Lower Guadalupe Rock
Climb Review:
My thoughts haven’t changed since the last time I was here.
Tsunami Queaky (5.6; Lower Guadalupe Rock)—I actually started off on Between Showers, but found that route too difficult with my setup, so I moved over to Tsunami Queaky and climbed it instead. The route has great holds almost the whole way, so it wasn’t very difficult. The view from the top is pretty nice!
What I Learned:
While looking for the start to Between Showers, I moved back and forth on the route and when I looked up, I saw that my rope was being mutilated by the sharp rocks. I need to be more careful if I want my ropes to last.
I tried out a new rope management system that I read so much about. Instead of dropping the exact amount of rope needed and possibly getting it wet, I coiled it and attached it to my harness with a sling. This way, I would uncoil the rope as I rappelled down, then attach a bit of weight to the rope, then climb up. Unfortunately, this did not work well for Solo Top Rope. I attached about a pound of weight, but it wasn’t enough to keep the rope taut, so the rope did not feed well while climbing. This meant that as I climbed, I had more and more slack in the rope, which made me nervous. One, the rope is a semi-static rope that does not stretch to lessen the forces of a fall. Two, the catch would not be soft, since my ascenders would not slip. With both of these facts in my mind, I climbed down, and went to find a different route that would be easy enough where I could pull the rope through the ascenders as I climbed.
I was better rappelling with my grigri than my first time. Still, I need more practice to rappel smoother.
I used my PAS, and while it was nice, I’m not sure if I’ll use it in the future. I now think quick draws are superior for Solo TR in terms of weight and ease of harness management.
What Happened?
I wanted to get a climb in during the weekday, so I got to this rock early in the morning. As the sun blasted away the fog, I got the anchor setup, and started rappelling down.
I lowered myself right above the water and started climbing. I found myself struggling as the not-taut rope would not feed through my ascenders. Given that I didn’t have a free hand, and that I didn’t even want to take a 1+ foot fall, I decided to climb down and try a slightly different start. Well, I ran into the same situation with the rope not feeding.
I gave up on this route and swung myself over to Tsunami Queaky. This easy route allowed me to hand feed the rope through my ascenders as I climbed, so I was able to climb without fear in my brain.
When I finished, I decided to retreat back home and figure out a better way to weigh down the rope when I’m starting over water. The backpack won’t work as I don’t want to get it wet, and using the accessory cord + steel carabiner was too light. I need to use something heavier next time that I don’t mind banging against the rock when I pull it up.