The Hamlet 

Hamlet is a great place when just starting to lead sport climbs.

Frailty Thy Name is Sandstone and Sweets to the Sweet were really nice climbs with good holds and variety (in rock and direction of route) to make them very interesting.

• * but lots of loose rock, both on the wall and off, watch your step and wear your helmet!

5.7 TR on lower tier (undiscovered country) one of anchor bolts is EXTREMELY loose it moved all around and in and out about 3/4's of an inch.

Thanks for the heads-up, Brian. That bolt has been pulled. It'll get replaced eventually. If folks are still interested in TRing this, just bring some more sling material and it can be equalized with one of the other anchors.
Also, the left anchor bolt on Sweets is a tad bit wiggly. It'll get replaced when I have time, but just a heads-up.
scott

I think the grade on 'When the Blood Burns' is a bit high. Even with that small initial roof, I wouldn't give it more than a 5.8+.

i agree with Oliver; maybe 8+

Found this cliff when we were literally blown off Ultraman. Did not know what the climbs were or their ratings but climbed three of them (in the order we climbed them) The Play's the Thing, Sweets to the Sweet and Frailty Thy Name is Sandstone. We rated them 5.4, 5.6 & 5.6 (resp.) with Frailty Thy Name is Sandstone being slightly easier then Sweets to the Sweet. Nice wall for first time leads, or to begin/end a day of climbing. We did not find feeble or lose rock on those routes.

Sometime in the madness of the last month or so, the wiggly anchor bolt on Sweets was replaced with an ASCA 1/2x2.75 SS. Oh yeah, and that TR bolt was replaced about a year ago, but I forgot to write it up. as if anyone reads this anyway...

This cliff has cruddy rock. I can see where the meetup-types would congregate here due to the easy grades and amount of routes, but I gotta be honest-this cliff has very little to offer any climber not interested in a crowded beginner scene. And if you've got a beginner wanting to do a first bolted lead-wouldn't you want it to be at a place with even mildly dependable rock?

As an aside, knowing that pretty much any hold on the wall could be ripped off or kicked down by someone with the inclination, how solid do you think bolts in this crumbly wonder are? Only a year or two old and needing bolt replacement? Even soft cliffs like Cut Your Teeth Crag are holding up better than that. Spend your time at Willow Springs if you're newby-dragging. Way more pleasant afternoon diversion. I can appreciate new route development, but this place is poo.

Markk- well....the Hamlet has probably the lowest quality rock of any popular cliff in the Calico Hills. This isnt to say the climbing isnt good or that its dangerous, but it is not good rock. Scott and I bolted a route there and were going to bolt a second, but the entire chunk of rock that comprises the top 20' of the lower tier routes is hollow and not safe for pro bolts (hence the TR routes).

In terms of the bolts- I do think that if this cliff survives as a popular crag long-term, glue-ins will be the only viable option.

Again, I think the cliff has pleasant climbing and is a good option for those who are new, but in terms of rock quality, it is fair to poor.

I never said the climbs shouldnt be climbed. On the contrary, I think its a good crag for beginners.

However, that chunk of rock is NOT good rock, Mark. I've been climbing in Red Rock a long time, been bolting here a long time, and the Hamlet is not quality rock for Red Rock, and its fairly low quality even for the Calico Hills.

This is not to say that the rock is fragile- I think thats not the case at the Hamlet- but that entire slab of rock is hollow, and the rock is VERY soft for the Calico Hills. I think you are not quite understanding either Killis or myself when we are referring to rock quality in this particular case. The Hamlet is not choss in the traditional sense- loose, fragile rock. Rather, the Hamlet is soft rock, subject to quicker erosion than most of the hills. It also has large swathes of hollow, detached rock (seriously, the entire upper section of the lower tier of that thing is not attached to the main wall). Holds breaking is NOT the only indicator of rock quality. In fact, i'd say its a secondary indicator at best in Red Rock, where virtually all routes will shed a fair bit of rock before becoming stable- the Civilization Crags being a really good example of this.

What does this mean for climbers? Well, it means a few things. 1) Helmets should always be worn at this cliff, especially when climbing on the lower tier. 2) The bolts need to be closely monitored for loosening. 3) The cliff itself needs to be monitored for erosion that could pose a danger to climbers. 4) Climbers at this cliff should be vigilant and aware that this cliff has large amounts of soft and hollow rock and climb accordingly.

I was referring to the cliff as a whole, Mark. You can believe whatever you like, but the reality is that the Hamlet, as a whole, is of softer and lower quality rock than most of the other major sport cliffs in the Calico Hills.

You're arguing a weird point- because as I consistently keep saying, this should not deter people from climbing on the cliff, it should only inform them as to the reality of the nature of the rock in that area.

This is funny shit. I'd like to add that I did the new routes on the right side of the wall (mainly because I was curious about where the mussy hooks and double ring hangers might have originated from), and thought they were pretty mellow in tennis shoes, and probably should be rated substantially lower. Now I've had enough of that wall and you guys can fight it out, I'm going to go climb good rock-we do have quite a bit of that here in Red Rock.

Routes are now organized left to right beginning with the upper tier (The Plays The Thing to Guildenstern)and then the lower tier (Undiscovered Country to The Rest is Silence).

This is all pretty funny! I'm always worried about rock quality at the Hamlet, both macro and micro, when I climb there. It's kind of a chossy crag, but it's fun beginner climbing, and it serves a purpose. Obviously the approach to my new routes is more dangerous than the routes themselves - climbers should use their judgement on whether to rope up before they get to the line of bolts. Killis, my routes were put up with a legitimate hardware source, but thanks for climbin' them and makin' sure I'm being honest... In terms of grading, I feel like their grades are in line with the rest of the Hamlet - I put them up in my tennies. Some folks will like them, many won't. Whatever.

6) Undiscovered Country (5.7) TR Only -- First route on the left side of the lower tier.

7) What Dreams May Come (5.6) TR Only -- Second route on the lower tier.

The anchors for both of these routes have one loose bolt. I am not aware of who manages these but if you could direct this comment to them and also please respond so that I know in the future.

Chris- thanks for the heads up. We'll get out there at some point soon and have a look. You should know, though, that those particular bolts even if not tightened completely are extremely unlikely to pull out under TR loads that are sheer to the bolt itself.

We'll have a look this fall. It may be time to re-evaluate the bolt type used at the Hamlet.

Thanks for the quick response John. For one of them it was just the anchor that could swivel around the bolt.

And thanks for checking into it!

Is there a new multipitch on the far right of Hamlet? I saw some people doing a route there today.

Mostafa- that was Guildenstern, a 1 pitch 5.5 on the far right of the Hamlet. Not multipitch, however, you may want to belay the traverse to the anchor at the base of the pitch, as its a bit exposed.

Was at the Hamlet Wall on April 20, 2012. Upper tier seems to bea good place to take aspiring lead climbers. Rock, for the most part, is pretty clean. One loose toaster size block was cleaned off by a different party. We climbed all routes and everything seemed pretty solid.
However - there are still two spinners (loose hangers) on two different top rope routes on the lower tier. I'm not sure of the names, but if you're on top of second tier, the two routes furthest right (the first ones you reach) as you're looking down, each of the two right most routes have a loose anchor.

on 6-27-12 at 9am saw a young diamondback on the wall just above the roof on the 5.10, keep your eyes open friends.

Perfect place to take new climbers as an alternative to Panty Wall, which is always crowded.

Two new routes up in the chimney. Between when the blood burns (5.10a) and sea of troubles (5.9). One by the sea of troubles felt like a 5.8+ and the one to the left 5.9. These are nice easy climbs and a bit runout. They are still some flaking off some rock during climbing so have your belayer wear a helmet.

Some anchors at lower tier (What Dreams May Come) are still bad, and they don't just spin. The bolt heads wiggle a bit. Sketch.

^^^^Impossible. The rock is super solid and the first ascentionists discriminating about where bolts and routes themselves are placed.

Sarcasm, for those who didn't catch that.