JTree Top Rope Options

Hey! I’m an experienced climber but I’ll be visiting j tree with some inexperienced friends next weekend. 2 know how to top rope belay, none know how to lead belay so I’m stuck with finding top ropes that can be accessed without a lead first.

I’ve been digging through all of MP for these routes but haven’t found many that detail if the TR can be accessed by scrambling or possibly easier solos.

Any thoughts/suggestions on climbs in the area (probably 5.8/9 or under for them) that have easily accessible TR?

Thanks!

Hello, Tyler there is a lot of climbs in joshua tree that can be top roped. Lots of climbs require a walk off for the descent. The area/location can be confusing to non-locals (everything looks similiar) I suggest picking up a guide book at nomad adventures outside the park.

Key question is - do any of you have trad gear and know how to use it? Many (most) TR friendly routes require building a gear anchor. It sounds like maybe you do. 

This thread should get you started (mobile sucks, sorry it's not clickable):

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/127171954/looking-for-beginner-climbs-in-j-tree#ForumMessage-200279168

Tyler Dunning Evans wrote:

Hey! I’m an experienced climber but I’ll be visiting j tree with some inexperienced friends next weekend. 2 know how to top rope belay, none know how to lead belay so I’m stuck with finding top ropes that can be accessed without a lead first.

Personally, and I'll probably get flamed for saying this as "it's not safe" - if people are using a Gri-Gri, I trust them more to lead belay than TR belay.  All they have to do is NEVER TAKE YOUR BRAKE HAND OFF THE ROPE - which if you trust them to TR belay, you are already asking them to do that - and gently and slowly pull out slack for you to clip, between your waist and shoulder height, with the non-brake hand.  It's typically more foolproof than inexperienced people giving a TR belay, since 1/2 the time they cannot figure out how to take in slack without TAKING THEIR BRAKE HAND OFF THE ROPE.

if there are multiple people down below a second person can always hold the brake side rope as a backup.  This gives you 3 backups - the device itself, the brake hand of the belayer, and the second rope holder. But I'm not recommending this as an option for you, it's just a comment.

Because whether an inexperienced person is lead or Tr belaying for me, I assume I'm soloing and do not fall. I don't let inexperienced people lower me - I lower myself.

Any thoughts/suggestions on climbs in the area (probably 5.8/9 or under for them) that have easily accessible TR? Thanks!

I'm guessing from your profile that you are not only looking for things you can walk to that top of, but things that have a bolted anchor.  If so, Todd Gordon's JT sport climbing book is available at Nomad typically, and is your best bet for finding something, anything that might work for you.

But since from the way your post is written it sound like there will be at least 4 of you - the safest, most fun, most mileage option you're gonna get is chipping in and hiring a guide to take you to the appropriate places.  Then you won't be limited to sport routes or routes with an anchor directly on top or routes with an anchor at all, since they can build one.