Infinite Bliss

[kevbone]

Well the weather is changing and it will be time once again (I say again because my plays to climb it last season turned to climbing prusik instead) to go up and climb the ever popular Infinite Bliss. I know this has some folks in an uproar, but never the less, I will climb it this summer. Can’t judge the route until I have seen it myself.

 

Good things that I am to understand about the route.

 

Rap bolted…..good. Most routes I have climbed that were bolted on lead, however bold are usually silly and very dangerous. Hence… half of J trees slab routes.

 

Bolted from top down……once again a much better way of establishing a route, insures the pro is in the best spot.

 

I am to understand it is in a wilderness area. Real mixed on this. I guess the FFA party tried to find it out before hand and was given wrong info??? If that is the case then its already there and it should stay.

 

Cant wait to give it a go.

 

[selkirk]

 

It's my understanding that the FFA party checked the available maps on whether or not it was in the wilderness area. Turns out the maps were wrong.

[billcoe]

Tell me you're just trolling for Joseph again.... aren't ya?

[kevbone]

How many of the CC.comers have actually climbed this route? Are you will to admitt it?

[kevbone]

Tell me you're just trolling for Joseph again.... aren't ya?

 

I cant help how JH feels about this route. Not my problem he is bent out of shape about it. It is on my priority list of climbs this summer. 23 pitches of bolts....how can a REAL climber not want to climb it? Real, meaning one without an ego.

[motomagik]

Climbed it, loved it, awesome good time. Not ashamed to say it. Except the 6 hours of rapping down in the dark. That wasn't such a good time. Damn rap anchors are hard to find in the slabs at night!

[kevbone]

Climbed it, loved it, awesome good time. Not ashamed to say it. Except the 6 hours of rapping down in the dark. That wasn't such a good time. Damn rap anchors are hard to find in the slabs at night!

 

 

Good job....would you agree with the given rating? I think they are calling it 10.b....I have heard more like 10+.

 

I would also say the almost every person I hear about who has climbed it has really enjoyed the day were as the folks who bitch about it have not climbed it.....funny how that works.

 

 

[motomagik]

10.b is right. Most of the pitches are less. The last couple 10.b pitches near the top are really cool, steep. My advice is to definitely simul as much as you can, I think we simuled all the lower slab pitches.

[kevbone]

Thanks for the advice. How long is the approach?

[NTM]

approach is ~45mins. pitch 11 is ~.10a and pitch (i think) 19 is the crux at .10b (i think the rating was fine). then a short 5.8 pitch and the last .10a bit, a bolted chimney for a bit that then pulls onto the face. 2 more easy to the top.

i had a good time doing it once, but will probly never do it again, too long of a day and the good climbing was too spaced out ot make it all that classic.

 

[NTM]

we got the whole thing done 14hrs c2c, by the way, with only the last 15 mins of hiking in the dark.

[matt_m]

Done it twice - great day out. 35-45 min approach from the road. The road is VERY potholed right now so allow extra time for the drive in. 10b is right on - probably feels harder due to fatigue. watch yourself on the 3rd class stuff - exciting down climb. I've always wondered if you could fix one or two knifeblades in that section to keep it in line with the rest of the route. Places are bolted well, lightly or runout but the 3rd/4th class is the only you will die if you slip part. Seems silly every time I do it.

 

Honestly, I don't think this route is as popular or as controverisal as is made out to be on CC.com (WE all know JH hates it - others love it) I've only known one other party that's summited and few on here - Everytime I've been on it there were NO OTHER parties - people hike to the base once in a while but Deidre it's not. Heck, it's not OS, or ever Saber...

[eldiente]

Sounds like a Troll to me.. Wasn't this a popular topic ohhh about 2 years ago?

 

The route is fun but not good enough to be classic and draw lots of crowds. Approach was at least an hour if not more in very dense jungle bush whacking. Although there now might be a better trail as we climbed it a few years ago. 10b seems right on for a grade although that is sort of misleading as there is so many low angle 5th class pitches mixed in. The 10b parts are short and welcome changes from the slabs below.

 

Simul climbing is a wise move, bring as many draws as you can carry and you can link many pitches together. I would think a strong 5.10 leader would only have to have a proper belay for a handful of pitches on the whole route. And yes the descent is shitty, so low angle that it is hard to get a proper rap.

 

-Nate

[JosephH]

Tell me you're just trolling for Joseph again.... aren't ya?

 

....how can a REAL climber not want to chop it? Real, meaning one with ethics and willing to accept risks are a part of climbing.

[Mr_Phil]

He's foaming at the mouth now!

 

Let's get him started talking about destroying bird habitat at Beacon.

[kevbone]

Tell me you're just trolling for Joseph again.... aren't ya?

 

....how can a REAL climber not want to chop it? Real, meaning one with ethics and willing to accept risks are a part of climbing.

 

Are you cutting up my quotes?

 

If you fall and get hurt? Even if it is a TRAD route....its a risk....whats the difference?

[tradclimbguy]

It's an 'ok' route (props for all the work bolting, but I'm not getting into that battle). Definitely not a 10 by any means. More like endless over bolted 5.6-5.8 with a few section bolted I think to show you the way, hahaha and a few sections with zero bolts to be spiteful when rapping Actually it's so "infinite" on the 5.6 moves I got bored climbing for a while now that I think back. It's kind of like stair climbing up a route if that's possible. hehehe

 

You finish with a couple good pitches but not 5.10, ok, maybe 5.10- if its wet and in the fog. Don't forget the one bolted pitch that has so many bolts you could z-clip every bolt if not careful, 17 if I remember right? aka skip-a-clip pitch.

 

We did the route in just under 4hrs with 22 draws and simuled all but two pitches or three spots on the route. The raps to get off suck but I've heard hiking down the back is waaaay worse from a buddy who did it. The routes been done now in I believe less than an hour if that gives you any info. The first 5 slab pitches can be done with about 20 draws without meeting up until you get to a gulley pitch, although some small gear might be good if its wet and you have to avoid the bolt line like we did.

 

One fix to the route to make rapping safe and it would be more classic for the common bolt clipper to get a taste of "alpine" climbing, but I doubt I'll ever bother to walk up to it again.

 

Edit: HELMET bring a helmet please... Lots of loose rock that likes to fall about a million miles an hour past your head while running the route. Had a chunk of something warp by me then watched the basketball size rock pinball down the gulley. Yikes!

Edited April 12, 2007 by tradclimbguy

[kevbone]

Thanks all for the info......cant wait to get on it. JH you want to partner up for it? If you dont like it.....just dont clip the bolts.

[kevbone]

It's an 'ok' route (props for all the work bolting, but I'm not getting into that battle). Definitely not a 10 by any means. More like endless over bolted 5.6-5.8 with a few section bolted I think to show you the way, hahaha and a few sections with zero bolts to be spiteful when rapping Actually it's so "infinite" on the 5.6 moves I got bored climbing for a while now that I think back. It's kind of like stair climbing up a route if that's possible. hehehe

 

You finish with a couple good pitches but not 5.10, ok, maybe 5.10- if its wet and in the fog. Don't forget the one bolted pitch that has so many bolts you could z-clip every bolt if not careful, 17 if I remember right? aka skip-a-clip pitch.

 

We did the route in just under 4hrs with 22 draws and simuled all but two pitches or three spots on the route. The raps to get off suck but I've heard hiking down the back is waaaay worse from a buddy who did it. The routes been done now in I believe less than an hour if that gives you any info. The first 5 slab pitches can be done with about 20 draws without meeting up until you get to a gulley pitch, although some small gear might be good if its wet and you have to avoid the bolt line like we did.

 

One fix to the route to make rapping safe and it would be more classic for the common bolt clipper to get a taste of "alpine" climbing, but I doubt I'll ever bother to walk up to it again.

 

Edit: HELMET bring a helmet please... Lots of loose rock that likes to fall about a million miles an hour past your head while running the route. Had a chunk of something warp by me then watched the basketball size rock pinball down the gulley. Yikes!

 

Would you recommend tailing a rope for the repel? Repelling with two ropes?

[G-spotter]

I couldn't recommend you being more repelling than you already are.

[tradclimbguy]

You need two ropes to rappel. I wouldn't trail a line though, just pack the smallest rope you have in one of the bags and lead on the other however you want. simul, pitch it out, doesn't matter. We hit pitch 15 in just over an hour then sat for our buddies to catch up and finished the rest in under another couple hours.

 

We simuled it kinda funny but just took our thin 60 and doubled it in half and simuled a long 30m line. With so many bolts you can pick and choose which you want to clip. Like I said the slab pitches can be done without meeting up and about 20 draws if you clip a bolt every 15 or 20ft. Big ledges allow you to meet up and tear off again quickly.

 

The guys that did the route in about 45 minutes did it with a single gym rope about 60ft long But then they did the walk off which apparently sucked really bad and simul a bit more run out than I like.

[kevbone]

Thanks.....Cant wait.

[JosephH]

Thanks all for the info......cant wait to get on it. JH you want to partner up for it? If you dont like it.....just dont clip the bolts.

 

Nah, I'm getting too old. I can still carry the breaker bar but hauling 300 epoxy sticks for that many pitches of low angle stuff would get to be a drag and I'd just slow you down...

[ChestBeater]

We did the route in just under 4hrs with 22 draws and simuled all but two pitches or three spots on the route.

 

Damn doood. What held you up? I did it in 3:30 with 21 draws and only pitched out one or two pitches.

 

Gaper.

[kevbone]

Thanks all for the info......cant wait to get on it. JH you want to partner up for it? If you dont like it.....just dont clip the bolts.

 

Nah, I'm getting too old. I can still carry the breaker bar but hauling 300 epoxy sticks for that many pitches of low angle stuff would get to be a drag and I'd just slow you down...

 

 

You may be old (you said it not me) but you still have humor.