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Gear vs bolt to protect thin flake


Rad

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Eventually the flake will come down, even if you don't put the route up. You would not want to hear about someone dying on your route. Seems like reinforcing the feature could be accomplished without leaving much of a trace if you really think its integral to the route and has a short life expentancy as part of the route.

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Yeah, I miss The Bolted Flake too.

 

For the uninitiated, this was a route at the (sandstone) quarry in Tenino which climbed up the left side of a 30' tall flake. With a crux down low and a crux up high, the flake provided the most cruiser terrain on the 11a route, protected by bolts on the main wall left of the flake. You'd really yard on this thing as you went up, and the crack was largely hand size. Up The Creek, the 11c route on the right side of the flake went up a tips size crack and made use of face holds. One time on that route, I found that the crack had moved a little, making some fresh fractures on the edge of the big flake, and this led us to abandon plans to bolt the route for the lead and eye the entire flake from a more jaundiced perspective. On the regular Wednesday night gig out here I'd perpetually warn people belaying at the bottom of The Bolted Flake to not stand underneath it.

 

Well, one night the winter before last it fell down of it's own accord, impacting right at the spot I'd tell people not to stand on. The pieces lie in the woods below, it's a pity I can't move them without making a mess of the surrounding terrain.

 

Granite is a different story though, is the flake attached at the base? One side? Is it just perched on a ledge? If you're going to try the trundle, forget little crowbars, bring a 6' long steel digging bar, that's what we used to trundle a loose block the size of mini cooper.

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Holy crap how did I miss that.

 

If you guys really want to climb pure bolted cracks, you need to drive to eastern OR and climb at a place called Spring Mt. Great climbing, super fun; just leave your ethics in the car. We climbed a popular route there called Flake Off. 5.9. 100% bolted, right next to a crack. I climbed the entire route on gear, and it was not run out.

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Fake climbing, fake hair and no respect for the environment. This self-absorbed clown represents some of the worst of what modern rock "climbing" has become: FAKE.

 

What if he's drilling an anchor?

 

You're rapidly becoming a charicature of yourself.

 

If he is drilling an anchor, than it appears he doesn’t know what the fuck he is doing. Shouldn’t he put the anchor at the top “after the crack ends”? Just my thoughts.

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Thanks for the ideas. :wave:

 

I am personally hoping it will be bomber so the line can go trad, but safety is my top priority. :nurd:

 

I like the crowbar/videocamera idea best. :fahq:

 

If any entertaining pics or video emerge we'll post them. :cool:

 

 

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