Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Palingenisis

A few months ago, on my quest to rediscover old classics on Endless wall, I was directed toward a route that had been erased many years ago. For a while it was a mystery route. Nobody in town seemed to know the routes history. I was told one story, but it was false. The trail had stopped and so did I.
Last month I told Pat Goodman about the mystery route knowing that we would be able to figure something out. He couldnt find anything either. I looked through many old guidebooks that shed no information. There was only one clue: a single angle iron bolt that had remained at the top of the route. The same bolts were on a route around the corner called Pullin Porcelin. I mentioned this to Kenny Parker and showed him the unmarked line in the guidebook. He was able to tell me a little history about the route.
The route was bolted and climbed by Andreas Audetat sometime around 2000. No name or grade was ever known, and the route was chopped because it was a little to close to Ovine Seduction which is the route to the right.
The climb had been erased from the books until just a few days ago.
Pat went out to investigate and see what the route was all about and stated to peice things together. We worked out the moves. The gear would be very small master cams, and offset master cams. Since it wandered so much it would have to be done on double ropes. Pat climbed the route first, a few days later I went out and climbed the route.
Keeping the history in mind and the unique process we underwent to redo the route it was appropriately named Palingenisis and check in at a very heady and potentially dangerous 5.12c. As we decided "Heady .12c for the solid 5.13 climber."

In the do not fall zone getting ready to place a purple/blue mastercam after the crux. Immediately after placing a very shallow scary looking but solid offset TCU. Switching to autopilot and getting ready to punch it to the top.

The only way to describe the route is a journey. It's very pumpy with finiky small gear placements and many do not fall zones. This route will hold your attention and keep you wanting another 100 feet of climbing at the same time. One of the best trad lines I have ever climbed.






Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The W.VA Account: Feature Blog

Question: What is the difference between a female raft guide and a load of laundry?






Answer: You can put a load in the wash and it won't follow you around all season.






Question: What is the best thing about West Virginia?






Answer: It's not Ohio.






This season I am guiding at the New river and working at Waterstone. The above jokes are ones that a fellow climbing guide told me one day.






I would like to take this time to share some of my guiding experiences from the season so far.






Was doing a short rappel mission with three clients. The female in the group went first and was fiddleing with a small canister before she went down. I tied her off and asked if I could hold something for her, her response was, "no! I have to spread my son's ashes." So, she spread them in the breeze off the top of Bridge buttress into the faces of about 15 young Appalachian Bible School campers. May her son rest in peace with those children of the Lord.






Ok, July 4th weekend. Took out two young brothers (19 and 20) who were on vacation with Mom and Dad and were getting into climbing. The trip is coming to an end and I am at the top of the cliff breaking down the rappel talking to another guide; they are at the bottom waiting. While in the process of coiling my ropes, the guide next to me tells me that a guy fell and hit the ground and we need to get down ASAP. Got to the bottom acessed the situation and found that the climber was soloing aroung 5 guided groups and about 30 other climbers. Well, me clients witnessed the incident and SPLIT. I had to chase them down. When I asked what happened they said the climber did not have a rope and he fell from the top of the cliff (Zag 5.8) hit the ledge at 15 feet and bounced 20feet into the brush.


I would like to end this blog with a recent portrait of myself kickin' after sending at route at the Meadow River called "B-52." (Yeah kids, I still got it.)