Exit 38 Nevermind Wall rockfall 8/3

[Maxtrax]

Hey, just heads up for y'all. I went out to the Nevermind wall to get some after work climbing with a coworker today, while I was leading one of the routes on the middle to right of the wall, somewhere between Neverigine and the 5.9 slab (I couldn't find my guide book) we watched some pretty gnarly rockfall come down from the top of the left side of the wall. It happened around 8:30-9:00, just after we broke out the headlamps. I estimate that between 15 and 25 chunks of rock from the size of a softball to the size of a basketball came down and pretty much obliterated the belay area for Steep Street, Under Arrest, Negatherion, etc. If anyone had been there they definitely would have been severely injured if not killed.

 

I don't know whether the rockfall was caused by an animal walking along above the wall or whether it was just a random natural occurrence. There was about 2-3 seconds of "warning" when I heard rocks start to tumble from above the wall - just enough time for me to yell rock and make myself as small of a target as possible. Until the rocks started impacting the ground I didn't know where they were coming from/hitting. Also, there might (or might not) be some damage to the routes, quite a few of the rocks ricocheted off the wall at various places.

[Rad]

Yikes! A few years ago the start for Steep Street and Under Arrest changed substantially when a large block (3' x 3' x 2') fell off the wall. Now you step up into a committing undercling on a fin/flake that looks like if could pop off pretty easily.

 

There will probably be more there. Don't like the current routes? Just wait a few months and check back to see if they have changed.

[Braydon]

i was climbing at croc in neverland at exit 38 yesterday and had some rockfall. i was climbing one of the routes and i grabbed a hold the size of a football the let go on me. i was holding it between my stomach and the wall and didn't really know what to do my belayer was a above me and i was only about 20ft off the ground so i made sure no one was around and let it got. there was really no where else to put it.

 

you have to be careful in neverland. it's a fairly new area and still needs some more cleaning.

Edited August 4, 2008 by Braydon

[TrogdortheBurninator]

nevermind and neverland are different crags

[ilookeddown]

What route were you on? How far up?

[Maxtrax]

As I said I can't find my guide book so I'm not sure exactly which route I was on. I think it was ~3 routes left of the 5.9 slab on the right hand side of the wall. I had climbed Steep Street and Negatherion last Thursday and was considering climbing one of those again or getting on Rude Road or Under Arrest but they were both a bit damp(er). I'm definitely glad that we decided to move to the right side of the wall last night.

[Rad]

Went to Nevermind today. We could not discern any damage to the routes in question (climbed SS, and looked carefully at the lower sxns of other two) and there was no obvious pile of rubble at the base to suggest anything bad happened.

 

SS is definitely going to be harder when (not if) that undercling flake eventually cuts loose.

 

Also, the jug at the first clip of the 10a is rattly. Not sure if it was before or not.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Another note on nevermind: The block you stand on when clipping the hanging chain in the middle of the wall is a bit wobbly. This thing is full on belayer slayer, 8+ ft^3 of rock. Seemed looser now than in the past.

 

Rad: I also thought the clipping jug on the 10a was loser than ever when I climbed it on saturday.

Edited August 6, 2008 by TrogdortheBurninator