Bolting in NC – Moore’s Wall

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Jon

An unknown climber wrote this comment on an old post of mine. I think he or she has a really good point.

Climbed at Moores Wall, NC last week and there must have been 10 people waiting to rap down the sentinel anchor. There were two people on Zoo View, two on Air Show and at least 6 on the ledge.

There is a big discussion on rockclimbing.com about putting in more anchors around Moores Wall. This issue has been discussed for years and seems to never go anywhere.

So does anyone actually know if they are going to put in some bolted anchors above certain one pitch routes to make it easier to get down so we can do more routes in a day instead of waiting for 45 minutes to get down????

I would put them in myself since I have bolted a lot of routes an CO but everyone around NC states they will be cut.

I think the next step is to call the Hanging Rock State Park and explain that there are more and more inexperienced climbers coming to Moores and someone is going to hurt themselves if we don’t get safer anchors up.

I have been climbing for 12 years and I saw some very unsafe issues this weekend.

FYI

As rock climbing becomes more popular in North Carolina the standard exits are becoming overwhelmed which is creating a real danger. The ledge referenced above is fairly substantial, maybe a large pickup truck bed, but six people on it is getting a little too cozy. What are your thoughts? Should Moore’s Wall get new bolts?

New River Gorge, WV – Bridge Buttress

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Jon

I recently headed up to New River Gorge to do some rock climbing. Considering I had never been there it seemed like something I should do before I move from the east coast to the PNW. Planning is not my M.O. but I was meeting a bunch of my brother’s friends at New River Gorge and this was the only weekend that fit everyone’s schedule. The downside to planning a weekend in advance and what I use as an excuse for not planning is that you are at the mercy of the weather. The gamble on this weekend did not payoff and we got rained on pretty steadily which sucked.

We went to the NRG to climb and climb we did, weather be damned. We originally planned to climb at Bubba City but as the heavens opened up that plan was quickly derailed. Hoping that the rain would pass we all huddled under overhangs in a rather futile attempt to stay dry. There was a brief break in the rain and Dave decided to put up a top rope on a damp 5.7 but other than that it was a bust.

As the weather continued to deteriorate the consensus was that we should head over to Bridge Buttress and climb under the shelter of a gigantic roof. When we got there I was pretty impressed by the size of the roof. It had to be at least 30 feet deep. The crazy thing about the roof was not its size but rather the fact that the roof was bolted. I can hardly imagine climbing a roof that deep and that steep.

Dave got on the rock a little before me and started putting up the first pitch of High Times at 5.10c. In good fashion he started hiking it but struggled at the top which involved some friction steps. The rock was sweaty and the crack was in his words “moist.” Last I checked friction moves don’t go along with wet rock but he assured me the rock was fine after he scrambled to the anchors.

I’ve been trying to suck it up lately and lead more, especially when I’m scared and conditions are less than ideal. There happened to be a very short 5.7 crack on the wall (Horton’s Tree) and I decided that I had to force my way up it. After racking up and making sure my chalk bag was full I started up it and by “started up it” I mean slid off the start about a dozen times. Despite the pit in my stomach I was resolved to get up it. 1/2 a chalk bag later, the crack went from wet to damp and the feet went from slick to sweaty. Despite my poor form, in the end I thrashed and dangled my way up it and to me that is what counts. Funny thing is, about an hour later I TRed it smooth like butta.

I don’t typically climb with a large group at popular crags so I rarely see bona fide strong climbers working hard routes. Prior to the New River Gorge trip I had never seen someone put up a 5.12 line. With a top rope already set up on High Times, Dave danced his way up Let the Wind Blow at 5.12a. I have to say that I am now inspired to climb “hard” and even though I probably will never be able to climb harder than say 5.11 on TR, I am determined to become a 5.10 trad climber. Maybe that is unrealistic but with some serious gym time and a bit of miracle gro to put hair on my chest it just might happen.

The rest of the day we climbed on other classics such as Zag (5.8), a generic 5.6 and Jaws (5.9+) which is an incredibly awkward corner crack and much like wrestling a bear. Despite the weather, it was a good day and a great introduction to New River Gorge rock climbing.

Vedauwoo Climbing – I’m Down for Anything Once

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Jon

I am down for anything once. Life is too short to pass up on experiences just because they are scary, unknown or taboo. This attitude has gotten me in a lot of trouble in the past but it has also exposed me to the “fringe” and that is where the action is at.

I mention this because I have been reading a lot about Vedauwoo lately. Alpinist issue 20 turned me on to the area but the blog ColoCalders.com hooked me and put Vedauwoo on my hit list. What sealed the deal was this little quote from Kate -

“Five short hours in Vedauwoo, and we were sliced open by razor-sharp rock, beaten up by overhanging crack climbs, drenched in icy water, hailed on, and fell down wet slabs. It was a good day – let the Vedauwoo season begin!” (link)

Vedauwoo sounds like an adventure but more importantly it sounds unique. Sure there are many places that can chew you up and spit you out but an area known for its fierce offwidth climbing has to have something magical otherwise why would anybody climb there? I mean how many people have a rack of #5 & #6 camalots? Those things are monstrous! I know some people are offwidth aficionados but I can’t imagine there are enough of those people to make an area renown.

As I make my way cross country next month as I move from the slabs of North Carolina to the volcanoes of Washington I might have to make a pit stop in Vedauwoo just to say I’ve been there. Maybe I’ll find a partner, maybe not but either way I have a feeling I’ll experience the magic.

Photo Courtesy Ryan Ludwig

How To Belay – The Soft Skills

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Jon

There are plenty of resources out there that can teach you the hard skills on how to belay. There are more forum posts on overhand vs underhand belaying technique than I care to mention and don’t get people started on gri-gri vs ATC style belay devices. While all those articles are well and good at teaching the hard skills I find that even a belayer with perfect technique can be a poor belayer because of terrible soft skills.

The reason I mention this is because I recently climbed with my buddy Mike who is a novice climber and even though he has good technique and I “knew” he wasn’t going to drop me, he was lacking the soft skills that make a belayer a good belayer.

The first rule of being a good belayer is to inspire confidence in the leader. This can range from the occasional “you got this” to “moving smooth like butta.” The key here is to reassure without breaking their concentration. There is nothing worse than a belayer constantly yapping but the occasional encouraging word lets the leader know you’re paying attention and are ready to catch them should they fall. Every comment should be inspiring which means that the last thing you want to say are things like “I think you need to put pro in” or “man you’re run out” because I assure you the leader is well aware of the situation.

Don’t short rope the leader and likewise don’t use a top rope to pull the climber up the route. There is no greater sin than a belayer causing a leader to fall because they short roped him. While lead climbing leave enough lack in the rope for the leader to make a couple of moves. On top rope make sure the slack is out of the system but you’re not providing upward tension.

Don’t spew beta just because it looks like the leader is struggling. If the leader needs some help he will ask!

When a climber is clipping make sure they have enough slack to smoothly grab the rope and clip in. If you don’t give enough slack you can throw the climber out of balance and cause him to dump at the point that they are furthest away from their last piece of pro.

When climbing on double ropes I find it helpful for the belayer to make sure I am not crossing ropes and mention whether I should clip the red or blue rope. Ultimately it is my decision which rope to clip but the belayer has the best view of the entire system. This also allows the belayer to protect themselves from a nasty pendelum fall in case you accidentally forget to pay attention to that.

Sometimes people will put in shoddy pro as mental pieces. It is not good practice but some people do it. If one of those pieces pops loose while they are climbing don’t mention it if it isn’t their last piece because it will destroy their confidence in the rest of the pro. If it is their last piece mention it in a non-panicky way like “that crack you’re at looks like it will eat up a cam.”

On loose routes and when ice climbing make sure you are not directly below the climber. This should be common sense but unfortunately I’ve seen it a lot.

On multipitch once the leader is off belay make sure you are getting ready to follow. Tie your shoes, down a power gel, put on your backpack, etc. This saves a lot of time and frustration for the leader.

These are just a few of the rules I can think of off the top of my head. Learning how to belay well is an experience thing but hopefully these belaying tips will give you a jump start. If I forgot any tips on how to belay please leave a comment for the next guy.

Looking Glass – The Nose Trip Report

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Jon

Quick, what’s the worst thing that can happen to your climbing partner? A busted face? A busted leg? I contend that the worst thing that can happen to a climbing partner is catching a nasty case of girlfrienditis. Not only is he not climbing with you but you know he is physically able to and is choosing to forgo shared epics with you to spend time on terra firma with her. I dodged that bullet when Ben, my climbing partner, was tamed by Tonia because she had been infected with the climbing bug and wanted to learn the mysteries of crusty trad climbing. I mention this because I climbed The Nose at Looking Glass with Ben and Tonia or as they call each other in sickening lovey dovey-ness ”hun” and “baby”.

The Nose at Looking Glass is possibly the most well known route in North Carolina. Before I leave for Seattle I had to hit it for that reason and that reason alone. Clocking in at 5.8 it is four pitches of eyebrows and friction. There is a ton of accurate beta floating around the ’net or in the guidebook (link). It is trad but with bolted anchors on comfy ledges.

Being a classic route and all, it has been worn clean and route finding is pretty obvious if you have any sense what so ever. It is the first route I’ve seen that actually has grooves in the rock from cams being repeatedly placed. In a sea of eyebrows you can’t get lost. Speaking of eyebrows, The Nose is the de facto standard for eyebrow climbing. If you’ve never seen one, an eyebrow is a horizontal slit in the wall that has a sloper bottom but a bomber upside down rail top. They are mini caves in the wall that just eat tricams and provide amazing underclings.

I have really been trying to step up my leading lately in anticipation of not having Ben as a rope gun. I took a 5.7+ pitch on Groover at Laurel Knob and I decided to take the third pitch of The Nose (5.8) this weekend. While that might not sound like much let me put it this way, I can’t consistently climb 5.9 and at 5.10 I have more misses than hits. 5.8 is climbing at my edge but you only get better by pushing the edge, right?

The crux is early on in the third pitch of the Nose and all I had in was a flaring, shallow orange TCU. Not exactly confidence inspiring. After a few minutes of going mentally sketchball and baby stepping my way nowhere I found a beautiful slot to drop a cam that protected the rest of the crux. A couple of deep breaths and I committed to the friction steps of the crux. Luckily with the first committed step I found my groove and 5 mini moves later I was cruising. I have no idea why I mentally struggled so much because this 5.8 felt two grades easier than the first pitch of Groover but I guess every day is different. (Groover Trip Report)

All in all I don’t know what the fuss about The Nose is. Personally I preferred Rat’s Ass and Second Coming to The Nose. If you’re at Looking Glass The Nose is a must do but don’t expect something magical like The Maginot Line at Shortoff Mountain. You’ll just be left disappointed. I should also say that this is an easier 5.8 and pretty tame as far as multipitch goes. If you’re a fledgling 5.8 leader then this is the route to do.

Postscript:

On the rappel down I met Andrew, a New Zealander in the States for a camp. He was climbing Sundial Crack which is purportedly better than The Nose. Definitely hit them both while you’re there. If you move efficiently The Nose shouldn’t take more than a few hours and the same goes for Sundial Crack. All the pictures of the guy with orange cordollete are on Sundial Crack.