Southern Yosemite Climbing Discussions
Southern Yosemite Categories => Balls Area => Topic started by: larsj on March 21, 2013, 07:43:54 pm
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(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/SoYo/Balls_3.jpg)
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/SoYo/Balls_2.jpg)
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Welcome, Lars.
Self portrait at upper tier of JLT dome.
(http://www.supertopo.com/inc/zoom.php?dpid=Pzk6PD8-ICEq)
Hmm, will have to host pics elsewhere, as the link didn't work.
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Do not Google "Pics of Balls"!
You can't unsee that stuff........
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Hah, that's for sure!
Very nice photos! TFPU
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pre-digital Tempest
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJ0h6WK9HBw/UVErWO9RrtI/AAAAAAAAABw/_2t-emz_IJc/s1440/tempestSW_r.jpg)
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Just have to drill down to the .jpg property layer
Welcome, Lars.
Self portrait at upper tier of JLT dome.
(http://www.supertopo.com/inc/zoom.php?dpid=Pzk6PD8-ICEq)
Hmm, will have to host pics elsewhere, as the link didn't work.
(http://www.supertopo.com/photos/1/67/138175_2516_XL.jpg)
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No idea how you did that, mungie. Didn't appear for me.
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No idea how you did that, mungie. Didn't appear for me.
If you paste the link you had into a browser, it resolves to an .jpg ending file. Click properties on that image. The original url is a frame or embed or something.
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Nice one Nate. Thanks for sharing that. I'd like to see more of those... looks like a nice hour to get photos there.
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By the way, anyone know what type of rock is in that last photo?
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At a distance zoomed in from top of Queen's Throne I think it was
(http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/xx99/susangodar/ballz.jpg)
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Nice perspective Susan, of one of my favorite places.
lars
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Typical first glimpse from Beasore Road:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m_BaFQ0f8lU/UVye4Cj9jCI/AAAAAAAAADU/CiUbG3JPiBI/s1152/688402-R1-039-18_s.jpg)
Nightwatch & The Golden Toad
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wow, that looks close!
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That far dome with the left facing dihedral, is that Nightwatch? Great perspective. Standing at the road in front of that far dome, it looks much steeper to me in person.
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The far dome is The Golden Toad. The West face is a bit steeper than the South. Lots of mellow terrain.
Yes, munge, due to all the trees, you really don't see the domes on the drive in until you are about there.
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This isn't really a picture of the Balls but I couldn't decide where to post it.
Cracked me up....then I backed up real quicklike.
(http://www.southernyosemiteclimbing.com/SMF/photo_album_resized/P1020992_resized.jpg)
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I love it
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(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/d6146613-c2af-409a-b436-e3b9bba5f476.jpg) (http://s226.photobucket.com/user/larsjohnson50/media/d6146613-c2af-409a-b436-e3b9bba5f476.jpg.html)
Unusual view.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/BDomes_1.jpg) (http://s226.photobucket.com/user/larsjohnson50/media/BDomes_1.jpg.html)
Bifurcated Domelet-Balls
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Nice angles indeed, Lars. Hope you had a great trip out there!
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Tiki on the Toad.
I love the narrow field of focus, I can never get point-and-shoot cameras to do this intentionally. Sues shot, so she gets the credit.
(http://www.southernyosemiteclimbing.com/SMF/photo_album_resized/P1050565_resized.jpg)
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Yes, good climbing Tiki! Must add some more later. Gotta say tho, love the term bifurcated domelets. Looks way out there Lars!
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Yes, good climbing Tiki! Must add some more later. Gotta say tho, love the term bifurcated domelets. Looks way out there Lars!
Agreed. Cool shot and that would be a funny name for an area as well(Or is that place actually called that?) "Dude, I am totally heading out to BDB!" Love it. And the route names could be really funny!
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The long shot of BoR is from the top of BD. That's it for clues.
lars
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The long shot of BoR is from the top of BD. That's it for clues.
lars
I believe there is a natural arch on both near the base and at the summit of the place that you took this shot from?
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I didn't see it John, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I can't find my pants in the morning.
lars
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Lars
I did my own logical translation as to what your clue of "BD" stands for and it should be the same place. I have said to much.....mind eraser pen pushed...push push push.
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Glad to see the pic of Tiki on the Toad! On the west side, perhaps? Been many years since I've been there.
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Yes, it was fun!
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Larsj long shot is well east of the crag you mention John. If you look in the center of the photo you can see the eastern lateral moraine on Jackass Creek and that crag is west of the western lateral moraine.
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Jerry
I see now that the shot seems taken from pretty far away. Oh well, I guessed wrong.
Nate
Yes, Tiki is on the West side of Toad. Have you climbed any routes on the Toad? I could use some input if you have. Turns out that some are hard to decipher without climbing them.
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John,
Susu says you might have done Sven and Jorgie (sp?). I too climbed that route, back in 2001 (same trip when I climbed Miranda), and never found the bolt and probably did a left variation on p.2, but no idea. It was nice being close to the exposed edge of the north face. I had no camera, but feel free to email me some pics and I might be able to remember and discern where I went. Haven't climbed any other routes on the formation, but as you know, unlike the others on the west side, the West Face route is the most distinctive and Scott Jett made a real cool video of it with a time lapse segment, here: http://vimeo.com/13816624
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Nate
We tried to do Sven and Yorgie and it sounds like you probably did the same mistake we did. I went straight for the tree shown in the topo assuming that the rest would be clear, but found really mediocre pro for most of my pitch. I was climbing besides some great rock and Tiki actually got to climb it and loved it, but not me. Never saw the bolt either. I believe there was some guesswork about the line in the topo?
I have lots of photos at home I will try and remember to send you to show where you went.
That is a killer video. I like the manpris confessional at the end.
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I've done Sven and Yorgie several times. I always stayed near the left end of the West face where it meets the steeper N face.
Really was able to climb just about anywhere on the W face though.
lars
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Did you ever see the bolt?
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It was all natural pro last time I was up there. I did see a locked strong box on the summit next to N face anchor bolts. This was at least 5 years ago or more.
lars
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On top, I counted 13 bolts in one area including the giant eye bolt. Nothing for rapping though. We walked off.
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Yup, saw old bolts on top. Not really any use for them. Bolts on the W face?
lars
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These were all newish, or at least seemed to be all 3/8". Above the North face
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Those numerous bolts back from the edge are all put in by Summit Adventures of Bass Lake, for rappelling. The lock box is also theirs. There are other formations with these clusters of bolts.
Spencer shows one bolt on Sven and Yorgie, but I never saw it. I wouldn't say I made any mistake either, John, when what I climbed had pro and the topo is indeed vague. If you can climb a bunch of different ways and not get into trouble, how is it a mistake? :) i don't recall poor rock quality either, but it has been awhile.
Would love to hear about some of your favorite climbs over the years at the Balls, Lars. I recall you said you've done Planet Granite.
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Climbed most of the easier stuff Nate. Always figured someone else was there before me. Really like the Golden Toad and rambled over most of it. Going up there with my son next week[first trip together in ten years] but now that he is grown he tells me that he isn't in to rock climbing. We'll just roam around some back waters.
lars
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Here's some stuff from '91 scanned. Dirt Doctors 5.7 on BoR:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/DD_1.jpg) (http://s226.photobucket.com/user/larsjohnson50/media/DD_1.jpg.html)
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/DD_2.jpg) (http://s226.photobucket.com/user/larsjohnson50/media/DD_2.jpg.html)
Rainer Lambretch low on the route.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/larsjohnson50/DD_3.jpg) (http://s226.photobucket.com/user/larsjohnson50/media/DD_3.jpg.html)
Rainer again, route goes through notch R of big roof to his L.
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Cool stuff! Thanks!
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Cool shots!
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Great shots LArs!!1
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Nice, Lars! Thanks for sharing.
Nate
Spencer shows one bolt on Sven and Yorgie, but I never saw it. I wouldn't say I made any mistake either, John, when what I climbed had pro and the topo is indeed vague. If you can climb a bunch of different ways and not get into trouble, how is it a mistake? :) i don't recall poor rock quality either, but it has been awhile.
Climbs where there are several lines you can take are normally fun unless there is a "wrong" line, and when I say wrong I mean dangerous for any number of possible reasons. I felt that I found a wrong line with poor gear and a really crappy patch of rock that was like crumbly chalk, right above the tree and threatening to break off and hit people below from passing it. Several of the gear placements there and above were cracks in the extreme ends of what I would describe as "fins" that are sometimes long enough that they can flex or break if a cam levers them apart if placed near their ends.
The reason that I am bringing this up is that there is more than likely a perfectly fine version that people will enjoy but the "correct" path would need to be describable and that is kinda tricky at this point. We may each be describing our own lines we took or even the same one, hard to tell. I normally don't think much about these issues other than a friendly warning here and there but the rating of the climb and others in the area are attractive to the new leader and may be better served with a warning.
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I see your point, John. I don't recall crossing any marginal rock like you experienced, and it seems like if I did, combined with the lack of good pro, it would have been etched into my memory due to fear. It's unfortunate IMO, but I reckon most of us remember more the times when we were sketched/worried on a climb than when we were cruising along having a great time. Hence, the strange love/hate relationship with runouts...
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(http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/xx99/susangodar/sven.jpg) (http://s745.photobucket.com/user/susangodar/media/sven.jpg.html)
This photo will straighten up when it feels like it. All I can do is orient for portrait in Photobucket, which I did, then wait for it to catchup here.
This shot shows John at the top of pitch 1 when looking for Sven & Jorgie. It shows the veg at the right where there is a long tree root to some scrappy foilage where the rock turns most sketch. Tapping away though I did, I suddenly found all my fours in contact with a large patch of rock that could cut loose. Not difficult to avoid this patch, but also too easy not to pay it any mind.
The next pitch was much cleaner and also fun. Here's a shot of the beginning of it.
(http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/xx99/susangodar/startof2.jpg) (http://s745.photobucket.com/user/susangodar/media/startof2.jpg.html)
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Looks familiar Sue. I don't remember any loose stuff though.
lars
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(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LDNWdRjQYHs/U5dnlC7ZKxI/AAAAAAAAAZA/cCCRCkVbMrY/w794-h1113-no/DSC08370_gnomedomes.jpg)
Roger made a keen observation that in this light, from this angle, The Golden Toad right side and Tempest Dome sure look like Gnome Domes. Methinks they even have a little baby between them.
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/15089419436_e3121efcac_c.jpg)
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Jerry and Rob
(http://i768.photobucket.com/albums/xx325/oldclymr1/090114%20Sierra%20labor%20Wknd/DSCF3845_zpsbfde685c.jpg)
DMT