drater Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Just wondering if anybody has any info about boulders & routes at Manresa Grotto? It is an area in the Pend Oreille River Valley just north of Cusick. I've been bouldering there for a few years now & was wondering about history, grades, guidebooks, ect. Also, found a few bolted climbs, bolts look kinda sketchy, like they have been there for quite some time. Anybody got info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Bouldered, climbed and tried to bolt routes but bailed out on it. The rock is great to boulder on and there are several great problems but it seems to be too soft to hold mechanical bolts. Maybe glue ins would work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drater Posted June 19, 2004 Author Share Posted June 19, 2004 Bouldered, climbed and tried to bolt routes but bailed out on it. The rock is great to boulder on and there are several great problems but it seems to be too soft to hold mechanical bolts. Maybe glue ins would work? Marty, glue-ins would probably work. Some of the rock in Thailand is real similar and was protected by glue-ins. After talking to some members of the Tribe whose property it is on, I would suggest not actively developing the cliffs above boulders as the Grotto was considered a sacred place to the Tribe and could result in a closure. They were in full support of bouldering tho, said they had climbed on boulders as children & felt it worked with the "spirit" of the place. They didn't seem aware of existing bolted climbs (3?) & I didn't mention them. Did you climb them? Any idea on difficulty? Thanks for info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 The bolted routes that exist I didn't bolt. I took my bolts and hangers and left. I know the routes you are talking of but dont know who bolted them. Also I belive that the majority of the climbing in Thailand is on limestone which is most often loads harder and more stable than the conglomerate at Manressa Grotto. I like the bouldering there but there are greener pastures near by. (for instance metaline is only half hour up the road) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drater Posted June 21, 2004 Author Share Posted June 21, 2004 The bolted routes that exist I didn't bolt. I took my bolts and hangers and left. I know the routes you are talking of but dont know who bolted them. Also I belive that the majority of the climbing in Thailand is on limestone which is most often loads harder and more stable than the conglomerate at Manressa Grotto. I like the bouldering there but there are greener pastures near by. (for instance metaline is only half hour up the road) Marty, some of the rock in Thailand while still limestone, climbed & looked almost exactly like Manresa. Generally speaking, the rock in Thai is hell on bolts. Something to do with all the high-salt content rain hitting the tops of those cliffs (jungle makes nice reservoirs) and then running through the rocks causes an electrical reaction with the steel (stainless, expansion, glue-in, all it seems) which rots bolts. I've hand removed 1/2" Stainless Steel bolts while rappelling (unintentionally) that had been in place for 7 months. Thankfully EWASH is a desert. I'm sure anyone with a penchant for clipping bolts is going to go right past Manresa. Anyone looking for some good, fun bouldering with lots of potential FA's will enjoy it though. The rock seems pretty unique to me for EWASH, although there is probably more of it. Thanks for the input, where do I get more info on Metaline area? Thanks Blowboarder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 For sure, definately worth a visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.