Top Out

Placing a cam? Slotting a nut? Slinging a tree?
Paul3eb
Posts: 2445
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:49 am

Post by Paul3eb »

all this talk of day routes and scary stuff that hasn't seen many repeats or at least successful repeats.. kinda makes me want to try all the r and x stuff in the gorge after it gets too hot.. say july/august :twisted:

anyone with me? i'll lead the pitches.. just need someone to belay, preferably with medical experience. we can call it the summer of survival (hopefully).. ;)
and great loves will one day have to part -smashing pumpkins
RRO
Posts: 1949
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 4:18 am

Post by RRO »

im in
http://www.redriveroutdoors.com

If you need to contact me , email me. Less Internet, less stress
Day
Posts: 187
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:21 pm

Post by Day »

When I first started climbing I loved everything about it except the danger. But I was already hopelessly hooked by the time I saw my first issue of that great British climbing rag Mountain. I got a shock when, flipping through the pages, I came upon the obituaries section. The obits always had maybe one old codger that had died in his 80s or 90s, and, sadly, several young climbers that had gotten the chop at the absolute top of their games, usually in the Himalayas, sometimes in the Alps, and occasionally on some British horror show route like a slate sea cliff or such.

With this in mind I became really cautious about the pro and tended to sew routes up with pieces that I did my best to weld in place. Over time it got to be a real pain in the ass waiting for the second to clean the pitch, so I learned to place good gear that was easily removed. I got pretty good at it, and noticed that I frequently found "poorly protected" pitches to be not so difficult to protect at all. Slowly, like a some sort of pathetic junkie, I got hooked on the sport of turning Xs into Rs, and Rs into PGs. It was a ton of fun. Just glad I never had to pay the full price of admission to this intoxicating game. The culmination of this kind of stuff was a mixed route that Malcolm Daly and I did in RMNP. We called it Dazed and Confused. We had a 330 ft 9mm rope, and Malcolm lead one 300 ft pitch that had maybe one runner, then the last move on the last pitch was really hard, and at least 200 ft above the last piece. Again, it was Malcolm's lead. I never saw anybody with a cooler head than him in that kind of situation.

I never got that much into the soloing thing, however. It just didn't make sense to me. If I had a rope and some pieces I always believed I could keep my ass off the ground.
Paul3eb
Posts: 2445
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:49 am

Post by Paul3eb »

Day wrote:I never got that much into the soloing thing, however. It just didn't make sense to me. If I had a rope and some pieces I always believed I could keep my ass off the ground.
it's thin line, huh? ;) somehow, i believe the same.. we've all got to be careful about beliefs, though..
rro wrote:im in
only say it if you mean it ;)

are you talking about weekends or weekdays? if you're talking weekdays.. i'll do what i can but don't forget that i am the Paul3eb ;)
and great loves will one day have to part -smashing pumpkins
Yasmeen
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2002 10:42 am

Post by Yasmeen »

Sure - the precedent was set with Milkin the Chicken. As long as I don't *have* to lead scary, doom-filled pitches, I'm down.
"I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory." --Paul
---
(Emails > PMs)
Wes
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Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2002 3:46 pm

Post by Wes »

Corporate Whore wrote:kinda makes me want to try all the r and x stuff in the gorge after it gets too hot
Could this be the start of the angry Paul phase? You just need some death metal and some clips of Michael Reardon to get you psyched. But, please don't let the pendulum swing all the from emo to goth, as I don't think you would look good in all black.
"There is no secret ingredient"

Po, the kung fu panda
RRO
Posts: 1949
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 4:18 am

Post by RRO »

weekdays for me chief, you know that
http://www.redriveroutdoors.com

If you need to contact me , email me. Less Internet, less stress
JR
Posts: 1128
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2002 6:18 pm

Post by JR »

Hey wes, I saw Micheal Reardon this winter at Crossroads Coffee shop in Joshua Tree. Yes, he was wearing his red soling shirt.
BigRed
Posts: 150
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 12:19 am

Post by BigRed »

BEDTIME FOR BONZO was a cool topout for the red.

oh and Chainsaw Massacre was good too. :wink:
Grip it and Rip it!
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ynot
Posts: 6432
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2002 1:02 am

Post by ynot »

There's a picture of Katie Brown working a finger crack at the Red in the new Mountain gear catalog. Any one know what route it is?
"Everyone should have a plan for the zombie apocolipse" Courtney
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