Need beta on roof variation above The Seal at North side of LG

I was cleaning the seal today just as sun was setting and I saw some badass shit when I looked out the roof above the seal (like a few feet before the undercling crux on the seal). I saw an overhanging flake that traversed out into space to a lone bolt (with a bail biner on it) and then the arete/lip of the overhang where I (hoped) it kept on going a bit???

Does anybody know anything about this. I might try to surf out there to that bolt and see if I can make the moves. It looks like you could get gear in the flake overhanging area before the bolt (obviously you would need this otherwise you would slam onto the seal slab if you fucked it up). Once you're out the overhang a little the fall looks ultra-clean into dead space (as long as that bolt doesnt pull...).

Does anybody have ANY information about this!?

Also, for extra points, is it possible to protect Killer Whales or is it an R/X rated route until you get to the overhang (where it looks like a big cam will work if the fading light wasn't betraying me???).

by the way the friction was SICK AS FUCK at the north side today. When conditions are good that place is HEAVEN.

Hell yeah man, really glad I sent The Seal- definitely perfect conditions, if not slightly uncomfortable.

Kyle Kimball wrote:Hell yeah man, really glad I sent The Seal- definitely perfect conditions, if not slightly uncomfortable.

it was cool watching you do that.

Now thread ensue the mad beta spillage so we can learn what that variation is!

paging Nathan Brown!

It's very possible to protect Killer Whales before the mini roof.

The gear is pretty nicely spaced too, it's just small and tiring to place.

Joe Virtanen wrote:It's very possible to protect Killer Whales before the mini roof. The gear is pretty nicely spaced too, it's just small and tiring to place.

do you remember what it is though? Like small wires???

Do you know anything about the roof above the seal???

Didn't want to give gear beta in case you didn't want it!

I recall a purple C4 shortly off the deck, a small Master Cam or C3, and a small nut after that.

Don't have any info on the roof, sorry.

Joe Virtanen wrote:Didn't want to give gear beta in case you didn't want it! I recall a purple C4 shortly off the deck, a small Master Cam or C3, and a small nut after that. Don't have any info on the roof, sorry.

thanks a lot. I will have to go look at that again in sunlight since I didnt see ANYWHERE to put a cam...it just looked like very small fissures in the rock that might accept wires. I'll take a better look...it looks like a fun climb for sure.

Both routes under the seal are protectable but heady off the ground. Offset nuts will work well in those seams

The bolt leads to a blank face above judging from what I've seen rapping cornflake and the ground I dont think it's a finished free route or an aid line maybe.

rock_fencer wrote:Both routes under the seal are protectable but heady off the ground. Offset nuts will work well in those seams The bolt leads to a blank face above judging from what I've seen rapping cornflake and the ground I dont think it's a finished free route or an aid line maybe.

cool. Do you know who is working on it and whether or not it is in progress? Blank face sounds fun to me. If it is an abandoned project I might like to take it over if I can figure out anything to turn the lip...(maybe impossible?).

I think you can turn the lip it just ends after that from the looks of it. It's most likely an aid line so hop on. I have never seen anyone try to climb it aid or free. Just don't get hurt on it. Smacking into that slab below would not be fun

5.samadhi wrote:paging Nathan Brown!

I've seen it but it isn't a project of mine. Looks pretty damn blank to me. Good luck1

This must be the bolt placed by Joe Bryson a few years back. We had hopes of an alternate line to (or through!) the Tower Traverse.

The climbing out to the corner is good and the little ledge at the bush is a sit-down rest! Above that, IIRC, a thin seam and a micro corner led to our high point with blank (looking) face above.

M McCormick wrote:This must be the bolt placed by Joe Bryson a few years back. We had hopes of an alternate line to (or through!) the Tower Traverse. The climbing out to the corner is good and the little ledge at the bush is a sit-down rest! Above that, IIRC, a thin seam and a micro corner led to our high point with blank (looking) face above.

wow cool thanks for the beta! Can you describe the tower traverse a little more?

what did you think the climbing was rated to the high point? Did you free all of it to the high point?

Thanks a lot!

The Tower Traverse (one of very few routes that Jeep Gaskin did the FA but NOT the FFA!) is the rarely repeated line that connects The Seal from below the Green Gully directly to the second belay of Cornflake. I've not done it, so I have no beta, but the finish is obvious when looking across the face from the second belay of Cornflake.

On the other route, I don't really remember anything harder than around .10, at least until the last couple of moves to our high point. Above that it is looks much harder. I also don't remember leaving any bail gear on it (even a biner on the bolt) since we ended up downclimbing after each "visit".

the seal tower traverse goes left from the anchors at the top of the seal free climb as it is normally done today. the pitches are both quite short and interesting. the mid point is a rubble strewn ledge. with only passive pro the belay gear was crap but i would imagine cams fix that nicely. the second pitch is a tips traverse into the top of the second pitch of cornflake as mike said. 2 equalized hooks are the pro. on the fa i used the hooks as hand holds but bill hoadly came along soon after and did it all free. i asked him about it when he got down and he said he "just gripped tight and stepped smartly." words to live by. the 1st pitch is spooky 10a, the second pitch a bit harder and even more committing. finish via the 3rd pitch of cornflake and i always felt like i was getting away with something.

Hey, I repeated that line many years ago, scary for the second after cleaning the hooks! Hey Jeep I remember it as the Bable Tower Traverse, I thought it had a 5.11- grade! Am I mistaken on the original route name?

Thanks for the great beta jeep and Shannon. Something new to do at TNF

jeep gaskin wrote:the seal tower traverse goes left from the anchors at the top of the seal free climb as it is normally done today. the pitches are both quite short and interesting. the mid point is a rubble strewn ledge. with only passive pro the belay gear was crap but i would imagine cams fix that nicely. the second pitch is a tips traverse into the top of the second pitch of cornflake as mike said. 2 equalized hooks are the pro. on the fa i used the hooks as hand holds but bill hoadly came along soon after and did it all free. i asked him about it when he got down and he said he "just gripped tight and stepped smartly." words to live by. the 1st pitch is spooky 10a, the second pitch a bit harder and even more committing. finish via the 3rd pitch of cornflake and i always felt like i was getting away with something.

can we add a bolt to the traverse so that people will actually do it? I don't think many people want to freeclimb over equalized hooks??? :O

With your permission only of course.

shannon stegg wrote:Hey, I reapeated that line many years ago, scary for the second after cleaning the hooks! Hey Jeep I remember it as the Bable Tower Traverse, I thought it had a 5.11- grade! Am i mistaken on the original route name?

shannon or Jeep, so the roof route (before you get to the p1 belay of the Seal) would join the traverse somewhere halfway into the traverse??? Could the end of the roof pitch be the crappy mid-belay on the tower traverse?? I'll try to scope this out as best as I can today when I am there later this afternoon so I make sure I'm not proposing something impossible here.

The blank section (above the bolt at the lip) is the stopping block for connecting the tower traverse (babel traverse?) with the overhang on the Seal???

edit - by the way I am super psyched that you are responding to my thread...I have read your name in the guidebooks for years its awesome you are directly giving me beta now!!! :)