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Squarenail (Fresno) - New Bolted Anchors at Base of Routes?

Original Post
Beau Griffith · · Portland, OR · Joined Sep 2016 · Points: 26

I noticed this a couple weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting it. I was at Squarenail (local Fresno crag) which has plenty of aging, quasi-rusted bolts on its beautiful slab face and someone had placed at least two (possibly three) 2-bolt anchors at the base of a couple of the routes. Has anyone else who visits Squarenail seen this? Does anyone know what it's for? The face below the main ledge doesn't seem very fun for climbing. Perhaps bolting practice? Belay anchor (I hope not)?

Marc Squiddo · · Mountain View, CA · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 15

Not shocking. The last time I climbed there the sheer number of bolts was appalling. Being able to climb and clip bolts on 3 routes within a few feet of each other gave new meaning to the grid bolt term. Crowded to say the least.

carla rosa · · CA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 269

Tollhouse and squarenail both have that grid-bolted feeling. I'm not entirely sure which area of Squarenail you are talking about but when I've been there I usually rap down to where there climbs are below that big aid boulder (Mr. Wizard, Zig Zag crack or something, some slabs/liebacks, etc). This involves getting an anchor in from the boulders to get down to the anchors on Easy Rider I believe, then rapping down from there. There's a gully that you can take down there but it's so loose I always rap in then climb out on Easy Rider. Maybe those anchors are the one's you're talking about?

Ben Horowitz · · Bishop, CA · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 136

Squarenail has the most egregious grid-bolting I've ever seen, particularly those far left slab routes... It is already a lost cause; I wouldn't worry about more bolts.

Cory B · · Fresno, CA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 2,577
Carla R wrote:

Tollhouse and squarenail both have that grid-bolted feeling.

I'm surprised you think Tollhouse is grid bolted. There is a lot of run-out climbing - Wandering Taoist and Balls for example.

carla rosa · · CA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 269
C Brooks wrote:

I'm surprised you think Tollhouse is grid bolted. There is a lot of run-out climbing - Wandering Taoist and Balls for example.

Well, I said it has that 'feeling' of grid-bolting. Sometimes it's easy to get a little off-route. But I agree, lots of runouts...Wandering Taoist is a great one! 

Beau Griffith · · Portland, OR · Joined Sep 2016 · Points: 26
rain cloud wrote:

someone put in anchors at the base to  lead solo.duh;) 

This is the only thing I could think of. For those above, there seems to be confusion - they are not at the "bottom" of the top part of the mountain i.e. the approach, to where you could use them to rappel to any existing route. They are at the bottom of all the existing routes i.e. where the belayer would stand. But I can't possibly imagine anyone would need a belay anchor requiring bolts.

And to those who are complaining about grid-bolting, thanks for your input. I was just asking if anyone knew what the new, weird, out-of-place anchors were for, not a commentary on the dynamics of how well- or poorly-bolted the routes themselves were.

Cory B · · Fresno, CA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 2,577
Carla R wrote:

Wandering Taoist is a great one! 

+1 ... I love that climb -- although I may have cried like a baby while leading it

Marc Squiddo · · Mountain View, CA · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 15
beau Griffith wrote:

And to those who are complaining about grid-bolting, thanks for your input. I was just asking if anyone knew what the new, weird, out-of-place anchors were for, not a commentary on the dynamics of how well- or poorly-bolted the routes themselves were.

Dude it's the internet. That's 85% of what it's used for. Comentary. Sheesh 

Bas Cuela · · Fresno, CA · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 475

So speaking of Squarenail....

http://abc30.com/news/two-dead-one-airlifted-after-crash-on-the-hwy-168-four-lanes/1945330/

Crazy. 

Update: This truck literally crossed all 4 lanes going downhill at the Squarenail pullout and launched over the cliff!

Cory B · · Fresno, CA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 2,577

^ Yikes!

Cory B · · Fresno, CA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 2,577

I believe I owe you 5 bucks Jeremy as per my Velvet Elvis challenge.

Mark Straub · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 245
Cory B wrote:

I'm surprised you think Tollhouse is grid bolted. There is a lot of run-out climbing - Wandering Taoist and Balls for example.

Indeed. “Grid-bolted” was the absolute last thing on my mind when I climbed Wandering Taoist a while ago.

Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349

Grid Bolted! - not even close to Modern Urban Sport Crags.
Are the bolts color coded?
Can you do six separate starts? Nine different ends? Can you do a six pitch traverse on a 100 foot tall crag?

So pretty wild about that truck going over the edge??? I wonder how much air?

Mark Fletcher · · Clovis, CA · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 22

To answer the OP,  bolts he mentions are both for rope solo belay anchors and for teaching anchors.  You and a few others are probably not aware of the history of development of Squarenail in relationship to Tollhouse Rock, which are dramatically opposed.

Guy, spot on.

Jeremy, I have been doing a lot of the rebolting work at Squarenail.  Mark Spencer put up many climbs there in the beginning of the popularity of sport climbing.  He used homemade angle iron hangers.  Unfortunately, he was so worried about people stealing the bolts that he spot-welded the nuts to the bolts on the rock somehow.  This makes it impossible to extract the carbon steel bolts from the original holes without breaking them such that they have to be pounded in.  I wish I could pull them out to reuse the holes, but the manner in which he placed them makes this impossible.

Bas, that same spot is also where the people in a vehicle tried to off themselves a few years ago, which they succeeded in doing.  Their passenger did not want to be part of the plan and prepared for the crash.  The passenger did survive, which is good.  I do not like parking my vehicle in this "launch zone".

SirTobyThe3rd M · · Salt Lake City · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 2,100
There is a lot of run-out climbing - Wandering Taoist and Balls for example.
Fun as a free solo.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern California
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