Some more Yosemite climbing

[CS]

So, Trackhead's thread inspired me to get some pics up of a little adventure I had up Lost Arrow Spire in Yosemite. The climbing in and of itself is of no consequence, and really, nothing to write home about.

The real reason to do the route and suffer the appraoch is the location (spitting distance (with favorable winds) to Yosemite Falls), and the Tyrolean Traverse you have to do to get off the sucker.
Words do this no justice, so I'll just let the pictures do their thing.

Top of the spire:
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...20on%20top.jpg

Starting the traverse (the worst moment of time):
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20travers.jpg

Middle of the sucker. Unfortunately, this traverse is actually uphill and is a hell of a lot of work. It would be sweet to just be able to jump out onto it and slide across to the other side.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...20traverse.jpg

The big view:
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...%20picture.jpg

And finishing it up:
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...her%20side.jpg

It's a sweet setting and definately recommended to all you climbers out there.

[Telephil]

I just shat my pants looking at the pics. Nice work.

[Trackhead]

Nice pics. What is that thing, like 10d, C2 or something?

I hiked up there when we were there just to check out the crazy slack line potential. I am not that skilled yet walking on the highlines. Just some psuedo high stuff between a couple of trees at home.

Got some Sedona spires rigged for the initiation to highline pucker factor. But Lost Arrow is THE highline. I'll never do it though.

[bdog]

VERY NICE! A true classic. Another good one is Royal Arches, though it was better when one had to cross the old log.

[Mountainman]

I would have been impressed if you would have slacklined it.





P.S.(I get scared walking a small slackline at home)

[CS]

Originally posted by Trackhead
Nice pics. What is that thing, like 10d, C2 or something?

I hiked up there when we were there just to check out the crazy slack line potential. I am not that skilled yet walking on the highlines. Just some psuedo high stuff between a couple of trees at home.

Got some Sedona spires rigged for the initiation to highline pucker factor. But Lost Arrow is THE highline. I'll never do it though.

It goes at somthing like .12a I think. Slightly exposed though. We opted for the C2 way.

There are actually anchors straight across for a highline, but some extra gear is needed as well. I think it would be sweet to slack that baby, but I don't have the slightest idea as to how to properly and safely set up a high line.

[Crinkle]

Originally posted by CS


Middle of the sucker. Unfortunately, this traverse is actually uphill and is a hell of a lot of work. It would be sweet to just be able to jump out onto it and slide across to the other side.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...20traverse.jpg

High clench factor for shizzle. I had to do some breathing exercises just to relax the scphintoid.

[altachic]

Ummm...yeah, you've got balls Craig.


Nice work and very sweet pics

[iskibc]

Looks like something from the movie "Cliffhanger" . Awesome stuff CS. Looks like a blast.

[Xover]

SICK

That looks like fauuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!

[Barnballs]

I'm going to pass on the next 'Craig-Factor' trip.......

[altagirl]

Awesome!

[SLSki]

Wow... cant add much more, but wow.

[divegirl]

WOW. And, can you say...insaneo??! Actually, I'm very impressed. That's a pretty burly move for a climber, Craig. Lego and I, along with a few of my co-workers, did the Yosemite Falls hike on Saturday. Lego pointed this out to me, and I was amazed climbers did this. When were you up there?

On our way down on Sunday, I saw this guy going up the trail - solo! - and asked him if he was doing the spire. He said yes...but I didn't see anyone else with him! Insane!! But very, very cool. Can you do this climb alone??

[SponsoredByDuctTape]

You should be a stuntman.

That thing's got "disaster" written all over it. I'm sure it's reasonably safe, but I'm trying to picture doing that first move off of the spire, out into space. It's making my stomach turn.

[Foggy_Goggles]

[Climb Jong]how to you get the rope from one side of the traverse to the other[/cj]

[Arty50]

Why do I suddenly have images of Diamond Dave popping into my head?

Sweet pics! Oh and before I forget...HOLY SHEEAAAATTTT!!!!!

[LegoSkier]

Originally posted by Arty50
Why do I suddenly have images of Diamond Dave popping into my head?

Cause that must be just like living in paradise?

Sweet pics CS. One of the most classic moves in all of climbing.

[CS]

Originally posted by Foggy_Goggles
[Climb Jong]how to you get the rope from one side of the traverse to the other[/cj]

Kinda hard to explain without visuals, but it goes somthing like this:

3 ropes are needed. 2 to rap on, which are tied together and anchored to a tree at the rim, and one to climb on. You rap from the rim, into a notch. A rather quaint and novel location, where the first move of the climb is to step off the ledge, around a slight bulge, and immediately have nearly 2,000 feet of exposure beneath you heals. I've never led that first pitch. I'm smart.

Anyways, I digress. As you climb up, you trail behind you the two ropes (tied together) you rapped on. Once on top, there are some nice, big, fat bolts with swaged cable attached to them. So, you take those rap ropes, pull them tight, and tie one off to the cable, nice and tight, for the first guy to go across (in this case it is me).

I go across, tactfully ignoring the ball-shriveling exposure, all the while calmly looking cool for the camera, trailing both the rope we climbed on (for a belay, should the Tyrolean line for some reason break), and the other rap line. Once on the other side, my partners untie the line I just went across on, loop it through the cable, then tie it back again to other rap line, which I have taken and anchored my end to the tree, again after pulling out as much slack as possible.

So, basically, you have two ropes, looped through a cable on the spire, with each end anchored into trees on the rim. Once the other fellas have done their thing, we untie the rope which was intially looped through the cable, and pull the other rope which is tied to it. Thus avoiding the dreadful scenario, in which the wrong rope is pulled, and the knot keeping the ropes together is wedged and stuck on the anchor slings, or in this case cable.

So you just pull the ropes through the cable, and when they cut loose from the spire a small prayer is uttered that the trailing rope somehow does not wrap itself around a flake, or wedge itself in a crack as climbing ropes are at times want to do to the utter disdain and chagrin of the climber.

And that is how it's done.

Oh, and divegirl, I was in the Valley after the Mammoth trip. Also, yeah, you could solo the thing, but I don't think there is a way to do the traverse solo, since you need someone on the rim and the spire at the same time.

No, wait, I lied. You could solo it and do the traverse, but it would require some funky rigging and a whole lot of work.

[Kellie]

Damn sweet TR - what's the climb up the spire rated?

I think this officially just went on my list of things to do before I die - this list is growing :-)

[splat]

That's really a sweet TR, CS. Thanks.