New and Experienced climbers over 50 #23

Ward, just looking at that picture makes my fingers ‘cry’.

Ward, is Ella at Hadley?  I never noticed that board.  Looks nice.
Mono hangs. Impressive that you are still able to do them at our age. My middle fingers are so wrecked that that is completely out of the question.
Training for one of those pocketed crank fest at Red River?

got brave yesterday and cut a hole through the roof.. 

This will thrill  absolutely no one but it’s one of my favorite pictures ever. It’s a little piece of a route  on turtle rock that I never got to finish but hope to one day. It’s not just the tiny edge that I wanted to finish walking but it’s the nothing beyond that but had me totally intrigued. As far as I could tell once that little edge stops you’re on your own. I watched Bob climb the whole route and just was mesmerized.

The pictures and the discussion with Carl of all the different kinds of climbing out there – – it’s almost not the same sport except that it’s on rock. This here is my idea of rock candy

The reason I brought up Sumo way back was about footwork & body position. Feet first then body. Sumo is two huge powerful men in a very small ring. If your footwork is not perfect you are going to lose no matter how big you are. 

If you have the Outside subscription, here's a little piece I wrote on Slab Climbing that was published in Rock and Ice/Climbing Magazine. I laughed when it came out and they called it the "dark art" of slab climbing.

Lori. super cool that you got out climbing again.

Thanks, Bob!

Available here, for those without a subscription:

https://archive.ph/4ZywC

I on-sighted one memorable (for me) slab pitch. The only thing I remember about my technique was thinking "I'm just going for the next bolt." Fortunately there were a lot of bolts. 

S. Neoh wrote:

Ward, is Ella at Hadley?  I never noticed that board.  Looks nice.
Mono hangs. Impressive that you are still able to do them at our age. My middle fingers are so wrecked that that is completely out of the question.
Training for one of those pocketed crank fest at Red River?

The mezzanine in Hadley has two boards now.

My projects in Arizona (boulder and sport route) both have monos at the crux.  I can hold the shallow pockets on the board for more than 10 seconds, and I’m at least 8 pounds heavier than I want to be, so that’s good.

I am not going to Arizona in February, but instead am going to Shelf Road Colorado to put up new routes with Dave Quinn.  He and his wife bought a house 40 minutes away.  I’ll try to find something with a mono on it. 

Ward Smith wrote:

I am not going to Arizona in February, but instead am going to Shelf Road Colorado to put up new routes with Dave Quinn.  He and his wife bought a house 40 minutes away.  I’ll try to find something with a mono on it. 

Yeah, Steve told me about that.  Be sure to give DQ and his fmaily my best.
You have incentivized me to make a return trip to Shelf. This time it will be for a longer visit. Maybe late Oct? I will discuss with Whitey.
Please remember those of us not nearly as atrong as you and Dave when putting up new routes!  Thanks! :) 

Bob I’m assuming you are the photographer here?  I lifted this from your article because oh my goodness… look at this!  It really calls.  Carl… you have any routes like this?  

Lori Milas wrote:

Bob I’m assuming you are the photographer here?  I lifted this from your article because oh my goodness… look at this!  It really calls.  Carl… you have any routes like this?  

Classic first, edging, pitch of Solid Gold on the South Astro Dome.

My fingers ‘tingle’ just remembering that pitch—even after almost 40 years!!!!

Credit card thin crimps will do that to anyone!

Bob's comment says it all -
"Over the years I've guided a lot of people on this route, and the general consensus from these folks is that the first pitch is harder than 10a! Many fall all over the first pitch, then cruise the second pitch, which is a bit reachy at the crux move up to the horizontal crack. Many people also comment that they find the first pitch of Solid Gold harder than the first pitch of Figures. A couple of years ago the first pitch of Solid Gold was plastered with bird detritus, which has taken a while to wash off. Sliperry and sharp is a good way to describe it. Difficulty depends on how stiff your shoes are and how good you are at edging. 10c?"

So we are talking about mostly thin edging (bring your Megas, Miuras, TC Pro's, and Katana Laces) versus almost pure friction like https://www.mountainproject.com/route/107385474/slip-van-winkle and https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106464214/condescender . Both felt desperate. Even on TR!

Either way, as everyone else had written, balance is paramount. A comment mistake, I am guilty as charged, is over doing the high step and getting unbalanced or unable to hold that thin crimp. I was repeatedly reminded by my slab master friend Leo BITD - "baby steps, don't over crimp!". Spot on since there are only dishes, divots, and no edge to speak of!!

Thank you Randy.  Magic. Pure Jedi Magic.  I hope to be blessed with a few more years of strength and health so I can climb some of those routes.  10b is/was doable for me.  Maybe Kris would come coach.

Tony and I are watching Dirty Dancing tonight for the hundredth time… not his suggestion.   But what a perfect story. Patrick Swayze was beautiful.   

Dirty Dancing would be a great name for a route. Baby In A Corner would work on a dihedral or chimney. 

Lori Milas wrote:

Thank you Randy.  Magic. Pure Jedi Magic.  I hope to be blessed with a few more years of strength and health so I can climb some of those routes.  10b is/was doable for me.  Maybe Kris would come coach.

Tony and I are watching Dirty Dancing tonight for the hundredth time… not his suggestion.   But what a perfect story. Patrick Swayze was beautiful.   

Dirty Dancing would be a great name for a route. Baby In A Corner would work on a dihedral or chimney. 

According to the MP database, at least 19 people have beat you to it   

Lori, and that is only easy 10 edging.  Go look at the first 20 feet of Games without Frontiers on Future Games wall to see what 13 edging looks like.  That is when 2 things have to happen.  1. You have to be exact with your foot placement and then once placed never move it.  And 2. You really need to believe that foot is not going to move on its own.  Without those two things you can't stay on the wall.  And of course, your posture must be perfect and you must have fingers of steel.  Other than that, anyone can climb it...

Jan Mc wrote:

Lori, and that is only easy 10 edging.  Go look at the first 20 feet of Games without Frontiers on Future Games wall to see what 13 edging looks like.  That is when 2 things have to happen.  1. You have to be exact with your foot placement and then once placed never move it.  And 2. You really need to believe that foot is not going to move on its own.  Without those two things you can't stay on the wall.  And of course, your posture must be perfect and you must have fingers of steel.  Other than that, anyone can climb it...

Been there, done that.  I'm a pretty decent slab climber, can usually onsite up to hard 10ish slab and was in awe that someone could climb that. Totally humbling.

For pure friction slab climbing, it's hard to beat Glacier Point Apron. This is a shot I took of Jay Smith on a climb called Hall of Mirrors.

The first ascent team discovered that using chalk on the pure friction cruxes was detrimental, as the fine chalk dust particles were like miniature ball bearings between their soles and the rock. By foregoing chalk they were able to stick better on the pure friction moves.

Edit: Originally rated 13a, I believe Darrel Hensel and Jonny Woodward did the second ascent of Hall of Mirrors and downrated it to 12c, still a pretty solid rating for a slab climb! Darrel might have a good story about that.