This is one of the most visible blocks on the north end of the bouldering area at Carter Lake, and probably the biggest. It has excellent highballs in the V4-V7 range and a pumpy V10 traverse with a nasty opening sequence.
The landings are a bit rocky, so bring lots of pads. The highballs almost all face north, while the traverse starts around the west face of the rock so warms up a bit too quickly on sunny days.
All the highballs are great, but the one in the coolest position is probably the one up the northwest arete.
Getting There
The Monster Boulder is the box-car shaped boulder with a high, green and tan/pink north face about 60 yards uphill from the Kahuna Boulder. It sits more or less directly under the Spice Roof area, which is the northernmost bouldering area on the ridgeline above Carter Lake.
It is about 5-7 minutes from the parking lot at Dam 1, and is best approached from above.
hey [Matt]. informative problem descriptions on a great boulder in a great setting. nevertheless, you've downgraded 3 of the problems from the grades published in Philip's first book. in my opinion, the grades Philip gave for the problems on the Monster Boulder were stiff, yet fair, and certainly not overgraded. you did upgrade Lake Arete to V3, which I would tend to agree with although some of that has to do with that nasty landing.
in my opinion days of whining posers is fair at v7, dispuntia dudes is a beautiful but somewhat grungy v6 and splick is solid v5. peace out
Aaaah, downrating, the funnest part of being a rock climber ...
AC, it's actually good to hear that you agree more with Phillip's ratings than my own. The funny thing is, all the names and ratings for Carter Lake and Biglandia in Phillip's Book actually came from topos and notes I had given Phillip for the book. So in a sense, I'm downrating my own ratings, which is pretty pointless.
I had originally thought I'd over-rated the problems, and so decided to come in a notch or two lower for the website, but it's good to hear that I'm wrong. I thought those things felt hard.
Monster Block
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