Speak Up!
Re: Speak Up!
What's to say? Plugging gear is alive and well in the gorge!
Personally I'm not racking up huge miles but hitting some of the routes that I've never made time for, and some I had never in even thought possible, and even more that are well, let's say they've never had gear in 'em before. Few weeks back finally got on Whiteout after years of driving down the highway and looking at it. Big fun. The shocker that day was Sharp though. Jeff and I were both amazed at how good that line was, and how many have just not gone around the corner (no excuse now since it has anchors!). Got on Brontosaurus this year for the first time and would have had a shot at it had it not been pouring rain (with subsequent seeping in the crux). Also, I have a long standing feud with No Return that I hope to put to bed this year. (I happened to be out there a couple of months ago and got on it on TR to clean some guys gear who were from Michigan, and it felt great!) Also, on the hit list for this fall is Minas Tirith and Jungle Beat, and I'm threatening to go to Purple Valley and finally check out Burden of Dreams (any beta accepted!).
And then there's a couple of trad lines I've FA'd with Scott Hammon this year, and a couple of more slightly hidden "project" lines. Great variety of movement on "soon to be classic(?)" lines and oh-so-much fun just to be blasting through rhodos, scrubbing lichen and pulling weeds! I'll post 'em up on FB later this year.
But I have to say, as far trad this year, my big trad stories aren't from the gorge. I went out west with previously mentioned Scott Hammon and got schooled in Eldorado Canyon, Boulder Canyon and then up to Vedauwoo. This was an awesome experience for a 50 year old who had only climbed outside the gorge only once before. Highlight of the trip was topping out Redgarten Wall via Icarus (and then surviving the walk off!) Talk about an awe-inspiring week of multi-pitch madness that we wished would never end!
And the year isn't over, the season is just starting. There are several more good months of climbing (the best of the year) and I expect to bolt a few more sets of anchors as well as cleanly touching some existing ones. I gotta say, it's a great time to be a traddie in Kentucky!
Personally I'm not racking up huge miles but hitting some of the routes that I've never made time for, and some I had never in even thought possible, and even more that are well, let's say they've never had gear in 'em before. Few weeks back finally got on Whiteout after years of driving down the highway and looking at it. Big fun. The shocker that day was Sharp though. Jeff and I were both amazed at how good that line was, and how many have just not gone around the corner (no excuse now since it has anchors!). Got on Brontosaurus this year for the first time and would have had a shot at it had it not been pouring rain (with subsequent seeping in the crux). Also, I have a long standing feud with No Return that I hope to put to bed this year. (I happened to be out there a couple of months ago and got on it on TR to clean some guys gear who were from Michigan, and it felt great!) Also, on the hit list for this fall is Minas Tirith and Jungle Beat, and I'm threatening to go to Purple Valley and finally check out Burden of Dreams (any beta accepted!).
And then there's a couple of trad lines I've FA'd with Scott Hammon this year, and a couple of more slightly hidden "project" lines. Great variety of movement on "soon to be classic(?)" lines and oh-so-much fun just to be blasting through rhodos, scrubbing lichen and pulling weeds! I'll post 'em up on FB later this year.
But I have to say, as far trad this year, my big trad stories aren't from the gorge. I went out west with previously mentioned Scott Hammon and got schooled in Eldorado Canyon, Boulder Canyon and then up to Vedauwoo. This was an awesome experience for a 50 year old who had only climbed outside the gorge only once before. Highlight of the trip was topping out Redgarten Wall via Icarus (and then surviving the walk off!) Talk about an awe-inspiring week of multi-pitch madness that we wished would never end!
And the year isn't over, the season is just starting. There are several more good months of climbing (the best of the year) and I expect to bolt a few more sets of anchors as well as cleanly touching some existing ones. I gotta say, it's a great time to be a traddie in Kentucky!
Pick myself up, stop lookin' back.
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Re: Speak Up!
Cool. I must say, I was starting to wonder.
Re: Speak Up!
That being up in the gunks 2 years ago. If you're gonna leave the nest, may as well make it great.rjackson wrote: This was an awesome experience for a 50 year old who had only climbed outside the gorge only once before.
Re: Speak Up!
I've been plugging gear at the Red whenever I can talk a partner into it. My latest kick has been wild, unknown and dirty onsight from the ground up. 5.9 is 5.10 + headgame.
Re: Speak Up!
It is a little known fact that cams were invented to bolt steep sport routes. Not sure if you guys knew that.
Living the dream
Re: Speak Up!
Getting Down on It. excellent. had chills walking the halls to get my coffee after reading that rjackson.
did Sharp this weekend coming off No Place Like Home, couldn't believe i'd never heard of it before. there was a crew on Whiteout which, ignorant foreigner i am, i'd never heard people talk about. No Return! love that approach to the clean flat space, leering base and coy upper corner. on and on...
thanks!
did Sharp this weekend coming off No Place Like Home, couldn't believe i'd never heard of it before. there was a crew on Whiteout which, ignorant foreigner i am, i'd never heard people talk about. No Return! love that approach to the clean flat space, leering base and coy upper corner. on and on...
thanks!
training is for people who care, i have a job.
Re: Speak Up!
I've been plugging gear like crazy this year, but haven't made it down to the red yet. I got on some awesome stuff at Eldorado Canyon, and At the spiders web in the adirondacks. Also working on the 2nd ascent of an awesome 11R trad route here in PA. I'm really loving it so far. I lost my trad head 7 or 8 years ago and just couldn't do hard trad for a while. Now I seem to have it back and its quite fun. Sport is great, but many of the best routes in existence require gear to get to the top.
I'm still bummed that I got rained off of the 4th pitch of the Naked Edge. I will be going back for that one. Incredible route.
I'm still bummed that I got rained off of the 4th pitch of the Naked Edge. I will be going back for that one. Incredible route.
Re: Speak Up!
Ill go ahead and spray for my man Heath! Put it out early spring I was looking to learn some Trad. He's been the ropegun dragging my ass up ever since. Since April we've been ticking moderate classic's all through the Red. Im pretty sure we've climbed about everything at Fortress if not twice. Wall of Denial was super nice with a nice approach and great lines like Funhouse and Strick 9, looking forward to getting back there again. Its funny rjackson mentioned whiteout. We climbed it last week "and i say this everytime" but i think its my favorite 8 in the Red! and with one pitch, Vision offers a similar view. With the leaves falling and the weather cooling off were gonna focus on more multi pitch. Foxfire and Diamond in the Crack are in the crosshairs for the week, any other must do's? Now if I can just figure out how to get my feet over a piece of pro.