I'm all fired up about shooting up a wall. I've got a little aid experience, and have 1 and 1/2 sets of cams, tons of nuts, aiders, jumars, pulley, hammer, double ledge, ropes galore, el cap bag, and only 15 pins, some ugly heads, and one fish hook, plus some wire hangers. My question is how many of what sizes of pins should i be carrying up a wall with moderate to lots o' nailing. i know most routes go clean today, but in Don Reid's "Yosemite big walls" he lists gear for many routes A3 and up as requiring bucketloads of pins. i may not be shooting up A3 or A4 just yet, but i'd like to start gearing for it. what assortment of LAs KBs seems about good for a nailer like the NA wall? what assortment of hooks, and what hooks do you like to use?(not that anyone loves using them). How many hero loops to bring, and how long. basically if you've been up a long nail-up what gear did you have(from bosun's chair to lower-out ropes- to pins and other hardware) thanks- andy

-- Andrew B (ab2911@mail.wesley.edu), September 27, 1998

Answers

Every route dictates exactly what rack to bring. The best bet is to pick a route, ignore the Reid book list, ask people who have done it, and consult the guide book at the Yosemite Mt. Shop. Also, before you go out and buy a huge pin rack, go do some routes that are long and require only minimum nailing. Then if you are still committed, go buy the pegs. I hate to see wasted money. However, if you want it now, and we are all gear fanatics, I understand. I would recommend buying 3 each #1, 2, 3 Lost Arrow / 2 each Knife Blade / 1 each bugaboo / 3-5 each #1, 2, 3 Angle. . .saw off 2 each (saw off more for the shield!) 1-2 #4 Angle / 3-5 peckers and rurp mix / mix of heads. . .more #2 and 3 than 1 / a center punch and chisel for placing them / funkness device / *Leeper cam hooks* / 1 each Talon, Cliffhanger, and Grappling (love to use them!) / about 10- 15 tie offs (should make a loop about. . . I don't know 5-6 inches in diameter?) / and beer!! Good Luck Ronnie

-- Ronnie Miller (dylan-miller@juno.com), September 29, 1998.

You really don't need a huge pin rack to do many Yosemite walls these days. Nose, Zodiac (very little nailing if at all), Salathe', Lurking Fear, Tangerine Trip (very little nailing if at all), Mescalito (very little nailing if at all), Regular and Direct on Half Dome, Skull Queen (Washington's Column, South Face (Washington's Column), Prow (WC, very little nailing if at all), all do not require nailing. I never bring more than 12 LAs, 12 KBs, 6-8 beaks, and 12 angles (sawed off's especially - and no angles bigger than 3/4" unless on the Sheild or something)on even hard(er) nail ups. Heads, if your's are manky (a little used) , don't worry about it, I paste #2 heads and bigger repeatedly, they aren't single use a lot of the time. I do like taking lots of Aliens (especially hybrids) TCU's, offset stoppers and RP's on walls. I personally feel nailing should be done when neccicary, (no reason to break a leg just so you don't have to nail) but not overdone, nor overdriven. I do believe that clean aid is a pretty good idea, and should be strived for whenever possible, it's just a good idea. I wouldn't recomend that you pick a nail up for your first wall. I would recomend that you bring your hammer though (to clean your stoppers). Cam hooks work good - although hybrid aliens pretty much put an end to my cam hook use - and the most useful bit of info I can say is to top step. Top step, reach, grab loop, whatever you have to do, because the more placements you make on a pitch, the more chance you have of falling. Also, high stepping makes for better placements a lot of the time.

Good Luck, Chris

Good Luck, Chris

-- chris van leuven (turbospazm@yahoo.com), May 05, 1999.