- If you spend any time reading the scorecard comments of top climbers, you have no doubt noticed Paul Robinson and Daniel Woods opining about the “rastaman vibration sit!!!!” which is an unclimbed project in Bishop, CA. I for one had never even heard of the stand start of the problem, but based on what Paul had to say in the latest issue of Climbing the sit sounds pretty hard:
It has a pinch-a little lip for four fingers with a terrible thumb catch-you get it way above your head and bring it down to your hip
You can see a few pictures of Matt Birch trying the Rasta Man Vibration sit on Wade David’s site. They are pictures 11 & 12 in the Bishop gallery. Matt had better hurry up if he wants to get the FA, Paul is on the way.
- Speaking of Paul Robinson, he recently did the 5th ascent of Ty Landman’s Midnight Express (V14) in Boulder Canyon. Here are videos of Ty Landman and Dave Graham climbing the problem.
Paul Robinson topping out Midnight Express (V14)
Photo: Andy Mann
- I see on Peter Beal’s blog that Steve Dieckhoff has passed away. Here is an old FRB interview with him that outlines his stance on several issues including bolt chopping. You can check out some of Steve’s artwork on his website.
- Check out the Big Up Blog for photos from a Dosage 5 shoot that will feature Randy Puro, Tommy Caldwell and others bouldering in the Valley. If you think for a even one second that bouldering in the valley must have been tapped out decades ago, you need to check out the BetBase Blog and be amazed at the plethora of moderate lines that are still being found.
Tommy Caldwell trying Tim Clifford’s Park Life (V12) – Literally on one of the busiest trails in all of Yosemite NP hence the nighttime stealth tactics
Photo: Big Up Blog
- Ty Landman has added a few move traverse into his problem Freak Brothers II (V10) in Boulder Canyon to yield a new line called Freak Accident (V12). You can see video of it right now at MVM. There is also nice footage of Dave Graham in the premium section featuring his ascent of Existence Mundane (5.14b/c) at Acephale.
- Joe Kinder just sent a project he had been working on at the Cathedral. It links the crux of Andy Raether’s Slaugtherhouse 5 (5.14b) with the crux of Todd Perkins’s Treebeard (5.13c). He felt it might be as hard as 5.14c but has decided to go with 5.14b for now.
Photo: Keith Ladzinski
- Speaking of Andy Raether, Chris Hirsch has made the 2nd (?) ascent of Andy’s route Cain at Willow River, WI. Andy originally gave it a grade of 5.14c while Chris has registered it as 5.14b.
- If you haven’t already read this post by Sock Hands on how he prepares for his big sends…what are you waiting for?!? It’s a must read!
- Check out this funny video Petzl has put together to promote their new harnesses:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSdgnuc7zCk]
Thanks to SplitterChoss for the link
- Famed alpinist Steve House has a great post on the alpine rock climbing in Argentina on Patagonia’s The Cleanest Line blog. It looks like there is some really accessible alpine multi-pitch climbing to be had there. Hopefully this has gotten him in the right frame of mind for his upcoming attempt to make the first ascent of the West Face of our planet’s fifth highest peak, Makalu. Now that is going to be sick.
Steve House climbing in Argentina
Photo: Steve House/Cleanest Line
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In hard grit news, 17 year-old Pete Whittaker did the FA of a cool (insane) looking route that he has called Dynamics of Change (E9 7a). Hit the link for a lot more cool pictures and a great write-up on the ascent.
Whittaker exiting the crux sequence – The route continues up and left with the pieces pictured being his last pieces of pro
Photo: Hot Aches Blog
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The Patagonia store in Boulder is now open… – You can go and meet Kelly Cordes, Eric Decaria, Lynn Hill, Timmy O’Neill and Mark Wilford there on April 5th.
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I would like to wish the speediest of recoveries to Tim Kettering who took a nasty spill off of Jedi Mind Tricks in Bishop. It looks like he will be joining the Boot of Doom club in short order.
Rastaman is directly left of Evilution and the sit is sick looking. There was a brit working it for a bit while i was working out the moves on Evilution. Absolutely ridiculous. Good luck Paul. Hope you get the send.
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Rastaman sounds sick. It just sounds like it is one big lock-off for the start.
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Ha, I had no idea it was there steve. I have probably touched the problem and I didn’t even know it. Is there an established stand up version of that problem then? How hard is it?
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Rastaman Vibration was put up by Jared Roth; he called V14, I think.
Also, I’m pretty sure that Existence Mundane was first done by Scott Milton.
As for why I remember such things, I remain flabbergasted.
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Ahh yes, the so-called “crimpmaster Jared Roth”. He sure has disappeared hasn’t he? Has anyone repeated his version? Not something that has gotten a lot of press either way. Perhpaps I need to add it to my list?
I’ll adjust the EM news to be a bit more vague then, thanks for the heads up.
I too am flabbergasted at the amount of brain capacity I devote to remembering what other people do when they go climbing.
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alright, this is the rastaman history as i know it. It starts just left of Evilution and starts on a pretty bad pinch with a big lockoff to start. that’s the stand at least. the sit is on horrible polished holds.
Jared did the “FA” from that stand start and called it V12ish. it’s got a pretty serious and scary press move up high on it. your foot is on the final bread loaf sloper of evilution, the original version, when you do it.
John Bachar, if my memory serves me right, did a similar version of this by jumping to the lip hold and topping out from there. That was back in the 70’s or 80’s though.
either way the sit is next level stuff.
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thanks for the well wishes! i’m sitting here in my living room looking at the sierra mountains out the window and trying to figure out how i can climb w/ the boot of doom. :p
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Hey Narc,The climbing around Frey in Bariloche isn’t really sport climbing. Primarily gear and mixed climbing. Hardly any all bolt lines. All you draw clippers, beware! :)There are a few sport cliffs near Mendoza (Los Arenales, though it too is primarily trad/aid), better cliffs near Cordoba (La Ola), and some ~4 hours S of beunos Aires (Sierra La Vigilancia). Chile has some sport climbing in the far north and near Santiago.JW
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Steve – Thanks for the added info.
Tim – I could think of a lot worse places I would want to be stuck rehabbing an injury although it would be really hard with all that great climbing so close by.
JPWILL – Thanks for the additional info. I adjusted the post as well. I didn’t mean to give the impression it was some bolt clipping mecca. It just seemed like the climbing there was relatively safe and straightforward and not some sort of chossy alpine gnar-fest which was why I found the post very intriguing.
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narc-i’m going to try to get up to willow to get on cain with chris in the coming weeks…while the holds are fresh and he can spray me down with beta so i will at least know how to do the moves. i’ll try to get some pics for you.
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There is a reason why rastaman sit is still a project in Bishop. When it goes, it will be the hardest problem in Bishop and without a doubt one of the hardest in North America. There is a reason why it is still a project when you think of all the strong climbers that have spent time in Bishop over the past 10 years. Good luck Paul.
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Is Matt Birch still working it? He must be on good form after sending Mandala SDS – come on the Brits!
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I don’t really know, but I believe the pictures of Matt trying it were taken in February.
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im pretty sure slaughterhouse 5 starts on tree-beard then go left.. at least thats what i was told when i tried it. i wonder what joes new variation can be? there was one project that kept going left off of slaughterhouse 5, maybe its that.
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i saw matt birch try it a couple times in Feb as well when me and my group were working on Evilution. I had no idea it was a project.
Birch is also working on a route about ten feet to the right of Evilution that also seems to lead up to the lip. I looked in the guildebook to see what it was and there was nothing in there, so it looks to be something new.
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yeah, he abandoned that project, he began to clean it, but “youd be so fuckin scared up here………..pause…….at least i would….” he was still working rastaman as of two weeks ago. but his stay in bishop is pretty much done. hes coming down south to hopefully do the sit to somewhere in time.
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