Author Topic: Full Circle  (Read 2649 times)

Zay

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Full Circle
« on: December 10, 2021, 12:50:06 PM »
My buddy Eric and I did full circle the other day.

We both agreed that it was easily one of the most fun routes we've ever climbed at Pinns.

Definitely on the loose side, many of those holds are not long for this world, but the well protected nature of the route offsets the danger. But we both felt the route was an instant classic. Steep, absolutely fun movement, and the navigation of loose holds is what makes a good Pinnacles route.

Highlight of the route was when I had a shouting match with myself on lead, pumping out at the crux of the first pitch: "I'm losing it! Take! No! You got this! Find the rest (stance)!'

I found the rest stance, and sent the pitch. Following the second pitch spat me off twice before I figured out the moves. I led the third pitch and hung at the final crux, but was otherwise very proud of sending the crux moves past the giant loadstone. Absolutely spectacular position and movement.

Highest praise to the first ascentionists for puting in the effort on an instant classic.

Brad Young

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2021, 07:12:59 PM »
Zay , your time has come. You have posted a fair amount over the years. And some of your posts have been quite good.

But again, your time has come:

INVALID WITHOUT PHOTOS.

Gavin

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2021, 07:16:27 AM »
Thanks for the post, Zay - glad to hear you enjoyed the route so much. I feel proud of how that route turned out for sure - it took a lot of effort over a couple years to push it all the way to the top. I remember Brad saying he was done after we finished the first pitch, and I kept doggedly pushing up past the crux and sustained sequences of the second pitch before he finally joined me again on the third pitch.  ;)

Despite loose bits here and there I really like the sustained movement, difficulty, and the well-protected nature of the climb - every time I have climbed it I go away feeling it is very good and a worthy addition to the existing routes at Balconies.

F4?

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2021, 09:57:35 AM »
Sounds like a nice route!!

It
I'm not worthy.

clink

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2021, 12:38:37 PM »
 
 Anything to add about naming the Route Full Circle?
Causing trouble when not climbing.

mungeclimber

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2021, 04:24:27 PM »
Zay , your time has come. You have posted a fair amount over the years. And some of your posts have been quite good.

But again, your time has come:

INVALID WITHOUT PHOTOS.

lol!  So L33t!!!
On Aid at Pinns... It's all A1 til it crumbles. - Munge

Brad Young

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2021, 06:25:21 PM »

 Anything to add about naming the Route Full Circle?

It has a weird back story. Gavin originally intended to climb up and then veer right and then right and down until we were down climbing. His idea was to continue in that fashion until we had made a full circle back to the ground.

It did not work out that way in the end though. But we kept the name anyway.

Gavin

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2021, 09:24:41 PM »
Brad is just poking fun at you, Clink.

The real details on why the route is named Full Circle:

Belizzi and Gagner placed two bolts at the beginning of the route many years ago, then abandoned the project. So in part, our resurrection of the line and completion of the route seemed to warrant the name "Full Circle."

The other aspect of the route name has to do with peregrine falcons occupying and nesting in the area. Peregrine falcons bred at Pinnacles up until the 1960's and were a key reason that the Balconies area was included as park property back in the 1920's / 1930's. Due to DDT poisoning and subsequent eggshell thinning (leading to nest failures and population crashes throughout the country), peregrine falcons disappeared from the park for decades. Around 15 years ago a peregrine falcon pair rediscovered Balconies and has been nesting at the cliffs ever since. Hence another aspect of "Full Circle," in this case related to wildlife conservation and recovery.

clink

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2021, 11:16:40 PM »

 Thanks Gavin, meaningful name.

 Brad, if your story had been true, I would have called the route Steve and Tom do LSD or March of the Mandate Lemmings.
Causing trouble when not climbing.

clink

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2021, 07:58:52 AM »
 Might knead to change my handle from Clink to Full Circle and flaunt it. 
Causing trouble when not climbing.

mungeclimber

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2021, 09:13:33 AM »
That
On Aid at Pinns... It's all A1 til it crumbles. - Munge

F4?

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2021, 09:36:39 AM »
Nice backstory.

Pictures would be cool.

Curious to what you can compare the crux sequences to?
POD?
MI?

I felt get smart was good for 10a, as it had some rests.
I'm not worthy.

Gavin

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2021, 09:04:35 AM »
F4 - for difficulty of the 3 pitches of Full Circle we decided on 5.10a, 5.10d, and 5.10a respectively. I would say each pitch has decently sustained movement throughout, at or a bit below the difficulty grade for the given pitch.

For the first pitch, I think the crux is about three quarters of the way up when you shift obviously left and up past a couple of bolts.

For the second pitch, the crux is near the start of the pitch, 2-3 bolts up from the first pitch anchor. I would say the crux sequences move through about 10-15 feet of climbing past thin, vertical moves. I wouldn't compare them to POD since that route has more obvious and positive holds available... perhaps more like the short crux sequence on Hawaiian Noises, but harder and thinner in my estimation. The difficulty eases up above the crux but is still challenging with sustained 5.10 and 5.10- moves.

For the third pitch, the crux is moving past a steep section and up left on to the top of a huge loadstone. But again, there are also some more balancy and thin sequences before and after, for sure.

F4?

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2021, 11:40:10 AM »
Thanks!
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Brad Young

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2021, 11:58:32 AM »
Gavin, your memory is off. We have always thought of pitches one and three as 5.10b and they are listed that way on the new routes list. The only person I know of who has thought they were easier is Joe (a different Joe) and he has along history of underrating everything (that is, he is consistent).

Have you repeated the route so much now that it is feeling easy?


F4?

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2021, 12:30:44 PM »
Well to say the crux is similar to Hawaiian noises is a good comparison.
I said POD, since it is a good example of where the crux has 2 components
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Gavin

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #16 on: December 13, 2021, 05:14:24 PM »
Gavin, your memory is off. We have always thought of pitches one and three as 5.10b and they are listed that way on the new routes list. The only person I know of who has thought they were easier is Joe (a different Joe) and he has along history of underrating everything (that is, he is consistent).

Have you repeated the route so much now that it is feeling easy?

Thanks for jogging my memory... I forgot the first and third pitches were listed as 5.10b. As you say, I have repeated the route several times!  ;)

mungeclimber

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #17 on: December 13, 2021, 06:52:24 PM »
On Aid at Pinns... It's all A1 til it crumbles. - Munge

JC w KC redux

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Re: Full Circle
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2021, 04:23:50 PM »
Die-a-critical Re-marks
One wheel shy of "normal"