New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #35

Li …. Says 

“On another topic:
Free Solo is about the same as flying squirrel suits. Luckily, it’s a fad that appeared to go away as quickly as it had begun … squirrel suits can still be found splattered on various rock formations throughout Europe. It’s for the “elite few”.

How do you figure that?
Last time I was walking through HVCG in the morning I watched at least 6 people FS on the classic routes. Three young strong climbers did Bearded Cabbage right in a row…. I have a young friend who goes out there after he gets off of work on Sunday evening and climbs Mon/Tues usually with no partner. Runs the classic climbs.

And my wing suit friends are still going at it hard. Those guys think it’s bad form to go all rooster and crow about what you do on Social Media.

So Li - you might knot see people free solo in your gym but real climbers are still getting after it.

Only about 7 weeks till my COR trip, can’t wait.

Later all.

Paul Horton wrote:

Here’s some info relating to an old post. A few months ago John Gill posted a sequence of him on an obscure problem somewhere in the City of Rocks, in the 1960s. His images:

I was intrigued as to just where he was climbing and how things would look these days, so I checked it out when I was in the City a couple of days ago. It turns out the climb is on the south side of Morning Glory Spire, not far below the notch with the Anteater, and directly across the gully from Circus Roof. As he noted, the rock is flaky and gritty; it’s not the great City stuff we usually seek out. The route looks hard.

 the climb these days

location

from above

straight on

detail

Excellent detective work Paul!!!

Did it take you long to find it or did you already have a sense of where it was?

Paul Horton wrote:

Here’s some info relating to an old post. A few months ago John Gill posted a sequence of him on an obscure problem somewhere in the City of Rocks, in the 1960s. His images:

I was intrigued as to just where he was climbing and how things would look these days, so I checked it out when I was in the City a couple of days ago. It turns out the climb is on the south side of Morning Glory Spire, not far below the notch with the Anteater, and directly across the gully from Circus Roof. As he noted, the rock is flaky and gritty; it’s not the great City stuff we usually seek out. The route looks hard.

Thank you, Paul. I remember climbing to the top of one of those spires, but it might not have been this one (where I had secured a rope from some point above to grab just in case I ran into difficulty). I was there with my wife and small daughter. 

Rich, I like to mention that Michael Fain and his wife Judith Barnard became celebrities: Judith Michael

To anyone has ever seen communist totalitarian Mao propaganda movies from the 1950s, here’s a modern era rendering.

They even say “MAGA” with a Chinese twist.   

The little red book, is hilarious.

Guy Keesee wrote:

Li …. Says 

“On another topic:
Free Solo is about the same as flying squirrel suits. Luckily, it’s a fad that appeared to go away as quickly as it had begun … squirrel suits can still be found splattered on various rock formations throughout Europe. It’s for the “elite few”.

How do you figure that?

And my wing suit friends are still going at it hard. Those guys think it’s bad form to go all rooster and crow about what you do on Social Media.

So Li - you might knot see people free solo in your gym but real climbers are still getting after it.

Later all.

Splat…

Actually, thinking back upon my youth. I strongly advise against doing anything dangerous just to prove yourself to be better or more skilled than others. If you do, that’s fine, just keep in mind someone else is being forced to pick up any remains should the occasion arise.

Edit: read John’s post, and agree that the degree of difficulty changes everything. If you’re climbing well below your ability, it’s not an issue.

Got a new favourite sports climbing crag in the Northern Grampians named the I Forget Walls. I’m here at Araps, arguably the best trad destination in Australia and I’ve spent three days sports climbing here!

Paul Horton wrote:

Here’s some info relating to an old post. A few months ago John Gill posted a sequence of him on an obscure problem somewhere in the City of Rocks, in the 1960s...

Great sleuthing, Paul!  Dang near hiding in plain sight.

Cheers!

Free soloing has been around lots longer than trad climbing. The Brits created their sport when students rode the wonderful new rail lines to the Lake District during Easter holidays in the 1880s. Here they "free solo explore" the crags - no ropes or gear:

The late 1800s, early 1900s, saw free solo explorers setting new standards, taking a rope along for emergencies. Georg Winkler and Paul Preuss both died young while pursuing their dreams. 

All of us have "free soloed" occasionally, scrambling over 5.4 territory. But levels of difficulty have risen to frightening heights. I was captivated by the notion of simply going up unexplored terrain without a rope for security in the 1950s and early 1960s, thinking it the ultimate goal of climbing. But I learned my lesson and backed away from difficulty in this context, although I put away ropes and gear for traditional climbing by 1975. 

I proceeded to do mile after mile of free soloing, but over relatively safe territory, avoiding number chasing. My favorite climb near Pueblo was a seven hundred foot granite pillar that I initially free explored years ago, then over the succeeding years did 20 miles in laps upon. About 5.7 but with occasional greater difficulty moves. I once guided a world-class psychologist up it, scrambling ahead as he practiced leading a paid companion who accompanied him, and, of course, Col. George Bristol, the Man hunter, followed me up, free solo. (left photo of me by Heinz Zak)

Fritz Wiessner used to free solo routes in the Gunks well into his 80's.  Up Northern Pillar (5.2) and down Southern Pillar (5.3) was a favorite.  80's used to sound impossibly old to me, but now I have arrived at that penultimate destination myself. I'm climbing well enough to do those solos, but the urge is not there. I gave up real fifth-class soloing when my daughter was born in 1987, so it has been quite a while.  

On my last trip to the Tetons in 2019 (at a sprightly 75), I soloed the East Ridge of Buck Mountain, which, although supposed to be 4th class, had a bit of 5.4 the way I went, which was obviously off-route.  At one point, it seemed to me that the way around a tower was on the East side, and getting back up to the ridge was where I found it harder than 4th class. Some experienced Teton hands had warned me that I might run into some fifth-class climbing if I messed up, so I had my rock shoes in the pack and put them on when things seemed a little too dicey for running shoes.  I had the ridge and the summit to myself.  I had intended to go back down the ridge, since I had never been on the East face, but building thunderclouds incoming persuaded me that unknown but easy ground on a face would be safer than known exposed ridge climbing.  There was some snow on the face, and I was glad to have brought a short ax for a few patches.

rgold wrote:

Fritz Wiessner used to free solo routes in the Gunks well into his 80's.  Up Northern Pillar (5.2) and down Southern Pillar (5.3) was a favorite.  80's used to sound impossibly old to me, but now I have arrived at that penultimate destination myself. I'm climbing well enough to do those solos, but the urge is not there. I gave up real fifth-class soloing when my daughter was born in 1987, so it has been quite a while.  

Agree with you and John. Class 4 or up to 5.6 face climbing or hand cracks up to 5.7/8 seem reasonable to solo.

I still wouldn’t cause as you’ve noted, the urge just isn’t there unless it was an emergency situation?

Topping out 15-20 feet up Joshua Boulders isn’t bad either, but a V3 move 20 feet off the deck just isn’t for me anymore.

Alan Rubin wrote:

Excellent detective work Paul!!!

Did it take you long to find it or did you already have a sense of where it was?

I had a good idea of where to start looking. I'd recognized the Drilling Fields formation in the background of Gill’s photos, so it was a matter of wandering around lining up various features into the proper orientation. It took an hour or so and once I got close it was obvious. Glad it didn’t take any longer since a nasty winter storm hit when I got back to the car at lunchtime.

I thought that the formation in the background would be recognizable to someone very familiar with COR---it even looked familiar to me, though I couldn't quite place it.

Of course, the next step is for you to go and do John's problem, especially with his beta about having an 'escape rope' in place higher up!!!!

rgold wrote:

Fritz Wiessner used to free solo routes in the Gunks well into his 80's.  Up Northern Pillar (5.2) and down Southern Pillar (5.3) was a favorite.  80's used to sound impossibly old to me, but now I have arrived at that penultimate destination myself. I'm climbing well enough to do those solos, but the urge is not there. I gave up real fifth-class soloing when my daughter was born in 1987, so it has been quite a while.  

On my last trip to the Tetons in 2019 (at a sprightly 75), I soloed the East Ridge of Buck Mountain, which, although supposed to be 4th class, had a bit of 5.4 the way I went, which was obviously off-route.  At one point, it seemed to me that the way around a tower was on the East side, and getting back up to the ridge was where I found it harder than 4th class. Some experienced Teton hands had warned me that I might run into some fifth-class climbing if I messed up, so I had my rock shoes in the pack and put them on when things seemed a little too dicey for running shoes.  I had the ridge and the summit to myself.  I had intended to go back down the ridge, since I had never been on the East face, but building thunderclouds incoming persuaded me that unknown but easy ground on a face would be safer than known exposed ridge climbing.  There was some snow on the face, and I was glad to have brought a short ax for a few patches.

I used to free solo pretty regularly when I was younger. Never onsight and never close to my limit but like you as I got older family considerations (plus declining ability) led me to stop. I do still miss the zen like state I could get from covering a lot of terrain over moderate rock though.

From my book Advanced Rock Climbing:

“Free soloing has been said to be the purest form of rock climbing, but there is a fine line between the pure joy of fun-in-the-sun rock climbing, moving and flowing up the climb with nothing but air beneath your feet, and the sudden shadow of fear that can take over as quickly as a dark cloud eclipsing the sun. The free soloist faces the possibility of the ultimate irony: falling and dying as a direct result of being afraid to die, knowingly risking life for the pleasure of pure, unfettered freedom of movement.”

Peter Croft soloing Bearded Cabbage (10c) at Joshua Tree, 2009.

Idaho Bob wrote:

My biggest takeaway from my AMGA course was using a GriGri for belaying from the top.  All the benefits that Bob G. points out.  Yes, I also carry my DMM Pivot for rappels.  The slight added weight is well worth the safety and ease of use benefits.  We were also taught to always use a backup when lowering with a ATC or Pivot, regardless of the weight of the second.

I'm late to the party having been on an, unfortunately, non-climbing trip for 4 days.

Such great photos and stories!  Keep 'em coming!

I've been using the DMM Pivot for over 5 years now and love it but I am seeing more and more guides and others that I really respect moving to using the Grigri for any and all single followers on single and multipitch top belaying.

I have always liked the pivot as it is both the rappel device and a great belay device as well but I have to admit that after a long day of multipitch my shoulders are beat if I have been leading all pitches and belaying my follower up to me with the Pivot.

I bet that the Grigri is easier for that, eh?

And I already own the Freino so it would make the lowering super easy and safe, if needed, for my follower.

I might have to switch to using the Freino/Grigri combo for multipitch and, of course, still bring the Pivot for rappels.

As for the free solo comments, I've never done it but I can see how it is so appealing.  I simu-climbed the 3rd Flatiron a few years ago with a rope-gun Yosemite climber and we did all 8 pitches in 45 minutes.  It was amazing to just "fly" up it so smooth and fast.

But with kids and a wife, there is no route that is worth it to me to solo.  I've stuck my hand in a crack at the Gunks and found a big old black snake in it on lead one time and I almost fell on that one!  And holds break or bats fly out on any route, even 5.1's.  Just not worth it to me but I have no problem with it as long as they are not solo'ing above me when I am leading on route.

I had a few soloists on the Flatirons when I climbed them a few times and I would ask them to wait to pass me until I was at the belay and could "dodge" their 150-200 pound meat arrow if they happened to fall above me or my second.

They were always accommodating and had no problem with my request.

To each their own as long as it does not endanger me is my motto.

Trump is the biggest liar in the history of American politics," wrote Tomasky. "And no, I don’t know the precise extent to which Millard Fillmore or Benjamin Harrison was prone to prevarication. And yet, I write that sentence with serene confidence because I know enough about Fillmore and Harrison and the whole lot of them to know that, while many of them were mediocrities and some operated according to a rather elastic ethical scale, none of them was an outright sociopath."

"Anyone who couldn’t see" Trump was lying at least on those three issues, he continued, "was either brainwashed by right-wing media and social media or — well, or what? It’s hard to say. Maybe those people’s instinct is to hate liberals. Maybe they believed all that 'he’s a businessman' crap. Maybe they just didn’t want a woman in the White House. Whatever the case, they’re poor judges of character, and we — and this is a 'we' that includes them — are about to pay a high price for their bamboozlement."

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Trump is the biggest liar in the history of American politics," wrote Tomasky. "And no, I don’t know the precise extent to which Millard Fillmore or Benjamin Harrison was prone to prevarication. And yet, I write that sentence with serene confidence because I know enough about Fillmore and Harrison and the whole lot of them to know that, while many of them were mediocrities and some operated according to a rather elastic ethical scale, none of them was an outright sociopath."

"Anyone who couldn’t see" Trump was lying at least on those three issues, he continued, "was either brainwashed by right-wing media and social media or — well, or what? It’s hard to say. Maybe those people’s instinct is to hate liberals. Maybe they believed all that 'he’s a businessman' crap. Maybe they just didn’t want a woman in the White House. Whatever the case, they’re poor judges of character, and we — and this is a 'we' that includes them — are about to pay a high price for their bamboozlement."

From today. Utterly delusional. And no it doesn't matter to his supporters.

“And the egg prices are down 87%, but nobody talks about that. You can have all the eggs you want. We have too many eggs. In fact, if anything, the prices are getting too low,”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rmvyij68Fg&t=15s

My mutual funds were doing just fine up until his tariff disaster...they still haven't recovered to the level prior to January 20. And gas in my area is 40 cents a gallon higher than it was a couple of months ago. Not exactly my idea of 'winning'.

As NYT columnist Bret Stephens wrote today, "At this point, I’d gladly take a recession if that’s what it takes to wake Americans up to the threat Trump poses to our civil liberties." Unfortunately, many people who didn't ask for this would be collateral damage.

I started out with nothin. I got most of that left.