New Routes at Exit 38?

[flashclimber]

Anyone got the info or link to the 5-6 new routes on the main wall (Iron Horse trail section) of Exit 38. It appears as if someone bolted a few new routes out there. (Not Shangri-La area). Thanks.

Edited September 5, 2011 by flashclimber

[Rad]

Nope. I've seen pics posted here but don't have a link handy for you.

 

If you're looking for something shady and away from crowds you could hike 7 minutes up the trail to these routes.

 

[ilookeddown]

Climbed "As You Like It" and "Macbeth" last week. I didn't know what they were at the time. Both were fun routes but a little dirty. They just need a little more traffic I had never seen the Madrock hangers that were used on "Macbeth". What made you choose them?

 

There is also a very dirty climb on a wall below these routes. It felt like a 5.5-5.6. If anyone climbs it bring a wrench up b/c the right anchor needs to be tightened.

[Alex]

I am not sure they'll ever get that much traffic, but are worth at least a go. The hangers were just what MEC had at the time, I think.

[flashclimber]

So specifically the routes are between Side Dish and (i think)Underground Economy. From left to right, one was a 5.6 slab/with a 10ish overhang second pitch. In the middle was an overhanging 11a. And to the right a 5.9 stemming route.

 

I did see an old route up higher but couldn't figure out where it went.

 

Someone has taken time to re-bolt several routes out there. Thanks and its about time.

 

If anyone knows who has extra bolts and anchors to change them all out, I'm down for spending a few days getting em all done! Got a few friends who said they would help too.

 

 

[Rad]

COMMENTS IN BOLD

 

"So specifically the routes are between Side Dish and (i think)Underground Economy. From left to right, one was a 5.6 slab/with a 10ish overhang second pitch." SOUNDS LIKE JIFFY POP AND RAT FACE. JP IS THE FIRST PITCH - RATED 5.7 BUT SEEMS EASIER. RAT FACE IS THE SECOND PITCH, RATED 10C. SUPPOSEDLY, THERE IS A 12B ABOVE THAT.

 

"In the middle was an overhanging 11a." MAYBE THIS IS NEW. I'D LIKE TO CHECK IT OUT. OVERTURE IS AN 11A ROUTE RIGHT OF UNDERGROUND ECONOMY THAT CAN BE CLIMBED STRAIGHT FROM THE TRESTLE TO AN ANCHOR ABOVE A GIANT ROOF A WAYS UP. THE LOWER HALF AVOIDS A SCRAMBLE AND AIRY BELAY, BUT THE CLIMBING DOWN LOW IS MEDIOCRE. THE UPPER HALF IS EXCELLENT.

 

"And to the right a 5.9 stemming route." THIS MAY ALSO BE NEW.

 

I did see an old route up higher but couldn't figure out where it went.

 

Someone has taken time to re-bolt several routes out there. Thanks and its about time. DITTO

 

If anyone knows who has extra bolts and anchors to change them all out, I'm down for spending a few days getting em all done! Got a few friends who said they would help too. PM ME AND MAYBE WE CAN GET OUT THIS FALL.

 

 

[flashclimber]

I think you have to get out there to see the routes. I'll pm u the next time I go.

[Quarryographer]

None of those routes off the trestle were rebolted, they're all new. On the left is "Der" 5.6, which can be linked to "Ailed" 10c if you bypass the first set of chains making it "Derailed". Right of that is "La Vida Locamotive" 11a. And further right is "Old Milwaukee Road" 10a, which I thought was 5.9 also, but others have corrected me. Hope you liked them.

 

[Quarryographer]

And the "old route higher up" is actually my new project. There are bolts to pull in from the overhang so that I can clean the terrible dangerous rock. It would be done by now except my career and recent trip to the valley have slowed the progress...

 

[flashclimber]

I was at Exit 38 the other day and took a few photos.

 

This is a side Topo photo of the new routes.

 

This is a view from underneith the 11a. Project bolts are to the right. Up above I located 3 anchors and a rope. I followed the path, but it didn't seem to lead anywhere you couldn't walk to on the trail.

 

 

Another view of the 11a

 

 

Kevin on the 10a.

 

The 10a with bolts marked

 

Kevin on the start of the 11a

[flashclimber]

 

A little off topic but something I saw when I was at Exit 38.

 

Ill make it short: A couple of teens were climbing next to us on the new 10a. I overheard them say they only had 6 quickdraws. The route has 13 bolts.

 

The female, clearly the stronger climbers, began to lead. She got to the 5th bolt and hooked a quickdraw and sling into it. She connected them to her harness.

 

Then she started to set up a belay station on the single bolt. I kindly stated to the couple that a single bolt in "crap" rock was not very safe.

 

The male said, 'We will be fine." Holding my tongue I said, "Hopefully, but a helicopter rescue may be in order if the rock breaks."

 

I went back to climbing. The female lowered down, on one bolt. She backcleaned the route and began to lead again.

 

This time she clipped into the rock just above where she is seen in the picture. The big red x is the single bolt she began to lead on again. She was 35 feet off the ground.

 

If you have climbed the route, you would know this is a section of rock that has been cleaned and is the worst rock on the route.

 

She took repeated falls on this single bolt. Making me and Kevin cringe each time. I seriously thought she was going to blow the bolt right out of the rock.

 

Sometimes I wonder who taught these kids to climb. If it was my son and daughter, I would take their gear away from them and buy em a bouldering pad. Pretty sad!

[Rad]

Thanks for pics.

 

X38 does get its share of yahoos. The combination of moderate grades, easy access to Seattle, and closely spaced bolts on many routes seems to attract them. They need mentors to help keep them from making fatal mistakes. Thanks for trying...

[genepires]

+1 for the public service attempt.

 

evolution stopped centuries ago. They will breed while the smart ones perish.

[counterfeitfake]

a couple of teens...if it were my son and daughter... only dumb people are breeding...

 

You guys are RIGHT, but don't you realize how OLD you sound? Maybe if you tried talking to these climbers like they were your peers instead of your kids, you'd get better results.

[Alex]

If the route developer was worth anything, and the bolt is designed to hold a leader fall, then there should be no problem setting a belay or lowering from it, wouldnt you agree?

 

Part of climbing is actually making one's own decisions and hopefully avoiding the crag police.

[mattp]

Alex,

 

I'd agree that it is "poor form" (and you might suggest irresponsible) to put a pro bolt in a location where it might not be absolutely solid. However, the standard practice and advice as developed over decades of climbing has been that one should NEVER trust a single anchor for a belay or a rappel, and I could see where someone might therefore put a protection bolt on a piece of rock that they may find to be slightly questionable but almost certainly solid.

 

Obviously, they should consider what they think the consequences of failure of that particular block of rock might be and, at the end of the day, it would be up to the subsequent climber to make their own determination whether the rock was safe.

 

Wouldn't you agree?

[Raindawg]

This be stupid....(count the permanently established arbitrary additions to public property...)

 

and them some more silliness yet:

 

But with modern "do whatever be convenient and suits ya for the moment ethics", its just another drill-facilitated, unchecked, free-style romp in the public park (the public not lookin' at the moment..but they gonna!.)

 

 

 

 

[genepires]

blah blah blah.....

 

(reference to raindawg, not the OP)

 

Edited September 17, 2011 by genepires

[flashclimber]

You guys pissed me off so much, that I went to Exit 38 today with my pry bar.

 

Just to prove a point that all the rock there is "crap" I pried off that section of rock with the bolt the chick repeatedly fell on. It pulled with little effort.

 

Suck on that!

 

[Alex]

I get the single point of failure argument. No dispute that it's a poor practice. What I was getting at was if people were actually questioning the quality of the pro, or its ability to hold a fall or multiple falls, the route should be removed or re-engineered.

 

Which it sounds like flashclimber just did,...

 

 

[genepires]

wether or not you catch heat for breaking off the loose rock, good job removing the questionable rock/bolt.

 

to bad you can't mail that rock/bolt to the female climber who fell on it repeatedly.

 

this short story is worthy in a climbing magazine.

Edited September 17, 2011 by genepires

[yikes]

Just to prove a point that all the rock there is "crap" I pried off that section of rock with the bolt the chick repeatedly fell on. It pulled with little effort.

 

Ya, but she loosened it up for you

Edited September 17, 2011 by yikes

[wetslide]

wow I can't believe you did that! Now someone should go down there and bolt some more mixed climbs (even though bolting is inherently bad and evil).

[Peter_Puget]

Thanks for the community service Flash! You might have saved a life.

[LUCKY]

You guys pissed me off so much, that I went to Exit 38 today with my pry bar.

 

Just to prove a point that all the rock there is "crap" I pried off that section of rock with the bolt the chick repeatedly fell on. It pulled with little effort.

 

Suck on that!

 

 

 

This bolt did not come from any of the new routes ...my son does not use rawl 5 piece bolts and this does not even look like rock from the new routes...I guess this and many other reasons are why I put my name on my hangers. You owe my son an apology … he did not just grab a roto hammer and start bolt’n routes, it was given to him by me for a present, he has climbed and help set routes with me and many many other routes setters (LW MF JY MM DM ect) and is not new to the game, these are good routes enjoyed by myself, DM and MM and many others so take your smack and put it where the sun don’t shine