Georges Peach

Who thought it was a good idea to put a line of bolts 6 feet from a Mt. Lemmon classic that went up in the late sixties?? Chimney rock has plenty of lines that can be climbed clean, and that's why I go there. Mar 25, 2004

this route has some .9 to some really easy stuff..not a great climb...i only used quickdraws but i think there was a spot or two for some s-m gear. yeah this was aesthetically displeasing..especially because it's at Chimney...see "anonymous coward" just give some beta and then comment it's that easy. May 17, 2004

Yeah this route is not that great, but it's there and it's not that bad. I really don't get those who think it's that fucking bad for this route to be there? It's called freedom of the hills for a reason! you don't have to like it, just don't chop it. nothing dumber than people choping bolts. Dec 1, 2005

i thought this route was actually pretty fun, there are some good crimpy face moves if you follow the bolt line directly up. if you stray left it's considerably easier. bolts are fairly run out in places. Jan 12, 2007

One problem with this route is that the anchors are horribly placed, way out to the right of the bolt line, why not just keep going straight up and to the left of the wide crack or just end the route where the wide crack starts... Instead of the extra 15 feet of 5.5 moves to move way right onto the face and to the anchors..

If somebody else is climbing George's Buttress and you're rapping or being lowered off this you could easily end up swinging into that climber.. Jan 12, 2007

I don't think this is a very good route either, but I have never felt the need to chop it.
It is an independent line and does add one more route for those of us that are always looking for something new to do. Feb 3, 2007

Maybe jbak is influencing me too much, but I think this is 8a- at best.
Gear is good if you don't want to deck (ground fall potential) and you're near your limit, but in my opinion isn't really necessary since the climbing near the horizontal crack is pretty easy. Oh yeah, I also thought it sucked. Meanders this way and that and is the antithesis of sustained. Mar 19, 2007

Don't be afraid to join the anti-inflation team. Apparently we are way out-numbered. Mar 19, 2007

You might be right about the grade, Braxton. The moves are significantly less committing than George's Buttress, which is currently rated 5.7 on this website, and you get a nice ledge to stand on every 10 feet. Mar 19, 2007

yeah, I guess I do think a gear route is more committing than a sport route, even if you can place gear every 5 feet... I don't have to think as much to clip bolts... and I do like clipping bolts.

This website let's you click on the [details] link next to the grade to see what an individual person rated a route, if you're interested in what I rated George's Buttress. I never meant to imply GB was harder than 5.7... But now that I think about it, hmmm.... Mar 19, 2007

FWIW, the old Steiger guide from 1985 has George's Buttress (FA 1969) as "An ambitious pitch for any 5.7 leader.". I don't know whether it's ratings creep or whether the scale was more compressed back then (the first 5.11s in Arizona only went up one or two years later), but I'd say that yeah, from my limited experience, a trad route that goes up today is probably gonna have a slightly softer (i.e. higher) rating than a route of the same difficulty that went up in 1970.

But I just don't climb hard enough to worry about it.

If I had a friend that was transitioning from sport to trad and he'd only done trad or mixed routes in the newer areas, my main concern would be to tell him (for his safety) that he can expect to be humbled on an old school trad route of the same grade. What he decides to do with that knowledge is then up to him. Mar 19, 2007

Warning: This post contains bitching/ranting.

I climbed this route again yesterday, in part to see what I don't like about it. Basically, it comes down to this: it's a meandering, contrived sport route in a classic trad climbing area.* If you climb directly over the bolts, it's maybe 5.9-. Go 3' to either side of the bolt line and the difficulty plummets precipitously. As a result, GP doesn't match the 'feel' of Chimney Rock. This area is the Mt. Lemmon trad climbing locale, in my opinion, because of it's history, the long, high-quality routes, and plenty of opportunities to get sketched out above bomber gear placements. It's a great place to push one's trad climbing limits, both mentally and physically. Not to mention, the chances of running into a crowd there are about as good as being struck by lightning, winning the lottery, and bootying 6 new cams, all on the same evening.

Who bolted this route?

• I have nothing against sport climbing (I do it frequently), bouldering (I have a bouldering wall), kittens (they're tasty), or baskets full of little puppies wearing bandannas (dog + bandanna = cool).

EDIT: Many thanks to jbak for scanning some of the old Summit Hut guide pages. Jan 27, 2008

*The bolt studs in the cold shut anchors wiggled today. I really don't know why anyone would invest in modern bolts on a climb and then put funky anchors. Why not just put in stainless anchor studs and hangers as well? I just hate cold shuts, what can I say...

I have to admit that the route felt contrived. It had some fun moves, but I just didn't understand the bolt placements. Seems like the direct start would be the crux unless it is supposed to go directly over the roof to the chains rather than traversing in from the left. I did enjoy it somewhat, maybe aided by the fact that I read this stuff and expected it to be contrived. Jul 15, 2008

what a waste of a route. def not PG13. Nov 29, 2008

Did this line today as a warm up since George's Buttress was being climbed by another party.
Not a very good route at all, but not the worst on the mountain. Wouldn't do it again, or recommend it to a friend. Dec 22, 2008

I agree with the majority of folks above. This climb sucks.

Should this climb be removed? Apr 22, 2009

Now, now Geir,
Just because we don't like something doesn't mean we can destroy it. "W" ain't the sheriff anymore!

This route is pretty silly but people do climb it. So let it be.
It's not doing any harm.
Apr 22, 2009

Give me a break. This climb does not suck. It's certainly out character with other routes on the rock, and it's not going to be on anybody's ticklist, but it's a perfectly okay mixed route and there's nothing to be gained by removing it. It wasn't put up inappropriately, nor are the bolts next to trad placements or anything else of the sort.

Leave it alone. Apr 22, 2009

ok, you guys convinced me. :)

but God ... this climb is awful! :) :) Apr 23, 2009

Fun to pair with George's Buttress. Enjoyable moves for 5.8. Thanks to the route developer. Jan 4, 2016

I agree with Forest Hill. Nothing inappropriate about this route and it is worth doing. Mar 24, 2018