The Most Dangerous Pitch I've Done - Hook or Book - Sea of Dreams (Part 1)

[@ddiegelman]

Damn, I sit here almost 50 years after the 1st ascent and my hands are sweating! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@olivertippett]

@@ddiegelman thanks for putting up such an incredible route! Your RURP belay photo is one of my favourite climbing shots!

[@johns3106]

⁠@@olivertippett Gotta love the look on Dale Bard’s face as he comes up to that belay!

[@RogerFerety3028]

@@ddiegelman that route has bust ass written all over it

[@wsextreme]

How did you decide when to stop and make a Belay on the FA? What was it like hooking into the unknown?

[@E_Clampus_Vitus]

Thanks for this comment. My climbing days are behind me. I watch videos of climbs I have completed and feel scared watching from my coach! I thought there was something wrong with me. 😂

[@michaelcreel106]

After so many years hearing and reading about this pitch, it's great to be able to see it. Thanks!

[@JoeBoyle-pe5mw]

The sound of Swifts just bring some amazing memories flooding back.

[@dannydevito6407]

after reading your trip reports on MP and seeing the corresponding videos on here, i was really keen to see if you filmed anything on Sea of Dreams. i kinda doubted it, but after seeing this thumbnail i audibly yelled "YES!" at 11 pm and pissed off my roommate. fucking worth it. and a job very well done, without saying. and thank you for taking the time to film and talk to the camera. i know how much easier it is to not record, so good on ya mate.

[@joshuarowe5571]

Thank you very much for sharing this.

[@brunswick3057]

Fantastic I have really enjoyed your film. the multi hook move traverse and use of gaffer tape was gripping. I too have shared your joy in finding an item of gear on a route. Well done keep the films coming.

[@ebenboykin]

Oliver. Your works are impressive, to say the least! My age precludes me from emulating you. Missed out. Thank you so much for sharing. Please be careful (sorry, couldn’t help that!)

[@philleng480]

Love it, so takes me back and the wind the f...in wind. Freaked me early on the Nose. The swifts, the sun, the sea of rock. The not very well attached blocks- don't yelard on that one! Thanks for that and good luck.

[@OscarLeroy007]

I wanted to see video of you cleaning that pitch.

[@norbertlies3445]

"Try and do Sea of Dreams"......Solo no less. You are something else.....Thanks Homey!

[@suuus4861]

Oh my.. don't know nothing about aid climbing but this looks scary and extreme and you clearly know what you're doing. Id never ever have the balls to do this kind sh.. subbed. Stay safe.

[@mannyperez9188]

Awesome, just awesome. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[@GreenGloop]

Thanks for the video! I never see anyone posting hard aid climbs!

[@thorisrain]

25:13 when you used sticky tape to hold the gear on I was like 'whaaaa!?!' but then you put the second piece on and I was like 'yeah, that looks pretty good, belt and braces' lol :D Absolutely thrilling stuff, thanks for sharing :) I used to think the Daleks were scary on the telly when I was a kid but the stuff on KZbin these days...jeez Louise! :D

[@Sailingsanctuary]

Great job. Loved the video.

[@Jon-lb2nr]

I did one big wall in yosemite and got really scared. I enjoy watching you instead hahaha. Awesome footage! Thankyou for sharing

[@RogerFerety3028]

Little known fact, but Bridwell did a lot of his craziest aid ascents while he was tripping on acid.

[@johns3106]

I think EVERYBODY knows that!

[@craigbritton1089]

A good trip can make the holds look much bigger; another famous Stonemaster told me he free soloed a route on Middle Cathedral that supposedly had small and slippery holds; they all seemed great to him. Then he led it for a friend; and discovered the holds were small and/or slippery.

[@Leander_]

And here I was thinking I've had some scary runouts myself...

[@alancameron-duff2198]

Gripping! Great bit of work.

[@AndyKirkpatrick50]

God, I think I've totally blanked this pitch, although I did use two Russian rock fifis, so maybe I could claim a dry tool ascent!

[@olivertippett]

@@AndyKirkpatrick50 I’m surprised more people don’t dry tool aid routes!

[@SpAm-AcCoUnT]

That pitch looks absolutely tremendous! Fucked to the nth degree, but tremendous. Solid work!

[@johns3106]

I’ve never been a pitch like this (but have a good understanding of what’s involved), but I wish the camera gave us a better true sense of how steep and blank this pitch is!

[@HarryJVaughn3]

Wow! Nicely done. You should try it after dropping a little acid like I read Jim did. 😅

[@malumarado1600]

Great Great. Congratulatión friend.💪

[@bobbystorc]

That last pitch was a nail bitter!! Holy Crap!

[@johntuttle9544]

Hahaha Bill told me he taped his hooks on with duct tape too on the 2nd. Didn't have that bomber claw though. :) I like the trusty 1/4" button heads at the belay. Bomber!

[@paulmitchell5349]

Not too shabby.

[@louisbayle9302]

Fix hooks with tape... Mental! Nice job

[@trollmarine4208]

Do you carry extra ladders in case you drop one?

[@olivertippett]

No, I have my ladders almost always clipped into my lanyards so they’re more or less impossible to drop.

[@shawndarris1265]

well done , enjoy your video

[@broj77564]

Well done.

[@largeformatlandscape]

Do you absorbers? (I couldn’t quite see)

[@YangiTheCat]

Why was that Totem just chilling there? bail?

[@linoleumbonypart385]

Mucho respecto ….!!

[@ryank5843]

basically free soloing on hooks lol

[@asdzt123]

Sweaty hands here. It must feel good when you reach the bolt after one thousand hooks.

[@richardsmith9918]

I see why they call it hook or book

[@grarfloup]

I see too. If you fail you end up "in the open book". Literally ...

[@erikthixton6076]

Fucking great video. It's been a long time since I've been back home. And you took me there. Thanks

[@timmurdock618]

Not sure of the tape you used with the hooks. Maybe try zip tape. Pretty sticky stuff.

[@permapunter]

Outrageous 🐒!

[@matthewkelly99]

How TF do you clean something like this on solo?!!!! Do you just back aid, then aid it again?

[@matthewkelly99]

Ahh, I should have waited til.the end to ask you. You lowered and pulled the haul line, then proceeded to clean. Did you move your bags up after this pitch?

[@olivertippett]

@@matthewkelly99 I slept on the ledge below, then next morning I lowered out the bags on the haul line and cleaned the pitch on the lead line.

[@jefe3799]

duct tape For The Win

[@gerneklettern6195]

great

[@nikcezar2445]

ur epic my dude

[@rock_your_boat]

BROTHERMAN! I've just dicovered you... PLEASE, let me tell you something! I newer version GoPro COSTS NOTHING! You desparetly need it to remove the nasty wind sound 🙏

[@craigbritton1089]

Cool video but you need to speak louder

[@sofers2069]

Боже нет, почему ты используешь лестницы???

[@billr5842]

5.8 in my gym

[@olehk6993]

👌✌💪👃

[@stacky512a]

bold

[@jefe3799]

LOLs-- you're addicted to hard fun

[@courtbousamra4775]

You have brass cojones!

[@JB-rt4mx]

Very Smooth + Efficient🦦🍹🍸🐿

[@kevclaremcd]

A brilliant achievement, but I have to say, aid climbing....when it can't be climbed without aid, then what is the point...... i.e. it's obvious it can't be climbed free. I'm not taking away from the immense ballsy ability to achieve it but I just wonder ????

[@craigbritton1089]

The objective is to climb the line with the minimal number of bolts needed to advance. It is game of mechanical chess, whereas free climbing outside is physical chess; and indoor climbing more physical checkers; due to the more limited options.

[@geometerfpv2804]

What a silly sentiment. Should we not accomplish anything in life that can't be accomplished with the human body alone? No race car driving, only running on track? Why limit us? Also, "obvious it can't be climbed free" has changed year over year. They said the same of the nose, and then of the dawn wall.

[@craigbritton1089]

@@kevclaremcd I saw a fair number of good holds; so who knows if it can go free. Most solid hook placements can also take a shoe edge; the question is does the steepness rule out finger holds being adequate for movement and endurance

[@kevclaremcd]

Great point Craig

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

crazy aiding in the sun how about wearing a full brim hat why not free climb the easy crack parts to save time

[@pere8641]

Simply not worth. Too high risk of ending in a wheelchair or in a coffin. Not only one is risking their own bones there, also severe pain for family and friends is traded, specially for family, friends forget faster. Climbing offers incredible challenges and many ways to get fun, but risking beyond certain point is simply stupid. I say this as a retired climber with several friends in a coffin and one in a wheelchair. A4: Serious aid. 30-meter ledge-fall potential from continuously tenuous gear. A4+: Even more serious, with even greater fall potential. A5: Extreme aid. Nothing on the entire pitch can be trusted to hold a fall. Note that falls happen, soon or late.

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

seems obvious to drill some quick shallow bolts along all A4 -A5 routes as u go

[@surflasal]

Rappelling kills more climbers than anything. No one has died leading a hard aid pitch.

[@crack-or-slab]

@@surflasal THIS!

[@pere8641]

@@surflasal If rappelling kills more people this is because there are thousands of rappels for each risky aid climb. One thing is a hard aid climb and another thing is an unsafe hard climb, many hard aid climbs are safe "enough". Some aid climbs are not technically hard but too risky, we cannot call that is harrd, simply risky. Still, for sure an unsafe rappel is as stupid as an unsafe hard climb. And... of course many have died leading unsafe aid climb, personally I know several ones. One may do proselytism about hard things, but better not doing much of it about unsafe things.

[@zoltanvonsomogyi7272]

Agreed. My worst fall was on an aid climb. It was also a first acent, on sandstone, using Rurps and Bashies, among other things. I did a blind placement of a #1 Brass Nut over a small roof, and it popped once I got my full weight on it. Took a 60 footer, and bounced off a sloping ledge, ripping the seat of my pants off, and knocking me out. We bailed, and after I recovered, my partner and I came back. He lead this time, and was successful. We were nuts. It's not worth the risk.