Re: [Zebu] Kingfisher climbing/jumping info
What you have to understand is that it's Fisher Aid not ordinary aid climbing. It's not about the placements it's about what you're putting them in. The standard route on the Fisher is a clean route. You really don't need pins. But the fishers tend to be weathered. You can pretty much assume that every thing will be flairing to some extent. And the surface is soft and crumbly. Peaces that would be bomber any where else are just body weight on these towers. It's basically mud... some of it's a little better but it's a question of degree.
So I think they call it C2? But that can mean any thing up to A5 out there so ignore it. Here's my best memory.
Pitch 1
It's just a long bolt ladder up to this groove of a chimney. The whole route was rebolted a few years ago so it's no big deal at all. Odds are all of the bolts will hold your weight. I'm a short guy so I like to tape a fifi hook to a short stick on the end of my aiders but I think all of the gaps are gone now.
Pitch 2
There is a good anker at the top of Pitch 1. The chimney is a typical Fisher Chimney, flaring, dirty, a bit of a crack at the back. Bring slings. I think there is a little finger you can get a long sling around if I recall. It's all low grade scamper/free climbing.
Pitch 3
Big stance at the top of the chimney on top the ridge. Good anker. This is the first real pitch and probable the crux of the aid climbing. As I recall there are a few bolts going up and then to the left of the ridge. You get into a "crack" behind a... flake. It's really just a big chunk of slightly better mud adhered to the ridge with softer mud. The "Crack" is typical of the fishers in that it's really just a seam of this softer mud that people have nailed or dug into till there are pockets along it that you can put gear into. It's mostly good, relative, placements. You kind of get up to the top of this flake and cross over the ridge to the climbers right. This is where the crux is. The next few placements are tricky. There used to be a hex on a cord and a little pink tricam is shallow pockets/cracks. They are gone now. The webbing and cord were getting pretty rotten. Even then it was the sort of thing you equalized before stepping up on it. I didn't do this pitch the last time I was there I just followed it but it took the guy forever. I'd bring the same things. Slung hexes 3/4+/- Small tricams, Aliens or some other stubby cam, and flared nuts. Flared nuts are great for the fishers. Skip the small stuff. I've never used smaller then a 6 out there. The rope sort of passes over the ridge. I'm trying to remember what the fall would be like. The fishers are all slopey and ledgey. After that it's a breeze. I want to say it's bolts all the way to the next anker which is above a knob. A lot of these places have a lot of rope wear for fixed ropes. I seem to recall that there is a repel anker below the main one. Or maybe I'm thinking of some where else. It's been a while.
Pitch 4
Big long bolt ladder up the out side of this big peace of rock. All bolts pretty good. If you wanted to make it more interesting I always thought you could go to the left and get into this mud seam that becomes this wide crack behind this peace of rock with the bolt ladder up the out side of it. That crack actually goes off to the right and up towards the cap rock. When you get to the top of the flake look behind it at the peace of mud you've been climbing up. It continues up to the belay below the cap rock. This is the only hanging belay.
Pitch 5
This is less scary but it's actually harder then pitch 3. It's a short section of aid underneath the over hang. It goes out a crack and then you have to go vertically upwards and it's a pain in the ass. I thrashed around under it forever trying to get the next peace in and get past it. I felt like a real tool. Then I climbed the route with some one else and watched him go through the same thing which made me feel a little bit better. You just have to get a peace as high as you can then unhook from your aiders, leave them behind, and bust out free on the vertical face. Don't be afraid it's not that bad once you are on it. It's a short pitch to the ledge on the cap rock. Every one seems to have trouble turning the corner.
Pitch 6
So there's an anker at the top of the ledge but then you basically walk over to the face and climb up and right to a chimney in the rim rock. It's actual stone now. It's a normal chimney with a couple of cracks in the back and a couple of chock stones to pass. Bring slings. It's low grade free climbing up to the top where there are a bunch of slings around a big chock stone. You climb out and the box with the log is like in a cubby hole between rocks.
This is my best memory. It's the Fishers. Conceder every placement to be two steps weaker then it should be. Never pass up pro. Don't think you can run some thing out and then expect some peace of protection to catch your fall. Use every thing you can get. There is a lot of stepping in aiders. Bring boots with a shank. It is imperative that your belayer have a pare of goggles and preferable a hat with a brim and sheet over his neck if possible. This is not the worst route but it is dirty. It's the fishers.
I almost forgot. As I recall the bolts are exactly that bolts. Bring stuff to hook/tie them off with. This is a good use for your smaller nuts if the stopper slides. Or you can make some little nooses from stainless cable or bring lots of hero loops. But don't count on hangers on all the bolts.
Skip the tracking suit. It's not worth it. You want to take a short to med delay. This jump is all about the canopy ride.
Lee