Trip Report
Blind Faith on the Rostrum - 9.15.13
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Monday September 16, 2013 11:45am
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Alejo and I had this on our list after doing the regular route a few weeks ago. There are so few images of Blind Faith that I thought it was worth its own trip report. The route could definitely use some more traffic. It is an excellent set of pitches.
David Wilson
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About the Author
David Wilson is a climber from CA. |
Comments
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Sep 16, 2013 - 11:50am PT
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hey David, any TR from you is worth it! independent of the existence of any other images for the route...
thanks!
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Grippa
Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Sep 16, 2013 - 11:54am PT
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nice work! I've always wondered about that one...
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MisterE
Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
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Sep 16, 2013 - 11:55am PT
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Very nice! Looks wonderful.
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fluffy
Trad climber
Colorado
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Sep 16, 2013 - 12:12pm PT
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That 4th pitch looks very cool. Nice job fellas.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Sep 16, 2013 - 12:19pm PT
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Nice. This route had an aura back in the day. Bard and Kauk, pre-friends, mandatory OW + squeeze. Supermen and superwomen only.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Sep 16, 2013 - 12:25pm PT
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Fantastic. Always wanted to climb the route and never did. Where was the 11d on P1? Just curious.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Sep 16, 2013 - 04:39pm PT
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Nice to see photos of this overlooked gem. I did this route waaay back in 1987 & sadly have no photos of it. I got to lead the 11d thin crack which I thought was right on for the grade. Some techy 1-1/8" jams lead to a perfect "V" slot where the cracks change. I liked the OW pitches too. Do you have any photos of the wideness leading up to the shared belay on pitch 8 of the Rostrum? I recall that pich seemed light for it's grade. IMHO, Generator Crack down below, is much harder than the "business" OW of Blind Faith.
Good job & thanks for sharing the photos.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:09pm PT
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Was always on my list. Sheesh, you're obviously still climbing strong. Thanks for the TR and pics!
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Bruce Morris
Trad climber
Soulsbyville, California
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:28pm PT
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Levy, did you do your ascent of BF with Elliott Robinson? 1987 was about the time he was doing all those OWs in the Valley. BF is a route that doesn't get that much traffic. This TR with pics was a really worthwhile entry here.
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:53pm PT
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Rad! A fun trick is to have someone climbing the O/W on the Regular route of the Rostrum. The P3 crack on Blind Faith goes all the way through and you can cheer each-other on!
Nice photos!
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:58pm PT
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Bruce - Yes, I did it with Elliott Robinson & my friend Dan Hershman. Elliott was super psyched for the wide crux & Dan led the other wide pitches. We had some homemade large cams & a few tube chocks.
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Author's Reply
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:59pm PT
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Marty, P1 is pretty continuous, but with occasional good feet in the crack. I'd say the crux was at the crack transfer
Levy, those OW pics from P3 are on the pitch that leads to the shared belay. Totally agree that was soft for the grade. Awesome you did that with Elliot
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Sep 16, 2013 - 04:34pm PT
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Superb! This was the perfect antidote for "Mondayitis." Thank you very much for this TR.
John
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 16, 2013 - 05:28pm PT
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I did this with Lynn, "Wheels" Wheeler in the 80's. whatever year that Mexican Superclimber Herman, was there, because he ( with &Kauk belyaing) led the reg Rostrum 5.11 fingers pitch while Wheels led the .11d. I was glad just to follow it without falling, or weighting. I got all the offwidth pitches, and that "5.11" ow pitch did seem anticlimactic. We had tubes & homemade big cams that Wheels, a machinist by trade, made. They had a very narrow axle width, and odd shaped cams.
"how'd you get the cam angle Lynn? "
"Eyeballed it"
Between the odd angle and the narrow stance, those cams had a habit of jumping out of the crack at odd times. High on the route (where I think it joins the reg route?) Wheels placed one on a pitch that traverses right, thing popped out of the crack and rattling a long way back and forth as it fell, and clunked me on the melon!
These were the same cams that I took on Walt Shipley and my attempt on lightning bolt crack on Mt Broderick, that enured terror and high adventure there!
Good route, BF, good on you guys for taking the road less traveled!!
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Sep 16, 2013 - 05:34pm PT
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Nice one. Luke, don't you have some pics from when you did it? Or am I mixed up? Seem to recall a TR on your site.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Sep 16, 2013 - 06:36pm PT
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Awesome post, I was just checking out this route on MP! Nice to see a report about it. Seems fun. But for me 1st stop is to flail my ass up the rostrum.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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Sep 16, 2013 - 09:42pm PT
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Great report!
Your pictures are fantastic! Best look I've seen of that beautiful crack route since '85.
Onsighted Kaulator and BF (first pitch) that day with friends Chris Snyder and "Dixieland" Shannon. Didn't do the wide hate to say. Looks stellar. Needless to say, that side of the ditch has some of the best splitters in the park. Uprising, Energy Crisis, Viper, Digital Delight .....on and on. Gray Rock, cooler temps...(reminiscing and salivating)...
Damn good job guys!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 16, 2013 - 07:33pm PT
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Sweet jeebus!
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RyanD
climber
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Sep 16, 2013 - 07:46pm PT
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Awesome!
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WBraun
climber
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Sep 16, 2013 - 07:46pm PT
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Good job David.
Blind Faith is a favorite route of mine along with the Rostrum.
The 10d flare on P4 is a thrash for some people who have difficulties with that kind of climbing discipline.
I trashed out quite a few partners on that pitch .......
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Sep 17, 2013 - 01:51pm PT
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The 10d flare on P4 is a thrash for some people who have difficulties with that kind of climbing discipline.
What's impressive is that I think David's partner Alejo doesn't have a whole lot of crack experience yet, but looks like he cruised everything BF threw at him.
Love the David Wilson style: hard routes, stellar images, and just the facts in writing. Put 'em all together and you get sleek TRs, streamlined for optimum reader enjoyment.
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E Robinson
Trad climber
Salinas, CA
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Sep 18, 2013 - 12:06am PT
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David, pretty cool! That's an awesome route...Levy, that was 1987? Way too many moons ago.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
@dodrillphoto
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Sep 18, 2013 - 12:42am PT
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Great looking line and the photos area alluring. Thanks for sharing.
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snyd
Sport climber
Lexington, KY
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Sep 18, 2013 - 07:02am PT
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"Your pictures are fantastic! Best look I've seen of that beautiful crack route since '85.
Onsighted Kaulator and BF (first pitch) that day with friends Chris Snyder and "Dixieland" Shannon. Didn't do the wide hate to say. Looks stellar. Needless to say, that side of the ditch has some of the best splitters in the park. Uprising, Energy Crisis, Viper, Digital Delight .....on and on. Gray Rock, cooler temps...(reminiscing and salivating)...
Damn good job guys!" From DK
Shannon Langley!
LOL!
Good times old buddy!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Wyoming
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Sep 18, 2013 - 09:44am PT
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Great David, but what happened to Chase?
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Author's Reply
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Sep 18, 2013 - 10:18am PT
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Peter, Chase is down in LA being a painter and proves hard to lure up north for such prosaic pursuits as climbing. Alejo, whom you met at that party at my dad's, is one of Chase's oldest grade school friends. He'll readily crush a 5.13 sport route, but recently he's coming into his own on the trad routes as well. We had a great time on this one !
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mctwisted
Trad climber
e.p.
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Sep 18, 2013 - 11:02am PT
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good work guys! good to see alejo is getting some wide! he sure does make easy work of the thinner sizes
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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Sep 18, 2013 - 12:20pm PT
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Did this with Don Snyder in 1988 or 1989 after being inspired by Elliott Robinson. Classic from start to finish.
Greg
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
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Sep 18, 2013 - 01:09pm PT
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I almost had a ropegun to yank me up that route once, and after seeing pics I'm sad I missed it! It looks beautiful, thank you for sharing some pics.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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Sep 18, 2013 - 01:50pm PT
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Heck yeah Snyd! Those were good times. I remember we were going to do the 5th pitch of the Rostrum that day as well but decided to wait and on sight the entire route together. I think it was two or three days later that we did just that, no falls, swapping leads. Those care free Valley years were the best!
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Sep 18, 2013 - 02:30pm PT
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Gotta keep climbing content on the front page.
Some more photos!
James on the awesome handcrack at the top of P1.
James leading the fun O/W on P2.
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snyd
Sport climber
Lexington, KY
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Sep 18, 2013 - 02:47pm PT
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Heck yeah Snyd! Those were good times. I remember we were going to do the 5th pitch of the Rostrum that day as well but decided to wait and on sight the entire route together. I think it was two or three days later that we did just that, no falls, swapping leads. Those care free Valley years were the best!
Hells yeah! That day was awesome. Good times!
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Sep 18, 2013 - 08:17pm PT
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Good on y'all!!!!
Thank you!!!!!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Sep 26, 2013 - 11:46am PT
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Those are great shots, man. And a fun write up. That thing used to have crazy huge lichen on it the size of flowers. That's one I should have gotten! An all time classic splitter.
JL
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Sep 26, 2014 - 11:09am PT
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Bump because look at that stone
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Oct 30, 2016 - 08:30pm PT
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bump
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Oct 30, 2016 - 09:23pm PT
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Looks amazing. Glad I got to read about this climb, great TR.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
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Oct 30, 2016 - 09:46pm PT
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Thanks for sharing the original report David and Alejo.
Saw this bumped and immediately thought of you le_bruce. This winter. Better for me to try and cry and flail than never try at all ;)
I gotta find a SoCal training ground to get into form on the wideness. There's a good off-fingers training crack in the gym down here.
Anyone who's done it: can you get hand/fist stacks in the wide or is it armbar territory most of the way?
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