UKC

I've just been reading about Ueli Steck on Annapurna SF. Got me wondering: how long would it take Ueli to get up Orion?

And from there I went to: what's the quickest time anyone knows of for climbing Orion or some other classic V on that face?

Please note: I am not encouraging this sort of behaviour, though I reserve the right to be impressed by it

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Interesting challenge.

Maybe it could be Stravad.

Winner gets KOM - loser gets, oh, let's see - a body bag?

In reply to Tim Chappell: Don't know (or care really) but watched Tim Neill solo it, Observatory Buttress, Point 5 and Indicator Wall and still make it home for tea last winter. The biggest holdup would be other teams.

In reply to AlH:


Yes, it was the guys who do multiple solos in a day that I was thinking of. Some of them have surely glanced at their watches before setting off, no?

In reply to Tim Chappell:

I seem to remember that the last guide which gave times had Orion down as 2-4hrs. 24hrs might be closer to the mark for some ascents!

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Some of them have surely glanced at their watches before setting off, no?

The weight of a watch would slow you down. When was the last time you saw a winter climber with a watch in full view?

Anyways, I am more impressed with a solo ascent in challenging conditions rather than mutiple links when the going is easy.

In reply to paraffin:


I am pretty impressed by either--speaking as a punter who will very probably do neither.

In reply to Tim Chappell: does my 15 sh!t scared hours searching for belays or runners in the days of pterodactyls count?

In reply to David Bennett:

ouch

In reply to Tim Chappell:

I've no doubt Ueli Steck would get up Orion Direct in quite a bit less than an hour.

In reply to Wee Davie:


Indeed. Allowing for all the obvious differences, there's this:

youtube.com/watch?v=4LVqPeqSXh4&

In reply to Tim Chappell: I was just popping up it last year with my friend in good conditions, going at a normal fair rate, pitching it when I suddenly thought, oops, who is this and Ian Small popped past. I bet he didn't take very long, maybe a couple of hours max soloing?

In reply to Heike: I actually might do him a disservice, maybe just an hour? After all, if you don't have to stop? Just guesses though.

In reply to DaveHK:

I know of a chap that spent 2 nights on there back in the 80's

When my partner and I soloed to the top of the basin to do Astral Highway I recall it taking 20-30 mins.
Good conditions so we moved quickly.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Wouldn't be surprised if Big Ian Nicholson and others, soloed it in quick time, waayy back in the 70/80s. Somebody I'm sure will post about it
Only found one decent belay, when we did it in utterly stonking conditions.

A friend did Point 5 in 45mins, onsight. Its nothing compared to Ueli but respectable.

In reply to Tim Chappell: I soloed it in roughly 2 hours. Not sure exactly but from the top of Tower Ridge at 6am I was at the top of Orion at 9am. I suspect it took me an hour to get to the bottom of it atleast. I was feeling pretty tired and a bit ill from lack of sleep/food/water so I didnt climb it very fast. I suspect a sub hour time would be pretty easily achievable by someone who knows the route, is fit enough and gets it in good condition.
http://climberharry.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/first-days-of-summer.html

In reply to Tim Chappell: Well I hope not, doesn't really strike me as the best way to experience the Orion Face - digging for belays is all part of the fun. But these routes are regularly soloed in good conditions. Solo link ups of classic V's were done by François Damilano in late 80's early 90's and possibly before.

Remember seeing Chris Dale solo Slav Route in good conditions in 2000/2001, it didn't take him long.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

I've never raced the clock on a route but have timed a few ascents out of curiosity.

I soloed Orion Direct in around an hour and 20 minutes. It was the first route I'd climbed on the Orion Face so it was entirely new ground and I was taking my time. When I soloed Astral a week later it only took an hour. The weather was pretty rough that day so I didn't linger and I'd have been more familiar with the pitches leading up to the Basin.

I've never climbed a winter route twice so all my solos have been onsight (and ropeless and gearless). But I reckon if your intention was specifically to speed climb and you'd logged a few practice runs on the route then Orion Direct could be climbed in 30-40mins.

Someone mentioned Point Five. When I soloed Point Five it was the first Grade V ice route I'd ever climbed (with or without a rope). I must have been pretty nervous because by the end of the first pitch my forearms felt like they were going to explode. I waited for 10mins below the chimney pitch (in a crappy position as I didn't have any gear to take a proper rest) before continuing. When I topped out my watch read 49mins.

Without the pumped forearms I guess I'd have been around 39mins which sounds about right as a few days later I did Zero in just over 40mins. Again, if someone was sufficiently motivated and prepared, the big 300m V's could probably be climbed in 20-30mins.