Dry-tooling at smith rock ?

Is anyone aware of any routes, where i can practice some Dry-tooling at Smith Rock ? 

There are a few spots around Bend and such. Not at Smith Rock though. I would feel really weird walking around there with ice tools on my pack...would def feel contrived

1. Pretty sure dry tooling would damage the tuft at smith a lot.

2. Pretty sure you would get chased out of the park by a mob of pitchfork carry sport climbers faster than Shawn Snyder.

3. Theres plenty of crappy rock in the cascades to go ruin dry tooling. Why even consider doing it at smith. Bad troll is bad and if this was a sincere question thats even worse.

Contact Shawn Snyder for park rules

PNW Chosswrote:

1. Pretty sure dry tooling would damage the tuft at smith a lot.

2. Pretty sure you would get chased out of the park by a mob of pitchfork carry sport climbers faster than Shawn Snyder.

3. Theres plenty of crappy rock in the cascades to go ruin dry tooling. Why even consider doing it at smith. Bad troll is bad and if this was a sincere question thats even worse.

Am new to the area

1) Never been to Smith Rock 

2) Thanks for heads up

3) why would i troll ? it was indeed a genuine question. Doesn't hurt to ask a question right ? especially when i just moved to PNW and not aware of area at all. 

Happy climbing :) 

christoph benellswrote:

There are a few spots around Bend and such. Not at Smith Rock though. I would feel really weird walking around there with ice tools on my pack...would def feel contrived

Thank you, i will look around bend

Brian Campbell wrote:

Just bring a set of these

haha

Anu Nwrote:

Thank you, i will look around bend

Crag of Doom is the name of the main one

Likewise I heard about some dry tooling routes along the rim somewhere. I believe they were put up by Blair who works at Edelrid.

Martin Kryekurti wrote:

Guys please understand that dry tooling does NOT destroy an established sport or trad climbing route. If you take a fall on that same rock of 12 feet  that is holding the bolt and not crack but save your life ,how can you expect a ice axe break or destroy  that same rock ?  It is a very poorest judgement. If you drilling where the hand hold are established  yes that is interfering the route. Otherwise you can dry tool in that same rock climb forever. 

For those who know dry tooling know well that the axe or crampons are placed lightly on rock no kicking involved. And if you add scratches to the rock ,.well sorry to hurt your feelings. 

(Assuming this post isn’t a troll...)

Under no circumstance should you drytool on an established route at Smith.  That’s all. 

Martin Kryekurti wrote:

Guys please understand that dry tooling does NOT destroy an established sport or trad climbing route. If you take a fall on that same rock of 12 feet  that is holding the bolt and not crack but save your life ,how can you expect a ice axe break or destroy  that same rock ?  It is a very poorest judgement. If you drilling where the hand hold are established  yes that is interfering the route. Otherwise you can dry tool in that same rock climb forever. 

For those who know dry tooling know well that the axe or crampons are placed lightly on rock no kicking involved. And if you add scratches to the rock ,.well sorry to hurt your feelings. 

You may get a little resistance from the climbing community with this train of thought

Martin Kryekurti wrote:

Guys please understand that dry tooling does NOT destroy an established sport or trad climbing route. If you take a fall on that same rock of 12 feet  that is holding the bolt and not crack but save your life ,how can you expect a ice axe break or destroy  that same rock ?  It is a very poorest judgement. If you drilling where the hand hold are established  yes that is interfering the route. Otherwise you can dry tool in that same rock climb forever. 

For those who know dry tooling know well that the axe or crampons are placed lightly on rock no kicking involved. And if you add scratches to the rock ,.well sorry to hurt your feelings. 

No feelings hurt because your wrong. The comparison you give is a bolt not pulling under a fall?  A bolt is drilled and secured into a hole in the rock.  Distributing the forces involved over a large surface area. The points of an ice tool and crampons have much smaller surface area contact and are not anchored into predrilled holes.

Also I don't think you understand the nature of the welded tuft that makes up Smith rock. The rock and the climbing involves many tiny edges, nubbins, crystals, minor protrusions and delicate pockets which could easily be damaged or destroyed with a wire brush. Ice tools and crampons would most certainly damage this rock. I see damage from dry tooling all the time on the local basalt which is bullet hard compared to the tuft at Smith. The rocks not as delicate as sandstone but is definitely not anything like basalt, limestone, or granite. 

Max Tepferwrote:

(Assuming this post isn’t a troll...)

Under no circumstance should you drytool on an established route at Smith.  That’s all. 

Seconded.

Martin Kryekurti wrote:

Guys please understand that dry tooling does NOT destroy an established sport or trad climbing route. If you take a fall on that same rock of 12 feet  that is holding the bolt and not crack but save your life ,how can you expect a ice axe break or destroy  that same rock ?  It is a very poorest judgement. If you drilling where the hand hold are established  yes that is interfering the route. Otherwise you can dry tool in that same rock climb forever. 

For those who know dry tooling know well that the axe or crampons are placed lightly on rock no kicking involved. And if you add scratches to the rock ,.well sorry to hurt your feelings. 

From a guy who drytools, this is wrong.

Double Jwrote:

From a guy who drytools, this is wrong.

+1

https://www.neice.com/2018/02/ethics-of-climbing-rock-with-ice-tools-dry-tooling/

https://ascentionism.com/dry-tooling-ethics-what-you-should-know/

Martin Kryekurti wrote:

Guys please understand that dry tooling does NOT destroy an established sport or trad climbing route. If you take a fall on that same rock of 12 feet  that is holding the bolt and not crack but save your life ,how can you expect a ice axe break or destroy  that same rock ?  It is a very poorest judgement. If you drilling where the hand hold are established  yes that is interfering the route. Otherwise you can dry tool in that same rock climb forever. 

For those who know dry tooling know well that the axe or crampons are placed lightly on rock no kicking involved. And if you add scratches to the rock ,.well sorry to hurt your feelings. 

This is straight up wrong, from another person who has done quite a lot of dry tooling. You can absolutely ruin a route. 

Dry tooling as an end in itself is lame imo. But if you must dry tool in central Oregon why not take a look at the miles of cliffs within a 20 mile radius of Smith rock where there are no established routes to conflict with your pursuit?

I went out with Blair to the dry tool crag today. It's in the rimrock and very close to the parking lot. Not long routes but good quality with fun pick torquing (M5-6). I think he's planning to post it on MP at some point. HMU if you want deets.

That is the only acceptable area for DT at Smith that I know of but I'd be curious to hear more about the supposed upper gorge zones? Also, if you don't live close to Smith, I agree that there are plenty of other rimrock cliffs in the region you could use to TR. This is not really a good beginner zone IMO.