Tahquitz Rappel Beta

Does anyone know where I can find accurate beta on rappel anchors on Tahquitz? Looking to do some more climbing there and it would be nice to have a better awareness of what descent/bail options are around any particular route I'm on. Doesn't seem like the guidebook or MP have a lot of information on whats out there. For example, pine tree ledge has a bunch of tat, so I'm assuming there's an intermediate anchor somewhere below? Stuff like that. 

Also, slightly related, do you really need two ropes to rappel off open book? The Open Book Area page on here says the rappel from the top of the route requires two ropes, but last time I was on the summit I was talking to a party who was heading to the open book anchors looking to rappel from them with a single rope. I'm assuming they made it down, but it was their first time trying it, so I'm not sure if they knew for a fact it would be fine or if they were just winging it.

Well if you bring enough webbing and bail on enough gear you can rappel all the way down the the base. Just let me know what climb you are doing so I can get some free bootie!!!

IF your life is on the line bail on your gear and not some crusty ass TAT .... :|

As for open book you need to do a if you fall you die downclimb section to get to the next rap but 1 rope is doable. 

You only need to do 2 single rope raps to get down the open book raps. But as Ben mentioned there's a bit of exposed 4th class to get to the first bolts if you're coming down from the summit. You can easily downlead it if you can spare 10 minutes

Hi Alan, my book Best Climbs Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks has the rappel beta.

From Pine Tree ledge you can rap with a single 70 m rope (35 m) to the 2-bolt anchor of Legends of the Fall, then it's another 35 m rap to the ground.

For the Open Book raps, from the top of the Open Book, down climb about 40-feet (4th class) to 2-bolts. From here you can rap to the ground with two ropes in two rappels (115 feet to a good ledge with 2 bolts, then 165 feet to the deck). Or you can do the raps with a single 70 m rope, but you'll need to do three raps (the last one from a hanging 2-bolt stance); 115 feet to the good ledge, <115 feet to a hanging 2-bolt stance, then <100 feet to the ground.

For most people, with all the rigging and rope work it takes longer to do the Open Book raps than to do the Friction Route descent (especially with a single 70 m), but the rap route is pretty spectacular, and the last 100 feet or so is free-hanging!

Bob Gaineswrote:

Hi Alan, my book Best Climbs Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks has the rappel beta.

From Pine Tree ledge you can rap with a single 70 m rope (35 m) to the 2-bolt anchor of Legends of the Fall, then it's another 35 m rap to the ground.

For the Open Book raps, from the top of the Open Book, down climb about 40-feet (4th class) to 2-bolts. From here you can rap to the ground with two ropes in two rappels (115 feet to a good ledge, then 165 feet to the deck). Or you can do the raps with a single 70 m rope, but you'll need to do three raps (the last two from hanging 2-bolt stances); 115 feet, 115 feet, <100 feet.

For most people, with all the rigging and rope work it probably takes longer to do the Open Book raps than to do the downclimb (especially with a single 70 m), but the rap route is pretty spectacular, and the last 100 feet or so is free-hanging!

To add to Bob's beta, you can rap from Jungle Ledge just shy of the ground with a 70M and maybe 15 ft of class 4 downclimbing. 

Also, you can rap the the Upper Bulge -- with a 70m, and probably a 60 -- using a series of hanging belays on the Vampire and surrounding climbs. My beta is a touch more route specific as most people won't find themselves in the aforementioned locations, but still nice to have those in your quiver of tricks.

friction descent is pretty fast once you have it dialed. a good deal of the time it makes more sense to just walk off.

after you have a handful of the tahquitz entry climbs under your belt you'll have a good idea of how to get around up there.

The best bail options at Tahquitz are probably going to be the following (listed in order):

1. finish your climb, walk off
2. get back on route and finish your climb, walk off
3. know how to downlead to get back on route or bail to an anchor
4. know how many raps you'd have to do to get down the terrain you climbed
5. have alpines you can use to back up old tat or rig a rappel on a natural feature
6. bail on your gear, learn lesson about what to do to avoid that in future

-agree the jungle ledge rap with a 70m and down climbing or 80m and no down climbing can be nice

edit/add: Bob's book is mandatory

Bob's book has 99% of the info you need.

Bring a bail biner, some slings and nuts you're willing to part with and you can bail off just about anything.

Also, who keeps stealing my anchor off the tree/bush at the end of Jensens?!

I've also rapped Angel's Fright, bush on top to tree, tree to tree, and tree to ground. 

The man, myth, and legend has spoke (No Tradibanned its not you..)

Bob, might I ask why the Larks were not included in the book?  Particularly East Lark if it was considered the 5.? standard during the YDS creation years?

The content of Best Climbs Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks (word count and total page number) was unfortunately restrained by the Publisher. I was lucky to get that book published at all. The Larks, unfortunately, didn't make the cut. I do have fond memories of Hard Lark, one of my first routes on Tahquitz. I challenge you to draw a topo of East Lark, I think you'll find it not so easy! Many variations up there.

Bob Gaineswrote:

The content of Best Climbs Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks (word count and total page number) was unfortunately restrained by the Publisher. I was lucky to get that book published at all. The Larks, unfortunately, didn't make the cut. I do have fond memories of Hard Lark, one of my first routes on Tahquitz. I challenge you to draw a topo of East Lark, I think you'll find it not so easy! Many variations up there.

Silly publishers! I figured that might have been the issue.  Thanks!

Challenge accepted!  (It'll look like a child's drawing with horrible beta but it'll be a fun exercise when I'm back out there)

Tradibanwrote:

Bob's book has 99% of the info you need.

Bring a bail biner, some slings and nuts you're willing to part with and you can bail off just about anything.

Also, who keeps stealing my anchor off the tree/bush at the end of Jensens?!

Are you talking about the ridiculously tied piece of tat on the bush before pitch 4 that makes no sense because bailing up is easier than bailing down? If so, I threw out that garbage last fall. 

Chase Morganwrote:

Are you talking about the ridiculously tied piece of tat on the bush before pitch 4 that makes no sense because bailing up is easier than bailing down? If so, I threw out that garbage last fall. 

What's "ridiculously tied"? Mine was neatly around the base.

Anyway, rap from there to top of El Camino money pitch for a quick pitch, then rap jungle ledge to the ground. Faster than going up and around and adds in a nice pitch to Jensens, Traitor Horn, etc. Also faster than going up and around.

Tradibanwrote:

What's "ridiculously tied"? Mine was neatly around the base.

Anyway, rap from there to top of El Camino money pitch for a quick pitch, then rap jungle ledge to the ground. Faster than going up and around and adds in a nice pitch to Jensens, Traitor Horn, etc. Also faster than going up and around.

The one I removed was tied in like 4 different places to a handful of small branches and had no rings on it. It looked like trash, so I pulled it and tossed it. If the community deems that a rap station there is a good addition, I'll tie some new webbing and leave some quick links on it next time I am up that way. It seems though, since you say it keeps getting removed, that the community views it as trash left behind. If the anchor I found was quality material with rap rings, I would have left it alone, but awkwardly tied tat with nothing to rappel off is trash that needs to be cleaned up in my book. 

Chase Morganwrote:

The one I removed was tied in like 4 different places to a handful of small branches and had no rings on it. It looked like trash, so I pulled it and tossed it. If the community deems that a rap station there is a good addition, I'll tie some new webbing and leave some quick links on it next time I am up that way. It seems though, since you say it keeps getting removed, that the community views it as trash left behind. If the anchor I found was quality material with rap rings, I would have left it alone, but awkwardly tied tat with nothing to rappel off is trash that needs to be cleaned up in my book. 

Ah yes, thats one of his rap stations.  I've seen him make them before...  Thanks for pulling it down! 

Pugnacious Slabwrote:

You only need to do 2 single rope raps to get down the open book raps. But as Ben mentioned there's a bit of exposed 4th class to get to the first bolts if you're coming down from the summit. You can easily downlead it if you can spare 10 minutes

This is incorrect (as Bob Gains mentions).  It will take 3 raps with a single rope to get down from the top of open book.  A 60m will work, but requires some easy 3rd class on a ramp to get to he second set of bolts.  A 70m will just make it to said bolts.  from the 2nd set of bolts, the 3rd set of bolts is just to the climbers right.  it’s a hanging rap.

It is about 15min quicker to do the normal walk off vs rapping with one rope.  Never timed it with two ropes.

Chase Morganwrote:

The one I removed was tied in like 4 different places to a handful of small branches and had no rings on it. It looked like trash, so I pulled it and tossed it. If the community deems that a rap station there is a good addition, I'll tie some new webbing and leave some quick links on it next time I am up that way. It seems though, since you say it keeps getting removed, that the community views it as trash left behind. If the anchor I found was quality material with rap rings, I would have left it alone, but awkwardly tied tat with nothing to rappel off is trash that needs to be cleaned up in my book. 

Yes, that was my anchor, that's all I had at the time. It did have beaners with the gates taped shut, to indicate that it was for rapping but I guess people are too desperate for $2 biners to recognize that. I came back to replace it and it was gone, no big, it was just booty shit. So I added in a proper anchor around the base of the tree and that was taken as well.

It's a good convenience anchor for purposes stated above but if a couple lone wolf, "community" members don't like the sight of it then I guess I'll just be stringing my rope directly around the base of the tree next time   

Btw, there is a plethora of actual tat anchors around Tahquitz that need to be removed, so be like me, bring a knife and start cutting.

You can rap from the top of the 1st pitch of wong/long with a 70m into the start of the long and then do some easy down climbing. Definitely watch your ends here, but I didn't find it to be excessively sketchy.