Bastille Trundled, Input Requested

An intrepid team trundled the Bastille descent route this morning. The loose-ish block that had been held in place with a comealong is no more, and several other precarious blocks were removed during the process.

Here are some of the remains:

Please be aware that there is small, loose rock on the Bastille descent route and on the Bastille descent trail. Some of the steps on the descent trail took direct hits and are loose now. Use the trail and descent route with caution.

Do not take it upon yourself to trundle in Eldorado. This morning's event was well-coordinated between local climbers (thanks!) and the park.

Last fall I was almost hit by a TV sized block that was trundled from Shirt Tail Peak. When I met the party later in the day, they assured me that it was all clear and that no one was in the way. Either I'm "no one", or it's very hard to tell how far trundled rocks will travel on the steep slopes here.

Going forward, I think it's worthwhile to open a dialog about trundling in Eldorado. Start your keyboards.

Until something more formal and fancy can be set up, please feel free to send me locations and descriptions of dangerous, loose blocks in the park.(1)

Thanks

Mike McHugh
Park Resource Technician
Eldorado Canyon State Park
303.494.3943
mike.mchugh@state.co.us

(1) Please, no "the whole park" jokes.

Mike,
Thanks for being awesome.
We love you.
-Fellow Eldo climber. aka Jon

Mike, thanks for the work. Maybe a few rules if a climber feels a block is loose:

1) If you grab a loose block where the block will fall once you let go, move it or trundle it the best you can. It is coming off anyway, so call ROCK, try to clear the area, have spotters, etc. Nothing you can do really here except yell like mad and try to clear the downhill area.

2) If the block is very loose and in danger of an imminent fall, try to move it or secure it somehow (slings, etc), mark the block with a chalk X and notify the park office after you descend and post the location in this thread.

3) Blocks/flakes/ledges that are suspect could be noted in this thread for comment/observation. No imminent danger but stuff that looks crazy scary and poses a threat if it were to go.

Thanks!

Glad to see you are trundling some rock after the Wind Tower incident. And since you are personally getting out there and doing the work in a timely fashion, I can see any loose rock will get attention in the future.

No input at this time for Eldo but a big thank you for helping keep climbers safe and soliciting input.

To fellow climbers, make sure to teach noobs and climbers who might not have much outdoor experience. As obvious as it seems to most of us, the "X" doesn't necessarily mean don't touch to someone who is new to the sport.

Mike - thanks for your hard work and helping to maintain Eldo as a wonderful park to climb in.

I agree that trail clean-up/maintenance and well coordinated boulder trundling, when necessary, is a good idea.

Wally

Thanks Mike (and the climbers that helped out), that block on the Bastille definitely needed to be taken care of.

One spot that I've seen numerous ready-to-go plates is at the top-out for Ruper. Over the years, partners and I have relocated the rocks located near the edge, but every spring I see new ones having worked their way forward. Now, when I say we "relocated" them, we essentially just arranged them toward the back of that first shelf at the top-out, not wanting to expose the area to added erosion by removing the rocks entirely and placing them further back among the trees there. But looking at the spot earlier this week, I don't think removing those plates would really affect the erosion process. It's the park's call, but I'd certainly be willing to help clean that area up. [Edit: this doesn't require trundling, just some reorganization of plate sized rocks.)

Mike McHugh wrote:Here are some trundling projects that come to mind:

I thought the following were more scary than P3 of Rosy:

4) Lower Peanuts ledge where Star Wars/Lieback starts
5) P1 ledge for Over the Hill

Mike McHugh wrote:3) Swanson's Arete, near the top.

A couple of years ago there were some rather precarious full-refrigerator-sized blocks waiting above just above the Red Ledge just right of the West Chimney. I don't know if they are still there . . .

And also, THANKS AGAIN !!!

I would agree that a proactive approach to loose rock, perched way above the ground waiting to go is a good idea.
I can't speak to two of the areas you mentioned but I would have to agree w/ Cushman (and especially given the popularity of the area) that the ledge at the top of Over the Hill is more of a potential threat than Swansons.
Thanks for making Eldo a little safer and taking the time to post up here @ MP.
cheers,
BA

To add another.

The top out of gambit. Nothing large, but lots of small, loose rocks that easily slide off even when being careful. I have wanted to go up there with a broom for years.

-Jon

Edit to add*

I would also bump the ledge near Over the Hill and Lower Peanuts up in priority. Swansons isn't that bad, although popular with newer climbers that may add to the chances of rock fall.

Thanks for putting in the effort to help manage the rock fall hazards and keep us safe.

I'd add a vote for Lower Peanuts ledge. I was climbing in the area last year and got rained on due to some people who, apparently, didn't realize the danger of walking around on that ledge in flip-flops like it was a pool deck.

Third belay/start of P.4 on Heavy Weather has some huge, very loose-looking blocks.

Mark Cushman wrote: P1 ledge for Over the Hill

Definitely agreed!

Zach Allen wrote:Third belay/start of P.4 on Heavy Weather has some huge, very loose-looking blocks.

+1,

although this is probably lower priority since it is not nearly as traveled as the other climbs listed here, also if you look at the comments for this climb it appears the blocks have been there for a while.

Trundeling is hardly work. I wish I could push boulders off the top of the Bastile.

I would recommend relocating the rappel routes down the West side of T1. The often used routes run down the gullies on either side of Lumpe Tower, the West Chimney being the most obvious I think, and lead to the rope dropping into slots full of loose rock. The face to the left of the Yellow Spur, but not quite in the gully has some pretty clean faces with ledges that would afford rappel routes that would be less than 100' between stations. This may require some additional bolted anchors though.

The second area is the whole Rewritten wall above the Green Spur starting from the top of the cliff and going all the way down to the base.

I second the vote for the ledge above Over the Hill.

Mike, while I appreciate the hard work you guys do in Eldo, and how climber friendly the Park has always been, I've got a different perspective on the rockfall mitigation. I was out there yesterday morning when you guys cut that monster lose, and it sounded like the whole slope was coming down. I don't know how loose it was before you guys set it free, but I think it should be taken into account the potential damage done when something that big is trundled. If someone pulls off a loose rock that was loosened by the trundling efforts from yesterday, I think it is a legitimate question whether that area was made safer or perhaps less safe.

Also, as ideal as it would be to have a list (which seems to be compiling on this thread) of things to "make safer", it simply is not possible in Eldo. For every block that is cut loose, there is often more looseness underneath or around that block. Eldo is an area that has substantial loose rock, and unfortunately nobody will change that. Targeting particularly hazardous areas may be appropriate, but this also is a slippery slope: does the Park trundle on a route simply because someone posted a statement on the Internet that they think it is loose?

A recognition that Eldo is an inherently serious place to play will go a lot farther for each of us, than any Park effort to make it safer. Again, I do appreciate your intentions.

Good work Mike. I appreciate your efforts!