Marine Slab Update

 I found a series of short slabby faces on the road from the Marine Lab back in 2018. We began to develop them and we put up 4 sport routes. They are Shark Bait (5.7), Marine Slab (5.10a), Scare Face (5.9) and Stumped (5.9). We had noticed that these routes have been getting some activity and we decided to work on a few more. Since July, we have put in 2 more (Dirty Old Men and What Lies Beneath) and have just bolted a project. The project will be a really fun 'lay-back' climb and there is likely another 2 or 3 routes further along the face.

The development this summer has opened up the base of the climbs and provides a better sense of this new crag. I am taking this picture from Marine Slab and Jan (orange helmet) is standing under our project.

  This picture is taken from the other end of the face.

Big Bro 5.5

 Just a pic of Big Bro. Just to the right of What Lies Beneath, following the flake with lots of places for pro. 

Note: in the picture, there is a rope hung on our latest project. We just bolted but haven't sent it yet so the route is closed (red ribbon on first bolt).

What Lies Beneath 5.9

 Our second route of the season and Jan sent the FA on this fun little climb. As previously mentioned, we have been doing a lot of face cleaning this summer. I wanted to get rid of loose dirty and pebbles off of Big Bro. Big Bro follows a fairly bare slab but with huge flakes. About 10 feet to the left was this over-grown corner that I figured was just going to be soaked. Jan thought it looked interesting and started digging while I worked on Big Bro. He uncovered some nice features which provided some nice climbing.

We had a hard time with the grade. The bottom climbs easy (5.7 to 5.8) following the corner with some stemming, until you get to the 3rd bolt. The 4th is just below an awkward bulge that forces you to traverse slightly to the right but still solid 5.8 climbing. The 5th bolt is at the crux and there is one obvious stone to be used for a foot but sloper slab for hands and smearing for feet make for a heady move. Definitely a harder move than 5.8 and we felt that a 5.8 climber would out of their comfort level. Please comment on what you think of the grading.

Dirty Old Men 5.8

See the post below for development details. The climb starts to the left with the 1st bolt just out of the frame. Your hands find the crescent shaped as you move to the right with the second bolt just above. Continue to the right onto the huge flakes then work back to the left for top bolts. Note: fixed draws placed last week.

 

Unusual Summer

 I think the phrase is 'home insecurity'. We put our house on the market in May 2024 and it sold much faster than we anticipated. I moved onto my boat and lived there for the summer. I did have access to write anything on this blog until now.

My boat is located in CBS and Jan (climbing partner) lives near the university. Despite finding the face previously mentioned, we decided to work further on Marine Slabs this summer as I could pick up Jan on my way.

We have done a fair bit of trail development and cleaned a couple of faces (you would notice if you frequent the area). I had two sets of top bolts placed for further development and we finally started using them. We also continued to work right-wards opening what should be more good moderate ground.

Marine Slabs

Current top anchors highlighted.
Blue is top of Dirty Old Men
Yellow is top of Big Bro

Dirty Old Men 5.8

(Sport 9Meters, 4 bolts plus anchor, FA J. Peterknecht &  N. O'Regan)

This route starts immediately to the right of Stumped. Use the eroded 'crack' on the left to gain the first bolt. Work to the right aiming for a large crescent shaped feature with the second bolt just above it. Use a longer draw to minimize rope drag. Continue working right to a large flake and then up to the anchors. Jan and I had been doing a lot of cleaning on adjacent projects before doing this FA. We kept brushing dirt onto one another as we climbed resulting in the route name.

Big Bro 5.5

(Trad 10Meters, 2 top bolts, FA N O'Regan)

There is a large wide flake to the right of Dirty Old Men. The bottom third has lots of potential placements. The middle third is spicy if you do not have big gear. The flakes spread out making your average rack useless. At the top of the flake there is a nice solid spruce tree with a 'handle bar' root perfect for natural protection, then it is a scramble to the top. 

This FA actually occurred in the summer of 2018. I had bought a 'Big Bro' specifically for this climb and once in the middle section, I could not get it to 'set' properly. I cursed that piece of gear and haven't used it since.