Solitary Refinement

really fun route. the .10 move is up high on some short, thanks to efr and jimbo for the bolt protecting the ankle busting ledge. the nicely pumpy solid rock is a good to warm up on if you do the beginning part a couple times Oct 25, 2007

The bottom three bolts on this route were bolted over an existing not-quite-R trad route that I and others had done a number of times (it headed a bit left at the horizontal crack, then back into the corner and continued up to finish on Cool Hand Luke's anchors.)

I never did see that route in a guide book or anything, so I can understand that the FA'ers wouldn't have seen any references to it, but it certainly got climbed a fair bit. It also was much more continuous in its grade, staying around 5.8 for most of the climb, whereas this one goes from 5.8 for most of the climb to 5.10 for the last couple of moves at the top. Dec 13, 2008

I thought Cool Hand Luke started left of where we bolted Solitary Refinement. That at least is the way I had done it in the past. Dec 17, 2008

Yeah, the topo on here shows it doing that. I've never climbed it that way, tho it seems like it would work fine.

The route that I and others had done goes up the flake that starts Solitary Refinement, to the horizontal crack and then goes left a little (like most people I've seen do when climbing SR, tho then they come back to the right for the next bolt.) Then it continued back into the corner on to the upper half of Cool Hand Luke. It just seems like the most natural line to me, so it was the way I went. Like I said, I've also seen others do the same.

There's really no way you guys could have known about how others chose to climb that section, tho it does seem pretty apparent to me that the bottom is very reasonably trad-protectable. Dec 17, 2008

Ahh, jumbo, looks like you bolted some cracks again. Its on... Dec 28, 2010

Rule #1 with chopping bolts on "protectable climbs", Dale, you need to lead it on gear before you chop.

Be sure to post the photos when you climb the route on gear, Dale.

Still waiting for the photos of you leading all the "other cracks we've bolted" also.

Feel free to PM me with the long list by the way. Be happy to discuss them all with you.

If even a small majority of those who have actually led this route (I'm guessing you haven't, Dale) would prefer for us to chop the bolts I would be happy to. Let the community decide. I'm cool with that.

Dec 28, 2010

Ive never even been to this place! Dec 28, 2010

Dale, It might be best to go look at a climb and maybe even climb it before commenting on it then. Just saying.... Dec 29, 2010