Fresno Dome Mystery Climbs-Seeking Names and FA Information

[John]

Here is my list of "Unknown" labeled climbs for Fresno and Hawk Dome. These are climbs that I do not have any information on besides some evidence that it was climbed, like anchors, bolts, etc.  The worst downside of Unknown climbs is the lack of a name, but I would prefer to also know who first climbed it and when. I am also listing climbs that are Unnamed, since sometimes climbs were named but the FAists on record are not reachable.

Please send me a message if anyone recognizes these climbs and has any info. Thanks, John

Hawk Dome

Green Corner-11a
Pro: To 3”, extra 1.25 to 1.5
FA: Unknown
Slightly dirty cracks on sometimes fragile rock lead to a beautiful neon green corner crack. Bolted anchor at 100’.

1-Unknown- 5.11a Albert Nugue? These three following climbs are to the right of "Harlot" and left of "Bottoms Up, Top Down"

2-Unknown- Albert Nugue? Bolts.

3-Unknown- 5.10 b/c Albert Nugue route. Bolts.

4-Unknown/Unnamed-Between "2HP" and "You Aren't Braggin..." ; apparently a Theresa Ho, Tom Lambert bolted climb.

5-Unknown-10+ with bolts. Between "Unnamed" Nugue, Anderson 5.9 and "Freebird"

Roof Crack-10d (left of Eraserhead)
Pro: To 3”
FA: Unknown
In a bright yellow blocky area which is the true summit of Hawk Dome. Climbs short corner then out right to a steep and pumpy hand crack. Multiple anchors suggest this may be only a toprope.

OW to Handcrack-10a (left of Eraserhead and right of previous route)
Pro: To 4”
FA: Unknown
Has a strange bolt next to its anchor possibly to protect the downclimb for TR setup?

Harlot-5.6-Location?
FA: Dick Erb, Sam Sugine, Fred 8/1973
Two pitches, the first ends at a bombay chimney the second is 5.6 slab. Somewhere around far right of Hawk and around Eraserhead. Noted in the Robbins and Spencer Guides.

Fresno Dome

Unknown
On far left end of the West face immediately right of the gulley that divides Hawk Dome and Fresno Dome. Bolted route that starts from the right-facing corner which becomes a roof. Exits to left before roof and continues up to either the anchor for the bolted 11a Spencer Route or "Are You A Virgin", the retrobolted Anderson line.

Alternate Start to Water Music
Assuming that Water Music is the left of the two lines that run together left of Kammerlander, who did the right one? Old single bolt, later model than the one for Water Music. Appears to be same path as Water Music but a different start. Single bolt anchor above at a mini-ledge at a notch. About 5.8R.

Mixed climb on buttress?
On narrow sub-buttress below and right of South Pillar starts in left side of gulley at a tilted crack then two bolts to reach outer face. Bolted anchor with a bunch of slings on it. Name and difficulty?

Unknown-rumored to be 10d
Pro: Gear, slings
FA:Unknown
Between “High and Mighty” and a little left of “Whiskey Bill”, ending at P2 anchor of “Whiskey Bill”. Older bolts.

Unknown-5.8 (right of Friction Dandy and left of Looking Glass)
Pro: To 3”
FA: Unknown
P1. Three bolts, two below a crack and one above. 170’
P2. Straight up face along corner protected by around 6-7 bolts and a strange anchor which is best passed up. Belay shared with “Friction Dandy”. 160’

Looking Glass
FA information??

Unknown-5.8 (Bolted face immediately left of Watership Down)
Pro: Draws
FA: Unknown
Single pitch with rap anchor. Can continue on “Rowsby Woof” via some 5.6 face.

Fresno Flats-5.8
FA information??

Torn and Frayed-5.8-Location??
FA: Simon King, Jack Forsythe 6/1976
Unclear where this is. Read on: “This short, four-pitch climb was done by Jack Forsythe and me in June. It lies on the right side of a prominent pillar a few hundred feet right of the Beckey-Stuart route. Three obvious pitches lead to a huge ledge from where easy face-climbing leads right, then up to the unroping spot.” NCCS II, F8.
Simon King, Unaffliated
AAj 1976-Issue 2
Attempts to locate FA parties unsuccessful.

Blue Connection-5.8-Location??
FA: Simon King, Jack Forsythe 6/1976
Unclear where this is. Read on: “This one-pitch route starts 50 feet to the right of Torn and Frayed and involves an easy ramp followed by a tricky face move and ending with an unprotected water groove. Jack Forsythe and I made the first ascent in June.” NCCS I, F8.
Simon King, Unaffiliated
AAj 1976-Issue 2
Attempts to locate FA parties unsuccessful.

[NateD]

Hawk Dome
#4 - Gadzooks, 5.10b  June, 16, 2003
FA Bruce Bindner, Theresa Ho, Em Holland and Tom Lambert.
Crack to roof, and then 2 bolts.

Bruce had said in some correspondence: "No second pitch, we rapped when I encountered existing 
bolted belay from the route to the left."

(I had given this info to Jerry A., but he didn't include it all on his topo.)

I'll also email you an original topo of a very early climb on Hawk in 1970 by John Eleazarian of Fresno. See if you can make sense of where it goes relative to all the newer routes.


Fresno Dome
Left of Onyx, you may or may not have Golden Showers:
http://www.summitpost.org/golden-showers/163834

Also, possibly relevant to your query, and if you didn't catch it, Casey Yorkunas posted some original topos for Fresno Dome on ST:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1783518&tn=40


This bit of history on routes may also be helpful, posted by Doug Robinson on ST awhile back:

"First of all, let's call it Wamello. John Muir noted that was its name, and we always used Wamello at the Rockcraft School with Royal.

Then, we had climbed the South Buttress ("South Pillar" in Spencer) back in the Rockcraft days in the early 70s. I guided it then, onsight. Not claiming the FA myself, but it was definitely a Rockcraft route. We avoided the bolted crux by starting in from the right, maybe 50 feet up the gully. I like the direct start, though. Much finer line.

"Fresno Flats" was originally 5.8X. I was the instigator of retrobolting it back in the mid-90s. That could be controversial, so here's the deal: The FA is listed as "Unknown." I asked around for a couple of years but could not find out who did it so I could talk to them. It seemed sad to me to waste a beautiful, beginner-friendly slab on a death route. So when I couldn't find the first ascentionists to talk to, I managed to find the cojones to lead it, then laid out the retrobolting. Mike Arechiga actually installed the bolts. We are pleased with its current condition and I have guided at least 20 ascents. Everyone like the climb.

FWIW, we now call that climb Wamello Rising, as Fresno Flats seems so uninspiring.

No doubt you have fresh topos for newer routes on Wamello. I'll just mention two:

A new bolted route maybe a year old has cropped up on that same slab, between Wamello Rising and Watership Down. I climbed it on Sunday, and it's good. 5.8 off the deck, well-protected, good position. There are now a number of bolted variations over the headwall above, from 5.8R to 5.10a.

You probably have topo for the right extension off Mule Train, 2 pitches, 5.9, FA Lawrence Garcia."

[John]

Thanks Nate. I will send you my list of climbs when I get home from work. I have a pretty thick file on Fresno....er...Wamello.

[Jerry]

The route just left of Looking Glass is supposedly a Lawrence Garcia route if you have contact info for him

[mike a]

Brad Watson and i, Mike Arechiga put up, Whiskey Bill in May 98, ground up, and the same year July 89 we put up, My Pissy Hurts on Hawk Dome, it's the route out of the cave to the right next to the big tree, that goes at 5.8, gound up it's a mixed route 100' 2 bolt anchor, and the thin short seem crack to the right with a small little tree growing out the crack is, O.B.G.Y.N. tr, it's goes at 5.10+.

[John]

Thanks Mike. I will compare this with my notes next week and may have questions.

[NateD]

Hi Mike. Welcome - and thanks for those details.
 
Do you know who did the routes "Chicken Slaughter .10c" and "Bird Flu .11a" on Hawk Dome, as noted in your mini guide? FA Dates? Are these yours also?
We have info for all of Jerry's newer routes on the dome.

[John]

Nate-
George Rekouts, Natalia Ermolova, respectively. Both 2007.

[NateD]

Right, sorry John. You already had those.

Did you get Bachelor Party added to your list, by Ger? Don't think I saw it.
Also, any word on the bolted pitch up the center of the flake, just left of Watership Down?

[John]

Actually, I am sorry for answering a question not directed to me. I got excited.

I will check my list on Monday to see if I have bachelor.

[DaveyTree]

To the left of Fresno Flats and right of the book is another face route to the top at 4th pitches. I was told it was called Guides on the Snowbank. Anyone know who, when and if it's the correct name?

[NateD]

Jerry's climb. I'll let him chime in on details when he gets a chance.

[Jerry]

"Guides in a Snowbank". It was named the day after my wife Sigrid, our daughter Lynnea and I did the FA and went back to just climb it for fun. Some of the SYMG guides were well stuck in a snowbank and we pulled them out then they went up and climbed it with us.

We did two other climbs in the area to the right of "Mule Train". Closest we called "Cardiac Bypass" because it bypasses the scary (for those of us with bad knees anyway) boulder moves st the start of "Mule Train". A few moves of 10a at the bottom, bolts, pro and knob tie offs ending at the first pitch of "Mule Train". Further right we did "EZX" 5.8, pro and bolts. Certainly not an X but it crosses an unknown 10+ route forming an X then ending at the same anchor for the unknown route. Both are fun, two ropes needed to rap or continue to the top of "Mule Train" for both.

[mike a]

morning jerry, is the unknown route to the right of mule train what your talking, second honeymoon?, i have a topo to the routes your talking about on the pix i posted on fresno dome pix check it out let me kown, thanks for the info on the route to the left of fresno flat, need to do that one, cheers mike a.

[Jerry]

Hi Mike- 2 would be "Cardiac Bypass" And 5 is "EZX" crossing "Second Honeymoon" at mid height. There is another unknown route just right going to a small left facing corner. Guess I'm getting old and soft, "Second Honeymoon" seems hard for 10b! You probably noticed that I rebolted it a few years ago, those old non stainless 3/8 mostly popped right off. Do you know who did the FA?