Headline starts on the left side of the crag just right of Bonehead and Conehead and cuts up and left for about 80 feet to the anchor atop Conehead. There is a bolt down low that protects a tricky move getting off the ground (10a). Once you enter the crack it never exceeds 5.9 and the gear is very solid.
The crack stays thin with good finger locks the entire way except near the top where it is easiest to lieback. It is possible to clip a bolt on Conehead where the crack widens. This is a nice way to add a little variety to the regular bolt clipping that goes on at Little Eiger.
Protection
Now fully bolted with 6 bolts. To lead on gear, bring small cams and wires, nothing bigger than a 0.75 Camalot. Now has its own 2 bolt anchor with links/chains (formerly 2 hook anchor).
It appears someone has bolted this fine gear route put up by Ken Trout in the late 80s. There are bolts that are inches away from a bomber crack. If you want to lead this route in the orginal style, bring a hand full of TCUs to a .75 Camalot, and place bomber gear right next to these shiny bolts. Is this the next Sports Park?
The bolt is for Conehead but can be clipped from Headline. Conehead is just one of the many good routes Alan Nelson has put up in the canyon and I for one am thankful to him.
I agree that Conehead (5.11b) is a fine route, which I climbed for the first time last weekend. Now, there is also a second line of bolts to the right of Conehead that follows Headline, which is a bomber crack. The original bolt that Ken placed for the beginning of Headline is to the right of this new bolt line. This lone bolt is now the start of a new route which is between Eiger Sanction and the bolt line on Headline.
I am guessing you have not been up there in a while.
I went up and climbed Headline again today and you are right Guy, the three upper bolts on the new route between Conehead and Headline seem rather unneeded. The first three bolts make for a good direct start to the crack however.
Bryson, the picture that you posted shows someone climbing the start of Headline and finishing on Conehead. The first bolt that is clipped in the picture is one of the new ones on Headline. If you cross your eyes just right, you can see two more unclipped bolts above this one that are within a foot or two of the crack.
What the hell happened to this area? There are bolts everywhere near Conehead, Headline etc... Someone added every other bolt on one of the .10s also. I think at one point you could clip 4 or 5 bolts in 15 feet. What gives?
By Guy Humphrey From: Fort Collins CO Aug 17, 2003
AC, if you feel that you did nothing wrong, why did you not include your name?
I am glad that you made this crag safe for everyone. By adding bolts to the crack climb Headline and 6 bolts to the previously good climb Eiger Sanction, maybe this crag can make the top 5 list next year.
On a serious note, most climbers like myself enjoy the hard labors of the people who put up routes in the canyon. Please don't ruin this great climbing resource by bolting crack climbs and placing bolts 2-3 feet apart on 5.10s.
3 bolts from the "nearby" route are within 18" of the crack on Headline, and in fact cross it at the top, meaning one bolt on either side of the top end of the crack. That's just plain wrong. Where's the crow-bar?
AC, interesting comment on your topo pic that you submitted. Clear Creek rock not solid enough for pro?? Have you fallen on a piece of gear in Clear Creek? Does this mean that I need to go to Indian Creek with my drill because the rock is 'not solid enough for pro'? That is an interesting perspective about the 'aligned crystals in the metamorphic rock', however. Don't know if this is sound enough argument for bolting a crack... if a climber thinks that his pro wont hold in the crack, he/she should not climb it or should set a toprope on it.
Sorry, AC (and all others trying to justify), try again.
January, 2008: Sorry it took so long to get my AC comments erased. Thanks for the help getting access Leo!
For me Headline is best as a bolted crack because it is one of the few climbs my wife will lead at Little Eiger. We just don't carry gear in Clear Creek.
We do occasionally see young climbers do the crack as a gear lead, without the old-style crying about bolts. It's new thinking; sport and gear climbs coexisting. Now they've got me thinking...Mrs. Hen on natural gear?
A.C., are you shortly heading out to bolt all routes on Hallet Peak, I believe that's metamorphic rock as well? Heck, the Petit Grepon has quite a bit of the stuff too, I'll bet the masses would just love you (if they could find out your name) if you bolted that up, making it that much more "safe" for everyone. How 'bout the Painted Wall in the Black Canyon, that's a serious cliff that could use a lot more traffic. Wait, I take this back, I don't want to give you any ideas! Seriously!
The only people I know of who've died in Clear Creek in recent years were on sport routes. While I appreciate that you have friends who've died (I've been there too), your sarcastic comments about various accidents here and elsewhere on this site are not adding to the debate, in my opinion.
AC, if you can't find any FAs that I did, maybe that's because you are not looking. Get out your guidebooks and start looking. Or better yet, hit the new route query and take notes- be sure to have a few sheets of paper handy. You may notice that there are no bolts on them, however. Maybe a route without a bolt is not a route to you? Just because I don't bolt new lines doesn't mean I don't climb them.
I lead Headline on all trad gear. Peter Spindloe did the route after me. His wife, Joanne and then Chris Parks came next. The only complaints I heard about this "sucking" trad style of ascent was that the bolts on it didn't belong.
Hey AC from 12.253.132.29 - or should I say Ken Trout?
It's obvious from your style of writing when you compare it to the rantings about bolting on the South Face of the Maiden that you are one in the same.
There are other techniques that are more conclusive for ferreting out who ACs are. Not that I'll show my ace, but let's say I sent Mr. Trout an Email a little while ago myself. So Ken climbs hard, contributes to this site, etc... I respect that. But staying anon for the expressed concern that the government of one arm or another will come down upon him personally instead of all of us as a group reeks of a lack of personal responsibility and accountability. In my book, that's not so nice. I doubt these bolts will be around long anyway. Hopefully, the situation won't escalate into another access-threatening bolt war. As well, I don't see this as one of the 'top 5 worst crags' but this section of the wall sure qualifies as one of the worst sections of rock/botched bolting ever. Excepting the Sport Park, it's the worst job I've ever encountered. And lobbing accusations or innuendo with no basis or foundation at me is stupid at best. What poor character- I am more saddened by it than angered.
Climbed this route yesterday (11/07/06) on gear, highly recommend skipping the bolts. You can even skip the first one if you brought a couple micro-nuts with you, but whatever style you choose to climb, have fun.
Little Eiger
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