RRC Archives

Another "FA" reclaimed by a crusty traditionalist... damn!

At this point your clever moniker is basically part of the collective Bob Marley consciousness...

There is something special about a plumb line. I could be wrong but it seems like many of the sport climbing "plumbs" are created by water making its way to the ground. Routes that come to mind are King Me, Golden Touch, Golden Boy and Orange Juice. These are what I would call "plumbs" and "plums". The weakness is obvious. And the last three have the added bonus of the rocks color highlighting the line. And call me crazy but I think chalked holds look kinda cool on the orange rock.

Realization also comes to mind.

Personally, I think that the line being plumb is less important than there being a "line" aesthetically. Think of a dihedral or an arete. They aren't alway plumb but they do draw your eye to the route. Granted you don't always follow(climb) the line exactly but the "line" is there.

Have you ever climbed the "sport" climbs in Toulumne??? Talk about the opposite of a plumb line on some of those rigs. Here is the drill. You just wander around on a slab looking for bolts. It is really more of a dangerous Easter Egg hunt than sport climbing.

Are you talking about stuff like Ciebola and Golfer's Route? Bolted mostly from hooks on lead, so the FAs were constrained by finding adequate crystals on which to stop and drill a bolt. Interesting climbs for sure! I've always wanted to get on Electric Africa.

This can't be much further from a plum line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlcQ3mxlNfs and it looks pretty epic to me.

it is a plum, but it is not "plumb"

dustonian wrote:Are you talking about stuff like Ciebola and Golfer's Route? Bolted mostly from hooks on lead, so the FAs were constrained by finding adequate crystals on which to stop and drill a bolt. Interesting climbs for sure! I've always wanted to get on Electric Africa.

Hmm. Not sure of the names unfortunately. Not even sure of the dome to be honest. Very close to the road. Had its own parking lot. Anyway...I get how these non-plumbs happened. They where "constrained" by not just rapping in. I am just not sure they make good climbs. Fun I guess (only because I didn't cheese grate down any of them!).

A little off the topic but did you use any "special" gear in Toulumne? Little lassos or something???

Haha, no never did any lassoing in Tuolumne. Lots of slipknotting slings over chickenheads though.