Static Point

[bigwallben]

Saw an earlier post with an inquiry to access. Has anyone been out there. Access?

 

Thanks.

[bigwallben]

For anyone who cares. You can still access Static Point. There is a large machine tearing out the bridges/culverts on that last little stretch of road. The trail is very overgrown. Beautiful setting up there for sure. Climbed online. Nice route.

Edited September 3, 2008 by bigwallben

[DRep]

thanks for the info, I love it up there.

[ScottP]

I'm sure this has already been linked somewhere here, but here is is again, courtesy of mattp.

[lazyalpinist]

Was there this 09.13.08.

 

Road is stopped much earlier than previously. Hike has been lengthened maybe 30%. (All on road with some interesting berms.) This looks to be permanent as the berms have been seeded (with grass?) If you haven't been there before, the trail off the overgrown road is obvious. Try not to take one of the rabbit trails earlier on as they don't lead to Static Point. The correct trail is by a pipe that is 1/4 full of dirt and there is a cairn marking the start.

[Off_White]

Access will only get longer if they follow through on plans to close the road permanently at Olney Pass.

[Jens]

Sad. Static is some of the best slab climbing in the U.S.

 

Someday we may lose access to both Static and Darrington.

 

 

[catbirdseat]

Maybe the trail could be improved to the culvert such that bicycles would be a good approach option. I don't remember it being very steep, but do remember a lot of small trees that would need to be cleared back to make bikes more practical.

[lazyalpinist]

Maybe the trail could be improved to the culvert such that bicycles would be a good approach option. I don't remember it being very steep, but do remember a lot of small trees that would need to be cleared back to make bikes more practical.

 

Uh, I doubt it. The earlier part has huge berms that would be motoX doubles if they were built correctly. Dirt was loose on them. My partner (a former MTB racer) was not interested in riding the big berms. I think the rest of the overgrown part would work fairly well for bikes if it was cleaned up. Some of the drainage crossing might be portages, but the rest is a roadbed.

[Jens]

I guess I meant to say "reasonable access". I've had to many crags become super long bike in epics in my climbing career. They suck. The Rangers, BLM, DNR, Wheyerhauser, or whomever says "Oh, you could still go if you reeeeaaaallly wanted to".

It has been my experience that bike in crags get dirty, mossy, the hardware rusts away, and trails disappear.

[Hulk]

FYI the DNR has totaly trashed the access road to static point.

For more info please feel free to visit http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7971006&start=30

Please feel free to post coments on this site as well.

[hanman]

Here is a link to the FERC relicensing documents and DNR Morning Star NRCA information. Static is mentioned in the FERC docs as a recreational resource, but the access and stone are clearly DNR territory that is slated for less user interaction as part of a larger plan. Most of the recreation interests/reports related to the hydro project are white-water/flow release issues

 

Mark Hanna

 

SnoPud Jackson Hydro FERC

 

DNR Morning Star NRCA

Edited October 23, 2008 by hanman

[obwan]

Jens is right, places like this fall into obscurity - these reports sound pretty bad. It is disturbing, as I helped in resurrecting this place from the obscurity that evolved in the late 80's. I spent two seasons looking for Static Point in 90/91' when some 70's80's climbers were unwilling to give it's location. So armed with an original copy of Washington Rock and a lot of bushwacking with my climbing partner, we stumbled upon a hidden Mtn Bike and ran into a couple of young buckaroo's - Dave & Matt, who had found it sooner than us and had been retro fitting the old 1/8" button head spinners, and doing some over night stays. They told us stoies of either the Water Dept or DNR guys tracking them down for illegal camping and bent on climbers not knowing about it. They even pitched their halfdome tent on the skinny Space Port Ledge to hide from them. Believe it or not, back then I was able to drive my 4x4 all the way to the trail head start at the last culvert ( with the use of a couple loppers and scratched paint), that really blew the DNR people away and the next season they had gone in with big CAT eqpt. and carved up all of the culverts and made it a long walk. I think we kept the secret for awhile; but about a month after we found it after searching for two seasons, some dude sent it in to Rock and Ice as "the climb of the month" - "On-Line"; and every climber from Northern Calif. to British Columbia showed up pissing off the Water Dept/DNR folks for good. It's really to bad as it is some of the best granite slab climbing next to Darrington in Washington. So, over the last ten years or so - now they are more bound and determined to keep the climbers out. I'm just glad I was able to do some of the other routes such as "the Curious Cube" - a very cool place.

[mattp]

The present plan is to cut the road back to Olney Pass so the trip to Static Point is only going to get longer.

 

Meanwhile, there is a coming Issaquah meeting regarding the recreation rules for DNR lands in general.

 

7 p.m., November 5, 2008 at the King County Library Systems Service Center, 960 Newport Way in Issaquah.

 

The rules: text of rules

 

Some info: DNR Site

 

This meeting has nothing to do with Static Point in particular, but recreational management policies are being revised in general. Changes include what I believe are greater restrictions on campfires on DNR lands and there are new rules regarding trail building or maintenance. The public comment period runs from October 15 to November 10, 2008.

 

 

 

[Reilly]

It is hilarious that those wanker bureaucrats can spend bazillions of taxpayers' dollars to put in roads for the logging companies' benefit. Then how many tens of thousands did they spend to build those berms while they are telling us they don't have the money to keep the roads open? I could rent a decently sized backhoe for say $300 a day and go up there and clear that road in a day or two at the most. I suppose you'd get busted if you did take a dirt bike up there?

[Hulk]

I thought i would pass the word here. I hate to jump to conclusions

but some thing fishy is going on. Over at nwhikers.net there is a couple of recent threads regarding the Sultan Basin. I'll abbreviate

 

FYI:

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Heber, Nathan [mailto:NCHeber@SNOPUD.com]

Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 10:16 AM

To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: RE: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (Form Submission: Form Builder)

 

The Sultan Basin Road is closed where the pavement ends due to road failure. Currently, due to the snow, crews are unable to access the area that needs repairs. The latest that I have heard is that the road will not be repaired until at least late June or early July.

 

Best regards,

Nathan

 

-----Original Message-----

From:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 9:50 AM

To: CustomerCommentCards

Subject: XXXXXXXXXXXXX (Form Submission: Form Builder)

 

 

Name

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Address

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

 

Phone (XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)

 

Email Address

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Message

I headed up the Sultan Basin Road to Spada Lake last weekend, but the road was closed. I don't know who to ask about the repair schedule and when I'll be able to get over Olney Pass - can you help?

 

Upon further investigation, there is a road closed sign at approx the ten mile mark. Walking in past the road closed sign revealed there is evidence that a couple of culverts may have been replaced. But the road is passable, except it appears the PUD has discontinued plowing the road, and switched to a snow cat.

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=490233#490233

 

Is this a beginning of a lock out?

[obwan]

More of the same - only it sounds permanent now.

[mattp]

Before anybody fires of letters to the PUD, I'd recommend a little more research.

 

I don't disagree with the skepticism that is expressed above and I think Hulk is correct about the current road closure but the latest public documents from the PUD indicate that they intend to maintain the South Shore Road beyond the Static Point turnoff, whereas the prior proposal from the DNR was to close that road and close it even to mountain biking. Some information is found at www.washingtonclimbers.org. Select "Current Issues" and "Update re: Spada Reservoir Planning Process."

 

I have not contacted anybody directly involved with long term planning regarding the Spada Reservoir area for over a year, but only relied upon public information. Additional inquiry into the long term management process and priorities would be welcome in my opinion.

[ThorDog]

Mattp~

 

Your continued efforts are greatly appreciated! I agree, first and foremost determine exactly which issues you are fighting for, then and only then "fight the good fight"!!!!

 

Regards,

Thor

[Hulk]

Thought i would pass along some beta. There is a large slide across the road that leads to Culmback Dam. This explains the lack of plowing the road. Apparently there is contractor planning to do some maintenance before Olney pass. This is probably the reason for the road closed sign so far down the road.

 

Last, there is a large slide across the South Shore Road, well before the South Fork Bridge. And there is a large slide across the road after the bridge. It will take some time for repairs to be made.

[Darwin]

I mountain biked in from the road closed sign well before Olney Pass. It was a fun ride, but I wasn't carrying ropes and gear. The road was actually clear up to the pass. South Shore road was blocked by snow right at the pass and by a land slide and a severe washout just before the bridge. The east terminus of the bridge was also washed out in a rather spectacular way (keep your eyes open). All that's going to require a lot of work to fix. I was told by a water dept. person that they will have a difficult time fixing the bridge because they can't get equipment to the quarry because the quarry is on the far side of the bridge. I think parking up at the pass will open soon, but you'll be going in on mountain bikes after that for quite a while.

 

The spur road was a pain, but you all know that.

 

Darwin (5/11/09)