Iconoclast (snow creek wall) new rockfall?

[AndrewO]

Does anyone know about the rockfall on Iconoclast / Hyperspace on the snow creek wall? Has anyone climbed this in the last year or two?

 

It's not in old pictures of the wall, as recent at Aug 2007.

 

I tried the route last summer and encountered an enormous (bus-sized) loose block a few pitches up, surrounded by fresh scarred and broken granite. At that point the route pretty much disappeared, and we ended up traversing left to some anchors and rappelling. I tried talking to a few people last year, but couldn't find anyone who'd climbed it recently except one who had the same experience.

 

This past weekend, I tried again and this time managed to climb past (around) it and finish the route. The routefinding is definitely tricky around there, and the loose block(s) quite scary. Above that the route seemed a little dirty and under-climbed but in otherwise good shape.

 

Here's a picture from below (with route map overlay):

The rock scar is outlined in red.

 

And from above, on route:

That entire block is detached and balanced. The light area to the left (climber's right) is the scar where I think something broke away. That area is loose and full of removable holds. Don't go that way. It looks like you could climb straight up the corner on the right side of the frame (climber's left), but we opted to traverse even farther rather than touch that block

 

It's not in this picture, apparently from 2007.

 

Any information? If you do that climb, be careful around that thing and have fun.

 

Thanks,

-Andrew

[Good2Go]

I climbed that route last year for the first time with a buddy who'd done it many times before. I drew the lead up to the spot that you described. Partner told me to belay at the block with the slings. I never saw any block or slings so I just kept going up. Heard him yelling, so I built an anchor at a stance and brought him up. Partner was totally freaked out that a major belay spot had fallen off. Seems that a bus-sized block had fallen off sometime in the previous winter or spring. Found remnants of the block on the hike out (taking goat trail down from base of Orbit area).

[lancegranite]

The fallen debris is in the picture.

[Sol]

Yes, new rockfall. I have climbed it both before and after and that spot has changed very much!

[koshkii]

Hi there,

Has anyone been up Iconoclast this spring? What's the consensus about rockfall risk coming up under the block where the big rockfall occurred last fall?

 

Thanks,

koshkii

[512dude]

Three of us did it last week and the route seemed safe for us. I thought the 4th pitch up the 10c corner and which ended at the first set of 'fixed' bolts and chains was a bit mossy and vegetated for a classic. The start of the fifth was also green as shown below.

 

We ended up bailing on the Hyperspace exit as some of the cracks were wet and were dealing with a thumb sprain.