Post Other (Not Awesome) Trad Videos Here

Not sure whether to shit myself or puke first

I wasn't going to chime in, but on the youtube description it says something to the effect of "the beach whale move isn't required if 5.7 is well below your climbing limit."  I guess he was feeling pretty good about the climb.

Since those of us who are n00bs should be learning from these videos, I'll try to make this a bit more constructive (something I should have done w/my initial post).

The worrisome thing to me after watching Corrugation Corner and Surrealistic Pillar videos is that despite the fact that he is clearly not 100% comfortable with the climbing or with placing gear (something we've all been through) he consistently runs it out quite a bit leading to some potentially disastrous circumstances if he slips. On numerous occasions he runs it out bypassing really good placement opportunities and when it comes time to place the gear he fumbles between 2 or 3 pieces before he makes his placement. Add in the fact that he is leading every single pitch on these climbs, which I'm assuming means he is the more experienced of the duo, means this could get real bad real fast. Additionally, I saw at least one traverse in his videos that his second would have had a real bad time on if he fell. On more than one occasion he makes a placement, clips in, starts to climb above it and THEN attempts to move the cam to a better placement. This means he wasn't confident in the placement to begin with. The fact that he keeps talking about what a ladder the climb is makes me wonder how much hubris is involved and how much "just run it out, brah" mentality is affecting the climbing.

One thing I was taught and I'm still working to implement was to climb "placement to placement". From your current stance, spot your next gear placement, suss out your moves and climb to that placement, place the gear and repeat.

Abdullah Mourad wrote: Runout not spicy enough for you? Try holding one cam in each hand for a little added flavor (@3:45).

OMG I nearly died of cringe on that one ><

Abdullah Mourad wrote: Runout not spicy enough for you? Try holding one cam in each hand for a little added flavor (@3:45).

Everyone knows that any piece smaller than your index finger is not worth placing 

My favorite part is when he tells the other dude at the anchor:

"Cool, I mean, I was trying to finangle the .1, its uh a little more confidence-inspiring than the like 30' runout I have here"

I also like the convo with the other guy at the belay.

"Hey is there room for me up there [on the gigantic ledge with the big crack]?"

Instant answer: NO.

SethG wrote: I also like the convo with the other guy at the belay.

"Hey is there room for me up there [on the gigantic ledge with the big crack]?"

Instant answer: NO.

Yea. I was thinking well tough shit here I come any way!

Not the worst thing I've seen but I don't know that I'd go climbing with this belayer..

Jordan Duncan wrote: Not the worst thing I've seen but I don't know that I'd go climbing with this belayer..

He does seem very very new. Probably why the leader is only doing 5.7 with him belaying.
Dude was standing back from the wall like it was booby trapped.
Also, it seems like this a video from Apex Ex Guides out of Boulder.

Yeah, the video seems like the climber is instructing the belayer on how to lead. I am not too suprised to hear that the climber might be a guide.

Tan B wrote: He does seem very very new. Probably why the leader is only doing 5.7 with him belaying.
Dude was standing back from the wall like it was booby trapped.
Also, it seems like this a video from Apex Ex Guides out of Boulder.

It’s actually a 5.5, Twofers Gully.  Not I,Robot as he said.

Eric Duncan wrote: The Debbnik Brothers - scary reckless attempt at Regular Route of Fairview dome in Tuolumne:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux3djAwF_5I

They didn't learn their lesson and later that trip decide to start up SE Buttress of Cathedral Peak at 5pm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJKLxg3s4OE

I love the Cathedral video, "I don't have a good track record of climbing in the dark." They get after it.

Fehim Hasecic wrote:

Everyone knows that any piece smaller than your index finger is not worth placing 

all he had to do was block a nut in there with the micro cam and that shit woulda been bomber

Not sure if it’s a repost but this one’s pretty great

https://youtu.be/kSIRv93sh-M

Mark Lide wrote: Not sure if it’s a repost but this one’s pretty great

https://youtu.be/kSIRv93sh-M

Saw his video of P2 on the route. I recommend a watch, places .1's instead of clipping long-frozen pitons as pro

Trying to learn from that last video... Looks like he put too large a cam in at 6:30 and it wasn't seated back far enough. Is that right?

The one at 9:08 looks overcammed, to me, too.

The nut at 4:41 looked nice, though.

I love watching videos of others so I can learn...

David Dentry wrote: Trying to learn from that last video... Looks like he put too large a cam in at 6:30 and it wasn't seated back far enough. Is that right?

The one at 9:08 looks overcammed, to me, too.

The nut at 4:41 looked nice, though.

I love watching videos of others so I can learn...

I'm not an expert... So I welcome anyone to correct me. Keep in mind that I climb mainly on polished limestone, so I am extra skeptical of cam placements and like to use passive pro.

Most of his cam placements were in cracks with either downwards (e.g.@8:45) or outwards (E.g. @ 6:20) flares, which is undesireable. He would have benefitted from offset cams. @8:45 he could have used a #3 and placed it towards the bottom of that crack instead of the top, which would have avoided having the cracking flaring open beneath the cam placement. He also had opportunities to use passive pro in many of these circumstances, which I would have felt better about. His nut at 4:41 was the only placement that seemed truly bomber to me.

On limestone I like to go a step beyond finding parallel cracks, and place cams in divets that form a widening within an otherwise parralel crack. This gives me a bit more confidence that the cam will not slip out.

David Dentry wrote: Trying to learn from that last video... Looks like he put too large a cam in at 6:30 and it wasn't seated back far enough. Is that right?

I'm not sure a smaller cam would have fit better there. The crack is too flaring and anything you place there is going to be shallow. At 5:50 he puts his hands into a beautiful, parallel-sided section of crack that would have taken a cam nicely.

The one at 9:08 looks overcammed, to me, too.

Meh. I wouldn't worry much about it being overcammed--usually it seems like cams get stuck because someone forces in a cam with the lobes grinding against the rock, or because the cam walks. If the cam can slide in without touching the sides (as it seems to do in the video) it's not overcammed.

As a beginner I'd definitely err on the side of overcamming rather than undercamming. I'd rather see beginners lose a cam or two learning what "overcammed" means than place a bunch of undercammed stuff and have it fail if they take a fall.

The nut at 4:41 looked nice, though.

The nut placement itself looks nice, but I'd have extended it further. At 5:00 you can see that the nut is experiencing a lot of upward/outward pull which might unseat it.

Mark Lide wrote: Not sure if it’s a repost but this one’s pretty great

https://youtu.be/kSIRv93sh-M

I heard this "Eric Gold" guy is the long lost son of one "RGold," searching for his father to act as the trad climbing mentor he never had....