Hollow Flake and General Applications (O.W.)

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Messages 21 - 40 of total 44 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Eric Beck

Sport climber
Bishop, California
May 31, 2011 - 02:17pm PT
For me the hardest ow on the climb was definitely not Hollow Flake, but rather the slippery 15 foot slot up into El Cap Recess. There were some fixed and rather shaky looking bashies on the right wall which I used for aid as sparingly as I could. Without those, this is a pitch which could stop people. Maybe I am overstating this as it was the end of the day and I was tired.
John Moosie

climber
Beautiful California
May 31, 2011 - 02:43pm PT
Tahoe523, Thats a classic tale. hahaha.. thanks man.
Mike Bolte

Trad climber
Planet Earth
May 31, 2011 - 03:07pm PT
Tahoe523 - that was a good read!
Bldrjac

Ice climber
Boulder
May 31, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
So, What would Donini bring for pro? Probably a blue BD Cam!!
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
May 31, 2011 - 03:13pm PT
tahoe523 - great stuff, thanks for sharing!

It must not be that bad if you are pausing to take photos, right? :-)
Knee pads?

Too bad about all that snow/rain on Sunday. Bummer to bail from that high.
Did you cut loose the fixed line when you went down?

Salathe' with the Catalans >>> Leaning Tower!
tahoe523

Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
May 31, 2011 - 04:00pm PT
Clint,

Although we have never met, I thought of you during the paintastic grovel-fest.

I thought, "Clint, thank you for the knee pad beta!" (plus, do they ever prove handy during jugging duty!)

And then, "It is only 5.8 and is done routinely." True and true, but bloody hell!
Halfway through, I wish I brought a sandwich to nom on. The gas tank was running near empty. Up higher in the ear, I wish I was in the sun, eating cookies at the cookie cliff. Better yet, I really wished I enjoyed the pastime of sitting on the beach and doing absolutely nothing.

No hands rest allowed for the two hands snappy action photo time. I need proof to show my future grandchildren that grandma had one too many screws loose back in the day.

Cheers!
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
May 31, 2011 - 04:43pm PT
at the boundaries of sanity,
i thrive.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jun 1, 2011 - 12:06pm PT
It's not aid till you weight the peiece!
Hollow Flake, and all chimbleys, rule!!

Especially the bombays!
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jun 2, 2011 - 01:25am PT
tahoe523,

It's a "hand me down" tradition. When I led it, I was thinking of my friend Andy who told me it was only 5.8, and always advised kneepads. I got kind of tired on that long upper section, too, so at one point I settled down into the crack for a body jam style rest before finishing. Probably at about the same point where you took that last photo. :-) I was tempted to take one foot out of the crack and stem, but being 70' out from pro made that too sketchy a proposition!

Ex post beta: in that photo in my old post, I think I'm tied into the middle of the 60m lead line, in hopes that I can haul on one side and my partner jugs on the other. But it turned out the lead was slightly more than 30m, so I had to fiddle around to get the haul line up.
R.B.

Trad climber
Land of the Lahar
Jun 2, 2011 - 01:35am PT
I hate to say it

Your gonna die!
Ihateplastic

Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
Jun 2, 2011 - 02:29am PT
Since Nature mentioned it...


This shirt features the Steve Gropp's eerie image of a climber experiencing the joys of the Hollow Flake pitch on the Salathé Wall. The three-color Hollow Flake image is printed on the back and the single-color Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) logo is on the front left breast.

Hollow Flake Shirt


Zander

Trad climber
Berkeley
Jun 2, 2011 - 10:30am PT
tahoe523, fun!

Good thread,
Zander
ddriver

Trad climber
SLC, UT
Jun 2, 2011 - 11:26am PT
The first time I lead the Hollow Flake I didn't place any gear at all, just psych up and go. The second time I tried to be smart, like the OP, and placed one piece somewhere on the way up, which only served to make it harder. Best just to be ready and do without.

There is use, however, of a big piece in that pitch off El Cap Spire where it becomes some sort of flaring chimney thing, especially if its wet. Think we had one big bro we used there.
tahoe523

Trad climber
Station Wagon, USA
Jun 2, 2011 - 01:07pm PT
Whoa! There's a real Hollow Flake shirt? Neat!

That chimney you spoke of was a gushing waterfall on Memorial Day. We agreed that if we had dry suits (don't judge, I mean, there was a free solo'ing banana spotted that weekend after all), we would have completed the climb. And quite comfortably and seriously, I might add. However, agreed, I think the experience will be more enjoyable when dry and more attempts at free climbing can be had by all.

Drumming our fingers and impatiently waiting for the ultra violet rays of summer...

Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jun 2, 2011 - 02:16pm PT
Hmm, yeah, that pitch off El Cap Spire is interesting enough when dry....

Here's Peter's thread on Steve Gropp's Hollow Flake art work:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=792679&tn=0
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 2, 2011 - 03:51pm PT
Tahoe 523,

What a fun narration -- and great mid-pitch pics. Thanks much.

John
Spike Flavis

Trad climber
Truckee California
Jun 3, 2011 - 12:17am PT
I first climbed the Salathe in '87 w/ Chuck Ashbaugh. I led the Hollow flake in shorts and a T-shirt.

A few days later a german dude saw the scabs on the insides of my right elbow and knee and asked

".....Hollow flake?" When I said yes, he pointed at his own scars and said "HOLLOW FLAKE HOLLOW

FLAKE!!!!!" Another story about the hollow flake I like is from my friend Hunter Sibbald. He told me

that after he made the pendulum, his partner Brian Biaga asked "what do you want me to do if you

fall? Hunter replied "call a F%&#in' ambulance" Another time, I think it was also '87 while I belayed

Mimi de Gravelle on the Shield I watched a guy (I think it was Rick Pickett??) casually lay it back, rope
swaying in the wind. If it was 5.9 before big cams, shouldn't it be 5.8 with???
SGropp

Mountain climber
Eastsound, Wa
Jun 3, 2011 - 01:40am PT
I still have scars from the Hollow Flake, 34 years later.
Cain J Waters

Mountain climber
Ithaca, NY
Jun 3, 2011 - 11:52am PT
Tahoe- great tale. The wife and I are looking forward to reading your full TR on the Salathe. Good luck. Looks like you might just get a string of good weather after Monday. Send it! -CW
Morgan

Trad climber
East Coast
Jun 19, 2011 - 06:38pm PT
It seems like El Cap is full of cool features:

"The Black Cat" TT
"Stork Ledge" Mescalito
"Horse's Head" Tribal Rite

Check Clint's photo. It looks like a Velociraptor head, or a Komodo dragon, just below the purple type that says: "long upper section".
Messages 21 - 40 of total 44 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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