on a big wall climb, which in my opinion, makes whatever style Tommy and Kevin choose to use to get to the top unassailable.

(Related suggestion: Tommy and Kevin should label their poop tube "Dawn Wall Style Complaints.")

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
JCM wrote: There has not yet been a true flash or onsight of any major El Cap free route. This includes Freerider, which is a full 2 number grades easier than the Dawn Wall and much less sustained. The difficulty of flashing or onsighting an El Cap free route is highlighted by the fact that there have several instances in which a very accomplished climber has almost flashed an El Cap route, and even these almost-successes are considered major accomplishments. Notably, Pete of the "Wideboys" had a "sort-of" flash of Freerider this year, in which he tried one pitch, fell off, and then instead of retrying that pitch he did an alternate variation to the pitch, which he flashed. Really not a true flash, since he did fall off, but an impressive effort nonetheless. Some Euro had a similar quasi-flash a few years ago. Ethan Pringle recently almost flashed Freerider over a 2-day period, doing all of the hardest piiches first try but biffing it on a 5.11 pitch high on the route. I imagine he was quite tired.
i think mike anderson's ascent of freerider should be mentioned in this list, particularly when you consider that his couple of 'rest' days probably weren't too 'restful'...
JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
slim wrote: i think mike anderson's ascent of freerider should be mentioned in this list, particularly when you consider that his couple of 'rest' days probably weren't too 'restful'...
What's the story with Mike's ascent?
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

i googled it a while back and found a thread on supertopo. here is the clif's notes from what i remember. he and mark had done the salathe on aid a few years earlier (this is one of the points of contention that i forgot about, although the hard freerider pitches are different pitches than the salathe, but anyway...). a few years later he and mark came back to try to do freerider. he onsighted the first half, rapped down, flew or drove back to SLC to defend a thesis or take a final or something (MS in Mech Eng), flew or drove back to the valley within 24 hours, climbed back to the top of the first half, onsighted the second half.

this, to me, is pretty solid - particularly as i am a working stiff with a serious job and i have a pretty good understanding of how much energy it would sap for this 'rest' that some folks have criticized.

climbing's hot flashes version

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270
slim wrote:i googled it a while back and found a thread on supertopo. here is the clif's notes from what i remember. he and mark had done the salathe on aid a few years earlier (this is one of the points of contention that i forgot about, although the hard freerider pitches are different pitches than the salathe, but anyway...). a few years later he and mark came back to try to do freerider. he onsighted the first half, rapped down, flew or drove back to SLC to defend a thesis or take a final or something (MS in Mech Eng), flew or drove back to the valley within 24 hours, climbed back to the top of the first half, onsighted the second half. this, to me, is pretty solid - particularly as i am a working stiff with a serious job and i have a pretty good understanding of how much energy it would sap for this 'rest' that some folks have criticized. climbing's hot flashes version
I think the same principle would apply to Mike's send as to Pringle and Whittaker's - which is to say, freaking incredible
Paul Ross · · Keswick, Cumbria · Joined Apr 2001 · Points: 22,236

I very good effort by this team ..obviously they have to use sport climbing techniques to climb at this grade.

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
s.price wrote: Why can't ya'll just kick back and enjoy what could be a huge step in the climbing world. Like a bunch of hens pickin at scratch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uljlVRDT3wk&feature=youtu.be&t=13s
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Astroman was a "ream " effort in 1975 by some of the best climbers anywhere..Dawn is similar a groundbreaking, visionary effort

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945
Miike wrote: youtube.com/watch?v=uljlVRD…
hahahahah
Wiled Horse · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2002 · Points: 3,669
john strand wrote:Astroman was a "ream " effort in 1075 by some of the best climbers anywhere..Dawn is similar a groundbreaking, visionary effort
almost 900 years before their time
Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945
john strand wrote: "ream " effort in 1075 by some of the best climbers anywhere..
Okay you got me... ream effort? in 1075? I have no clue what ream or "in 1075" means... care to elaborate?
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640
Morgan Patterson wrote: Okay you got me... ream effort? in 1075? I have no clue what ream or "in 1075" means... care to elaborate?
Picky,picky though i think John Long may have been a Viking during a previous life
Kevin Mokracek · · Burbank · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 342

Except Astroman was done in a day and was well within their collective abilities. Impressive but nowhere near the same as the Dawn Wall attempt.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945
john strand wrote: Picky,picky though i think John Long may have been a Viking during a previous life
(mass confusion sets in...)

So are they using ATCs or GriGris?
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640
Kevin Mokracek wrote:Except Astroman was done in a day and was well within their collective abilities. Impressive but nowhere near the same as the Dawn Wall attempt.
True,,but it was also 40 years ago as well. Perhaps the Nose is a better example..in a day, all pitches free etc..but not initially
Glenn Schuler · · Monument, Co. · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,330
Morgan Patterson wrote: (mass confusion sets in...) So are they using ATCs or GriGris?
Vikings use hip belays, duh.
M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
Morgan Patterson wrote: (mass confusion sets in...) So are they using ATCs or GriGris?
the internet traddies would like to think ATCs I'm sure!
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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