Fixed Lines

 My blog posting has not kept up with the work Jan and I are doing outside. This summer we have spent time developing top access and cleaning potential routes. Bone Yard is coming but cleaning a 100 foot pitch is harder than a 30 foot slab (Marine Slab). Since August, we have been mostly at Marine Slab which brings me to the point of this post...damaged fixed lines.

It can be difficult to gain access to the top of a face. We have to drag all out gear up. Proper anchor placements need to be found and set before we can rap over the face to start cleaning and/or climbing. Often, these anchor are quite far back. We loose an hour and waste energy before we even get started. 

We leave fixed lines over the faces we are working on to gain fast and safe access. Theses lines are anchored to either natural protection or bolts well above the climbing face and left for several weeks as we work the area. This weekend, we found that are fixed lines had been cut. This was disappointing and concerning. I think it was likely bored teenagers. I am hoping it was not someone from the climbing community. We had to confirm the anchors and what remained of the ropes were still good.

Despite the delay, we bolted 2 new lines on Sunday. They still need to be named and graded but more on that in the next post.

Boneyard will be amazing.

 

Just a quick update. Jan and I have been prepping and cleaning Boneyard and a second face at Marine Slab. We have 4 lines ready to bolt at Marine Slab...but that is for later.

Today was eye opening as we finally got over what looks to be a good trad line. We have placed bolts above the faces to safely gain access, quickly. Time is limited and it sucks setting up a trad anchor.

We rapped down and cleaned as we went. The crack in the picture is near vertical lower and becomes overhanging at the top where the crack closes. At the top of the picture, there is a ledge. That is about half way up the face. 

The second picture is the same line but from the bottom. The crack is hand jam width at the bottom and it gets thinner as it gets higher. To the right there is a corner which may allow feet but I am not sure. The the left around the corner is a near blank vertical face. It is smooth with subtle ledges and features on the corner. This will be a great sport route.

We have also been cleaning a chimney/corner that will probably go around 5.7 except there is an overhanging crux that will push it to 5.9ish. To the right of the corner is a low grade face climb that leads to a pinnacle that allows you to step across the face again. To the right of the corner is a slightly overhanging line that will go around 5.10a/b.

These are high faces. The trad line to the ledge is about 50+ feet with another potential 50 above that. The smooth vertical line is around 70 feet and the 3 lines in the corner are all ~ 100 feet. A 60m rope will be required.

There is some overhanging terrain at height. It is above the grade that Jan and I can develop. If you have the headspace and skillset for this kind of development, get in touch or leave a comment.

The Struggle is Real

 We were out at Bone Yard cleaning again, but this time we had Michael with us. The extra help was awesome (thanks). We were hoping to drop a couple of loose blocks and then do some route finding. 

We setup static lines over the area we were cleaning and over the overhang. Michael really likes the overhang. The Rock Climbing gods had something else in mind for us.

Cleaning can be fun.

 There is a lot of work involved in opening a new area. It is usually enjoyable being outside and cutting a new trail or assessing new lines. Then there are things that are just hard work...like cleaning a face. This usually involves removing loose rocks, vegetation, dirt and other debris. We use wire brushes, crowbars and small tools to get into constricted areas. Nobody wants this stuff falling on them while they climb.

Every now and again, we get to do some fun cleaning. There was a line we were interested in but it seemed like a couple of blocks may have been loose. To see if they really are loose, we will use big prybars and/or car jacks to see if they will wiggle...It wiggled. Now there is no turning back, we can't leave a loose block. We worked on this block for over an hour and finally it tumbled off. It struck two other blocks on the way down and changed the entire middle half of the climb. It was by far the biggest rock fall I have witnessed.

While we were working, I noticed the block I was standing on shifted. We had another block to remove. This one came easy as it had been supported by the other block we knocked off. I didn't have my camera ready for the first one, but I got it ready for the second.

The video shows Jan prying off the second block. It was about 1/3rd the size of the first one and didn't hit any other blocks...but it was still impressive.

OMG...This face will be great.

 

Jan and I have had our eyes on this face ever since first finding Boneyard. Above to top of the face, there is a sloping approach which required us to place a top anchor well above. Once down, the top is very flat and comfortable.

The rock is a mix of quartz and granite and is very stable. It is well featured with small ledges and side pulls. We climbed up the middle and had a blast. There is room for about 4 or 5 routes on this face. It is roughly 70-80 feet high (bottom 1/4 not in the pic) and 40ish feet wide.

I made a video (below) when I was lowered off. If i continue to make videos, I may need to get a Go-Pro.

Nothing but Options 5.8 (needs to be confirmed)

 Our first route at the Boneyard is a fun and interesting corner. This route starts on a ledge, at the bottom of a ramp on the south side of the bluff. Below the ledge is a 15 foot drop so be mindful. Currently, there is a fixed line down the ramp to help with access.

It is roughly 50-60 feet in a near 90 degree corner. There are 6 bolts on the right face leading up to anchors. The corner itself has a lot of vertical flakes poking out providing lots of possible hand and foot positions for stemming. It does feel like it maybe slightly overhanging making it feel more challenging. The corner runs out around the 4th bolt and with face climbing to the anchors.

Jan was climbing when he said something about being out of options. I wasn't sure what he was talking about but if he was talking about the climb, I disagreed. I muttered to myself, "There is nothing but options."

New Face...Boneyard

 Jan and I just bolted and sent our first line on a new face we are calling the Boneyard. I haven't posted about this face in a long time as we have been more focused on Marine Slabs but we have been chipping away at it. 

The rock is very similar to German Face but the lines are much longer, mostly in the 60-80 foot range. There is one line, which will be moderate, that is over 100 feet. This face also has 2 significant overhangs and plenty of vertical. We have 5 set of top bolts over anticipated lines with likely another 15 - 20 possible lines.

Access is off the TCH just prior to the Foxtrap Access turnoff. There is a woods road that can be driven with a 4x4 capable vehicle for about 500m. It is another 500m from the end of this road. We are currently working on trail development and will have it well posted.

We are calling this Boneyard because at the end of the woods road where we park, there is a lot of scattered bones. I assume that somebody shot a moose and butchered it on that spot. 

Oh, by the way, did I mention that there are another 5 or 6 faces, about the same size, between German Face and Boneyard along the Conway Brook Valley. Let me know if you are interested in developing!

Route Development and Bolting Workshop

 

Marine Slab Rough Overview

 I wanted to provide a better overview of the Marine Slabs Area. It is located on the hill above the Marine Lab, on the left (north) of the road as you drive TOWARDS Marine Lab. The cliffs are short, slabby, discontinuous faces of a course conglomerate sandstone. Most the routes are in the 25-40 foot range.

We found Marine Slab first and started developing it with Shark Bite, Marine Slab and more. We started poking around and found additional faces as we move north. Some are very short (bouldery) and some with shrubbery. The area is remarkable for having shallow eroded cracks, crescent shaped features and huge flakes that can be climbed on the underside, almost like a chimney, or on top, like an arete. 

I like developing this area because it is so close and it doesn't take a big effort to put in a line (except for cleaning).

The next time I go in, I will flag the trail in red. 2 pieces will indicate a fork in the trail.

Purity 5.8 & JamJam 5.8

 We are opening a new area at Marine Slabs and it starts with Purity and JamJam. I spotted this short face a couple of years ago. It took a back seat to other projects but Jan and I got back to it this spring. It required a fair bit of cleaning, but well worth the effort.

JamJam 5.8 is a cool little flaring crack that leans from right to left. I struggled a bit off the ground until I used a fist jam then it is one foot jam after another. It is an old weathered crack so it is shallow and flared.

Purity 5.8 starts with a high undercling that quickly becomes a right side layback. Then cross the gap to left laybacks and over the sloping bulge to gain the anchors.

Both routes sent today and Jan and myself. I will post an updated map of the area shortly.

Bolting Ethics on the Avalon

 I wanted to write a post about bolting ethics as I expect to invite keen climbers interested in developing and bolting to a few new areas. One of the most important reasons I started developing new area's was ethics. There has been tons written about ethics and climbing. Most sources tend to agree (example) but there is always local 'rules' that need to be observed. I do not like some of our local ethics that have been long standing, mostly in the Flat Rock Area.

Main Face development started in the early 80's (if not before). Cordless Hammer Drills had yet been invented so bolt holes had to be drilled by hand. It would take about an hour to drill one hole. The result was runouts and mixed routes. You would only place a bolt if you really needed to so only the crux was well protected. If there was any chance to use protection, it would save yet another bolt hole.

There has also been a fair number of ego trips that have caused problems. One guy bolted a climb for himself...and no one else. He was tall and strong, so the first bolt was about 20 feet off the deck as that suited him. He didn't care whether the route was X-rated or if anyone hurt themselves. 

We also had a 'bolt war' in the late 90's/early 2000's. Top rope bolts were chopped from several spots as one person felt that they were dangerous (or poorly placed). The most chill rock climbers can become the biggest assholes if you dare challenge the bolting ethics.

I am the first to admit that I not a strong climber and Main Face scares the living shit out of me. When I was learning to climb, back in 1996, Flat Rock Area was pretty much the only established climbing area. The first route I bolted (Candy, Mainface), I had several people showing me the 'ropes' (pun intended) regarding how to bolt routes. The original line only had 6 bolts, including tope anchors. There was a horizontal crack halfway up which could take pro, so taking my mentors advised me to spaced the bolts to accommodate the crack. That always bugged me that it wasn't a full sport route as I felt it would have been 'safer', but I wanted to follow the established ethics. 

There are so many things I love about finding and establishing new climbing area's but one of the most important aspects is establishing the ethics for the crag. My ethics have changed over the years but mostly consistent with fun and safety. I want to feel secure on the climb, comfortable top anchors with no 'restricted' or 'X-rated' routes. They are routes I would enjoy climbing and I would feel good about my own kids climbing. In other words, bolt for the community.

Jan and Noel's General Bolting Considerations:

1. No mixed routes. A route should either be fully bolted or completely trad...aside from top anchors. There are many ways to learn trad without placing your first piece on a mixed route with ground fall potential.
2. Safe access. You shouldn't have to risk your life getting to the base of a climb, retreating or setting a tope rope (if appropriate). We typically will place 2 bolts well above the top of sport routes. Initially, we use these for fixed lines while developing/cleaning the face but also allows a secure point to gain access to the top bolts to setup a TR.
3. Bolt for the grade. When bolting a 5.7 climb, we place bolts for a climber who's red point limit is 5.7. This has caused complaints about over-bolting in the past, but these complaints have come from 5.12 climbers. We didn't bolt it for them! The 5.7 climbers are quite happy with the route.
4. Protect the crux. It is scary when working a crux knowing that there will be a long or possibly painful fall. We identify the crux of a route, decide the best place for a bolt to protect the crux and then consider the remaining bolts. 
5. Safe spacing of bolts. We try to place bolts roughly every ten feet. It maybe tighter through a crux section or spaced out on a section that is significantly easier than the posted grade (also no ground fall potential).
6. First bolt. This one can be tricky. If it is too low, it is pointless. It should be high enough to serve the purpose of avoiding injury if you were to fall on it (ie bouldering height). Some first bolts are very high with the intent of using a stick clip. We don't expect everyone to have a stick clip. Our first bolt is usually at 10 to 15 feet depending on the terrain and clipping position. If the initial climbing is easy for the grade, then it will more likely be higher.
7. Second bolt. This is the most important bolt in many cases because of the risk of ground fall. Consider this scenario. The first bolt is 15 feet up and then the second 10 feet above. If a person falls with the 2nd bolt (not clipped) at their waist, it is a ground fall. If they try to clip lower with the bolt above their head, it is still a ground fall because of the required slack. Lets lower the 2nd bolt to 5 feet away from the first and like most of us, you are clipping just about your face level. This results in the first bolt just below your waist with about 5 feet of slack in the system above that bolt. If a climber falls prior to clipping, it is still a ground fall potential. 5 feet of slack results in a 10 foot fall plus the 30% elasticity (3 feet) for a total of 13 foot fall on a bolt that is 15 feet up. We keep the second bolt 'close' to the first for a reason.
8. Clip with your elbows. We hope that our efforts are enjoyed by the community so we plan on all types of people to climb our routes. We place bolts in a manner that when you are in a clipping position, the bolt placement should be within reach...of your elbow. This doesn't always happen but it does limit over reaching.

I hope this doesn't sound to 'preachy' but I do want to promote a safe climbing community.

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. 

Ridgeline

 Jan and I had thought there may be another face below and a bit North of the face we have been working on. We managed to bushwhack our way to what appeared to be a ridgeline and suddenly we were standing on top of another rock face.

This is a pic of Jan standing at the top of the ridge facing south. The feature in the background is the area we are developing (just to the right of Jan's head).

The second picture I just pivoted and took a pic facing north and the third is just trying to get a sense of the height, probably about 50 feet.
 

 

Cleaning the Face

 Jan and I have been working on the new face for several weeks. Some places don't need much work but there are other that are crazy. We have knocked down some big rocks. We tried to film some big rocks getting dislodged. See the clip included (sorry for the change in camera angles).

We we managed to get another, bigger rock off the face that same day but didn't film it. Today, we were looking at a slightly different spot with quite a few loose rocks/boulders. We spent 2-3 hours setting up top anchors and kicking rocks off the face.

Cleaning a new face means trying to get all the loose rock and vegetation off the face. Rock fall is a big danger when developing or climbing in a new area. Small rocks falling a 100 feet can hurt...a lot. We assisted several 100+ pound rocks down to a lower, safer resting spot. They literally explode when they hit bottom. 

We rappelled down the face which allowed us better views of the over hanging faces mentioned in the last post. The overhangs look pretty intimidating yet so intriguing. We could see a few places that might allow us to climb but climbing straight through the overhangs will be tough. 

There 2 picture are looking South East toward the overhangs. There is an upper and lower pic of the same face. The lower pic has a feature pushing out (block) that is one of two over hanging sections. In the upper pic, a second large block is seen. These two features are above one another. Also in the upper pic, there is another feature between the two blocks. This is a third overhang and is about 10 meters SE.

Just to top it off, we found a nice straight crack.

Manuel's Access Initiative

 I wanted to write a post about Manuel's Climbing Area as new information has come to my attention. Trevor Harris contacted me about retro-bolting a few lines I had put up and then about Manuel's Access. I never thought of access being an issue, but Trevor noted that there has been access issues regarding Flatrock and Holyrood and it likely just a matter of time. He is interested in working with CBS municipality not just about access but possibly creating an outdoor activity area that could include climbing, hiking and camping.

I was very happy to hear about this because Jan and I have been exploring the area for new faces to develop. We have found 4 faces we are starting to develop and believe there are at least another 4 or 5 that we have not gotten to yet.

This slab promises to provide a ton of nice moderate routes. I thought that Jan and I were the first ones on this face but there is one route noted on Mountain Project. This face is a bit higher than German Face but about 4 or 5 times wider.

About 300 meters away is a smaller but dead vertical face. Both of these would use the same approach as German Face but just further in. The approach is VERY wet making rubber boots a necessity. If we were to get the blessing of CBS, it would be worth cutting in a new access trail that would be much drier. Jan and I did a lot of work in the area last fall and we were about to begin bolting when winter weather came in.

From the top of this slab, we could see more faces in the distance towards the south, towards the highway. We drove out Dunn's Hill Road to look at the valley and try to spot new cliffs. There were 4 or 5 others we could see as we kept going south. Now we were getting psyched about the possibilities.

Over the winter, I had looked at how to get to these faces without hiking all the way from CBS through marsh. There was a small dirt road close to the Fox Trap Access road that seemed to get pretty close to the most southerly face. This spring, we got out our 'gardening' gear and managed to find our way into that face...paydirt!

It is really hard to get a picture does this face justice. It is shaped like a block with 3 sides. These 2 pics show the longest face of close to 100 feet. A 60 meter rope will be required as anything shorter would not get to the ground. The upper picture shows a vertical face about 30 feet wide and 100 in height. We have not climbed on this yet. In the background (1/3 down from top and directly in the middle) you can see the top edge of another face (50-60 height, 100 wide).

The lower image is of an amazing overhang beside the vertical face (above). Those over hangs are pushing out near the top of the face. They should be real fun if I can ever get strong enough to climb them :(. 

As I had mentioned, there are several other faces in the valley. This next picture if from the top of this bluff looking north towards CBS. There are 3 distinct cliffs and in the far background is a rounded, bald hill. That hill is where German, Upper and Noobie Squeeze faces are.

Did I mention that there are lots of possible climbing areas in this valley? Who Knew.

Little Shits Pulldown

The Little Shits Pulldown was held today. The junior team was cursed at many times.

Back in February, I asked the junior team to set problems in my garage. Under Ben's guidance, 8 problems were set. I foolishly thought I could work on them. Neither Jan or I could send any of them. That's how the comp got its name.

I had arranged it as a fundraiser for the junior team. I gave them 150$ for setting the routes for me. I also told them that the person who set the route with the most 'likes' would win an additional 50$ towards comps. The route setters were kept anonymous, identified only by letter.

Today we raised 81$ from the comp and with my 150$, I will forward 231$ for the junior team.

The winner of the route setter comp was letter H. See vid below.

The Hardest problem set was F, which was guessed to be about V6. See vid below.

The winner of the Pulldown was Craig Martin with 107 points. He flashed 4 of the 8 problems, 2 on the second attempt, one that he sent with more than 2 tries and one that he never sent.

Until next time!!!!