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Freebase
5.12a,
Sport, 70 ft (21 m),
Avg: 3.7 from 76
votes
FA: Dan Goodwin, 1987
Oregon
> Central Oregon
> Smith Rock
> (f) Cocaine Gully
Access Issue: 2023 Seasonal Raptor Nesting Closures
Details
JULY 5 UPDATE FROM PARK MANAGEMENT:
ALL SEASONAL CLIMBING CLOSURES FOR CLIMBING AND SLACKLINING WILL BE LIFTED ON FRIDAY, JULY 7TH THIS WEEK.
THANKS, EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP IN OBSERVING RESTRICTIONS DURING THE NESTING SEASON!
There are many seasonal raptor closures with varying dates and specific boundaries. These generally effect The Monument, Kiss of the Lepers, Picnic Lunch Wall and/or Smith Rock group, and possibly elsewhere. These usually run from February to the beginning of August, but each closure is usually shorter than this, and is dependent on the birds' behavior. Check this site for details:
smithrock.com/seasonal-clos…
Description
A Smith classic with bomber, vertical stone and excellent climbing. After a mid height technical crux this route turns to sweet reaches between incut crimps. The good climbing seems to go on forever!
Location
Freebase starts just to the left of Vomit Lunch and up on a higher level. Be careful at the belay ledge as it is easy to send rocks (or a person) down on to climbers below. Stick clipping the first bolt is a very good idea (and I think stickclipping is usually kind of wimpy:).
Protection
Bolts
Bend, OR
Bend, OR
Portland, OR
Regarding the setup: bolts are spaced but the falls are clean, even if as mentioned it's hard to give a soft catch with 1st bolt clip & belayer anchored (and belayer should be anchored). The only *potentially* sketchy & spaced bolt would be the 3rd... BUT the difficult moves are just above the 2nd, once you are close to/at the 3rd you have a bomber jug to clip with so there's not reason, if you made it after the bouldery start, to fall with dangerous amount of slack in hands. The bolts above are indeed spaced out, Smith rocks style, but still safely so given the clean vertical & lots of air below you.
For the climb itself: great technical positioning, the hard bits have no good feet to speak of but plenty of tiny spots to smear/kind of edge a foot on. This is a climb where position is much more important than the quality of the hold, both for hands and feet. You find yourself hanging seemingly on nothing yet hanging if you position yourself well. The bouldery start, with the lip, great undercling and farrr reach out to an okay sidepull makes for a fun start, if very different in style from the rest. Jul 6, 2017
Seattle, WA
As mentioned below, it's easier to give a good belay by stick clipping the second bolt as opposed to the first. You can use the belay bolt and a clove hitch to lean off over the edge if your stick clip isn't quite long enough to reach the 2nd bolt from the somewhat exposed ledge. May 29, 2019
Bend, Or
Seattle, WA
Bend
All falls on Freebase are safe, but there is a slightly committing section between spaced bolts right before the crux Jun 2, 2023