Life on Mars 

AC - have you climbed the route? If not, please refrain from evaluating routes you haven't done. If so, please tell us what trad gear you used to protect the pitch and which bolts aren't necessary.

AC is right--this IS a bolted trad route. Climbed it today trad and had excellent gear except at the 4th bolt, where the gear was merely pretty good, but with excellent gear two feet lower. The gear is all placed from good stances except for the last piece at the 5th bolt.

There are 5 bolts, all unnecessary:Bolt 1: Microcam just below the bolt with bigger gear further down. If you care--it's about 5.2 here. Bolt 2: 0.5 or 0.75 Camalot at your feet on the ledge for optional backup. Excellent 0.75 Camalot at the base of the upper corner. This is higher than the bolt but about one foot further left.Bolt 3: From the stance out right place another excellent cam in the corner. I used a #2 Offset Friend, but another 0.75 Camalot would work. This is a bit below bolt 3. From a good stem, place an excellent green Alien a bit above bolt 3.Bolt 4: After stepping left, place a pretty good medium brass in the corner and a pretty good #00 TCU or equivalent to the right of the bolt. These pieces are about a foot below the bolt.Bolt 5: From the good hold above the bulge you can get comfy with your butt in the corner. Place an excellent red Alien, and make the last couple of easier moves to the anchors.

I climbed this route back in the early nineties on trad year and found the pro to be fine. I would give this route one star if the bolts were removed from it.

I believe Vaino removed the bolts. I sure hope he removed the anchors also to return the climb to its [pristine] state. Enjoy.

Ken wrote: I climbed this route back in the early nineties on trad year and found the pro to be fine. I would give this route one star if the bolts were removed from it.

What year, day and with who?

I guess this is the sort of thing that is going to happen when the FA info is not perfectly cataloged (it never is nor will it ever be) and people bolt cracks. Glad to hear that the bolts were removed by the bolting party. Maybe that's the best way to keep the peace once a mistake was made. Better yet, avoid the mistakes.

Returned to this last week. There is virtually no sign of the bolts. Vaino (or whoever) did a great job removing them. The crux now seems to be hanging out below the final bulge getting the last few pieces of gear. The anchor bolts, if they existed in the first place (I don't remember), are no longer there. Above the crux angle right, either low or high, to the next climb's anchors, or continue to the top.

As long as we're spewing, I also lead this free in 1999. Never considered it worth any mention and definitely not worth a single bolt.