The Jimmy Skid Rig (Hardwear Sessions)

By Will Meinen

After the third winter of efforts, it's finally done. The Jimmy Skid Rig has been climbed. I still can't believe it as I sit here and try to figure out how to sum it up for a 'blog'.

What is the Jimmy Skid Rig?

The name was born from the Hilti drill used on the route. With a fiberglass patch job holding the body together and a hundred foot extension cord running from the drill to the three motorcycle batteries duct taped together in the bottom of a haul bag, it was a sketchy setup at best, but it was all we could afford. After inspecting the setup, a friend laughed out loud and called Brandon and I a 'Jimmy Skid Rig' outfit, and with very little confidence he wished us luck on the mission. And with that the name stuck. We definitely weren't conventional mixed climbers, and our plan wasn't very polished. We were just a couple guys with a get 'er done sort of attitude.

The Jimmy Skid Rig was born early December two winters ago when Brandon Pullan and I negotiated the 'adventure-race course' that guards the base of the route. As we stood at the base of the route and looked up at the ice, we became obsessed with an idea. Our idea was to find a way to climb the overhanging mixed terrain to the daggers of frozen water that had dripped down the exposed ice-curtain that loomed above us.

The Jimmy Skid Rig

The Jimmy Skid Rig

At the time, I didn't know how we would do it, or how long it would take, but we knew that, somehow, we were going to get 'er done. When you have an idea, or a dream that you believe in, it's important that you follow it through because dreams are the stuff that the good life is made of. We quickly returned with enough gear to climb the Trango Tower. Tents, stoves, static ropes, dynamic ropes, bolts, pins, beaks, power drill, ice tools, hammers, ascenders, cams, nuts, and a bottle of whiskey. After the first season of effort we reached a high point about half way up.

At the end of last winter, I was aiding my way through the final pitch, trying my best to make it to the ice. Unfortunately, the day slipped away and I still wasn't at the ice. Another season would pass without victory on the Jimmy Skid Rig. I was starting to lose motivation. A seed of doubt started to grow inside me as we pulled the plug for yet another summer. Was the route was worth all the effort? Even if we could even climb it, it probably wouldn't change anything. Would it? Since starting the route in 2007, hundreds of dollars of hardware, half a dozen trashed ropes, bent picks and pitons, a busted tent, two broken ankles, and several failed relationships had come and gone through my life. Why had I let myself be consumed with such a silly idea? I didn't want to give up, but I was losing my stoke about having to go back for a third season.

Will aid climbing

Will aid climbing out of the cave

This winter, however, our team got significantly stronger when climber Will Gadd decided to join Brandon and me to help us get 'er done. Gadd was stoked from the get go, and after getting on the route called it 'MEGA' about a dozen times. The stoke facture was back. (http://gravsports.blogspot.com/2009/01/destroyed.html) After a couple more trips in, Gadd got the FFA at M12ish. For an old man, I was impressed with his efforts. (http://gravsports.blogspot.com/2009/02/one-down-two-to-go.html)

There is still some work to do before it's completely done, but Jimmy has seen its FFA and end is in sight. Unfortunately, I'm not currently climbing at the M12 caliber so I'll have to do some serious training at the local gym and in the cave at Haffner. We'll see how it goes.

Keep your eyes peeled for a feature length article in the near future. For route specific details, check out the soon to come post at:

http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=19&page=1

View Will's photographs from the Jimmy Skid Rig