The Dali Sit Down Start  V9

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Type:  Boulder, Alpine, 15 feet Consensus:  V8-9 [details] FA:  Bennett Scott Submitted By:  Monomaniac on Jul 24, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (19) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

The shouldery crux move of the Dali SDS. The prob...

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The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climber MORE INFO >>> The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climbers should be on their best behavior, practice Leave No Trace, and please abide by these requirements: - Approach Areas A, B, & C via the Chicago Lakes trail (from Echo Lake). - Wilderness Permits are required for all visitors to any federal Wilderness Area. Permits are free and self-issued. A kiosk is located at the point where the Chicago Lakes Trail departs from the reservoir, at the entrance to the Wilderness Area. - Group size: travel in federal Wilderness Areas is limited to groups of 15 people or less. If you find yourself in an area, say around the Dali Boulder, where there are more than 15 people, please disperse. There are plenty of excellent boulders elsewhere. - Minimize creation of social trails. None of the trails surrounding the bouldering area are officially maintained by the USFS. Ample access trails currently exist, please stay on the existing trails, and do not create any more trails. - Do not destroy vegetation. This is a fragile alpine environment, with a short growing season. It can take vegetation decades to recover from damage. Place crash pads judiciously, and keep brushing to a minimum. Before adding new lines, considered the damage that may be caused by additional foot traffic, pad placement, etc. - Chalk is un-sightly to non-climbers. Please avoid chalking up boulder problems that are visible from the Chicago Lakes Trail, and in general, keep chalk use to a minimum. Brush all tick marks off after every sesssion. Use containers that prevent chalk spills. If you do spill your chalk, clean it up. - Stashing crash pads is expressly forbidden by the USFS. Any pads found by USFS personnel will be confiscated. - Noise: This is a wilderness area (did I mention that?) that is enjoyed by many, mostly non-climbers. The last thing passing hikers want to hear are your self-indulgent f-bombs, I-Pod speakers, grunting, etc. In fact, most other CLIMBERS don't want to hear any of these things either. The easiest way for us to loose access is to elicit complaints from other user groups. - Dogs must be leashed at all times. Consider others when deciding whether or not to bring your dog, specfically considering that dogs like to scare away wildlife, and most other users would prefer not to have the wildlife scared away. Obviously, clean up after your dog. Remember that we are guests in this area. Be respectful of other users and the USFS Rangers that manage this area. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

The notoriety of this boulder problem is quite amazing considering the relative scarcity of information about the area. This line is truly known the world over, and its not uncommon to see an international crowd exchanging beta & spots at the base. The Dali’s fame is not unjustified; the problem has a bit of everything: shoulder pressing, micro crimping, devious footwork, all-out dynos and heel-hooks. None of the moves are extremely difficult by themselves, but they are all hard, and sap just enough juice to make that simple throw at the end a great deal more difficult, and heartbreaking.

Begin sitting down as low as you can, with your right foot on a good 2” horizontal ledge down in the crevice. Both hands are matched on the 2”, vertically-oriented, let-facing sidepull/gaston. Get the left foot on, and press up to the sickle-shaped crimp/pocket, then up to the next left-facing sidepull/gaston that’s ~2’ above the start hold. From here head back left to setup for the big toss to the obvious sloper rail. This is a good place to fall over and over again. If you ever stick this move, match the rail and traverse right along the rail to a relatively easy topout.

Note: There are a multitude of different ways to start the Dali. A quick perusal of 8a.nu indicates at least 5 different versions, all lacking any sort of consensus grade. The version described here is the “low sit down start”.

Location 

In the center of the South Face of the Dali Boulder, beginning below the lowest part of the broad sloping rail that sits ~8 feet above the ground. Its also about 3 feet left of the Lama flake system.

Protection 

Several pads and a spotter.

Photos of The Dali Sit Down Start Slideshow

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The Dali.

Andrew on the first move.