[Hide Comment] How are climbers choosing to descend off of climbs like Championship Wrestling? Are they downclimbing by Sphincter on the other side or are climbers using the old skety tatt with rap rings? The reason I ask is because my partner and I recently got in a somewhat heated discussion about rappelling off of the tatt and him wanting to place bolts where a seemingly logical safe bolted rap could be placed. I was opposed to adding bolts in the first place because we were only visitors to this area and we were on a brief trip to Josh. I was also concerned about backlash and the bolts (even if they are safer than the tatt covered blocks) might get chopped. I just figured there must be a reasonable way people are descending or else I would think there would be a safer rap installed already considering how popular sports challenge rock is(but how many people climb CW?).

So what is the local's take on this? is there a reasonable downclimb? Would putting in a rap be respectable in this area, or would a bolt rap anchor just below the tatt rap cause controversy and get chopped? Dec 14, 2015

[Hide Comment] Remove old runners and throw one or two of your own on. Dec 14, 2015

[Hide Comment] Don't even think about adding bolts to the top. Seriously...

Add a runner like Adam sez, or simo_rap or maybe climb to the top and use the regular downclimb over by the Clean and Jerk top out. Dec 14, 2015

[Hide Comment] I don't live there or climb in Joshua regularly enough to even consider placing bolts in the area, and I do not plan on placing bolts there. Like I said "heated" discussion... Just curious what others do. The tatt rappel that is there just seems to be an accident waiting to happen and not because of the quality of the webbing more due to the precarious nature of the slung blocks. I don't particularly remember the terrain that leads to the summit, but perhaps one could reach the summit from the platform that CW puts you on, so that seems safe and logical. There just isn't really any description of a descent from this part of Sports Challenge formation; unless I'm mistaken(which I could be). Thanks again for any info.

-RS Dec 15, 2015

[Hide Comment] One aspect of climbing in the Monument has always been figuring out the descents.

They are often much more puzzling and exciting than the climbs. Dec 17, 2015

[Hide Comment] The webbing that once comprised a rappel anchor has disintegrated to a mere remnant, but can still be seen on the West end, about halfway down (it cliffs out).

Miramontes describes an "easy 5th class" face and chimney downclimb, with no hint as to where. After a lot of head-scratching and walking around by me and my compadres on the ground, we concluded it was the south side of the cleft that forms Championship Wrestling (on the north side). You skirt around this cleft to the west, downclimb a knobby crack for 10 - 12' (sporty!), then carefully stem, etc for another 30' down the cleft. It's probably only 5.4, but lots of exposure and grim consequences if you mess it up. Btw, this drops you down to the *east* of Sphinchter Quits. Oct 24, 2018