Anarchy Wall

40 DOLLAR REWARD FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PERSON THAT STOLE MY DRAWS OFF OF MATRIARCH. I repeat, I will give anyone 40 bucks for any information that will lead me to the little f*cking b*tch that stole my draws, e-mail me or just leave a comment please. To whoever took them I promise no harm will come if you contact me first, but I'm gonna warn you, I have been climbing in Colorado for over seven years and regularly visit every crag in the state. So every time you use them you better be looking over your shoulder because I know exactly what they look like and I promise you we are going to fight. If you think I'm bluffing, just wait, I will find you.

Mmmm. Climbing right off the road. So good!

Someone seems to have re-bolted the left side of the wall. Anchors have been moved and bolt positions changed on some climbs. By doing us this dis-service the traverse (one of the best lines on the wall) has been ruined. The run-out and position between bolts 2 & 3 now means that you will deck if you are close to bolt #3 and fall.

The recent re/retrobolting destroyed some of the historical significance of this crag. True, the bad bolts have been replaced by good ones, but some unnecessary additions have been poked in.

A few examples:
I think it would be a better service if the top hook anchors had been replaced (Anarchitect, Anarchy Rules, etc...). The top snap links on Hazardous Waste do not seem to be full strength, 600-800lbs max?! It would have been good to replace the first hanger on Matriarch. The last bolt on Power Trip is not needed. Anarchy in the UK climbs differently now. The added 3rd bolt on Monkey Wrench is not neccessary.

Hopefully, this doesn't start being an acceptable practice in the rest of the canyon. In the future, I would suggest coming to a forum such as this site for community consensus.

I just don't get it! Why would someone do this without the proper 'permission'? I mean, this stinks! I was working the traverse and was waiting till fall to start getting on it again. Any ideas who did this and why? This is most upsetting.

I agree with the above comments, the re-bolting while attempting to be a service, has changed the routes and put bolts in rock in areas that are not needed. In addition, the upper anchors on Power Trip and Anarchy in the UK now cause the rope to run sharply over the edge. The added bolts, especially to the 12a/b, and the 11c are entirely out of character with the "old" routes, and are not needed. I too agree that the 12c traverse will now be much more dangerous to lead, and am glad that I finished this before the changes. Do us all a favor, and please do not change the position of any more bolts in CCC, especially on the few "heady" bolted climbs that are around (stay away from the top of Presto, Anarchitect, etc.)!

I hate to point fingers, but the rebolting was egregious. I've been told that Ken Trout moved bolts and anchor locations. I certainly don't want to blame the wrong culprit, so if it was not you, Ken, please say so, and I'll modify this post. Whoever it was, please take the time to talk to the first ascentionist and/or the climbing community to get a consensus before changing the nature of existing lines.

Unless anyone objects, I plan to restore the traverse by replacing the chopped bolt with a high quality stainless steel ASCA bolt/hanger. I'll locate the bolt as close as possible to the original hole. BTW, Fixe Triplex bolts are perfect for climbing, as they can be easily removed and inspected, and there is no need to turn the rock into Swiss cheese when replacing (only one hole is ever needed).

The re-bolter used spring-loaded snap links on the 2nd and 3rd route from left. These are labeled only "China". Given no way to track the manufacturer, the rated strength is unknown. Further, they are difficult to clip. I propose restoring the anchors to their original locations with double ring stainless Fixe anchors from the ASCA. If the rebolter wants his/her hardware back, just let me know, but please don't use those "China" links for climbing. They're probably fine for hanging philodendrons, though.

Agree 100% and you have my support, Nate!

Good, Nate! The bolts at Anarchy were always fine, never needed revision.

June 27, 2007: I took off the massive blog that was here, just too much. The changes to the left side of Anarchy are covered in both Mark Rolofson's and Darren Mabe's guidebooks.

One new thing is that Mark got the bolt back in on the traverse last week. tech note: It took two battery packs (DeWalt) to get the old metal out and 1/2 inch rawl 5-piece in.

Sorry to have caused a stir and hope to see you all up there!

I have lowered off the mussy hooks on both Hazardous Waste and Power Trip at least ten times. Although the first iteration of the hooks had smaller openings, they offered superior safety to the old untie-and-thread method. Mussy hooks are safer than closed shut anchors or lap links, dictate fewer critical steps in the lowering process (including untying from the rope), and also expediate the non-climbing moments of climbing - leaving more time to sit around and fight the pump. The opinion that mussy hooks are safer, based on accidents from unite-and-thread method, is spreading from the Sierra as the best solution to safely descending (see current Owen's River Guide).

While certainly not perfect, last summer's re-bolting was not conspiciously bad nor ill-intended. The extra bolts on Hazardous Waste and Anarchy in the UK certainly make the routes more enjoyable and safer. The extra bolt on the UK makes the route safe and worth leading. Likewise, last summer's re-placement of the anchors on Power Trip (and its added bolt largely useless and where the original anchors used to be) allowed the climber to reach the anchors after trully completing the climb. After pulling the final ledge, the climber could clip the mussy hooks and statically weight the rope from the ledge. The original anchor forced the climber to down jump if they wanted to finish the route. Unlike the current anchor chains that meet at the impossible-to-clip last bolt, the mussy hooks' anchors both allowed the climber to finish Power Trip powerfully, up and over the final ledge, and removed a dangerous step in the lowering process.

I agree with Ken that Anarchy, perhaps appropriately, presents difficult route-setting problems, with imperfect solutions. Lastly, "pointing fingers" based on word of mouth is always a bummer. I guess though that the area's name is Anarchy.

cheers,
louis

Ken and others:

I am glad to read the history and situation. I will admit to removing the hooks on Power Trip and Hazardous Waste, and would love to get them back to you ASAP. I wanted to put in stainless steel biners or clips that were easier to clip, but didn't find them yet and was fed up with clipping the hooks. They seemed to twist my rope significantly and I felt the clip was very difficult. With regard to the anchor position on Power Trip, my only reason for putting the clip where it is now, was to avoid running the rope over the admittedly round edge. Again, I confess to having climbed these routes many many times, as I routinely work out here. I certainly have all the moves wired and primarily use the cliff as an outdoor gym. So I appreciate trying to improve the anchors, and I am not sure that my modification is really the best thing, I just wanted to improve the "clippability" of the routes (although it is still tough to clip the power trip anchors, and is easiest still to climb up a bit higher than before). Other climbs in CCC (Wall of Justice) have regular carabiners for anchors, and my thought was that they are very easy to change out at the first sign of problems.

While I also appreciate the idea of trying to top out on Power Trip, I basically think that this is really a very nice, bolted boulder problem. While the top is mildly interesting, I personally do not think it is worth all the hassel and rope issues to have the anchor above the lip. My two cents are that these routes should be sport routes that are easy to lower off of without danger or rope damage.

I do have concerns about the chains at the top of Anarchy in the UK as they are not galvanized, and have already rusted significantly. I was planning on changing them out soon, not the length or position, just the chains. Incidently, while I had previously done this route multiple times, never falling while clipping the open hooks, last weekend I took a significant fall off of the ledge trying to top out Anarchy in the UK while there was water flowing on the sloping ledge causing me to slip. (Another argument for avoiding this hassel and keeping the clips at the lip). Another ten feet for these short routes doesn't really seem much use in my opinion. Although in retrospect, the extra bolt down low does make this route more fun and less scary.

I intended this email / commentary to be friendly, and not antagonistic or angry at all, so I hope that it doesn't sound that way. I apologize if changing the anchors at Anarchy to the current set up also was a bad move, but like you, I was trying to keep the cliff fun, convenient and safe.

Overall though, I am happy that Anarchy Wall does not have crowds of people there, and that is the main reason I like the cliff. There are plenty, and I mean plenty, of good 5.11 and 5.12 routes with many, many bolts on them scattered throughout the canyon. I would like to see some routes left a little more old school, especially ones that require working both physical moves and mental toughness. This has always been the character of Anarchy Wall, at least in the ten years I have climbed here and I am ok with that.

Cheers and safe climbing.

Hi Ken - Thanks again for your hard work and being a good sport, particularly regarding my prodding comments :). I think the bottom line here is that intentions were good, and improvements have been made, and will continue.
As far as the 'mussy hooks' go, my suggestion is to plead with the ASCA for Fixe's Sport Anchor. The steel quality is almost certainly better than the Chinese material (my humbly biased opinion), and the openings are designed for climbing ropes. I'm sure they would be happy to provide gear for the retro-bolting that needs to be done in Clear Creek. The ASCA has been very generous in providing gear for causes such as this, including drill bits, bolts, hangars and anchor hardware. Check out:
http://www.fixeusa.com/sport_anchor.htm
http://www.safeclimbing.org/

As far as fixed draws for the traverse, what would folks think about a few 'permanent' chain draws with steel biners near the start?

I am glad to see the work done on this wall. I was working anarchy in the UK several years ago and I thought it was a pretty damm good route. I am sure it is much better now. I really appreciate the history on this wall. While I haven't lived in Colorado for almost two years now, I remember sending Power Trip as my first 12. When I was climbing at Anarchy I never really understood how much work went into putting up this place. Thank you. Out of all the walls in CCC and the country for that matter, this is one of my favorite.

So after reading about these mussy hooks, I looked into them more as Ken suggested, and they are being promoted at Owens River Gorge and by the ASCA as a preferred anchor for sport climbs such as at Anarchy Wall. When I first used these, I think I used the small one that Ken put up, but now that I look at the larger one (rated >1000 lbs), it seems to clip ok although stiff and to be ok on the rope. I will plan on putting these back up in place of the biners I installed recently. Further anchor "renovations" should still be discussed and considered, although I don't support moving the PT anchors up.

This is a commentary from the ASCA website:
CRAG and ASCA replace anchors in the Owens River Gorge

Thanks to CRAG and the ASCA, climbers will find 20 new anchors at the Great Wall of China and Negress/Warm Up Wall at Owens River Gorge. Instead of the traditional cold shuts, usually with a backup Fixe sport clip, there are now "Mussy" hooks, which you've seen if you've done some of the newer routes like Dr. Evil. These are hugely thick tow hooks, attached to normal hangers with a quick-link; ultimate strength rating of 8,000 lbs (the quick-links: 10,500 lbs). The Mussy hooks have a gate, unlike most cold shuts. A 3rd bolt with a chain plus carabiner is also present on some of the routes. Yeah, some jerk may pilfer the biner, but by the time the hooks start wearing thin, you can put another one on as a backup. Even on the anchors with two hooks, if you don't like the look of a worn hook, just slide it up on the quick-link and add a leaver biner.

The Mussy hooks will vastly improve the safety margins of the anchors while preserving the tradition of super-convenient lower-off anchors. Cold shuts, while time proven, are also somewhat dicey. Also, there are no conventional hangers to clip with cold shuts if you don't like the look of the hook, while Mussy hooks are attached to normal hangers. This also means that they can be used as lower-off points for the first pitch of multi-pitch routes, since you can clip into the hangers to belay.

In addition, future replacement is much easier. Instead of having to unscrew the main bolt at the anchor every time you swap out a cold shut (and find a rusty mess inside), the Mussy hooks are easily swapped by unscrewing the quick link. The new bolts we are using are super bomber 1/2" stainless steel Rawl 5-pieces with big Fixe hangers.

While these new hooks seem insanely thick, and while the concept of them wearing to nothing appears infinitely far off, PLEASE use quickdraws when top-roping, and a rope bag to keep your rope free of metal-carving dust. You can clip the main bolt, the link, or the hook itself, just as long as you make sure the last person can safely transfer over to the fixed anchor.

We hope to switch more and more anchors in the Gorge to the new system over the coming months (and yearsÉ).

Maybe if you sport climbers had ethics you wouldn't be having these conversations about bolts. In mid June my friend Matt L. got the first true FREE ascent of Anarchitect on trad gear. Rating it 5.12d/x. Anarchitect is a perfect example of a climb that should have never been bolted. And believe me I'm not as nice as Matt, when I send this route those bolts are gone!

To: JLeining
You're an idiot. A crack climb rated 12d/x is no 'perfect' example of something that shouldn't be bolted. Again, you're even more of an idiot to think that if you send it, you have the right to chop the bolts. How many times did you two enjoy the bolts that are in-place to rehearse your climb-of-the-century-historical-ascent?? Besides, the first ascent has been done, your ascent will be meaningless....

Saying that the bolts are no longer legitimate since it's been climbed trad is kind of like erasing the Wright brothers from the history of flight because an airplane subsequently broke the sound barrier.
We never would have landed man on the moon without the endeavors of the Wright brothers.
No one would have led Anarchitect trad without Alan vizualizing and bolting the line.

Check the date of their last post guys. This is almost exactly a year ago, old news. While you have valid points, let it be. Nothing happened to the route and nothing will. They weren't being serious and were just talkin' shit.