Genesis Wall - Murrin Park

[Don]

Nice work. ive been to genesis before and after the cleaning and you made a crag barely worthy of a existence into a nice crag with multiple worthwhile lines. the whole area was on the verge of becoming part of the damn forest. Noone gave a damn about genesis before it was cleaned. now its a big deal it seems. Positive contribution imo.

Couldn't agree more. I was one of those who'd been overlooking that crag since i ticked it back in '94. Just wondering though..how come the "third" crack didn't get recognized as a route of its own? The original description mentions all three, that they go at 10a,10b,10c...we climbed it straight up, independant from the crack next to it, and it has a finish of its own as well..felt like 10d or 11a though...seemed like it would protect ok as well (we TR'd this after doing the other two). Maybe it should have a name, no? Any thoughts on this?

[Optimally-Primed]

Don, good question about the "third" crack. I'm not sure what to make of it. The Campbell (1985) guide doesn't show the third crack as a route. I tend to use that guide as a reference for such matters. If it was a route, then it still is a route. I recleaned the whole cliff, so the finish should be in decent shape too. In drawing up the topo, I was concerned about squeezing in routes too tight. The "third" crack can be used in tandem with the Geneside crack at the crux, making it feel like one route. But who am I to say? I leave the matter to the next guidebook author to sort out. My specialty is scrubbing, not history. Thanks for the question.

[Optimally-Primed]

Recently, I heard that some of the hangers had gone missing at Genesis... so I checked it out and sure enough, 3 were gone in total. The bolts remained so I replaced the hangers and put enough epoxy on the nuts to hopefully keep them there. The routes have been restored.

[t-bone]

I stopped by this crag for this first time in 10 years today - good job cleaning it up. I climbed Genesis and Geneside and have to agree that there should not be a bolt on Genesis (judging by its continued absence, this appears to be the consensus).

The Genesis crux actually protects quite well with a #2 BD nut. It's a teeny bit spicy but I think its important to have a few of these routes in Squamish. When I first climbed it in the late 90s, I had minimal experience and was a bit spooked, but I remember loading in a few small nuts and going for it. Was a good experience and helped my climbing progress...I think a PG or R rating in the guide would help deter any unknowing beginners.

[Optimally-Primed]

I received enough comments like T-bone's to convince me to leave the bolt gone. The still-anonymous chopper left the stud sticking out, which I found to be unsightly. So I hammered in the stud and repaired the hole with granite fleks and glue. It's essentially invisible now. The bolt is no longer contested.

[Fre]

Great crag, did the 5.8 and 5.10c but then I backed off Genesis, had no idea what I was on and my nuts were too small. Loved Genecide! Great climb!

[MarkR]

Had a great time in Genesis/Geneside on Sunday, thanks for the hard work. Lame about the bolt, as a 5.10 leader would've liked to have felt comfortable trying it ground up instead of TR.

Those routes were definitely the highlight of the day and a great addition to Murrin. Keep up the good work.

[joeljacques1]

I climbed Genesis a couple weeks ago (before reading all the posts associated with the re-cleaning/bolt addition etc). I am just starting to lead 5.10 trad and am confident at most 10a's with 10b's being at the limit of my skill/ability. When on the small ledge below the crux I felt unsure of the stability of my gear holding if I fell. I had a small cam in the horizontal crack and a micro nut as back up to the right of the horizontal crack in the very narrow crack. As it felt sketchy that my cam would hold if shockloaded and I am not confident to trust a micro nut in a parallel crack from holding me from a 20ft+ ground fall I lowered off. About 10-15ft above the ground my cam in the horizontal crack popped. My micro nut held and prevented me from hitting the ground. This is the first time I had gear pop on me, and was quite a un-nerving experience. For the newish 5.10 leader a bolt above the small ledge would change the climb from scary and dangerous to fun and with in an acceptable level of risk. After my gear popped I TR'd it and found it to be really fun with the moves not too hard. I also TR'd the 10b to the left and really enjoyed it. An extra bolt on Genesis near the bottom would turn the climb from scary and dangerous for the new 5.10 leader to fun and enjoyable. What could I have done differently to properly protect the climb? Thanks for all of your hard work around Squamish JF. I really enjoy all the climbs you have put up that are with in my ability and look forward to climbing the ones above my level.

[Optimally-Primed]

This is the sort of story that I anticipated when placing the bolt. I suppose there's always TR... and people seem to realize the seriousness of the lead before committing.

Pro: the small nut is the best piece. I also wiggle in a grey metolius/black alien in the crack below. The nut is the best piece. But no, the gear is good but not perfect. Leading Genesis is not like leading Flying Circus. Genesis is spicy. Maybe TR is a few times, practice placing the gear, test it with some bounce testing, and then consider whether it's a lead with which you feel prepared.

[PeterLarose]

We did this last month and I didn't know about the bolting issue until afterward. I'm a decent 5.10 leader, and yes there was a bit of a gut-check moment putting in the first gear and moving above it - I got in a #2 nut I think, and a small wire and a grey metolius quickly - I have young kids now, so I climb a bit funny these days. Had a good laugh afterward but could see how it would / could cause someone some panic. Guidebooks could maybe mention it's a bit runout at the start for sure. Like a few others around. Great route and thanks to the cleaners! We did everything else on the wall and it was a fun evening outing.