Phat Options

Quick work of some fine rock

Options are great, but they are not always available.  Climbing at Cathedral Ledge as a 5.7 trad leader means few options, but climbing in the same area as a 5.12 leader means hundreds of options.  Climbing at Cathedral as a sport climber without a trad rack means no options, at least no protected ones.  In many ways options and skill sets go hand in hand.  The skill sets can be driven by level of difficulty (5.7 leader vs. 5.12 leader) or the type of climbing (bouldering vs. sport climbing, or sport climbing vs. trad climbing).  As we found out a couple of weeks ago a broader skill set can translate into better options.   

In late November Brian, Greg and I set out to hit some ice up in Huntington's Ravine.  We woke up early, made the trek from Portland, and began to gear up in the parking lot.  Before we arrived we could see that the ravine looked bare and we were not confident about what kind of conditions we would find.   

The parking lot was full of folks from all over New England ready to get on some ice.  We saw crampons, ice tools and helmets being pulled from cars and strapped onto packs.  We figured that if there was any ice in the ravine it would be in either Pinnacle Gully or on the left side of Odells.  We knew that there were few climbing options, but many climbers. 

For us the choice to leave our tools, ice screws and crampons in the car seemed to make the most sense.  We didn't have climbing shoes, but we figured it would be good practice to climb in our ice boots instead.  We had ropes, helmets, harnesses, trad gear, and "phat boots".  We had options.

Although we made great time on the approach there were three parties at the base of Pinnacle Gully, one party on their way up and more folks headed up.  While we were roping up at the base of Pinnacle Buttress we saw a solo climber pass over a party at the mid point of the first pitch on a thin section of ice.  We heard grumblings from the climbers below as debris fell onto them just as they were getting onto the pitch.  As we made our way up the first couple of pitches of rock we heard ice call outs and harsh tones.  By the third pitch of the buttress I was down to one layer and was soaking in the sun.

We were moving quickly for a group of three until we came to the base of the 5.8 variation.  At this point a new strategy was needed to tackle the more difficult terrain.  Although we didn't have any aid gear Greg made quick work of the pitch by using the existing pins, a few cams, nuts and slings to help him through the most technical parts.  As we moved up the cliff we stayed in front of the sun and managed to escape the shade that was forming behind and below us.  

Sunny warm and fuzzy...

I have not climbed extensively in phat boots and I'm always amazed at how quickly my feet seem to adapt.  As far as I can tell climbing in phat boots is more about edging then smearing and when a foot slips it seems to blow off the hold rather then gradually slipping off.  Although my feet were a little warm, they were snug and comfortable and did not ache from being too tight or lacking support. 

GB looks better exposed...

We were soon scrambling our way up to the edge of the alpine garden above both the buttress and the gully.  Once again we were heading up into the sun and leaving the shadows behind us.  I was envious of those that got in a day of ice, but I was pleased that we had avoided the crowd, the falling ice, and the cold for one more day.  I was also able to bridge the gap between rock and ice by improving my ability to edge, smear and trust my feet and gear in a different way.  We saw our options, and made them available.

Post Pinnacle Lions Head

No really, trust me

Solid?

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend Saturday on Pinnacle Buttress and Sunday on Sliding Board at White Horse. On Pinnacle Buttress we came across several pins and on Sliding Board we came across some left over “booty” - a small nut and a carabiner. I clipped all of them. Some of them I backed up, and some I did not. The one’s that looked solid I clipped independently and the one’s that looked questionable, like the one pictured above, I backed up. Sometimes I feel absolutely confident about the placement and sometimes I do not.

Now I have not been climbing for very long, but I came to the realization that there is no set, sure-fire way to measure the durability of left over pins, passive or active protection while on a route. Cams, nuts, pins, old knotted up runners, and tricams that have been left behind during emergency repels, through the generosity of local care takers, or placed with a tad too much enthusiasm can be found all over the world. Sometimes they can be claimed as “booty”, ignored and not used, or provide the only protection to be found anywhere on that particular section of the route.

While climbing with three folks from Spain in the Fitz Roy Range (Amy Coulier, Aguja Guillaumet - East face) in January of 2011 I learned that not everyone looks at left over protection the same way. I was, compared to the rest of my party, far more skeptical of the integrity of the repel stations we were using. I did back one anchor up (to the amusement of my friends from Spain), but the rest of the stations passed my on site, thirty second scrutinies. A year later I landed on the other side of skeptical when I did not back up three pins as an anchor at the top of a climb on Cathedral called Black Lung. As far as my friend was concerned, a three pin anchor was not a safe option and it should have been backed up. I do not think, at this point, that I was wrong and he was right. Or, for that matter the other way around. What I do think is that when I climb with this particular friend I will take into consideration not only my judgement, but his.

For me there is a great deal of technical information that is essential to staying safe on a climb. No one should ever underestimate how important that can be. But there is also good old fashioned judgement that seems to be a mix of experience, art and confidence that is constantly shifting and expanding.