New Route

[Uncle Stinky]

On 4-20, the date,  nothing to do with that 4-20, I finished a new route, sorry Brad- a good short climb on the short north face of Byzantine. I was up in Pinns for 4 days this week and my partner could not make it for the day so I rope soloed it.  3X and 5.6, with one anchor bolt and easy walk off, a bit dirty still but a pleasant romp.   Also got in about 10 new climbs, for me,  all free solo except one I clipped a bolt with a sling to protect the crux move. Brad, that was one of climbs you did last Sunday. Perfect weather and saw only 2 other climbers except for a kid camp. Cheers  

I think the name will be "Perne in a gyre"

[Brad Young]

Nice. I'll try to get out and do the SA.

Is the anchor bolt in a place that it now serves No Country for Old Men too? That would be a well placed bolt.

[Uncle Stinky]

Nope,  that would be quite  far, but I scoped out a couple more moderates so I hope to be back in the area this season and put an anchor in. 

[Brad Young]

Nope,  that would be quite  far, but I scoped out a couple more moderates so I hope to be back in the area this season and put an anchor in. 

OK, got it. It took your second comment to realize where the north face of the formation is.

[Uncle Stinky]

I guess the date is 3-20    I guess I should learn my months.

[clink]

Way to go Stinky, tearing it up! Inspiring

[clink]

R Long runouts are present. There is enough protection to stop you from hitting the ground but injuries may occur.

X Little or no protection. There are areas where falling is not acceptable. Death can occur from a fall on this climb.

There are some great names in the above descriptions: Injuries Can Occur, Little or No Pro, Falling is Not Acceptable, or Death Can Occur. Others that come to mind, Accidental Death and My Ass is Badder than Yours(my favorite).

Opening up the pharmacy(r/x) noobies beware. Placing bolts is so overrated.

JC pointed out a half dozen r/x routes yesterday in the reservoir vicinity. There was also a well protected 5.5 that Rosie led on 4th Sister. Quite a contrast of commitment.

Are there any r/x routes that are unrepeated in the Pinns?  Brad must have done most of them.

It is one thing to see a 5.10-11 leader run it out but watching JC and Aaron on R territory, near their limit has been inspiring (and prayer inducing ). And we all keep coming back for more.

Uncle Stinky, How well protected is your new route?

[clink]

Tips on utilizing grades
Do not take grades too seriously. A common misinterpretation of grades is after you can climb grade 'X' at your home crag you can climb grade 'X' anywhere. The technique involved in granite, limestone and sandstone are unique. Unique angles as well as textures of rock require individual skills. Indoor grades and outdoor grades rarely coincide (plus the art of 'route finding' is not found in the gym). Grades are a guide. Sandbagging is common.

Sandbagging
In the rock climbing world 'Sandbagging' refers to giving a climb an easier grade then it deserves. An example is a climb that would typically be rated as 5.10+ being rated as 5.9- (YDS). Sandbagging is very common in older crags when the grading system was still being developed. Due to tradition the original grade of a climb will be listed in most guide books.

S This is a fairly new danger factor rating scale. 'S' stands for 'serious' and is similar to an 'R' danger factor except that 'S' values are affiliated with a 'Sub-Grade' value. An example grade would be: 5.11b S9

9 is the sub-grade value affiliated with the 'S' value. This sub-grade indicates that there is a potentially hazardous 5.9 move on the climb but the crux (the 5.11 move) is well protected. This system is good because many 5.12 climbers would be willing to runout 5.9 moves but not willing to runout 5.11 moves.

You all may be familiar with this 'S' value, it is new to me.

I found this looking up a comparison chart for the V to YDS ratings.

[clink]

By the way. I wonder what kind of Bedtime stories did the Masters of Mud have read to them? Might be the place to start looking for clues,

[Uncle Stinky]

The 5.6 is well protected, the 3X is the number of bolts, the other route on the formation, No country for old men feels run-out so we gave it an R.  I scoped out a couple of other  moderate routes in the area so if someone bothers to go that far in they could climb a couple of other climbs.

[JC w KC redux]

I think the name will be "Perne in a gyre"

And here I thought No Country for Old Men was named after the movie.

[JC w KC redux]

Are there any r/x routes that are unrepeated in the Pinns?  Brad must have done most of them.

I doubt anyone besides Brad has done Seldom Seen Pinnacle West Face 5.8X

[Uncle Stinky]

@ JC no the poem, I still have to read the story and see the movie, however it is a very good poem.