New take on an old route at Shannon Falls

[greenerj]

Chop the old rusty 1/4 inch aid bolt! keep the run out, end of story!

[BK]

Squamish still has rusty 1/4 inchers? I thought they went out with the Dodo?

[marc_leclerc]

Chop the old rusty 1/4 inch aid bolt! keep the run out, end of story!

2nd this! Vancity/Squamish climbers should be stoked on the opportunity to learn how to lead climb in the real world.

should modern climbing = a glorified top rope where the leader's pro never passes beneath the knees?

[BK]

Is that a skill testing question Marc?

[scrubber]

I love it! Thanks everyone for weighing in.

It looks like although I left one of the old bolts for historical context, folks have trouble with old shitty fixed gear being there. Either it needs to be gone completely (which I think I'll do) or replaced (which some good-intentioned samaritan will probably do If I leave it there).

As stated by several of the folks who have climbed it, replacing the bolt will only reduce the potential fall by about a meter. The fall is clean and safe, and really, like Marc said, do we really need a top-rope the entire time? I believe the route will stand the test of time on its own merits without the bolt. If I'm incorrect in that assumption, I'll revisit the issue down the road.

If the final moves of the original aid route had been hooked instead of bolted, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Kris

[wed]

Just climbed this and was impressed with the cleanness and work put into cleaning - good job!

Wow what a crack! and great pro! I would love to climb this again. I agree the pro at the end of the crack is good (.5 camalot or orange metolius)
.
Being out of shape, I aided on the rusty bolt gingerly placing my 200lbs. on it! It is so crap I'm amazed it took that.

I will be back any which way, but being in favor of runouts and boldness, I would otherwise suggest a bolt to keep this beauty clean and the masses ( who are not so bold) coming back.

It would be a shame to see it turn into a dirty moss filled crack after this winter!

Thanks for the scrub, Kris!

[smallman]

One thing I have noted in this conversation is that the climbers advocating not putting the bolt in the top runout of this climb regularly climb (or in one case onsight free solo) at significantly harder grades and thus are comfortable with the runout because the climbing is relatively easy for them. Maybe if the runout section went at 12a we would be hearing a different response. Just saying....

[marc_leclerc]

Chris I think a major factor here is that this route is still totally safe. A 10ft slide on slab isn't exactly going to end in death and dismemberment.

I regularly climb routes at my limit with potential for falls much longer than 10ft and don't request a retrobolt. It just takes a bit of time and experience to learn where that line between 'slightly heady' and 'actually dangerous' lies.

Learning to trust yourself and developing your ability to asses situations based on your skill level is very important in climbing. Opportunities to explore those boundaries, while remaining in a relatively safe situation, need to exist!

That is how I learned how to climb. I got scared and backed off a lot of routes. Still do.

[rolfr]

HA HA

ability to asses situations based on your skill level

Was the misspelling intentional? Asses is definetly what you use if you don't have the skill level!

I reserve the right to change my opinion, don't add a bolt, I forgot how rewarding and focused runouts are, until I repeated a few old school climbs last week!

[Paul Greenwood]

I climbed chewies with a friend a couple months ago and saw this climb walking back. As Sherri said i was lured up the climb by the stellar looking crack! When I got to the finish slab I knew my gear was good and the fall was clean so I pinned it up the chains. It was mentally hard and right at my limit for the day but I was pretty proud of myself when i made it up. I don't climb harder than easy 5.11 very often either so it can be enjoyed by mortals! I don't think it needs another bolt it really isn't that run out and it made that stellar crack even more memorable.

I'm stoked I found this thread, I couldn't find any info on this climb till now! I agree with 10c.

Thanks Kris for another classic!

[RossG]

I'd like to add my vote to the 'no bolt' camp.

I think it's very healthy to have spicier routes in the mix in Squamish, particularly a coveted tick like this. In my opinion, challenging yourself to climb at you psychological limit where a fall has very low consequence is one of the most satisfying experiences you can have in climbing.

For what it's worth, I'm sure I'd find the finish close to my limit but suppose I relish challenge in climbing more than the satisfaction of adding a tick to my guidebook. This means I have to accept getting my a$% handed to me from time to time if I'm not up to the task.

Kudos to the scrubber for the decisions made thus far.

[slhughes]

I did this route today without any idea what it was. enjoyed the route immensely. loved the old aid bolt. added an element of psychological protection. but, there is bomber gear not that far away, similar scene to the end of crime. A real treat to stumble upon. thanks!