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

When Black Flies Attack!

Many of us were fortunate enough to get out this weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather.  Having a great stretch of sunshine after weeks of rain is always a bonus.  There is, however, one thing that I never seem to be prepared for - the black fly season.

According to what I read this morning there are over 1,800 known species of black fly in the world today.  I also learned that they are an important part of the ecosystem and can be found throughout the world.  Of course the rational side of my brain totally understands how important these creatures are to the ecosystem.  Then there is the irrational side of my brain.  This part of my brain would love to wipe out the entire species as quickly as possible.  This past Friday night while at White Horse Ledge in North Conway I was reminded of something that I already knew: the power of one is no match for the power of many.

A simple outing gone awry...

When Brian and I arrived at the base of White Horse the black flies were nothing more then a nuisance.  It was not until the second anchor of Sliding Board that I fully realized what Brian and I were in for.  As soon as I stepped onto the small ledge the flood gates opened.  They swarmed around my head, crawled up into my helmet and within seconds had completely covered my shins and forearms.  I breathed them in and coughed them up.  There was little I could do other then build my anchor and belay Brian up to the ledge so he could join in on all the fun.

My shins, arms and neck became an all you can eat buffet....

Brian did not stay long.  He quickly stripped the gear from my harness and began to climb.  I guess he thought he could climb above the swarm and leave them behind.  No such luck.  I could see Brian swatting and swinging his arms wildly against the onslaught.  Not an easy thing to do while trying to keep one's balance.  This could have turned tragic since Brian was at least 30 feet above his last piece of protection.

A couple pitches later we put our tails between our legs and began our retreat.  As much as we wanted to continue the climb and enjoy the evening, there was little we could do other then run and hide from the insatiable hunger of the black fly...