First, great video log of your attempt! As a lifetime mountaineer (before GoPros) I have no footage of the trials and travails of such climbs. But they are there for all time. You are lucky you survived unscathed, but I admire the adventurous spirit in you. Stay strong and focused, train, get knowledge from elders who were once young like you. R.J. Secor was great mountaineer (RIP) and published comprehensive guides on the Sierra Peaks. You can and are capable of great things but you have to focus, train, gain knowledge, and prepare. Also never, ever refuse to take a pause and enjoy the beauty of it all. Those Quartz veins in the rocks bring back memories. FYI: tip...have a pack that can quickly and securely latch on your poles, ice axe, ice tools, and crampons on difficult sections. If you lose them, you are in serious trouble and that happens. And, always remember, the down climb is much harder than the up climb . We would often rappel to avoid the hazards (you view in 4:22 showed a rappel sling someone setup and you could have used had you brought a rope, I always bring a rope and some slings) but solo, you need take time and be vey careful and take it slow..
Bro, you topped that shit imo. Yeah, it's not the tippy top but whatever you know! You made it. And that's a place 99.9% of people will never make it to! Props brother.
You're right. If someone ran 26 out of 26.2 miles, that's still a dam marathon to me! But I'll admit though, this summit block is a big itch that'll be scratched when the opportunity arises =) Thanks for the feedback & happy adventuring bro
Love the video - especially the lack of a sound track other than actual sounds of the climb and your narrating. I especially appreciate your voicing the inner dialog you're having with yourself as you encounter difficult stretch after difficult stretch and wondering if you will remember the best way down. Been there, done that! But regarding the summit block, you absolutely made the right call. That shows real wisdom. Better to retreat and come back another day when you are more prepared.
Nice job on a gutsy solo climb. I climbed Thunderbolt from the East side back in the 1980's, along with North Pal, but I had a climbing partner, ropes, and crampons (for north Palisade via the U-notch). We didn't do that last bit on Thunderbolt either - hard to protect it, even with gear. Thanks for your videos!
Thank you for watching, Mark! I'd definitely prefer a partner(s) & rope here. I see some people lasso around the actual summit block, and some anchor around the surrounding rocks, but yes it's sketchy regardless.. I've seen some videos on North Pal via the U-notch, I bet it was a blast. Did you do TB and NP on the same trip?
@@outerskirtshiking8141 Yes, the lasso method - I've heard of that as well. We set up a base camp and then did Thunderbolt one day, and North Pal the next day. But the ridge traverse is a pretty cool option to link them up. Wishing you happy and safe climbing.
0:11 Intro 1:36 Ascending from camp 2:09 Entering the chute 2:55 Turning right - first obstacle 5:35 Continuing NE above / parallel to the chute 6:23 Which way is it? 6:44 There's the notch 7:57 Approaching notch. "Take a closer look at it" = try to climb it 8:40 Palisade glacier view 9:01 Attempt 1 from notch 11:17 Attempt 2 from notch 11:37 Never mind 11:54 Traversing south looking for class (III) route 12:06 Next obstacle 13:45 First view of the summit! 14:40 Going left (N) to get around 16:14 Last short traverse 17:08 View of Starlight 18:30 Summit block
You made the right call. The summit block doesn’t feel secure and my foot popped off very unexpectedly (I had a rope and was also lucky someone left webbing off the summit to clip above me)
good thing you did not attempt that final block. you would not have made it. and probably injured yourself in the fall that would have been fatal because you would have no one to rescue you and no way to get down. you did good with all the 4th class climbing, but made is so much harder than it needed to be. that climb if you go the best route is pretty much class 3. man you have got balls doing it solo and off route. are you going to try it again??? it took us three attempts!!
Hi Dennis, yes no regrets at not attempting it 1st time solo. I did come back with Viv and she belayed me =) th-cam.com/video/sZz6zRjTIjs/w-d-xo.html Agreed - the desire to do the 4th class section from the notch was very unnecessary. What obstacles did you face on all your attempts?
I would say you did it, it has been rating 4/5 even before last boulder, and maybe the hardest CA 14ers. The actual scale in video is quit different when it is in front you, and the difficulty of route finding too. You are so so brave and ambitious. However, you can prepare more, or go with other partner who has been to, since you did lots of route finding, which cause you extra energy. Meanwhile, the down climb part is even harder, beside had to keep route finding again. I am so curious to watch the down part of video "how did you finally safe getting down". Congrants! Thanks for the shot, but be safe and more prepared.
Thank you. Yes I totally agree it's so much different when in front of you! Actually, about a week ago, I did go back and will edit the redemption video at some point. My lovely girlfriend came along to belay me :) (Currently on a trip to bag the rest of the 14ers). On this TB trip, it was just slow and careful down climbing after route finding, but recently we've been rappelling for technical descents and it's so much nicer; probably safer as well. Do you have a lot of experience in the area? I had no idea there were so many rappel stations between TB and Polemonium.. which is awesome. Thanks to : probably the guides that frequent these peaks.
@@outerskirtshiking8141 I can't say that I am familiar with that area, but I do love Sierra, and have done some scrambling, non- technical one. Specially, solo Williamson/Tyndall, therefore I have true similar feeling like you in that episode. Hope see you in the mountain someday.
Oh I feel you on the holding-on. Yes I've been on it and man, was it much more difficult (and taller) than expected. In my opinion, it was more difficult than Thunderbolt's summit block (on Starlight I used gloves / had no chalk though). What do you think about the two in comparison?
Sick, you rode this chute? I had a splitboard for a short while, sold it - mistake. Looking to get a ski set at some point. Do you tour a lot? I saw your Mammoth and Tahoe clips
Dude! You are wild! Haha. I watched your video on The Russell To Whitney Traverse 😱😱😱. Have you done Middle Palisade yet? I’m heading out there this weekend
About that one.. it could've been planned a bit better :D I haven't been to Middle Pal yet, but she or Split is definitely next on the list. I hope you have a safe and successful trip bro. I'd really love to hear about it when you get back!
Not sure what this guy knows, has he ever seconded, lead, belated, rapped, leading placing pro? He didn't seem to notice that he climbed by Rapp stations with slings. That should have been a clue that he was getting into fifth class terrain. Alex Honold and Tommy Caldwell may solo class 5 stuff but us mere mortals shouldn't. So kudos to him for realizing that he wasn't going to get up that thing. Come back with a partner. Rope and rack to lead that final pitch. It's tough to judge but most of the ways he could have gotten up it looked no harder than 5.6, and maybe 5.4 . Very doable if he has an experienced leader. Get back there guy and bag it!
I'm using the good ol' 7-black, not having felt the need to upgrade (It has 4k and good stabilization). I turn it on only to capture more action-y moments. Keeping it recording would take space and juice fairly quickly especially if recording at 4k. 2 extra batteries usually go in the pack. As for how long they last, I'd give a rough guess of 45 min to 1 hour if recording at 4k. Side note: Do you do any editing? From what I understand, the h.265 files video files from the GoPro are highly compressed, making the editing on them much slower (maybe not if one has a supercomputer). So for that reason, I find that less GoPro footage to edit through is better =)
Hey blazed. For future climbs, I'll keep in mind getting more clips of the descent. On this trip, the Gopro actually ran out of juice on the way down. The descent was pretty much trying to back-track the way up, (and not doing the best job at it).
On a serious note, did you go all the way down essentially the same way you came up? Some of the stretches you went up looked to be very sketchy down. The Old Saying: You can get up what you can't get down. Up: Agile hands near your eyes. Down: Blind and clumsy feet.
@@allanfifield8256 I did not. Being too focused on the summit, I didn't keep good track of the descent. I walked too far down, past the one of the going-up sections, which may have been a traverse/short climb, and was trying to down climb some vertical sections. When I was slightly down a wall, I looked down and saw my trekking poles, and knew I was too far west. Sort of panicked a bit actually. I climbed back up and east to find a way down. After seeing the anchors around, I'd definitely like to rappel instead next time
That last rock was not worth your life. Well done and glad you made it back safely.
First, great video log of your attempt! As a lifetime mountaineer (before GoPros) I have no footage of the trials and travails of such climbs. But they are there for all time. You are lucky you survived unscathed, but I admire the adventurous spirit in you. Stay strong and focused, train, get knowledge from elders who were once young like you. R.J. Secor was great mountaineer (RIP) and published comprehensive guides on the Sierra Peaks. You can and are capable of great things but you have to focus, train, gain knowledge, and prepare. Also never, ever refuse to take a pause and enjoy the beauty of it all. Those Quartz veins in the rocks bring back memories. FYI: tip...have a pack that can quickly and securely latch on your poles, ice axe, ice tools, and crampons on difficult sections. If you lose them, you are in serious trouble and that happens. And, always remember, the down climb is much harder than the up climb . We would often rappel to avoid the hazards (you view in 4:22 showed a rappel sling someone setup and you could have used had you brought a rope, I always bring a rope and some slings) but solo, you need take time and be vey careful and take it slow..
Bro, you topped that shit imo. Yeah, it's not the tippy top but whatever you know! You made it. And that's a place 99.9% of people will never make it to! Props brother.
You're right. If someone ran 26 out of 26.2 miles, that's still a dam marathon to me!
But I'll admit though, this summit block is a big itch that'll be scratched when the opportunity arises =) Thanks for the feedback & happy adventuring bro
Thank you so much for documenting your journey, this is such great learning and planning material!
My pleasure, Sunny. I'm happy you can find it useful. Thanks for watching!
Love the video - especially the lack of a sound track other than actual sounds of the climb and your narrating. I especially appreciate your voicing the inner dialog you're having with yourself as you encounter difficult stretch after difficult stretch and wondering if you will remember the best way down. Been there, done that! But regarding the summit block, you absolutely made the right call. That shows real wisdom. Better to retreat and come back another day when you are more prepared.
Glad you didn't try and go for the final climb! Better to live another day to tell the tale! Great footage on this video.
Yes sir! I'm glad you liked it, and thank you
Nice job on a gutsy solo climb. I climbed Thunderbolt from the East side back in the 1980's, along with North Pal, but I had a climbing partner, ropes, and crampons (for north Palisade via the U-notch). We didn't do that last bit on Thunderbolt either - hard to protect it, even with gear. Thanks for your videos!
Thank you for watching, Mark! I'd definitely prefer a partner(s) & rope here. I see some people lasso around the actual summit block, and some anchor around the surrounding rocks, but yes it's sketchy regardless..
I've seen some videos on North Pal via the U-notch, I bet it was a blast. Did you do TB and NP on the same trip?
@@outerskirtshiking8141 Yes, the lasso method - I've heard of that as well. We set up a base camp and then did Thunderbolt one day, and North Pal the next day. But the ridge traverse is a pretty cool option to link them up. Wishing you happy and safe climbing.
@@downdog70 The traverse does look amazing..
Thank you Mark, I wish the same for any of your future trips also
Anyone with real mountain time has made the call to NOT go for it. Enjoyable vid. Thanks
Sometimes logic must overcome emotion right? I'm glad you liked the video Guregori. Thank you for watching!
Amazing video! It's sad you only have 202 subscribers. 203 now (I subscribed)
More important is, the 203 enjoy the content :) Thank you 735; happy to be #69 of your first goal to 100. Keep at it!
@@outerskirtshiking8141 Thank you so much for the subscribe!! Good luck with your channel!
@@735outdoor Thank you, best of luck with yours as well!
well you got so close to making it. I've seen other videos of guys roped in to make the final climb onto the summit block. good on you to pull back
I watched as many videos to sort of "prepare" and see how it was climbed, but man the exposure was only clear in person. Definitely will be back.
0:11 Intro
1:36 Ascending from camp
2:09 Entering the chute
2:55 Turning right - first obstacle
5:35 Continuing NE above / parallel to the chute
6:23 Which way is it?
6:44 There's the notch
7:57 Approaching notch. "Take a closer look at it" = try to climb it
8:40 Palisade glacier view
9:01 Attempt 1 from notch
11:17 Attempt 2 from notch
11:37 Never mind
11:54 Traversing south looking for class (III) route
12:06 Next obstacle
13:45 First view of the summit!
14:40 Going left (N) to get around
16:14 Last short traverse
17:08 View of Starlight
18:30 Summit block
Yes very naïve 🤦🏽♀️
You made the right call. The summit block doesn’t feel secure and my foot popped off very unexpectedly (I had a rope and was also lucky someone left webbing off the summit to clip above me)
good thing you did not attempt that final block. you would not have made it. and probably injured yourself in the fall that would have been fatal because you would have no one to rescue you and no way to get down. you did good with all the 4th class climbing, but made is so much harder than it needed to be. that climb if you go the best route is pretty much class 3. man you have got balls doing it solo and off route. are you going to try it again??? it took us three attempts!!
Hi Dennis, yes no regrets at not attempting it 1st time solo. I did come back with Viv and she belayed me =)
th-cam.com/video/sZz6zRjTIjs/w-d-xo.html
Agreed - the desire to do the 4th class section from the notch was very unnecessary.
What obstacles did you face on all your attempts?
By the way, nice profile pic!
Um, you're insane. But smart to have turned back.
No regrets =)
Returning back is victory sometimes.
I would say you did it, it has been rating 4/5 even before last boulder, and maybe the hardest CA 14ers. The actual scale in video is quit different when it is in front you, and the difficulty of route finding too. You are so so brave and ambitious. However, you can prepare more, or go with other partner who has been to, since you did lots of route finding, which cause you extra energy. Meanwhile, the down climb part is even harder, beside had to keep route finding again. I am so curious to watch the down part of video "how did you finally safe getting down". Congrants! Thanks for the shot, but be safe and more prepared.
Thank you. Yes I totally agree it's so much different when in front of you!
Actually, about a week ago, I did go back and will edit the redemption video at some point. My lovely girlfriend came along to belay me :) (Currently on a trip to bag the rest of the 14ers). On this TB trip, it was just slow and careful down climbing after route finding, but recently we've been rappelling for technical descents and it's so much nicer; probably safer as well. Do you have a lot of experience in the area? I had no idea there were so many rappel stations between TB and Polemonium.. which is awesome. Thanks to : probably the guides that frequent these peaks.
@@outerskirtshiking8141 I can't say that I am familiar with that area, but I do love Sierra, and have done some scrambling, non- technical one. Specially, solo Williamson/Tyndall, therefore I have true similar feeling like you in that episode. Hope see you in the mountain someday.
@@dufferinseng7188 Nice, Will/Tyndall is quite a trip alone isn't it? And that would be cool, definitely give a holler if you do!
@@outerskirtshiking8141 Yes, I did, like Wallace stands on top mountain, raising arms and shouting "freedom" :)
Thank you for sharing
that is the milk bottle on the top of starlight. it was super windy i had to hold on for dear life at the top. have you done thaat one yet??
Oh I feel you on the holding-on. Yes I've been on it and man, was it much more difficult (and taller) than expected. In my opinion, it was more difficult than Thunderbolt's summit block (on Starlight I used gloves / had no chalk though). What do you think about the two in comparison?
only snowboarded it in the winter!! do you do any touring during the winter?
Sick, you rode this chute?
I had a splitboard for a short while, sold it - mistake.
Looking to get a ski set at some point.
Do you tour a lot? I saw your Mammoth and Tahoe clips
Dude! You are wild! Haha. I watched your video on The Russell To Whitney Traverse 😱😱😱. Have you done Middle Palisade yet? I’m heading out there this weekend
About that one.. it could've been planned a bit better :D
I haven't been to Middle Pal yet, but she or Split is definitely next on the list.
I hope you have a safe and successful trip bro. I'd really love to hear about it when you get back!
Also a friend of mine is heading out there in 2 weeks, it'd be nice to pass him a trip report too =)
Are there no bolts in the summit peak?
Nice effort.....
Good choice. 👍 ain't worth dying over a stupid rock. Plenty of videos of folks climbing that one. Whoopee they went 16 feet higher. 😳
I did come back for it more prepared but, still totally agree with you. 16ft out of all the elevation gain from the trailhead, isn't much.
dope! always wanted to climb this
Get it bro!
I’m on the plane heading to Thunder Bolt Peak now ☺️
Not sure what this guy knows, has he ever seconded, lead, belated, rapped, leading placing pro? He didn't seem to notice that he climbed by Rapp stations with slings. That should have been a clue that he was getting into fifth class terrain. Alex Honold and Tommy Caldwell may solo class 5 stuff but us mere mortals shouldn't. So kudos to him for realizing that he wasn't going to get up that thing. Come back with a partner. Rope and rack to lead that final pitch. It's tough to judge but most of the ways he could have gotten up it looked no harder than 5.6, and maybe 5.4 . Very doable if he has an experienced leader.
Get back there guy and bag it!
what model GoPro do you use? how long do the batteries last? you just keep the camera rolling the whole time?
I'm using the good ol' 7-black, not having felt the need to upgrade (It has 4k and good stabilization). I turn it on only to capture more action-y moments. Keeping it recording would take space and juice fairly quickly especially if recording at 4k. 2 extra batteries usually go in the pack. As for how long they last, I'd give a rough guess of 45 min to 1 hour if recording at 4k.
Side note: Do you do any editing? From what I understand, the h.265 files video files from the GoPro are highly compressed, making the editing on them much slower (maybe not if one has a supercomputer). So for that reason, I find that less GoPro footage to edit through is better =)
Good decision.
I would of like to see you get down
Hey blazed. For future climbs, I'll keep in mind getting more clips of the descent. On this trip, the Gopro actually ran out of juice on the way down. The descent was pretty much trying to back-track the way up, (and not doing the best job at it).
Up I can see, but getting back down . . .
Before actually coming here and only seeing videos, I thought, maybe I could just jump down somewhere 😅🤦♂️
Thank you for watching, Allan!
On a serious note, did you go all the way down essentially the same way you came up? Some of the stretches you went up looked to be very sketchy down. The Old Saying: You can get up what you can't get down. Up: Agile hands near your eyes. Down: Blind and clumsy feet.
@@allanfifield8256 I did not. Being too focused on the summit, I didn't keep good track of the descent. I walked too far down, past the one of the going-up sections, which may have been a traverse/short climb, and was trying to down climb some vertical sections. When I was slightly down a wall, I looked down and saw my trekking poles, and knew I was too far west. Sort of panicked a bit actually. I climbed back up and east to find a way down.
After seeing the anchors around, I'd definitely like to rappel instead next time
That’s mountaineering. No trail. Pick a route and climb. My most memorable decisions involved knowing when to turn around.
Seems a little misleading to call some of that climbing class 3.