DROPZONE / FARSIDE

[crimper]

Joseph, it's true that the Dropzone isn't really set up for toproping, for all the reasons that you mention. Anyone who disagrees is just arguing with you because it's their default reponse to anything you say (this website holds 20,000 pages of evidence for that proposition), or they haven't climbed at the Dropzone enough to know what you know. Or both.

 

However, you've made your point and hopefully you got the word out to a few climbers who might listen.

 

Also, I was out there a month ago and out of 80 or so routes, half of them are abandoned. Covered with grass, bushes, dangling vines, etc. The routes with roofs or bolts have traces of chalk, and at least haven't been totally reclaimed by nature.

 

i guess what I'm saying is that I welcome ANY traffic out there, because the crag was being reclaimed by nature, but i bet the first several dozen parties are going to feel like they got tricked when they show up looking for 80 routes and see evidence of about 20.

 

Has anyone actually been out there lately?

[ivan]

Has anyone actually been out there lately?

will report back this afternoon - hoping to enchain the entire swedish bikini-team along the way, all of whom will be top-roping while licking ice-cream cones

[JosephH]

Been out there 30+ times this year and we've had the place entirely to ourselves until Sunday

when two parties came down, both with Olson's book in hand. We setup top ropes for the one more

inexperienced party who couldn't lead and all had a great time.

 

Also, I was out there a month ago and out of 80 or so routes, half of them are

abandoned. Covered with grass, bushes, dangling vines, etc. The routes with roofs or bolts have

traces of chalk, and at least haven't been totally reclaimed by nature.

 

i guess what I'm saying is that I welcome ANY traffic out there, because the crag was

being reclaimed by nature, but i bet the first several dozen parties are going to feel like

they got tricked when they show up looking for 80 routes and see evidence of about 20.

That's because there was never really more than 20 good routes out there. But everyone had a

grand time partying and hanging out doing the rest and between people who come down and nature,

a judgment will be rendered pretty quickly on the other 60.

 

So maybe what Joseph is trying to say in his typically incoherent fashion

is that a designated top of

the crag trail and multiple sling anchors with rap rings and such need to be installed at

the FARSIDE, so that everyone can enjoy a good top rope without endangering the lower trail

hikers and top rope belayers?

Cool how you start out missing the point, pick up on a secondary concern and run with it,

and yet cluelessly post on while struggling to grasp the gist of the conversation,

i.e. par for the course. As the flea circus turns...

 

[billcoe]

So maybe what Joseph is trying to say in his typically incoherent fashion is that a designated top of the crag trail and multiple sling anchors with rap rings and such need to be installed at the FARSIDE, so that everyone can enjoy a good top rope without endangering the lower trail hikers and top rope belayers?

I think Tim Olsen should have to do it.

 

LOL, that would be nice, but a massive amount of work!

[Off_White]

I think I'm going to ask Porter to change the two Oregon forum names to As The World Turns and All My Children.

[crimper]

crags gain character both from their developers and the climbers who come after. if the dropzone is going to have its coming out party due to olson's book, we'll see whether its character changes. if climbers want to rig a safe and quasi-permanent toprope setup, then they will. but if they think the routes suck even on toprope or are too scary to lead, then they'll quit coming. i wonder how the crag will look by fall...

[JosephH]

crags gain character both from their developers and the climbers who come after.

Having driven by 20-40 cars at a crack to have the place to ourselves every single time I'd

say judgment has already been rendered - can't quite tell whether that judgment is on the

DZ climbs or the climbers doing the drive, but either way it works for me.

 

...if climbers want to rig a safe and quasi-permanent toprope setup, then

they will.

People do all sorts of stupid, dangerous things and climbers are certainly no exception.

 

...or are too scary to lead, then they'll quit coming.

True, several have the potential to maim or kill and shouldn't be taken lightly.

 

...i wonder how the crag will look by fall...

Same as it ever was, overgrown at each end.

[stevetimetravlr]

Its just a little crag in the woods. Nothing to get the panties in a uproar about. oh, and I highly reccommend that you wear a helmet out there Joseph!!

[JosephH]

Absolutely nothing to get in uproar about or even bother putting in a guidebook at all as it will

only disappoint people - sort of like your attempts at wit and sarcasm.

[kevbone]

Absolutely nothing to get in uproar about or even bother putting in a guidebook at all as it will only disappoint people

 

Or how about telling others how to operate at a public crag?

[billcoe]

You guys crack me up! The title should be Farside, it's the name of the crag.

[JosephH]

Or how about telling others how to operate at a public crag?

That's total self-centered and selfish - nothing sucks more than having to stack dead bodies off

to the side in order to get on a route.

[stevetimetravlr]

Yes, Joseph makes a joke!!! Excellent! It was even funny. But you need to drop the Drop Zone, thats past history.

Edited June 14, 2011 by stevetimetravlr

[kevbone]

Yes, Joseph makes a joke!!! Excellent! It was even funny. But you need to drop the Drop Zone, thats past history.

 

Not to me. I will never refer to it as the farside. It will always be Dropzone to me. Since that was the original name.

[JosephH]

See all the love! Something even Kevin and I see eye to eye on...

[ivan]

Not to me. I will never refer to it as the farside. It will always be Dropzone to me. Since that was the original name.

i thought the local injuns first called it "whitemanwankerwall?"

[crimper]

shameless plug for re-bolting: if anyone reading this thread wants to re-install the 2 bolts that got chopped on "sharpen your teeth," have at it. (the chopper now believes he never should have chopped the bolts, so he wouldn't go chopping them again).

 

It's one of the better routes there - which is not saying much - and as it's steep it never had any vegetation on it to begin, and so it actually stays dry and clean. also, we called it 10b, not 10d as the olson guide states. sorry Tim, don't know how you missed that one, but I sent you exact route descriptions and for some reason you bumped the grade up a couple notches! anyway, just PM me for some beta and drilling suggestions if anyone seriously wants to re-bolt this route

[JosephH]

I'd be happy to put them back for you. Can I move the one on TV to the left two feet while I'm at it, or better yet

how about you come out one day and we can look at both of them.

[crimper]

joseph, good idea. in the next couple weeks i could get out there with you. send me a PM to figure out when.

[billcoe]

That's total self-centered and selfish - nothing sucks more than having to stack dead bodies off to the side in order to get on a route.

Agreed. Don't want that. Jim has always stepped up to help out folks. Of course, that chick who stepped off the trail and rolled downhill by Lacakamas Lake the other day and had to be roped out by sar, all the signs in the world didn't help her.

 

Agreed. The sign should read "Do not not set up topropes are prohibited."

Back to this idea. In the interest of helping, I will add that the sign should be in English and Spanish of course and include "peligro precipicio".

The sign could have a picture of multiple people falling on it much like the one above, but include some little ones too, to indicate that it is also not safe for children to fall off the cliff. And no rolling rocks down either on another sign. And something about dogs too. Or have a picture of a dog rolling off with the kids so that everyone will know that you mean dogs and kids.

 

 

Some kind of sign, could be a blanket statement like this:

 

 

 

I think that inexperienced people have always been a danger to themselves except in places where the danger has been drilled out of the experience for everyone. ie, a line of bolts ending at an anchor. We just need to help folks out if we can and maybe they will survive. Olsens book already tags it, perhaps they only read spanish, or were going to go there first and then only later read the cautionary tale?

 

Yep, a sign would be interesting.

 

 

Take care all!

[JosephH]

That's total self-centered and selfish - nothing sucks more than having to stack dead bodies off to the side in

order to get on a route.

Agreed. Don't want that. Jim has always stepped up to help out folks. Of course, that chick who rolled off

Lacakamas Lake the other day and had to roped out, all the signs in the world didn't help her.

God knows you've stacked more bodies than most.

 

Olsens book already tags it, perhaps they only read spanish, or were going to go there first

and then only later read the cautionary tale?

I haven't read it, but I'd be amazed if it did. A general 'more objective hazards' statement is pretty worthless.

It's no different than Rocky Butte in that there is a very specific objective danger and, if you're going to drive

inexperienced people with little outside climbing experience to it, you could have the courtesy to explain that fact.

Of course that's understandably pretty hard to do if all you've done there is traipse through the place for a couple of hours

and crib others' notes for your 'guide'.

[Off_White]

 

It kind of looks like the view across the gorge in the background, doesn't it? I think the kilt suggests that it must be Plaidman on the cover.

[billcoe]

God knows you've stacked more bodies than most.

It's damned unpleasant and to be avoided.

 

I haven't read it, but I'd be amazed if it did. A general 'more objective hazards' statement is pretty worthless.

It's no different than Rocky Butte in that there is a very specific objective danger and, if you're going to drive

inexperienced people with little outside climbing experience to it, you could have the courtesy to explain that fact.

Of course that's understandably pretty hard to do if all you've done there is traipse through the place for a couple of hours

and crib others' notes for your 'guide'.

My route list, as did Jons, was given to Tim and I essentially don't have one anymore. Tim trimmed up a lot of the excessive verbage and kept some, and did a damned good job in doing so IMO. A lot of the 5 page cautionary tale I had in the front was by necessity cut down. I really don't want people to be getting hurt anywhere. There, here, ...anywhere. These questions do not get easily avoided. Same gig here: just did a new FA at a new place. Torn between bolts or not.

Just cause my wide ass will fit in there......no bolts could mean someone getting hurt when they don't show up with a #12 valley giant....it's certainly worth considering, but at the end of the day, people make choices.

[stevetimetravlr]

Nice photo Bill. heres some photos from last couple weeks

 

 

[el jefe]

Been out there 30+ times this year and we've had the place entirely to ourselves until Sunday

when two parties came down, both with Olson's book in hand.

 

again JosephH demonstrates his mastery of hyperbole: 2 other parties on a sunday hardly amounts to the crag being overrun.