Vie in The Zip

Considered one of the finest 10a cracks in the bluffs. Amazing and sustained best sum it up.

The Zip was discovered and unearthed by Blake and Ward Robinson in about 1979, and quickly became popular. (It’s the left hand crack.) For the first while there was a stump in the middle, at the jog in the crack. Anyway, the rappel route was from a tree, more or less where the blue rope is. The first time there, I noticed some interesting edges and cracks under the rappel rope, and soon after returned to clean it up – Crystal Ball, so named because it foresaw numerous other routes of its kind elsewhere in the Little Smoke Bluffs. Although TBH it does have a natural line. Anyway, having gotten started I also cleaned Riden’ with Biden, enough to climb it anyway. It’s the crack on the right. In the context of 1979 it wasn’t likely to draw crowds, even had it been buffed. Dave Nicol and I did Crystal Ball, and while he was rappelling, I scampered up Riden’ with Biden. Although as I believe that the second rule of solo club is not to talk about it, never made much of it. (First rule: don’t fall.)

Finger crack on the wall right of Riden’ with Biden