Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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The climb was first done by Frank S. in 1964, a year in which he did a fantastic amount of FAs and FFAs, maybe one of the most productive years before or since. Tons of classics.
The first time I did this route I was with Bridwell and several others. Jim led and instead of following, I pulled the rope somehow and led it myself. Except I didn't see that Jim ran the rope from the beginning of the thin crack all the way to the anchors. Man, I was shitting my pants up there at the top, out a mile and not knowing so much about "the wide."
What a clasic. I must have done this and the Center Route of the Slack fifty times each - basically every time I went past.
JL
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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You don't need big cams. There is a horizontal crack at the start of the OW. Was my first Valley 10 years ago under the tutelage of TM Herbert. I've done is a couple of times in the last few years.....still an enduring classic.
Not bringing big cams will require a bit of a runout but the initial moves to get established in the crack are the most difficult.
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jahil
Social climber
London, Paris, WV & CA
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I followed this last weekend, and the flake flexed for me too, scared the crap of me ! It settled back in to its slot. I'm 180+ pounds, so if you are larger be gentle on the flake !
steve
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Not worth bringing a 6. A 5 is overkill but might as well bring it if your worried.
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Cbeezy
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Is it worth dragging my #6 C4 up there? Will it even fit in after the chock stone?
Thanks - C
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Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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Here is a great post about first ascentionist Frank Sacherer with a list of his first ascents
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=268647
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slobmonster
Trad climber
SF (via NH & CO)
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Though it is the mark of the Wuss, and not the Mark of Art to do so, it's possible to step left out of Sacherer Cracker at the chockstone, and climb the (easier) chimney to the left.
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Fingerlocks
Trad climber
where the climbin's good
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For both this climb and Mark of Art, it is tempting to clip the bolted anchor at the top of Short but Thin. However, this will hold your rope over to the right and keep it in the crack as you climb. To avoid this annoyance, instead put a #1.5 Friend (or maybe a #0.5 Camaolot) in the lowest bit of the finger crack before you step up onto the flake. This way the rope will hang to the left of the crack and stay out of your way as you climb.
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Peter
Trad climber
San Francisco
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I climbed the route on Saturday and didn't notice the loose flake. FWIW I found the offwidth a lot easier (ie: possible) left side in , counter to what Supertopo says.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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The flake at the base of the start of the crack is loose. I was startled to have it move on me today... the last part of a humbling outing. Be cautious when yarding on this feature!
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Yah00
Trad climber
CA
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Wow, one of the most fun pitches I have ever climbed! Great moves the entire way. For gear I brought double camalots from .75-3. Plus one red alien and a 3.5 camalot. This was plenty of gear and protected the entire climb really well. If you’re comfortable at this grade you will be fine with less.
My initial reaction at the off-width was something along the lines of ‘What the F--?’ But, really, it’s pretty casual. After a minute of feeling things out it was more like “Oh, now I get it’. Don’t worry, if you got that far you’ll be fine.
For anyone who’s interested, what I found worked for me was: Right side in with a right arm bar and pulling on the edge with my left hand. For my feet, I slid my right foot in for a heel-toe jam, with heel of my foot angled towards the back of the crack. I then slid my left foot in, toe first (also heel-toeing), and put my left toes under my right. The result was some sort of heal-toe jam/foot stack. I’m probably not explaining this well but it felt really solid.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Did the cheater "climb the Slack and TR La Escuela on the way down" trick again to today to get some exercise.
New beta. From the top of Sacherer Cracker, you can lead all the way to the top of the slack with a 70 meter rope.
Then it would be possible to rap west and top rope the pitches of La Escuela on the way down with only the 70 meter rope. You just couldn't TR the first 2 5.11 pitches in one shot like you could with two ropes.
There is a very loose block near the end of the first rappel off the top of the slack up and right of the anchor on top of the sandbag 10a pitch of La Escuela.
Somebody has replaced the once horrible anchors on top of the Slack, Thanks! That's the only fixed anchor on the slack BRW above Sacherer Cracker. The slack is an unexpected adventure but if you got up Sacherer Cracker, it shouldn't be a problem
Anchors are all bomber down La Escuela.
Enjoy!
Karl
PS More wimp beta. You can penji right and finish leading Mark of Art from the top of Sacherer Cracker and do some laps on it.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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I've seen a lot of folks suffer in the OW on this route, which is amazing and wonderful. For me, the secret to this OW is to stand on the chockstones (which you use as pro) and get both feet heel-toe in the crack. Then you walk up the crack by the alternating shuffle of your heel-toe jams. You'll feel extra secure if, on the foot which is closest to the outside of the crack, you have your heel more inside the crack than your toes, so you can cam them against each other.
It just a couple moves until you reach a jug that saves you from the OW. Don't bail to the chimney on the left! Learn the OW!
Also, from the rest before the finger/thin hands crux. smear/jam your right foot in the tiny corner before the crack goes splitter.
TR short but thin afterwards
karl
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Lou H
Intermediate climber
Yosemite, Ca
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I think left side goes in best on the offwidth and have also been told this to be the case by a local valley climber who walks Generator Crack.
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Matt
Intermediate climber
Yosemite, Ca
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This is perhaps the best single pitch climb I have ever done anywhere. I remember being soaked after the 1st time I went up it- but I had a big grin on my face for a week!
I think the rating would almost be harder, except that the crack keeps the same angle for the whole pitch, so the same type of motion just repeats itself into slowly growing jambs- so you never really have to figure anything out as you go- unless you don't climb the wide stuff much...
(Hey pal- go buy yourself a kneepad!).
Also, the gear management is very easy because the crack grows so consistently- every time you set a piece you're thinking, "I guess I'm not gonna need this anywhere up there...".
Lastly- there is a horizontal crack just where the thing goes wide that takes a bomber red alien- that way you aren't into the wide part off just the slung chalkstone. Don't bother trying to gear that top part- too damn far to carry the huge cam & too slipery for the big bro in there- just stick your right side in there & don't look down!
If you like this climb so much, go get on midterm @ arch rock- & hey- don't forget that kneepad!
(chuckle chuckle...)
-Matt
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Graham
Novice climber
Yosemite, Ca
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That #5 will only give you an extra 15.7 inches of protection up the slot. The only way to actually sew it up is with bigbros, but I think most folks will tell you that protection isn't really necessary because it's so easy to climb. Seriously, the fall is pretty clean. Just get in there and thrash.
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Liam
Intermediate climber
Yosemite, Ca
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This is probably the best single pitch I have done in Yosemite. If you take a double rack of cams, you can place one every 10ft or so.
I arrived at the final off-width section with no suitable gear, and tried the thrutching moves, getting only a few feet above the tied-off chock stones (where the off-width starts). After reversing, procrastinating and doing it all again a few times, I relaised that I could bridge out leftwards (I am 6ft2inches tall) to the chimney pitch next-door. 15ft of increasingly exciting bridging brought the end of the pitch, where I belly-flopped over into the niche and stood panting. I would love to go back with my new(ish) Camelot 5 and do it _properly_.
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The base routes are scattered to the left of the SE Buttress.Photo: Chris McNamara
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*What is "Route Beta"?
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the beta on that route?" As a service to fellow climbers we ask SuperTopo
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