UKC

Not 'news' as such, but a great short film of a very impressive mixed climb:

"Watch Sam Elias climb Red Bull and Vodka an impressive Mixed climb on Vail Pass that ventures out a hundred and twenty feet of tiered roof madness!"

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=66113

In reply to UKC News:

Red Bull can f=off out of mountaineering. We don't want your vile cough-mixture.

In reply to flaneur:
It's the route name...

In reply to flaneur:

you'd probably be better placed to tell David Lama to f off out of climbing, he's a grown man who should have known better.

anyways, it only a route name, i dont even think Sam Elias is sponsored by red bull.

In reply to UKC News:

So it's a dry-tooling route basically?

In reply to Bulls Crack: looks like it

In reply to Bulls Crack:

well spotted.

In reply to Bulls Crack:

I get your drift, but I guess the two metres of ice at the top makes it mixed. You must have blinked...

In reply to tom290483:
>

Apparently not, "Sam Elias is sponsored by The North Face, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Blue Water Ropes, Oakley, Nutriex". Maybe he didn't give the route it's name.

More to the point though, I didn't see anything that would have prevented the route being done as a rock climb. Are we watching dry tooling approaching a dead end?

In reply to Removed User:


He did talk about a 40 ft run out on the ice at the top. That might be tricky in stickies (although if you took some screws it wouldn't be run out).

In reply to TobyA:

Ok, I didn't have the sound on. That said who ever edited the film seemed to think the ice climbing at the top was not worth showing.

In reply to Removed User:

I do remember thinking that the ice (the top of a WI6 route) must feel really EASY after the rock bit! Probably less interesting as result. I was impressed by the permaclips - they really look 'perma'. Nevertheless he did still manage to put a crampon through his quad muscle on previous attempt so its not like it's risk free!

In reply to Removed User:


Yeah, and i'm sure there must be an easier way round the back, you know, like a path or something, with maybe a cafe at the top. Are we watching hillwalking approaching a dead end?

In reply to Removed User:

i guess the waterfall (rigid designator WI5) in the summer or the minus temps in the winter (north facing) dont make it ideal as a rock route, never mind the fact it looks like choss.

plus lets face it, the amphitheatre is a world renowed ice and mixed climbing venue so anything goes where axes are concerned.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Why the sarcasm?

I watched a video of what appeared to be someone doing a rock climb with crampons and axes. The kind of thing you'd get crucified for in the UK. If there was a substantial amount of winter climbing above what we saw then fair enough, perhaps it is a winter climb but I was merely stating what was going through my mind as I watched the film.

In reply to Removed User:

Tiny joke mate, no need to take it seriously.


Tom above pretty much summed it up. Some venues are not suitable for rock climbing but are suitable for mixed climbing and dry-tooling. Plenty of those even in the UK.


That is a prime winter venue. Pure ice lines were picked first http://pullharder.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/492775481_dscn10991.jpg then people linked ice sections by climbing the rock still using the same gear http://pullharder.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/492772802_dscn1081.jpg and that evolved to the point that increasingly more rock was climbed to reach less ice. (The tiny icicles on top).

Cheers

In reply to tom290483: I think he said it finishes on The Fang, not Rigid Designator; not that I've been there or done either of them.

In reply to TobyA: I have. It's the Fang it finishes on.

In reply to neil the weak: Did you do the Fang? It's a pretty amazing piece of ice but looks terrifying! Some photos show weird cauliflowers on it that make me think "oh, if you could side step on that, it would probably be ok to place a screw, then you would just need to work your way up to the next one, then you could get another screw... hmmmm...." Then I slap myself soundly about the head and remember the fear and wilting arms I get on say four or five metres of vertical ice, let alone on 50 mtrs!

In reply to Bulls Crack:
Yeh he wimped out of the steep ice what a woos!