Premature tool usage

[Graham]

Well, all this cold weather and snow has proven to be too much for me. So a friend and I went for a little adventure on good ol' McLeod Hill. The rock still has the stability of a stack of marbles, and there was only a single smear of ice running up the face. But much fun was had and it provided a good lead up to this season. I hope you all get out there and have some fun. I hope this coldness holds out.

Graham

P.S. Remember, when your pick is on a percarious placement, do not place your face directly behind the tool, because when it pops.....Damn, if those Adze's don't hurt like a *female dog*.

[chossmonkey]

You need to ditch your adze.

This is what we do in the "off season" to get our fix and stay in shape.

[Fred]

dido on ditching the adze. I lead ice and place screws and got rid of my adze. You can chip flat spots just as easily if not easier with the pick.

[martha]

Is that bridge bolted or are there cracks in between bricks where the mortar has fallen away?

super cool!

[Climbing4life]

You need to ditch your adze.

This is what we do in the "off season" to get our fix and stay in shape.

that is NUTS!! where is that anyway ..... Cool shot guys

Peace
Sean B (C4L)

[granite_grrl]

Is that bridge bolted or are there cracks in between bricks where the mortar has fallen away?

super cool!

It's been bolted. One side of the arch actually has parts of PVC piping bolted to it, the other side has nothing like that, so its much harder (its Nathan's project).

There are also some lines up the pilars. Dry tooling is optional.

[Climbing4life]

Is that bridge bolted or are there cracks in between bricks where the mortar has fallen away?

super cool!

It's been bolted. One side of the arch actually has parts of PVC piping bolted to it, the other side has nothing like that, so its much harder (its Nathan's project).

There are also some lines up the pilars. Dry tooling is optional.

how exactly does that work "dry tooling"
that crazy , i dont even understand how that works.???

[martha]

how exactly does that work "dry tooling"
that crazy , i dont even understand how that works.???

you use you ice tools on the rock, balancing them on edges etc. your crampons are used in the same fashion.

It is called Mixed climbing.

[chossmonkey]

how exactly does that work "dry tooling"
that crazy , i dont even understand how that works.???

You can kinda see a little better what is going on in this pic.


The route that these pictures are of is almost completely manufactured so it is mostly just mindless hooking. If you are fit it isn't very hard.

The route I bolted on the other side of the bridge is mostly just pick cams between the blocks. It is sick hard, at least for me.

Drytooling is kinda like a mix of free climbing and aid. Take the trickery and sketchyness of aid climbing and add the pump of free climbing.

This is on an abandond train bridge, just outside of St.Catharines, ON. Sorry for the thread hijack.

[Graham]

This is on an abandond train bridge, just outside of St.Catharines, ON. Sorry for the thread hijack.

That's fine, I like to hear about things like that because it gives me new ideas on ways that I can try to hurt myself. Unfortunatly I can't think of a bridge around here that would provide that sort of experience. The closest we have is the walking bridge traverse downtown, but it's mostly using girders, so dry tooling it would be a no-no.

Looks mighty fun though, must of been a time and a half trying to place those bolts though. I have no experience with bolts, how do you get them on an arch like that?

[chossmonkey]

I didn't bolt the route in the pics, but I did bolt one on the opposite side of the arch. I did it on aid. There are a number of marginal placements between the blocks. It was kinda like drilling a bolt ladder but with placements between the bolts.

I have drilled a bolt ladder up a blank concrete wall (an old cilo) then created holds on rappel. The bolts tend to be faily close together though, even when top stepping in your aiders. Shallow BAT hook holes, temporary 1/4" studs, or removeable bolts between protection bolts would help with spacing them out.

[Andrew]

If you're not using leashes on your ice-axe's ... what happens if you fall and loose grip of your pick? Do you just take the chance of loosing your picks and possibly hitting someone?

Just wondering.

Andrew

[Mountain_Marc]

If you're not using leashes on your ice-axe's ... what happens if you fall and loose grip of your pick? Do you just take the chance of loosing your picks and possibly hitting someone?

Just wondering.

Andrew

YEP!

[granite_grrl]

If you're not using leashes on your ice-axe's ... what happens if you fall and loose grip of your pick? Do you just take the chance of loosing your picks and possibly hitting someone?

Just wondering.

Andrew

Dude, if you're hanging out that close to the bottom of an ice or mixed route route you've got bigger things to worry about than a dropped tool.

[mathieu]

better to hit your belayer or bystander on the head than to be hanging from your wrist and having to amputate.

[Graham]

I find the trick to leashes is to just not fall! Whenever I'm worried about possible amputation should I hang from them I just figure "heck, why don't I just keep going up rather then down" and it never really presents a problem!!

[martha]

I find the trick to leashes is to just not fall!

And here we have the first of the three rules of ice climbing.....

1. thou shall not fall.
2. thou shall stand in a 'heels down' position
3. thou shall not fall.

[chossmonkey]

If you're not using leashes on your ice-axe's ... what happens if you fall and loose grip of your pick? Do you just take the chance of loosing your picks and possibly hitting someone?

Just wondering.

Andrew

I always make sure the bolts that hold my picks on are tight. Then I don't have to worry about them falling out of my tools.


It sounds like you have never climbed ice before? The area below a climber can be a literal bombing zone with ice chunks raining down. Some climbers send down more ice than others, but no matter how careful you are sooner or later you will send down a big chunk, your belayer had better be out of the way or paying attention so they can dodge the pieces. Falling ice will always be a much bigger concern to me than my partner dropping their tools. Either way, I try to belay off to the side or near something I can duck under.


Mixed climbing can be just as much DO NOT FALL as ice, but on steep well protected M-routes while it is more dangerous than falling sport climbing it can be fairly safe.
When you fall drytooling, the tools normally either stay in your hand or stay stuck in the hold that ripped it out of your hand. If the tool does come out of your hand when you fall it is likely to be more of a hazard to you than your belayer.

[Graham]

If the tool does come out of your hand when you fall it is likely to be more of a hazard to you than your belayer.

That's the big problem with Ice/Mix Climbing, 4 out of your 5 ends are pointy. There are usualy pointy things hanging from your waist as well. In all, I/M climbing can be condusive to blood loss. But heck! What fun is it if there's no chance of sucking chest wounds, deep lacerations, or Arteriel bleeding?