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91

Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by Marco on April 01, 2025, 01:28:41 PM »

Maybe a Via Ferrata style cable across the 4th pitch traverse could be good.  Could do a Via Ferrata with steps cut out and a handrail up the bottom three pitches like the trail......

I'm all for it. This would be the time to use a rebolting get together. Everyone hand drilling 2 1/2" holes every two feet so we can get the rebar in ethically.

I thought there was only about a dozen old dudes who actually take the time to read this stuff.

That seems like a generous estimate.

Sound carries very easily in this area so you can pretty much talk in a normal volume and someone standing all the way over by the Sponge can hear you.
...
"You see that guy...if he falls from there he is gonna die.  What a dumb ass."

The best quotes come from climbing on the Monolith. Every dad of the group will then explain to his family how climbing works (it's never correct).
"The amount of chalk shows how difficult the route is", "they place those pieces of metal in the wall on their way up", and "the park supplies the ropes" are some of the top ones I've heard.

92

Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by NOAL on April 01, 2025, 12:06:16 PM »

I remember seeing that on Supertopo.

I have to say the contrast in traffic on the trail both Saturdays was way different than when I originally climbed this route in 2011 when Pinnacles was a National Monument.  I think then there were maybe less than a dozen people who passed by on the trail.   Sound carries very easily in this area so you can pretty much talk in a normal volume and someone standing all the way over by the Sponge can hear you.

I lead the second pitch that day.  There were two hikers over by the Sponge watching me when I was about mid pitch.  One guy was saying to his friend stuff like" You see that guy...if he falls from there he is gonna die.  What a dumb ass."  The two hikers continued standing there watching talking shit.  Eventually, my climbing partner couldn't take it anymore and shouted out "WE CAN HEAR EVERY WORD YOU ARE SAYING!!!"  I guess he was upset.  I kind of thought the whole thing was funny.

This Saturday we had a lot of people waving , taking photos ,and few asking questions like what are you doing?  The funniest one was a guy trying to impress his lady friends saying " I can do that if the holds are really big"  I told him there's lots of big holds and to come on over and I'd drop a rope down for him.  He changed his mind.

Point is if you pick your nose on this route some hiker is most likely gonna see you do it .So be on your best behavior and definitely don't eat the booger because if you do you'll end up going viral on Instagram or TikTok. 

93

Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by Brad Young on April 01, 2025, 11:46:09 AM »

It's bad enough having to drag that big crowbar up the climb.  Imagine having to have a big stick clip.  Maybe a Via Ferrata style cable across the 4th pitch traverse could be good.  Could do a Via Ferrata with steps cut out and a handrail up the bottom three pitches like the trail......

This made me wince.

About 10 years ago, Bill and Joel and I did a two-plus hour hike up Queen Mountain in Joshua Tree. We intended to and did climb two highly recommended climbs there, both three star routes.

Hiking back out we passed a formation that we had not seen on the way in. It had a steep wall up high that was grid-bolted and, to get to the base of that wall, someone had cut literal steps in the rock (you could see that they'd used a drill to repeatedly put holes right next to each other before "chunking" the rock out). The steps led right up to the base of the relatively new, hard, sport routes. None of this was in the book. Less than 50 feet away was an obvious campsite along with a fire ring and, hard to believe this even as I type it, charred Joshua Tree remnants.

Some months later the Park Service learned of all this. It was my perception that they were not happy with any of it.

The climbing ranger there, Bernadette, publicized the Park Service's displeasure to the climbing community on several internet sites, including Supertopo. Among her more formal comments was this less formal, biting gem making fun of the "need" for steps (paraphrased to my best memory):

"And as to the steps cut in the rock - I walked up the slab next to the steps without using them all while in my ranger uniform and hiking shoes."

Actually, if she posted on Supertopo, this might have been more like 15 years ago.

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by NOAL on April 01, 2025, 11:20:19 AM »

Edit:

deleted due to stick clip up butt.

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by Brad Young on April 01, 2025, 10:36:52 AM »

^^^

Are you aware that some innocent people read this forum and do not know (yet) that you are a punk who loves to jest?

Besides, Noal wouldn't have just "voted" no. He would have beaten you with a hammer (thick skull - possibly no effect).

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by Marco on April 01, 2025, 10:28:25 AM »

EDIT: previously this was a post about retrobolting in the spirit of April fools, due to not wanting to risk the safety of the 12 older men reading this I have since removed the comment

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by NOAL on April 01, 2025, 09:38:37 AM »

Did you weigh close to 300lbs?

Waldo's advice was most likely true.  The button heads on the route  could of come out with an outward pull of body weight.

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Condor Condiment Rebolting

« Last post by clink on April 01, 2025, 05:34:27 AM »

Thank you! I once tested one of those old bolts while breaking a foothold.

Waldo said it was best to not lean out while clipped to the anchors.

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Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Booty Retrievel Quest

« Last post by clink on April 01, 2025, 05:25:19 AM »

Nice! I hope it at least gets donated to a museum.

100

Masters of Mud -- Pinnacles / Re: Booty Retrievel Quest

« Last post by NOAL on March 31, 2025, 02:52:21 PM »

Ah, the pink tri cam at that.  The best one! 

We had some guys with a drone filming us this weekend too.  Really annoying.  It was already hard enough to enforce rules before the cuts but now I imagine impossible.

You must have placed it in the crack at the X part. Hope you get it back.