From willie@cs.indiana.edu Tue Aug 1 13:14:18 EST 1995 Article: 6597 of rec.climbing Xref: news.nsw.CSIRO.AU rec.climbing:6597 Newsgroups: rec.climbing Path: news.nsw.CSIRO.AU!mel.dit.csiro.au!merlin!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!hookup!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!willie@cs.indiana.edu From: "william hunt" Subject: Last Ascent Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Message-ID: <1995Jul25.131007.9864@news.cs.indiana.edu> Sender: daemon@news.cs.indiana.edu Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Tue, 25 Jul 1995 08:10:01 -0500 (EST) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24] Content-Length: 3140 Lines: 52 Well, yesterday I finally did it. I joined the exclusive Last Ascent club. First Ascents are way cool, but many climbers have done first ascents, but last ascents are few and far between. For it to be a true last ascent the climb must be destroyed after the climb. Tony Barnes a rock climber instructor with Seneca Rocks Climbing School did the LA on the Gendarme in 87. That was a very unique climb. No, my LA will only be known about among a small group of Bloomington locals. Over a year ago I spent 5 hours beating on a chossy face with crowbar, hammer and chisel and once all the loose rock was removed I had created "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" 5.10a (well, somewhat of a sandbag). NO, I did NOT chisel holds I just removed anything that wiggled in the least bit, and besides this is a roadcut anyway. Of course, I did the FA, but I didn't do the FFA. The crux, although not physically hard was a very usual move that I didn't figure out for quite some time, and neither did most other good climbers either. Once learned though, it was a climb of pure elegance and grace. I loved that climb. Yesterday (Monday), while setting it for TR, I noticed that one of the top hangers was bent, and it wasn't that way on Saturday. I've noticed 2 other hangers bent the same way out here. Gee, I thought there are some very abusive climbers around here. Anyway I rapped down a bit and noticed that the rock on the small upper overhang was gapping quite a bit. This rock has always been fractured but was solidly in place. I bumped and tried to wiggle it. It moved a tiny bit under impact. Then I realized that the day had come when this climb was dying. I debated about rapping to the bottom and climbing it, as I didn't want to pull the rock out onto my head, especially without a helmet. I had always been concerned that the crux hold, which has always wiggled but just wouldn't come out, would come out someday but it only weighs about 20 lbs. This gapping was around many of the much larger peices and I knew if they came out on me it could easily be game over, even on a bomber self belayed TR. I decided it was stable enough for 1 last climb being gentle at the crux. So I did the climb with as much grace as ever. I pulled up my rope and threw it over the top. I rapped down a bit to the gapping rocks letting my solo belay device lock up. Then I starting pulling, wiggling and kicking the rock to see just how loose is was. After several good kicks, about 5 large peices broke loose and well over a 1000 lbs of rock crashed to the ground stripping bark off an adjacent tree. Oh well, so much for that climb. A moment of silence was in order as I paid my last respects. Hmm, what do we have now? I brushed away a little dirt, a few loose flakes, and many pill bugs and thought I still looks doable but harder now. So I rapped down and climbed again. Yes the crux is much harder and not as elegant, but it still has that cool move. So I did the FFA on a new baby climb which in time will feel like my old one I hope. I miss the old climb, but I guess this new child will have to do. Willie