Olympus Boulder  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  3,211. Good page?    Administrators:  Aaron James Parlier, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Aaron James Parlier on Aug 20, 2009 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 73° | 59° 73° | 59° 72° | 59° 72° | 50° 61° | 48°

From the opposite side of the front face of Olympu...

Description 

This has been called one of the most impressive boulders in the Southeast. It’s not hard to agree once you've visited Olympus.

Olympus is massive. This boulder is one of the largest in Grayson Highlands State Park. It is also likely home to some of, if not the most difficult lines and projects found in the park. Along with all of these complements it too has the shortest and easiest approach, and nearest restrooms and a drink machine.... it's got it all (with a grade range from V1-V12 to keep you busy!).
This boulder stretches nearly 100 feet or more in length. It has two sides; the first you come to is short and has a shallow overhanging bottom leading up to a vertical top-side. As you walk along this side the height grows in height until you get to the arête where the overhang is above your head you top out at about 13 or 14 feet. Around the corner past the arête the face become massive and steep. It also continues to become taller, reaching 20 feet in some places.
Along the front main 45 degree face you will find that the center has a large crack which separates Olympus into two faces. For problem clarification I state "left or right" blade or boulder.

Getting There 

Park in the center parking lot. walk out to the left entrance of the lot, across the road, up the trail through the dense rhododendron. pass the picnic tables and walk around to Zeus. (40 second walk) If you walk for more than a minute, you have done something very wrong.

The Classics

Featured Route For Olympus Boulder

"The Pastafarian" V9-10  VA : Grayson Highlands State Par... : ... : Olympus Boulder

This is the low start to "Flying Spaghetti Monster"...Find the high start pinch to "FSM" and then look several feet below the pinch to find two tiny crimps. The starting left crimp is about a half pad in width and sculpted into a pinkish colored dropstone, the right crimp is about a foot to the right and is a little less than a half pad. Find a foot, pull on, grab the higher crimp, and blast way up and back overhead to the start pinch on "FSM". Hang on and finish as per. ...[more]   Browse More Classics in VA

Photos of Olympus Boulder Slideshow

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Aaron Parlier past 45 on "Athena" (v7) on the Olym...	Steve Lovelace feeling the reverberations from "Af...	The front face of Olympus Boulder
Aaron Parlier testing tendons on "Zeus" (v6) Olymp...	Aaron James Parlier on the tiny holds below the pr...	Aaron James Parlier on the FA of "SHAZAM"
Kent on Frites (V9)	Kent starting on Frites (v9) on Olympus	Kent on Frites (V9), Olympus
Kent on Frites (V9), Olympus	Kent on Frites (V9) on Olympus Boulder