Static Point report

[chucK]

Went up to Static Point on Sunday. We got there real early since the good weather tempted us to deviate from our original plan (Snow Creek Wall). When we got to the wall (about 7:30 am) there was water everywhere, and graupel snow on most ledges.

We were able to get around most of the water and made our way over to Fuddhat. There was a small pond at the Spaceport! Fuddhat is way cool with some pure friction. Making your way around the water streaks added some sport. There was one spot on the third pitch we called the "veil of tears". The veil was a uniform striping of thin dripstreaks coming from a horizontal seep point. It was a bold lead to delicately pick your way across trying to find the driest features. Most of the mashed bolts have been replaced with the exception of one fairly key one (protects a relatively big runout) on p3 with a munged hanger. It's still clippable but unknown if the bolt is compromised.

 

We climbed the first pitch of "Kill da Wabbit" (Sky Rock guide name. Nelson guide calls it p4 of Fuddhat). It's a nice pitch of sustained face climbing. There's some loose crap near the start (stay right), but it seemed solid above. We replaced the missing hanger on the fifth bolt (rusty 5/16"'ers). We retreated before the steep and intimidating final pitch. It looks really cool. I'm kicking myself now (my courage grows with distance from the rock), but at the time the guidebooks' 10c or 10d ratings had us pretty intimidated.

On our way up I noted where the rockfall that munged the bolts came from. It was this HUGE piece of rock (bus size?) below the Curious-Cube roof. I climbed right on top of that thing when doing the Cube two years back. It was a big roofy thing crisscrossed with sharp jamcracks and a verythin flake at the top. I guess it is now down at the base, probably in a million pieces. Anybody been up to attempt "the Cube" since? I wonder if we got the LA (last ascent)? We did it in Oct. 99.

By about noon or so most of the drips had dried. We cruised up Lost Charms then rapped down through 3 parties inhabiting the Online area. One of which consisted of two CC contributors with good webpages.

chucK

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Chuck first of all nice report. Second of all try getting some liquid courage with Ole Grandad at the base if you can. It worx for me

[mneagle]

In the Rock CLimbing Washington book, it shows a line leading from the rappel anchors of On Line to "The Mohawk", which appears to be a swath of trees over the dome. Is there any reason to go up there and is there another descent route?

[Alex]

From the top of Offline/Online, its a half-to-full-pitch of unprotected or "maybe protected" mid-fifth friction to get to the trees (the Mohawk). But since the decent for these routes and Lost Charms is to rap either Online or Offline, you'd just be coming back down again in another 15 minutes. I don't think many people do that last pitch, its quire unremarkable compared to the pitches below.

There is no walk off a la Snow Creek Wall.

Currently, the second station on Offline is missing rings, so I left a biner, but you might want to take some extra rings or quicklinks for some of these stations.

Alex

[Blight]

Chuck et al,

The whole place was dry and deserted on Saturday. As for the last pitch (5th) of KDR (what I believe Nelson calls Fuddhat even though it veers off right of Fuddhat), too bad you didn't finish it. As Nelson says, the climbing is excellent, but completely different than the previous 4 pitches - spot on! The climbing on that last pitch is much more secure than most of the friction below - if you got that far, you would have no problem with the last pitch. Personally, I thought the crux was down low on one of the featureless sections. However, it may have been mental since it was pretty warm when we were climbing.

cheers!

[David Yount]

 

Sky Valley Rock, 2000 by Darryl Cramer is the only full coverage of Static Point of 20 routes (and there are several new quality routes since 2000 including Sparks 5.8 and Jihad 5.9?).

Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Volume 2, 2000 by Jim Nelson has 3 routes with very good beta.

Rock Climbing Washington, 1999 by Jeff Smoot has 10 routes but it also has several errors.

 

When Nelson is describing the route Fuddhat he is using the 2 pitch variation ending to Fuddhat that most people would prefer, and those 2 final pitches are called Kill da Wabbit.

 

 

In general climbing is good from March to early November, but never on sunny summer days at Static Point.

 

 

September, 2012

Before you drive out to climb at Static Point it's easily worthwhile to place a phone call to ask if the South Shore Gate is open at Spada Resevoir. The gate is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from May 1 to October 31, except for 1) roadwork, or 2) dangerous conditions. And in my experience it's not rare for them to decide there exist dangerous conditions, and they have roadwork to perform every year during Spring to Fall.

 

The Snohomish PUD contols the gate and their website will give the gate's status. But the actual page with the gate's status is buried in several layers of choices and the navigation is not intuitive nor descriptive. But here's the URL as of September 2012:

http://www.snopud.com/PowerSupply/hydro/jhp/jhprecreation/jhpsultan.ashx?p=1500

 

425.783.1774 Karen Bedrossian (or her subsequent replacement)

425.783.8804 Barry Chrisman

 

If you don't reach either of them you can call the main number and seek other suggestions from the operator

425.783.1744, or 877.783.1000

 

option 0 to speak to an operator at Snohomish PUD and ask them about the current status of the South Shore Gate at Spada Resevoir. Ask the operator for the direct phone number and the full name of the person they will connect you with, for your records.

 

If the gate is closed, you can still climb at Static Point, just add 3 miles of casual downhill mtn biking or hiking.

 

Sometimes you must park at the registration station at Olney Pass if the right gate, South Shore Road, is closed. The right gate is the South Shore Road, take this. The three miles (on road Nf-6129 around the reservoir / lake) to the decommissioned spur road is gently and consistently downhill (fast and easy on a mtn bike). When you arrive at a large bridge (crossing the inlet to Spada Resevoir), the spur road is just past on the right and is blocked by several boulders and a large snag placed crosswise. Park here. You used to be able to drive part of this spur road, but now you park in a pullout on the South Shore Road.

 

You can climb all year long at Static Point. Several routes were first climbed in January. The granite slab faces south and dries relatively quickly. In the winter when it's a sunny day the climbing can be at it's best, as the friction of climbing shoe rubber reaches it's maximum at 49F, I've read. If the South Shore Gate is not opened and if there isn't snow at the 2000-foot Olney Pass, then a casual 3 mile downhill mtn bike ride accesses the old spur road (this spur road can be biked for a few minutes but quickly turns into hiking only because of dozens of deep gorges cut into the road).