am I too weak/chicken to try Vanishing Point?

So I really want to make my way up Vanishing point next year but I feel that I'm too weak and possibly too chicken to do it.
I really just want it for the position and the experience so I'd totally A0 the cruxes if I have to and can ;)

What are good intermediate objectives / test climbs for it? Other than cardio for the approach.

• I'm much better at sporty climbing than friction/cracks so going by online beta, VP should play to my strengths, right? Whereas I suspect trying 11s at Index and WA pass is going to give me an impression that I'm way over my head... I wonder if that would be a wrong impression.
• My current hardest RPs are 3 12c-s at World Wall (each took me ~20 goes though), and I OS-ed a few 11a-s incl. at Ryan's wall where rock looks similar. I suspect strength wise I'm at my limit, cause I'm old and my fingers start to fall off if I train any harder.
• I've done long-ish multipitch with long approaches, Inti Watana and Levitation 29 in Red Rocks probably being the longest combos.

Also, can you/would you recommend bivying at the base? 

probably. . . 

Only one way to find out - go up there, maybe have an epic and bail, maybe have a good time. 

Big Redwrote:

Only one way to find out - go up there, maybe have an epic and bail, maybe have a good time. 

Maybe die. Who knows?

Alpine grades are usually soft, and Burdo usually bolts thing so you can French free the cruxes. You can always try and if you get your ass kicked you can know what to train for and come back ready.

(Last year the USFS had the parking lot, trail, and mountain closed all summer due to some lingering concerns from the fire the year before, so who knows about next summer)

Go check it out! The position is wild.There’s reliable running water just left of the start of the main pillar pitches, and the whole route was recently rebolted. It Probablyhas fewer total bolts now than there were a few years ago, but a few added in better spots and various random bolts-to-nowhere were removed. Rapping the lower slab pitches would be a bit annoying but probably fairly easy off bolted anchors. Before the fire, the walkoff was mindless and quick, though a knee burner. Depending on how many trees fell on the trail,It might be preferableto rap the route now. I expect that the descent trail gets reestablished over time, but it would probably really need some rogue saw use to make it decent. It’s pretty popular as a peakbagger route. 

Fyi, road to TH and trail for barclay lake are now open according to WTA. 

Kerwin Loukusawrote:

Fyi, road to TH and trail for barclay lake are now open according to WTA. 

Just in time for prime climbing conditions!

blakeherringtonwrote:

Before the fire, the walkoff was mindless and quick, though a knee burner. Depending on how many trees fell on the trail, It might be preferable to rap the route now. I expect that the descent trail gets reestablished over time, but it would probably really need some rogue saw use to make it decent. It’s pretty popular as a peakbagger route. 

A report on the current condition of the walkoff trail, for those curious - it sounds quite rough at the moment but I agree it'll likely get a bit more established by peakbaggers. Still, it'll be worse than it was for quite a while. https://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=2387643 

I’ve climbed this route many times at this point, and think I’ve climbed the tower 5 times from the ground, so l am speaking from experience to some extent.

It’s a large day even if your super dialed

going c2c is still optimal imo

You can rap the route from pretty high up ( beyond the roof it would be a charade) though you would have to bail some slings or carabiners.

You can descend from the bench that the route starts on, the same way you came up. Not ideal but possible.

getting to the base of the route is really convoluted and probably would serve as a good litmus test / bail point

Climbing on the 5.12 pitches is not terribly hard, but when you’re tired it’s not easy. They are well bolted but I don’t think they are bolt ladders so there are going to be many mandatory free moves

If someone I knew to be competent in the mountains asked I would say to give it a rip and be prepared to rap from pitch 4-5 l, bailing some slings and carabs. Maybe even a cam or two to get to the last bolted anchor of the approach. I have no idea if you are competent so Carte Blanche. The route is serious and incredible.

John Texwrote:

Maybe die. Who knows?

He said he is old so that is coming anyway...

Old thread, but poking it for fun.

My understanding is that the approach has burned and no-one has been back since the big fire. I have wanted to put some time into re-establishing the approach but it hasn't happened yet. 

Anyone been up to Mt. Baring?

It has been on my list forever. Every year I mention it to all my partners. Have yet to make it up. But I am so keen!

I did this route like 10 years ago. I remember many hand lines going up thick vegetated, steep slabs. If those lines got damaged by the fire, it will be quite a mission to get to the base of Vanishing Point.

Multipitch climbing is boring and that's my main reason for not doing this route even though I know I can do it.

Luke Stefurakwrote:

Old thread, but poking it for fun.

My understanding is that the approach has burned and no-one has been back since the big fire. I have wanted to put some time into re-establishing the approach but it hasn't happened yet. 

Anyone been up to Mt. Baring?

I’m working on establishing a new approach. The original forested rib got absolutely toasted and is falling apart.

If you want to help out shoot me a DM and I can pass along what I have worked out. Of course it’ll be a few months until I head back up there. 

I've got a stack of ropes (some static) that I was going to use to contribute to re-establishing the approach forest section this spring. I was assuming the prior ropes got burned but replacements could be set up. Maybe that's a mistaken assumption if the ground is too charred and there aren't some solid snags or trees or rock outcrops for anchors.

If those ropes and/or a day of labor would be better spent contributing to Michael T's alternate option, I'm happy to contribute!

With a recently improved, cleaned, and rebolted VP plus the newer route to the left, it would be nice to have these accessible again. Ideally some very ambitious peakbagger hikers will lug saws up the descent trail (the main Mt. Barring summit trail) and do rehab on it as well.

Blake, I didn’t go up to closely inspect, but it looked like the soil holding the forest to the wall is fully destabilized.

The alternative approach I’ve scouted comes in from the side, accessed from the summit trail.

Once established it’ll be way more chill, but will lack the adventure of the old approach.

Once spring comes around I might reach out for some help. 

Shot you a PM, Michael - I’m happy to help, with old ropes or manual labor or whatever.

I know multiple people who have gone up and yes, the slope is no longer stable. Some if not all of the old ropes are melted/gone. 

Re-establishing the old trail would require some bolts to secure the fixed lines. 

Michael, have you made it to the base of the wall in the past or via your new method?

Blake, the main issue is that many of the big trees are gone where the ropes used to be fixed. 

Luke Stefurakwrote:

I know multiple people who have gone up and yes, the slope is no longer stable. Some if not all of the old ropes are melted/gone. 

Re-establishing the old trail would require some bolts to secure the fixed lines. 

Michael, have you made it to the base of the wall in the past or via your new method?

Blake, the main issue is that many of the big trees are gone where the ropes used to be fixed. 

If the entire section of (formerly) forest is just eroded burnt unstable debris, that sounds heinous.

But if it would just take drilling a bolt or two on a solid rock outcrop for anchoring a few handline ropes instead of using trees, that would be pretty doable in a day of labor.

I've also been curious if FR 6028 is bikeable.

If it is, then people with e-bikes might find that would be an easy way up and down from the summit of Dolomite tower (or Mt. Barring itself for peakpagging).