Let the Dry Tooling Games Begin!
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It can be hard to find partners when you’re wanting to climb some of the most difficult dry tooling routes in the country, especially in a town of 800. So, this year I got clever and invited a some friends to come to check out The Hall of Justice in Ouray, CO.
Gordon McArthur, fresh from winning the City Rock / Ice Holdz competition, Kendra Stritch, her brother Carter and Tim Banfield all arrived at our house on Sunday evening. As well, Ouray local, Logan Tyler also showed up to get in on the fun.
This is a series of photos Tim shot from the first day of climbing. Thanks for letting us post these Tim. There will be more to come! You can view Tim’s work at timbanfield.com
I was psyched to get the first ascent of a new route I bolted this summer called Magneto Effect. The difficulty is in the D11 or D11+ range and it’s about 33 meters long. A big roof midway marks the routes most difficult section, and I thought it would ease off after that, but I was wrong. The route stays hard all the way to the end. It was a good fight, and I’m glad I won. There’s several more lines in the cave awaiting first ascents. Hopefully we can check some more routes off the list while I’m here getting our the house ready for winter rentals.
Update: I’ve written a response to cover most of the comments that came in for this post. Please see the Dry Tooling in Ouray Day 2 post.
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Thanks for tooling up this otherwise beautiful area. Have you ever consider the long term implications of your climbing style? What’s the justification for marking up the rock so bad?
There’s been some misdirection among those that participate in your
style of climbing and my frustration over their desecration has made me
quick to lash out. So I apologize for the pointed comment.
I think it might be good for the more publicized mixed climbing athletes to open the discussion about proper ethics. Please show your support for future generations enjoying what we enjoy today by respecting Leave No Trace.
because it is… that bad, if you had any idea what kind of choss is in the san juans you would laugh at yourself. jason took a worthless choss pile and turned it into a masterpiece of movement. sell your car, live in the woods and dont ever go to any crag if your really that concerned about “leave no trace”
Hall of justice is just too bad for you
Putting the tool in tooling. Shouldn’t this be considered aid climbing?
please kid, the day you can send anything close to this level we can talk.
If you think know one who posts here is as GREAT as you are, then read Will Gadd’s most recent article in Gripped about his evolution in ice climbing over his 30 year career. ÂÂ
He specifically talks about this type of climbing and how limited its potential is.  If you think this would stand the scrutiny of someone of his calibre, why not head over to his site and start spraying about how much of a hard man you are.
Well, for one Will Gadd is a personal friend of mine. We talk about climbing, hunting, raising kids, all kinds of things. We never talked about limited potential in climbing styles. Sounds like a discussion the two of you should have.
where’s the ice?….
Honestly…it’s clear that you guys don’t really understand the nature of this type of climbing. The cave is a choss pile. There is no way it could be rock climbed or “aided”. This is just another way to move over others wise unclimbable terrain….
What the heck do you mean it can’t be aided? You ARE aiding it.
Scott,
I get the impression that you feel that aid climbing is an illegitimate form of climbing? That’s too bad. Good fun can be had aid climbing and it teaches you a lot.ÂÂ
Now that said, I don’t feel like you really get the idea of what we are doing, so go and climb 100 pitches of aid, and then 100 pitches of mixed or drytooling and we can continue this discussion over a beer somewhere about how similar or different they are, and in the big picture, whether it actually matters what we call it.ÂÂ
sorry dude, but i dont think pulling multiple figure four’s and CLIMBING upside down for over 30 feet is even close to aid climbing. I invite you to come to ouray, stay at my home and climb any of the routes in the hall of justice, hell i will put a thousand dollars if you can onsight any of the routes. Aid climbing! wake up man its called crankin down something i dont think you know much about.
C’mon.. you climb with some stalactites around… it’s allright… But please, don’t talk about ethics, developing skills to the limit, Ueli Steck,.. and bla, bla, bla.. this is a kind of aid climbing with some ice tools .. no more, no less. If you can’t rock-climb these routes it’s allright.. please don’t try to sell it as the new thing
you have never climbed in the san juans clearly….furthermore, i am not trying to sell anything, i just simply think that jason deserves some respect for creating and sending such hard routes, that require true strength and athletic abilty, not some bozo covered in cams and standing on a rope ladder. Have you ever even “tried” to mix climb?ÂÂ
Why not customize your tools? I’d take those picks off in a hearbeat and bolt a beak to one tool and a blue alien to the other. Hell, a skyhook and a stick clip would be even better, and way cheaper.
I suppose you could try that approach. Sounds interesting. Send me pictures, I’d like to see them.ÂÂ
The idea that anyone could call dry-tooling aid climbing really does just demonstrate that the commenter has no experience with either medium. Unbelievable. I have never added my voice to an internet spray-off before but this one is ridiculous. Really.
It is absolutely Aid climbing!
You can’t deny the evolution of climbing, otherwise, it’s discrimination., in its cheapest form. Passion for climbing pushes each of us to our limits…and then some, is what we all desire as climbers. Appreciation for different styles should be ubiquitous through all climbers, not jealousy, or hate. After traveling around the world, and appreciating all forms of climbing, I love this style.
For those who think that this is a dead-end sport, look at those like Ueli Steck and Vince Anderson who developed their skills to the limit on terrain like this and then took it to the mountains where it’s blown your mind when you witness what the possibilities are. Watch this interview that I did when competing in the 2011 World Comp with Markus Bendler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfCHmNQcKog
If its ethics that you’re worried about, sorry, I don’t live by your ethos, values, race, or social deviance. It’s a love for climbing, a love of being free to express myself in this way, and a drive to challenge myself when putting these lines in. I have the right and the freedom to do that in this country (as does anyone).
There is ice that comes in above this cave (2 pitches of it). You just have to climb M12 to get to it. If people would like to sport climb these routes, aid climb these routes, or free solo these routes, then I would like to be present for some of those attempts. I’ll bring some tequila.
In the meantime, I hope that those with vision, skill, and ready to take it to the next level will come and play at the Hall of Justice.
well said mark! its a shame that so many fools judge what they simply dont understand. As a true native of ouray i think that the hall of justice is a great addition to ouray’s climbing scene and i feel lucky enough to that guys like you and jay have created such a fun place to climb, and at the end of the day thats what it is all about.
This thing you do is aid climbing or free-climbing?
yeah… ok…  you are a pioneer..