First ascents / bolts

Nick....I saved the 5.6 f/a's for when i was old and infirmed..like now.

You might be suprised some steep things that have been drilled free

steep has to be relative. at some point you can't hold the drill in one hand and swing the hammer with the other and not come off. With a power drill you have to push in on the drill and that puts you off the rock. I have drilled a few in steep spots where you can get a bomber hold with your left hand and pull in with oposeing pressure against the drill but those situations are not the norm in my experience. I rarely even waste the time to try to drill it free unless I am at a good stance. usually by the time i pull up the drill there are hooks and pins involved and all sorts of wankering going on.

BTW the modern defination of slab is anything less that 95 degrees....

Ya..I just love modern definitions of things.

Ya. My friend ed called that thing a slab climb ( and a few other choice slurs) he did get a bit of poision ivey and have to dodge a few falling rocks,, and then there was the black flies :)

I guess no one told us on the Eastside that bolting in steep terrain "simply does not happen."

Or the Meadows...I have done quite a bit of lead drilling over the years and the Tuolumne standard works for me

never said that bolting on steep doesn't happen. it just does not happen totally clean.... ;)

Nick Goldsmith wrote:never said that bolting on steep doesn't happen. it just does not happen totally clean.... ;)

you'd be wrong again.

Jeremy in Inyokern wrote: you'd be wrong again.

Yeah because people bolt roofs on lead without hanging on gear all the time.

C'mon man you know what he's saying. Don't nitpick hyperbole, your ego doesn't need the flattery.

There is a cool Vid of Sharma lead bolting. I don't know how to find it? he uses the same hook system as I do only he is a thousand times better at it.......

So you guys are telling me you can climb and onsight free lead bolt at your limit at 90 degrees or steeper. Calling total BS.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:There is a cool Vid of Sharma lead bolting. I don't know how to find it? he uses the same hook system as I do only he is a thousand times better at it.......

Is this the one you're thinking of?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBM5bu_hxM8

that's it! all I can say is WOW! anyone who has ever free climbed with an FA rack and a power drill hanging off their ass should be stunned at how easy he makes it look.....

I sort of put up a 10 (a or b) on lead.

I dragged a drill drill and put a few bolts in while climbing. I also put in some sketch trad gear. I made it. On the way down, I added more bolts. It's a warm up at a predominantly overhung hard sport cave, it would have been silly to leave it as a sketch mixed route.

It was probably 30 degrees overhanging but since it was easy, meant that it had huge jugs, good stems, and even a spot or two you can go no hands. It was low 10 and I was climbing 12+ regularly at the time. Despite all that in my favor, I was really tired and pumped by the time I finished my free onsight first free male ascent or whatever.

I would have rap bolted it but it was really hard to get to the top.

KrisFiore wrote: your ego doesn't need the flattery.

Sometimes I think it does. I certaily don't FA roofs. I have seen pleanty of overhanging FA's though, ORG for instance is full of them.

Which overhanging or roofy routes at Owens (ORG) had an onsight, totally free while bolting on lead, First Ascent from the ground up? During my visit there 18(?) years ago, I recall snapping off quite a few footholds whenever I deviated slightly away from the most common line on most climbs. This was the case even on very popular routes. Respect!

S. Neoh wrote:Which overhanging or roofy routes at Owens (ORG) had an onsight, totally free while bolting on lead, First Ascent from the ground up? During my visit there 18(?) years ago, I recall snapping off quite a few footholds whenever I deviated slightly away from the most common line on most climbs. This was the case even on very popular routes. Respect!

I did't develope ORG so I don't know. I do know that most of the routes are ground up though.

Jeremy in Inyokern wrote: I did't develope ORG so I don't know. I do know that most of the routes are ground up though.

Ground up and free while bolting are two totally different things. Ground up is actually easier on super steep stuff. Doesn't mean it's free by any means.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Ground up and free while bolting are two totally different things. Ground up is actually easier on super steep stuff. Doesn't mean it's free by any means.

given. I admit that
1. Most Eastside ground up FAs are free when possible.
2. I lumped ORG into this catagory off hand.
3. I would be interested in the history of most of the areas I climb in.
4. I bet a bunch of those folks are on this board.