Lander Turkey Shoot 

Climbed this 9/1/02. There is now a 2 bolt belay about 8 ft left of the summit horn. Still have to sling the horn (double length sling) to protect the 2nd but no need for needles style rap. Really fun. Good exposure at the top.

I cannot believe that someone put a bolted anchor on this climb!?!?!?!?There is NO reason to have an anchor up there.It is a SAFE needles style rappel and a good place for climbers to learn that skill. . . this is so disappointing.:-(Does anyone know why this was done?

I am so afraid that this will start happening all over, and the hills will lose some of it's uniqueness.

I was suprised also. At least they didn't put the bolts on the actual summit horn. My guess is the perpetrator(s) want to make the climb a no-brainer to get off of .... I might draw some flack here, not being from the BH region, but I'd be talking to guides and guide services that frequent Custer SP.

Forgot to add: the slings on the bolts looked sun-bleached so the bolting didn't happen recently. They also did a professional job of it ... silicone (or something like that) around the bolts.

Shoot! I climbed it in the spring when it was still cold and snow blowing. :) Well it warmed up to 50 that weekend. But no anchors at that time. I like to sit up in the little saddle and belay off of two long extended slings.

Anchors, ok webing, and rap rings.A local woman explained to me the why. Ropes were constantly getting hung up from the simu-rappel. Don't know any other details. This is a nicely bolted route with an exhilerating finish. Just fun! Makes a good warm up, or last climb of the day.

not sure about the small hardware store locking link.

I still don't know how you get the ropes stuck on a simul rap on this climb. There is a HUGE knob at the top, and you can both go off the same side - and there isn't anything I can think of for the rope to hang up on while pulling? There is a little ledge, but nothing more.

I would like to post a little heads-up for newer climbers. You should simul-rap, or beware the last bolt is a long way horizontally from the anchors. The bolt anchors with webbing and rapping rings are about 6' above and 15' horizontally from the 6th bolt (you can this bolt from the ground, but not the anchors).

Had a lot of fun on this one. I missed using a directional and it did not make for a fun ascent for my partner. As far as the chains go, a simul rap would not have been a problem, but we appreciated seeing the chains at the top this time. There are plenty of opportunities for the simul rap on other climbs, i.e. The Riddle no longer has chains.

So . . . some wear on your rope is WORSE than putting bolts in the rock?

Ropes are replaceable, Rock is Not !

& I guess I don't understand this comment? "As far as the chains go, a simul rap would not have been a problem, but we appreciated seeing the chains at the top this time. There are plenty of opportunities for the simul rap on other climbs, i.e. The Riddle no longer has chains. "

Chains or Bolts?

The issue for me is that things seem to be 'dumming down' in the hills.Adding anchors where none are necessary is just the start of actions that could ruin the historical climbing in the Hills.

The first ascentionist (Cindy Tolle) placed the rappel bolts at a latter date. Good job Cindy! End of matter!

It strikes me as ironic that climbers in a bolt-protected face-climbing area are still squabbling about bolts after all these years. Bolts are what enable the vast majority of routes in the Black Hills to be enjoyed and climbed without risk of death.

With very few exception (and a couple of areas like the Tower and Raspberry Rocks), the classic climbs at the 5.8 or higher level are bolted faces. They required time, energy, and hardware to establish. The routes in the Hills cover a wide-range of risk and difficulty. I'm not sure what people are complaining about?

There are even a few trad lines next to the road, too. But I don't imagine anyone's lining up to do them.

Sometimes I miss the Hills, but then sometimes, I don't.On Belay,Mark Jacobs

The trad routes have bolts on them too, so there not really trad.
And whats the deal, somone says Cindy added the rap bolts. Ya, like how many years later. Before a bunch of this got edited out in the transfer to this site, David Monger said that someone got permission from the FA's to add the bolts, and that they bolted it.
As for some of the above statements, I consider a couple hundred bucks a year for a rope cheap life insurance.
And Mark, no ones questioning the bolting that took place years ago. Whats in question is the recent (3 years ago till now) bolting that is manifesting all over these routes and new areas. In response to your statement, maybe sometimes the Black Hills miss you too, maybe sometimes not.

This is in reference to the anchors that were placed on top of this climb. I believe they were placed two or three years ago. Two of the first ascentionist (Cindy Tolle and Everett Auckom) asked a friend of mine to place the rap bolts as they had planned to do so when they put the climb up but they were weathered off. They just never got around to it. I sincerely hope that this puts an end to this issue. If you really want to simul-rap so bad go climb Tricouni Nail, it is a much better rap anyway.

I didn't see a SD section in the forums so I beg your pardon for posting this here, but it seemed like I could add another, if lesser, perspective.

My bro and his gf wanted to sight see around the needles and then get on something, so I gave them my old guide book and told them to try a short 5.6-7 and pointed out a couple. He had led a couple in south seas and topped Paperboy Center fold on his own so I wasn't worried. Then they told me what happened (to my brand new rope).
I am wondering how you "simul-rap" as I have never had to do this and didn't think it would be necessary on a short 5.6. I also ran into this problem on the aforementioned Riddle. When I got to the top all I could do was look at the anchors and think, "really?". My ignorance is endless, so please help me out. Thanks in advance.

john bradley-

to simulrap - both of ya are at the top and hooked into the anchors, or safely sitting - throw the rope off both sides of the spire and set the rope middle in the "chute" (definition of "middle" meaning rope touches the ground on both sides of the spire). Both of ya get on rappel setup, on either side of the spire, and there ya go! Rap to the ground. Good to have a communication protocol in place before dropping, especially if it's windy and you might not be able to hear the other when you get to the ground. Either way, don't come off rappel (belay) until you KNOW your partner is on the ground, (they could be standing on a ledge halfway down, and won't appreciate it if they step off and you've already released the rope from your belay device). Wouldn't recommend it if you're 390 lbs and your partner is 90 (think of Voyager I using the planets as a slingshot). For Turkey Shoot there's no problem with communication, as you both are on the same side of the rock.

A real nice climb but the position of the rap bolt anchors in my opinion is jacked!! It is way hard to be lowered and clean the climb with out fighting severe rope drag. (And yes I did rig a draw from my belay loop to the rope.) What am i missing?!

I just did Landers last week. I'm a 5.8 sport leader and found the route to be very fun and challenging. It was my first trip to SD and it certainly too a while to get used to the rock, the run outs and the nerves. I've climbed all over the place, J Tree, Indian Creek, CO, etc. I've never been so scared on climbs as I was in the Needles. Personally, I was way thankful to find the bolts up at the top of Landers. Not everyone is familiar with Needles style raps (I've never done one) and I personally felt rather thankful when I found the anchors up on top. The routes already have bolts, I think anchors are a good safety measure.

Peter,

I've climbed this route two times. Both times, my second cleaned the route on the way up while I belayed from the top. After that, we rapelled down. I think this would be the best way to do this.

Brian

I'll second Brian's comment.
Don't apply strict sport climbing techniques in the Needles or Rushmore just because the routes are bolted. Top belays will save you hassle and rope life.

I learned a couple days ago that CINDY TOLLE has the FA on Lander Turkey Shoot. Perhaps someone can add this to this page.