Tag Archives: Pilot Mountain

A Pilot Mountain Legend: Lloyd Ramsey…

Aug 01 2012

This is the second time in under a month that I have had to post about the loss of a North Carolina climber. It’s definitely not getting easier, and I certainly don’t want to make this a habit. This one really hits me hard because Lloyd Ramsey is someone whom I knew very well. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I’ve climbed at Pilot Mountain and haven’t ran into him. Lloyd was a staple figure at the park, and anyone who has climbed in the area with any amount of regularity would recognize him. Not…Read the rest of this entry →

Pilot Projects – aka The Day of Reckoning

May 23 2012

If you’ve been following the blog for the past few weeks, you’ll probably remember that my friends and I have all been on a search for significant sendage on some of the best lines at Pilot Mountain. My climbing partners have thankfully been gracious enough to allow me to pick their brains a bit so that I can share multiple perspectives on projecting strategies. Since Steve (aka Crag-Daddy) was the only one that scored a send on our last visit to the area, the rest of us couldn’t stay away. So two weeks later we returned with guns blazing, ready…Read the rest of this entry →

The Art of Projecting (Continued)…

May 10 2012

Last week I went into detail about the art of projecting a route, and included the perspectives of three of my climbing friends who were also on the quest for a meaningful send. Well, our crew reconvened again, same time, same place, this past weekend, each of us ready for a rematch with our own personal nemeses. Here’s how we fared… OVERHANGING HANGOVER (5.11b) Steve: I got right down to business and warmed up on my project. I was feeling a little jittery before starting but once I got going I was locked in and felt really strong. The lower section…Read the rest of this entry →

A Weekend of Projects – Part 2 (Pilot Mountain)

May 03 2012

I mentioned in my last post that I’d be separating the weekend out into two posts, since each day was so different from the other. I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit, so rather than the typical play-by-play trip report, I thought I’d focus on “projects.” For those non-climbers out there, the term ”projecting” is used to describe the process that one goes through to successfully redpoint a route near or at their limit. A route is considered “sent” (aka redpointed) when the climber is able to lead the route from bottom to top (bringing the rope up with them…Read the rest of this entry →

Interview: Celebrating a Comeback

Sep 28 2011

Our climbing escapades this past weekend were a little different than most. We headed north to Pilot Mountain, with the intention of getting on some lesser travelled routes for guidebook research, but most importantly to support a good friend celebrating a physical and mental comeback from injury. So instead of a typical trip report I decided to post an interview instead. Although today’s interview is not about a fellow Cragmama, keep reading and I promise you won’t be disappointed. I first met Bennett Harris in January on a day trip excursion to the Asheboro boulderfield in central NC. Of course…Read the rest of this entry →

“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN