Trad climbs with bolted belays

[Braydon]

I have a friend who is just getting into trad leading and I am looking for some good climbs for us to start swapping leads on. Bolted belays are great because they can take off some of the stress for a beggining trad leader. Any ideas? I know that Squamish has some good ones on the Apron but most of those routes can be pretty runout at times. I heard Ultimate Everything is fun. What about Darrington? I haven't been to Darrington yet so I don't really know much about the climbing there.

 

No mind boggling runouts though please.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

darrington climbing is mostly bolt protected, with occasional gear. You wont get much gear placing practice though. The popular routes have beefy bolted belays.

 

Not sure what grades you are looking for, but great northern slab at index has bolted belays. In fact, many routes at index, of all grades, have bolted belays.

[geoff]

I would have to say the run outs on the Apron, Diedre and Banana Peel anyhow, are over stated. TR's had me worried about the second to last pitch of BP, 150 feet no pro. Well, first there is pro and second it is way way way easy and not slippery like a banana peel at all.

[mattp]

Bolted belays may offer a sense of security, but most of the time I'd say that it is actually the protection pieces that safeguard moves where you might actually fall that are the most important -- and far more important than, say, one of three pieces you probably installed at a belay. I have not paid careful attention to Accidents in North American Mountaineering for several years, but my bet is the number of belay station failures is pretty small compared to the number of accidents due to failing protection. A trad climb with bolted belays does offer some confidence and a cheaper and easier prospect of a retreat, though.

[ivan]

most climbs at beacon rock are trad but have bolted belays - matt's point is a good one though, failing protection will fuck you far more frequently than failing anchors, though the latter option does at least get both guys in on the fun.

[eldiente]

I'd say Tieton would be a great spot for a new leader. Bolted belays, soft grades, and lots of good pro. Squamish would be a great place too, but the crowds on the "mellow" routes can be a real problem to the point where you could sit and wait all day for a trip up Diedre. Do you really want to be learning how to place gear with 30 French Canadians crawling up your ass?

 

Outside of the PNW, I'd say Red Rocks is the best new trad leader place that I can think of. Unlike some places, the "easy" long routes at Red Rock are full-value with quality moves and airy positions. Many of the moderates at Red rocks have huge face holds surrounding the crack so your not having to learn how to place gear and learn how to crack climb at the same time. It is amazing how much experience you can pack in just by climbing a few long easy routes at Red Rocks.

 

-Nate

 

You can climb 1,000+ feet of 5.6 on steep rock and feel like a rock-star.

[canyondweller]

I would have to say the run outs on the Apron, Diedre and Banana Peel anyhow, are over stated. TR's had me worried about the second to last pitch of BP, 150 feet no pro. Well, first there is pro and second it is way way way easy and not slippery like a banana peel at all.

 

I concurr. There's runout on Banana Peel? Never noticed.

[Braydon]

Thanks for the advice Matt. I understand your point but ,for me at least, climbs with bolted belays seem to go faster and offer easier (and cheaper) retreat if something should go wrong. He's competent at gear placements but I think I should spend a little more time with him about building and equalizing multi-directional gear anchors. With bolted belays you just pull out your Quad and start belaying.

[geoff]

Cat in the Hat seems worth the trip alone.

[fenderfour]

I'd say Tieton would be a great spot for a new leader. Bolted belays, soft grades, and lots of good pro. -snip-

 

Maybe I don't know what "soft" is these days. I always thought Tieton grades were harder than Squamish, Leavenworth, Smith, or the very few 5.easy climbs at Index.

 

If anything, Tieton will seem a lot harder to a new 5.easy climber because it is steep.

 

Maybe you mean Vantage is soft...

[kevbone]

I heard Ultimate Everything is fun.

 

Totally fun and well protected.

[Braydon]

What are some 5.9 and under routes with bolted belays at Darrington?

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Many or most of the trad routes at Smith also have bolted belays, although it's kinda hot there right now.

[Braydon]

I want to climb Ultimate Everything but don't want to climb a deathwish route on the Apron. Are there any routes on it without serious runouts?

[fenderfour]

Calculus crack at 5.8, South Arete 5.9

 

There is a super-secret 5.8 bolted "finish" to the Ultimate Everything. It's Called the last two pitches of Upper Echelon.

 

Upper Echelon Topo

 

Head left after the second dyke pitch on UE to Pitch 7 of well, UE.

[sobo]

I'd say Tieton would be a great spot for a new leader. Bolted belays, soft grades, and lots of good pro. -snip-

 

Maybe I don't know what "soft" is these days. I always thought Tieton grades were harder than Squamish, Leavenworth, Smith, or the very few 5.easy climbs at Index.

 

If anything, Tieton will seem a lot harder to a new 5.easy climber because it is steep.

 

Maybe you mean Vantage is soft...

I caught that one, too, F4. Tieton will scare the crap out of a new trad leader who doesn't have his skill set down pretty good going into it. The exit moves on many a climb are contemplative, to say the least.

 

[selkirk]

I'd say Tieton would be a great spot for a new leader. Bolted belays, soft grades, and lots of good pro.

 

Tieton:

Bolted Belay's

Good Pro

Soft Grades

 

You are very mean individual.

Tieton is the only place I have ever heard comments like:

"That's the only 5.4 I've ever climbed with a crux!"

"That 5.5 has a 5.7 crux"

"Fist crack" used to describe a crack that I can comfortable knee bar

 

Grades seem to normalize around 5.9+ and up, but the stuff below 5.9 there is consistently stiff for the grade (compared to other local climbs)

 

The cracks have a lot of undulations and can also be a bit funky on cam's, but take truly bomber hexe's

 

Not a good place for tenative new leader IMHO

[Crillz]

Just suck it up and build anchors! It doesn't take long to get fast at it.

 

(But, like others have said, Index has many bolted belays)

Edited August 8, 2008 by Crillz

[pink]

i wish trad anchors were the norm, it might weed out the rif raf.

[billcoe]

i wish trad anchors were the norm, it might weed out the rif raf.

 

You'd think, but sadly we're all still here....

 

 

 

[pink]

no, like really trad. not trad bolts but like the kinda gear you can remove.

[shapp]

Big Tree at darrington is nearly all trad and has bolted belays, except for the fist pitch wich is a slung tree and it is 4 to 5 pitches depending on how you climb it, actually climbed it on wednesday this week plus some other routes.

Help finding the belay on the 3rd pitch: stay on the left of the flake/crack, and left of the first large bush you encounter, or if you go right at the first large bush head over the laps to the right, make a slippery move to the right to gain the far right flake and aim for the higher large bush above, another bolted belay is just up and right of this higher bush (aim for this higher bush on the next pitch if you choose the lower belay first). a few small TCUs and extras on the .5 and 1 inch cams are helpful for the 3rd pitch.

J

 

Edited August 8, 2008 by shapp

[curtveld]

What are some 5.9 and under routes with bolted belays at Darrington?

Silent Running is a great multi-pitch slab climb at 5.9. Pitch ratings are very reasonable (dare I say 'soft'?). Completely bolt protected though.

[counterfeitfake]

I want to climb Ultimate Everything but don't want to climb a deathwish route on the Apron. Are there any routes on it without serious runouts?

 

I don't know where you're getting your beta... never heard "deathwish" and "apron" in the same sentence before.

 

Most of the well-traveled routes up the apron do not have "serious runouts". Deidre, for example, follows a crack almost the whole way and you can protect as much as you want. There is a runout slab at the very bottom but it is not serious.

[mattp]

What are some 5.9 and under routes with bolted belays at Darrington?

Silent Running is a great multi-pitch slab climb at 5.9. Pitch ratings are very reasonable (dare I say 'soft'?). Completely bolt protected though.

 

Bring gear for the first and last pitches of Silent Running.

 

The combination of 'Tlll Broad Daylight to The Kone, swithcing to the latter shortly after their shared belay is a good 5.9- route with bolted anchors. It is mostly bolt-protected, though.