Politicians, Priests, and Body Bags 

Richard: This cold shut anchor is getting quite worn from repeated use. Let's start a fund to replace these cold shut anchors at Table. It is just a matter of time for one these to fail. As you know, Table is like an outdoor gym on any given Sat/Sun. Stuart Allan.

Thanks for the heads up. A lot of anchors at North Table have been used for top rope purposes, and this largely responsible for the wear you saw. It is generally a good principle to TR only through your own gear. I'll put these on the docket for replacement and try to get to it ASAP. You do suggest an interesting idea. How about organizing a day for gear up-grades on NTM?

You have the option of climbing the finger on the left or the hand crack on the right for the first 25ft. The easiest protection is in the crack to the left. TCU's and/or wires will do the trick. The top 3 bolts on the face are a little old and have hangers that spin. The climbing is positive, so enjoy.

New top anchor chains were installed on 3 March. The bolts do indeed need to be upgraded to 3/8 Rawl.

IMHO, the best 10 at NTM. Thanks, Richard! This anchor has needed this for a while.

So much abuse, so little time. Perhaps we can more of these fixed up this winter.

"So much abuse, so little time. Perhaps we can [get] more of these fixed up this winter." (If this was a course, I'd flunk myself for lack of editorial oversight.) By the way, if there are more anchor systems in need of repair, please list them here. Winter is a good time to catch up on gear replacement or up-grading. Additionally, for new routes, we have been shifting over to the "Boulder anchor", where the bolts are vertically off-set and then equalized with chain. If there is a general preference (within our financial grasp), it might be nice to hear these opinions. Last year Fixe gave a substantial amount of anchors and hangers to Mark Rolofson, and that went to a good cause, but the rest of us largely fronted the costs ourselves. It would still be useful to to get this process organized and get some of the costs off-set.

Very nice route.

A bomber #2 Camalot placed midway up the right crack protects the lower section quite well. You can place another TCU on the left if you're so inclined. Once you're on the ledge, you must decide whether you want to make the next move by coming in from the left, or by climbing straight up from below the overhang... we did it both ways. Good moves continue above. Great route.

The new bolted line to the right is a bit close, but the bolting doesn't interfere with PPBB. The new line is a bit contrived. It is interesting climbing and seems like solid 5.11 if you take some care to avoid easier ground.

This is the best route I have done at Table although I have only been there 4 times.

I guess I am not fully understanding this route - is there a reason why the first bolt is a nice shiny 3/8" while the next three are expoxied buttonheads and the final is an old 1/4". And all of the last ones are currently spinning. I would say that this route is in desperate need of a retrofit. This is a worthwhile route and I for one would be willing to bring the bolts if someone has the drill...anyone?

We hand drilled this 15 years ago (the 3/8" was added later). I would imagine those bolts are getting a little old.

I just finished replacing the older bolts on PP&BB. No more spinner button heads. When I get my camera back from the shop, I'll submit some pics of the old ones. All three were 5/16", the first two button heads actually weren't too bad, but the highest (a short wedge type) was spinning in the hole. -Eric Sorenson.

Thanks, Eric! This is a nice route that was in much need of some rebolting. What an alarmist I am! Sounds like it was not quite as desperate as I made it out to be.