2011-12 Joshua Tree Season Begins!

Going for it on Bearded Cabbage

Flailing on Bearded Cabbage

Great season opener weekend at Joshua Tree!  Good people and good times.  I ticked a few new ones: Ball Bearing (5.10a, linked both pitches), Pope's Crack (5.9) and the iconic Bearded Cabbage (5.10c).  I had been hesitant to get on Bearded Cabbage in the past, but Ben and I laid siege to it on Sunday.  I thought I might send.  Nope!  On the first go I swung my hand over into the crack and thought "Oh, that wasn't so hard." A few seconds later I was dangling on the end of the rope.  It's the transition of getting the second (right) hand in.  On the second go I managed an insecure jam that got me in, but I pitched off again before I could get established. Finally, I fully committed to the jam and made a couple of semi-desperate jams to a great stance in the crack.  Hard (burly) move, but I think I could figure out some alternative beta.  After that the business is over, but don't forget to enjoy the moves because this hand crack alone would make for something of a classic...

Sending Bearded Cabbage (kind of)!

I also repeated ascents of: Stichter Quits (5.7, Nathan lead), Touch and Go (5.9), Fote Hog (5.6, Nathan lead), Hobbit Roof (5.10d, Ben lead), and Toe Jam (5.6, Ben in approach shoes lead).  Great weekend out!

Nathan firing Stichter Quits (5.7). 120', 4 bolts.

Tahquitz Season 2011

Tecates for all at the Tahquitz summit

It seems like the temps are really starting to come down in the mountains.  With no upcoming prospects of getting back to Idyllwild's Tahquitz Rock, it may be the end of the 2011 Tahquitz season.  But don't despair-  J-tree is also cooling down and we should be seeing climbing temps in the next couple of weeks!  Psyched!

Let's look at the season rundown for Tahquitz.  I got back to California in mid-September after six months in East Africa (~1 month ago).

Left Ski Track (5.6, 3 pitches), Dahlia Midge and Elijah Whippsalm. DM lead all three pitches. Bravo.

The Long Climb (5.8, 6 pitches), Elijah Whippsalm* Great day out! Full value climb with E-dub!

El Camino Real (5.10, 3 pitches), Fen Beintzeig* Pitch 3 is a long, sustained layback. Excellent.

Right Ski Track (5.9, 2 pitches), Fen Beintzeig* Cool sequence when the crack runs out on P1...

Super Pooper (5.10a/b, 3 pitches), Fen Beintzeig*  Froze my ass off.

The Vampire (5.11a, 4 pitches), Fen Beintzeig*  Amazing. See previous post.

Coffin Nail (5.8, 2 pitches (linked to Traitor Horn)), Fen Beintzeig. One star in the guidebook? Really?

Traitor Horn (5.8, 2 pitches), Fen Beintzeig. I was scared on the traitor horn traverse, but my lead head is back now, I think.

* first time up the route

Dahlia scopes out the ski tracks

The Vampire

Tahquitz Rock, California

Amazing position on Tahquitz Rock up the one of the most improbable lines.  Ben Feintzeig and I got on it this past Sunday (Oct. 16th, 2011).  Although we flailed our way up the bat crack it is, without a doubt, five star rock climb.

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Approach (2 pitches): From the base of the Trough head up and left to the large ledge with trees.  Belay here.  Then head up and left into a corner with several cracks (5.6) to "Vampire Ledge."  You could easily simul-climb this whole approach.

The route.  Straight up the guts of Tahquitz Rock.  Look at it!  
The first two pitches are approaches to P1.

Pitch 1: The Bat Crack.  We did the classic, non-direct start.  The direct start does not increase the grade, but is more sustained (and we heard there is a lot of bat crap). Getting into the Bat Crack from Vampire ledge is certainly funky, and it requires a 10' down climb (a bit spooky if it's your first time, but it's all there).

If you want to place something when you get into the crack, you will need to walk up your gear (#1BD) until you get a little above your belayer in order to avoid rope drag.  It's slammer hands for some way and then gets to fingers-- this is where the pump really begins to  set in.

A fixed piton is found through strenuous moves before the 1st rest above.  A short interesting section when the crack widens, and you're forced to clip a bolt off of two flat holds on the right side of the crack.  The next sequence requires a semi-desperate move with a high step and a precarious left-hand finger lock (or jam).  It seems that Fen always finds finger locks while I usually find jams.

Save some juice for the 5.10d mantle to the chains.  Place something high on right to protect the move (#2 or 3BD works great).  Pumpy, awesome pitch.

Ben starting up the Bat Crack

Protecting the mantle move (over the white streak)

Pitch 2: A three or four move traverse sequence off of sharp crimps and friction footholds leads to a thin crack out left.  I adjusted my feet here and slam dunked my right hand above my left hand onto the flake (jug).  The sequence here is rated 5.11a and fall at this point would land you back at the belay (PG).

Now prepare yourself for some of the best, most exposed 5.10 flake moves you'll ever do.  Gear and fun abundant.  This pitch is so very good.  Follow the flakes up until you can traverse out left on a hand rail to a bolted hanging belay.  

Me nearing the end of P2. Exposure!

Pitch 3: Head back to the flake and up a few moves to a bolt up on the right face.  A short steep sequence on marginal crimps/scrimps (5.11a) brings you through some delicate moves up a lower angle thin crack.  Continue up to easier terrain with good gear and a hanging belay in an obvious alcove.

This was the technical crux (I fell following this pitch), but my personal crux remains the endurance first pitch, The Bat Crack.

Pitch 4: Take the crack on the left up through two roof sections.  Looks somewhat improbable from the belay, but turns out to be no harder than 5.8 to the top.  I kept waiting for a heinous friction slab...