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[TR] Wolf Rock - Barad Dur 10/6/2009


Farrgo

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Trip: Wolf Rock - Barad Dur

 

Date: 10/6/2009

 

Trip Report:

Rodney and I went to climb Wolf Rock yesterday. We didn't find a lot of information, and since some retro-bolting, even that information wasn't that current. It's a great climb, well deserving of more attention. I was expecting much worse rock than what we found. With the exception of the 4th pitch and after the crux of the 5th pitch, I though the rock was pretty good. The old bolts have been replaced. Almost everything we clipped was 3/8" shiny and bomber.

 

You climb left of the main corner/roof difficulties for pitches. Pitches 5 and 6 traverse right and up through the corner and roofs toward the summit. Absolutely incredible exposure!

 

113.jpg

 

The route starts a couple hundred feet of main arching corner/roof system at two bolts at chest height.

 

P1 - 5.9+ - Head straight up following 5 bolts and the occasional gear placement to a belay at a small stance.

 

P2 - 5.9 - From the belay head up and right past bolts and up to a left facing dihedral, climb the dihedral to a belay ledge.

 

26.jpg

 

P3 - 5.8 - Climb up and slightly right clipping bolts to lower angled terrain head up and then left following bolts and gear to a small belay ledge. Look far to your left. It could be easy to miss this belay.

 

P4 - 5.9+ - Head up and right on easy 5th class climbing then up to the crux moves below a roof head left to the belay at a small stance.

 

36.jpg

 

P5 - 5.10d - From the belay traverse out and right to a blind reach around the corner (crux) and then head up to a hanging belay. Short pitch ~20m.

 

44.jpg

 

P6 - 5.11b - Head straight up past bolts and and a fixed KB make and awkward move (crux) up and then right. Continue rightward traverse on handrail under roof. Belay is located shortly after traverse. Another short pitch ~25m.

 

54.jpg

 

P7 - 5.4 - From the belay head up and left following weaknesses looking for a bolted anchor.

 

P8 - Easy 5th - Head up weaknesses to the ridge, then follow ridge crest West to summit of Wolf Rock. 1/4 mile of low 5th class climbing.

 

Gear Notes:

Medium set stoppers

Single set of cams from tips to #3

Extra couple cams in finger size

Lots of runners

 

Approach Notes:

Approach: Drive until you are basically under the route. Bushwack up to route(5 min).

 

Descent: From summit head West passing gullies on the South. Take the third gully (steepish). Follow trail back to road (30min).

 

 

 

Edited by Farrgo
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My bad I thought retro-bolting was replacing bolts.

 

I think they're may be a new bolt on the crux pitch. The description led me to believe I was clipping a bolt and then a fixed KB above it. However there is a fatty bolt right next to the KB. Someone with more experience on this route could probably clear it up.

 

It doesn't really matter. It's still a bold route, no one is going to say its overbolted.

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If it's Tyler or anyone else, I'd be happy to supply pins for such endeavors. In general, pins need maintenance just like bolts, but there's no reason to be shooting in bolts next to good pins or pins that just need to be reset or replaced. Almost all the pins out at Beacon have been checked, reset, and/or replaced and it's not that hard to learn to do it; you just need a funk cable to go with your drilling setup given you already have a hammer for the bolts. Most of the older pins at Beacon have far outlasted the bolts for being bomb, even bolts placed in the 90's most of which are shite now.

 

Please don't retro existing pins with bolts unless they are smallish pins (particularly small angles) which don't holdup. Just learn a enough pincraft to check, reset, and replace them. I'd be willing to help out and pins are also available on ebay all the time.

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Kevin, wrong - it's just a matter of kids these days simply not knowing the reality of the performance of pins. But if anyone is going to do that then at least clean the damn pin. But friggin' don't kid yourself, you're retro-bolting at that point. But then I keep forgetting, you never saw a bolt you weren't in love with the instant you saw it.

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I just want to reiterate before this goes any further, this may have not been a new bolt. I don't want these guys to get blown up in this thread if they didn't do anything. The pin was old, I didn't test it, it may have been good it might have been shit. Whatever is there has to be bomb proof because if it pulls you're looking at a long fall onto a ledge... it would be ugly.

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lol quick response to the tread till i have more time

 

retro-bolt=add more bolts

 

re-bolt=replace existing bolts

 

there are two retro bolts on route. i didn't do em, chris added them with waynes permission in 06. the 1st bolt on P1 and yes the crux bolt next to the KB on P6. and well since you copyed what i put on sp.com and put on this thread, how was that not current enough since i had updated it this summer after re thinking some pitch ratings. and theres and obvious trail too. either way nice job and pictures.

 

ps: joseph - the fixed KB is a #1 KB 1 size up from a rurp sooo... i would never drill a bolt next to a pin but i respect the decision

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Corvalis sorry for the plagerism. Maybe it was just the way I went but I changed a couple go left/go rights. The information was good, we just followed the bolts as best we could and this didn't always jive with the route description we found on SP.com. I thought I would change what you had written to fit my experience on the route.

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Tyler, a #1 KB on the west side will be lucky to make it 10 years as a viable piece of protection - particularly on a piece of stone that doesn't see all that much travel let alone maintenance. I respect that decision, but you guys should consider carrying funks and a couple of medium and long Bugs and LAs in your kits for random replacements and just funking out old junk.

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  • 1 year later...

 

This was great beta a couple days ago, but a few things had us scratching our heads. Some edits below.

 

 

 

Trip: Wolf Rock - Barad Dur

 

The route starts a couple hundred feet of main arching corner/roof system at two bolts at chest height.

 

P1 - 5.9+ - Head straight up following 5 bolts and the occasional gear placement to a belay at a small stance.

 

P2 - 5.9 - From the belay head up and right past bolts and up to a left facing dihedral, climb the dihedral to a belay ledge.

 

P3 - 5.8 - Climb up and slightly right clipping bolts to lower angled terrain head up and then left following bolts and gear to a small belay ledge. Look far to your left. It could be easy to miss this belay.

 

P4 - 5.9+ - Head up and right on easy 5th class climbing then up to the crux moves below a roof head left to the belay at a small stance.

 

P5 - 5.10d - From the belay traverse out and right to a blind reach around the corner (crux) and then head up to a hanging belay. Short pitch ~20m.

 

P6 - 5.11b - Head straight up past bolts and and a fixed KB make and awkward move (crux) up and then right. Continue rightward traverse on handrail under roof. Belay is located shortly after traverse. Another short pitch ~25m.

 

P7 - 5.4 - From the belay head up and left following weaknesses looking for a bolted anchor.

 

P8 - Easy 5th - Head up weaknesses to the ridge, then follow ridge crest West to summit of Wolf Rock. 1/4 mile of low 5th class climbing.

 

Gear Notes:

Medium set stoppers

Single set of cams from tips to #3

Extra couple cams in finger size

Lots of runners

 

Approach Notes:

Approach: Drive until you are basically under the route. Bushwack up to route(5 min).

 

Descent: From summit head West passing gullies on the South. Take the third gully (steepish). Follow trail back to road (30min).

 

 

 

The route starts a couple hundred feet of main arching corner/roof system at two bolts at chest height.

 

P1 - 5.9+ - Head straight up following 5 bolts and the occasional gear placement to a belay at a small stance.

 

P2 - 5.9 - From the belay head up and right past bolts and up to a right facing corner, climb the loose corner to a belay ledge.

 

P3 - 5.8 - Climb up and slightly left clipping bolts to lower angled terrain head up and then left following bolts and gear to a small belay ledge. Look far to your left. It could be easy to miss this belay.

 

P4 - 5.9+ - Head up and right on easy 5th class climbing then up to the crux moves below a roof head left to the belay at a small stance.

 

P5 - 5.10d - From the belay traverse out and right to a blind reach around the corner (crux) and then head up to a hanging belay. Short pitch ~20m.

 

P6 - 5.11b - Head straight up past bolts and and a fixed KB make and awkward move (crux) up and then right. Continue rightward traverse on handrail under roof. Belay is located shortly after traverse. Another short pitch ~25m. A possible belay immediately around corner and up. Another one 50' higher.

 

P7 - 5.4 - From the belay head up and left following weaknesses looking for a bolted anchor.

 

P8 - Easy 5th - Head up weaknesses to the ridge, then follow ridge crest West to summit of Wolf Rock. 1/4 mile of low 5th class climbing.

 

Gear Notes:

Medium set stoppers

Single set of cams from tips to #3

Extra couple cams in finger size

Lots of runners Our 12 felt a couple short

 

Approach Notes:

Approach: Drive until you are basically under the route. Bushwack up to route(5 min).

 

Descent: From summit head West passing gullies on the South. Take the third gully (steepish). Follow trail back to road (30min).

Third gully still makes no sense to me. Follow the ridge till you run out of ridge and then angle down into what is kinda of the 2nd big bowl like gully west of the true summit. Going further involves creative exposed route finding. Following the bowl down gets into drainage gullys that actually have some of the most solid rock you've seen all day. Descend these then wrap around to skiers left on trail.

 

 

Some pics:

 

Looking for solidity in the loose corner on P2.

IMG_7901.jpg

 

Nice rock and exposure on P4.

IMG_7936.jpg

 

The classic shot. P5

IMG_7969.jpg

 

Looking back at P6.

IMG_8008.jpg

Edited by hoodie
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