Shuteye Ridge Wide Climbing

[susan]

Nice share. Thanks! It's a cool area. The Banquo & Fleance lines look clean and tough. Did you like them enough to want to do them again sometime?

Levitation? Do you mean this might be best done by a sort of Pamela Shanti-Pack upside limbo, getting the feet over the head first and jack-knifing up? Yikes. 

[daniel banquo merrick]

I suppose I'd do Banquo and Fleance again but I couldn't lead them. Heck, I'd have to climb more than one afternoon a month to be in shape to do something like that. I wish somebody would climb them and tell me about it.

The orange corner has a little alcove at the base. If I recall correctly there is a hand hold on the orange wall to the right but no feet that I could use until about eyeball level. I could probably do it if I could stand on somebody's head. Go try it, I'm sure John will let you stand on his head.

[susan]

ha ha ha... that would be a good example of how to use my head, encourage John leading it using mine. sounds like i will have to start doing yoga, or stretch ever at all again, for me to lead something like that. i remember Scuffy once showing a group of us how to climb Remnant Left at Reeds. He floated the overhanging start where none of us could lift our feet for fear we'd break ourselves.

Banquo and Fleance intimidated me looking up at them last time. Climbs will do that then sometime suddenly look right. They are definitely on the radar for a try sometime. Or, as a great one likes to say, no try just do.

[jeff]

Anybody done Gray Matters yet?  Or Did I do the 1st, 2nd  and only ascents?  That thing is a classic journey.

[John]

Anybody done Gray Matters yet?  Or Did I do the 1st, 2nd  and only ascents?  That thing is a classic journey.

Probably just you, Kiddo. One of these days we will get on (in) it, I swear.

[John]

I didn't expect the next post after threatening to do Gray Matters to be a post about doing Gray Matters but it is!

We had trouble taking photos of the climb, mostly since it was so dark and the camera had trouble focusing so excuse the fuzzy shots. Jeff actually suggested headlamps, which we brought and did use at one point.

Nice job on that, Jeff. Proud line.

Here are some shots:

A good direct shot from somewhere on the approach to Minerva from some other day. It is absolutely one of the most prominent features on Gray.




Looking up from the base:




Starting P2. Note the small rack to 3" yet I still brought way too much gear. You generally are the gear on this pitch past what we thought was the crux.




Get in there




Sue on P3.

[mungeclimber]

Yowza!

[DaveyTree]

Was there blood loss on the climb?

[John]

Not really, but the skin of my elbows hurt and I ruined the knees on a good pair of pants!

[YETI]

Nice! Man Jeff got a classic. 5.9 right? Haaha!
What a maw.

[John]

Yeah, the ratings for wide climbs are the strangest exception to the rest of the rating spectrum since a 5.7 OW can require the effort required of 5.12. Do the right side of The Remnant on Reeds, it is Valley 5.7 but more struggle than any other 5.7 on the planet yet "it's all there".

We agreed with the 5.9. It is kinda runout, like 25-30' in a couple of places but most wide climbs have stretches where you are the gear, so to speak so I don't know if an "R" is fair.

Jeffy? What is your say on this?

[susan]

I was too busy getting stuck and unstuck following the 2nd pitch of Gray Matters to notice such details as how the gear is. Thought of Scuffy B of ST who once encouraged me that at least when you are stuck you can relax and get a good rest. It was a series of that for quite aways for me plus some shameless grunting. The climb was like a journey because it feels like another world in there. Very much enjoyed the tunnel through on the third pitch. Another vote on this being one proud line, Jeff!

[jeff]

Nice you guys,  I am so glad you climbed it!  And great pics!

As for the R rating, as John said you are the protection.  You would have to give up or pass out to fall.  I guess passing out is possible.  I wasn't sure my buddy Doug was going to make it.  I did want to add a bolt way back when, but a few unnamed folks were lining up to climb it first.

It is a journey.

[John]

I did want to add a bolt way back when, but a few unnamed folks were lining up to climb it first.

You know, I am pretty sure you couldn't possibly bolt part of P2 since you couldn't fit a drill in there or even swing a hammer!

[splitclimber]

the 5.7 on the far left side of 50 5.7's wall has a little OW fun.  A worthwhile route to do.  The 5.9 toprope face on the right is better.