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Giggling Marlin
5.9,
Sport, 85 ft (26 m),
Avg: 3 from 211
votes
FA: Bill Burns & Gary Burns (1992)
Arizona
> Central Arizona
> Queen Creek Canyon
> Atlantis
> Atlantis S Side
Access Issue: Must Register! Private Property-The Pond, Atlantis and Mine Area
Details
Climbing at The Pond, Atlantis and Mine Area are private property, and now requires that you register in order to gain legal access. This is an easy process. You can do this at: queencreekclimbing.com/. This is a one-time and free process so once you are registered you are good to go.
You can read more about this process and the announcement at the Queen Creek Coalition website – theqcc.com or the Queen Creek Coalition’s Facebook page – facebook.com/Queen-Creek-Co…
Description
Great moderate climb! As with other routes in Atlantis, features a variety of holds and moves that keep it interesting and allow creative climbing. Ledges, pockets, underclings, pinches. It's a great warmup, especially if some of the shorter warmup/beginner routes are occupied.
Location
To the right of KGB and to the left of Bunny Slope.
[Hide Photo] Very fun 5.9 once you clip the second quick draw I think the crux is over. Just don't fall in the middle of clipping the 2nd bolt. lol One of my favorite 5.9's in Queen Creek area.
[Hide Comment] Good moderate consistent climb of ~85ft. 60m rope covers it. The crux is probably the first move as you look for hand holds. That's probably why the first bolt is low - Giggling Marlin is right of KGB 5.10a and left of Bunny slope 5.8. Acnhors are 2 bolts with chains.
Nov 24, 2009
[Hide Comment] I agree that the crux is around the first bolt (a few others thought 2nd to last bolt, maybe a height thing?)...cruiser after that. Fun route.
Apr 5, 2014
[Hide Comment] Very enjoyable long 5.9 with multiple cruxy sections with easy stuff in between. Next time I do it, or if I was recommending to someone, I'd bring a 1-2" cam for the short runout in the corner feature.
Nov 23, 2015
[Hide Comment] Added ClimbTech "Top Anchor Hooks" to this yesterday for easy lowering. It'd be great if people would still TR through their own draws and just lower on these.
Dec 29, 2017
[Hide Comment] “ ….and just lower on these. Dec 29, 2017”. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever…..big inhale breath….ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER lower off the anchors! The last person ALWAYS raps off. Lowering off the anchors causes the most friction on fixed gear THAT ISN’T YOURS and prematurely wears them out.
Rappelling is part of climbing!
If someone in your party can’t do it, then don’t climb outdoors…stick to the gym where you learned this horrific, unethical, narcissistic, and dangerous habit.
Aug 6, 2023
[Hide Comment] …which is why they only belong in the gym. Gee…I wonder what kind of climber thought of these gym-only hooks? There’s a reason we put up anchors out here that make it difficult to TR & lower off of. How long before these anchors are dangerously worn down and need to be replaced again? The original anchors lasted decades. Gym hooks will last months before they’re dangerous.
Aug 6, 2023
Not exactly sure where the hostility is coming from but since the late 90’s, route developers (myself included) have been equipping single pitch anchors with carabiners, that yes, do need to be replaced from time to time. ClimbTech mussies and Fixe Draco anchor biners are both steel and will last a very long time, even on popular routes. There was a set of Draco’s that were just switched out at the Peaks Crag that lasted twelve years on the most popular 5.10 at the crag.
Clipping and lowering off of this type of anchor is safer and more expedient, which is why the American Safe Climbing Association has been shipping them out across the country by the thousands to both individuals and local climber coalitions. It takes less time and hassle to swap out a worn set of mussies than it does to thread a chain anchor and rap. It’s a well known fact that the majority of climbing accidents occur during rappels. My two cents, take it or leave it, but this type of anchor is standard at popular crags throughout Arizona.
Aug 7, 2023
[Hide Comment] Shawn— I wholeheartedly agree that anyone climbing outside should know how to rappel and self-rescue. However, you’re anger at Mussy hooks is outdated and misguided at best. I remember when rappelling was the standard. It was fine but was also clearly the highest risk procedure. As JJ mentioned, rappelling is a common place for error and injury. To try and limit the risk of that process we’ve added Mussy hooks (it’s just sport climbing after all, not backcountry alpine). You probably use a Grigri, right? Well, functionally it isn’t any different than an ATC, or hell, you could even argue a hip belay. However, it adds a level of safety to the system..
Climbing through your own quickdraws and having just the last person lower off the STEEL mussy hooks leads to pretty limited wear and tear. Even without Mussy hooks, the AMGA teaches anchor cleaning by lowering through the chains, not rappelling. Additionally, if you’re unwilling/unable to replace worn equipment, there are resources (MP!) to notify those who are.
Attempting to reduce some of the risk not only helps prevent accidents and keep people safe, but is important to preserve access to both public and private land (like Queen Creek).
Aug 7, 2023
[Hide Comment] I put steel carabiners on the anchors I put in. They are not cheap and I encourage everyone to use their own draws on them until the last person has climbed the route. Then, clip the biners take your draws and lower off. It is the safest way to descend a route. The safety factor is why Jim Scott and I started installing these anchors in the 2000s. Having lost so many friends to rappelling accidents, including one just a year or so ago, I am glad so many routes have the easy lower offs systems. Perhaps shawn should be climbing to the top and walking off like we did it in the old days.
Aug 9, 2023
[Hide Comment] That’s a pretty fine line you’re walking there Some Guy. By extending your line of reasoning, what are people doing hanging and falling on bolts that will eventually need replacing? The bottom line is no fixed hardware is going to last forever. So, with that in mind, why not make an anchor safe for user groups of differing experience levels? No one is arguing that rappelling has no place in climbing. As others have described, in general it’s good practice to top rope through your own draws and the last person lowers off the steel mussies to help preserve them.
The 90’s were killer dude, but it’s 2023 not 1993. Things have changed and if you’re just noticing these changes, then maybe you should read up on modern standards before hurling insults. Gyms and media have expanded the reach of climbing to the furthest edges of the gene pool, and yes there are many new climbers out there learning the ropes. Did you start your climbing career with a preternatural knowledge of all things climbing? I doubt it. In lieu of proper mentoring, we are simply trying to make crags safer. I’d rather replace a worn set of mussies than carry someone’s broken body out of a crag.
And the gri gri is arguably the single best tech advancement since the introduction of the cam. Based on your comments, I am unsurprised you don’t see a need for this versatile tool. Just cause you’re not keeping up with the times doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t.
Dec 5, 2023
[Hide Comment] JJ, I can think of three newer crags recently developed that use chain/rings and not mussies. I would guess you've only climbed at one of them. Are mussies a good idea at QC, probably, but at every crag? Doubtful skepticism from another guy who climbed throughout the 'killer' 90s.
Dec 6, 2023
[Hide Comment] Don’t get me wrong Pernell, a proper skill set is always needed to progress in the sport, and something to strive for. Chain or otherwise threaded anchors will continue to have their place as always. In my mind it makes no sense for such an investment on backcountry routes. Or crags that are visited, but perhaps rarely. Yet, we’ve seen lowering biner specific anchors for two decades in certain areas. Mussies or Draco’s or whatever comes next are the natural progression. At the popular crags, having mussies is twofold in my mind. They are safer and more expedient for everyone.
If individuals care to spend money and time on such improvements, then good on them. That’s how things get done. If organizations want to spend the time doing it, then good on them. What harm are mussies causing exactly?
Dec 6, 2023
[Hide Comment] And yes, the 90’s were killer. I was there all those thousands of years ago. The economy was good, gas was cheap, and I was busy visiting every crag I possibly could all across the country. Often with nothing more than directions to the area. So many sketchy anchors it makes my head spin. Started climbing in the early 90’s. Bolted my first .12a in 94. Climbed bona fide 5.12+ R trad in 96. Also did my first all natural gear .12 trad FA in 96. Also bolted and sent my first .13a in 96. It was a good year. Spent winters in Hueco, Indian Creek and J Tree. Wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. Climbing was still rebellious and you could name a route whatever you felt like. No one was strapped to their devices all day long. Just the regular vices. But yes, it was bad ju ju to TR off chain anchors. I think that still holds true to this day. In that sense, Some Guy is correct. But mussies are different. I get it, change is hard. But it’s not as hard as Some Guy is making it out to be IMHO. All my mentors were fifteen to twenty years older than me and the ones who have kept up with the sport are now installing mussies and glue-ins at popular crags like everyone else. So I don’t think this a generational thing. It’s just the community recognizing a weak leak and trying to mitigate any damages. People have to learn somehow. And they tend to do so at popular crags with accessible grades. If you don’t visit such crags with any real consistency, you might not be witnessing the situations the rest of us are. It’s horrifying at times. Anyway, take care Pernell and thanks for all the work you’ve done throughout AZ.
Dec 7, 2023
Access Issue: Must Register! Private Property-The Pond, Atlantis and Mine Area
Details
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Littleton, CO
Phoenix & Prescott, AZ
Denver, Co
Milwaukee, WI
Bern, CH
AZ
Surprise, AZ
somewhere, USA
Rappelling is part of climbing!
If someone in your party can’t do it, then don’t climb outdoors…stick to the gym where you learned this horrific, unethical, narcissistic, and dangerous habit. Aug 6, 2023
Mesa, AZ
somewhere, USA
Flagstaff, AZ
Not exactly sure where the hostility is coming from but since the late 90’s, route developers (myself included) have been equipping single pitch anchors with carabiners, that yes, do need to be replaced from time to time. ClimbTech mussies and Fixe Draco anchor biners are both steel and will last a very long time, even on popular routes. There was a set of Draco’s that were just switched out at the Peaks Crag that lasted twelve years on the most popular 5.10 at the crag.
Clipping and lowering off of this type of anchor is safer and more expedient, which is why the American Safe Climbing Association has been shipping them out across the country by the thousands to both individuals and local climber coalitions. It takes less time and hassle to swap out a worn set of mussies than it does to thread a chain anchor and rap. It’s a well known fact that the majority of climbing accidents occur during rappels. My two cents, take it or leave it, but this type of anchor is standard at popular crags throughout Arizona. Aug 7, 2023
AZ
Climbing through your own quickdraws and having just the last person lower off the STEEL mussy hooks leads to pretty limited wear and tear. Even without Mussy hooks, the AMGA teaches anchor cleaning by lowering through the chains, not rappelling. Additionally, if you’re unwilling/unable to replace worn equipment, there are resources (MP!) to notify those who are.
Attempting to reduce some of the risk not only helps prevent accidents and keep people safe, but is important to preserve access to both public and private land (like Queen Creek). Aug 7, 2023
Tucson
somewhere, USA
"Sport. Climb up an 8 bolt face through a broken section and into a chute to a 3 shut RAP.
Est: /92 Bill Burns, Gary Burns"
...and I would never use slow & dumb grigris. An ATC is all you ever need. Dec 4, 2023
Flagstaff, AZ
The 90’s were killer dude, but it’s 2023 not 1993. Things have changed and if you’re just noticing these changes, then maybe you should read up on modern standards before hurling insults. Gyms and media have expanded the reach of climbing to the furthest edges of the gene pool, and yes there are many new climbers out there learning the ropes. Did you start your climbing career with a preternatural knowledge of all things climbing? I doubt it. In lieu of proper mentoring, we are simply trying to make crags safer. I’d rather replace a worn set of mussies than carry someone’s broken body out of a crag.
And the gri gri is arguably the single best tech advancement since the introduction of the cam. Based on your comments, I am unsurprised you don’t see a need for this versatile tool. Just cause you’re not keeping up with the times doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t. Dec 5, 2023
Arizona
Flagstaff, AZ
If individuals care to spend money and time on such improvements, then good on them. That’s how things get done. If organizations want to spend the time doing it, then good on them. What harm are mussies causing exactly? Dec 6, 2023
Flagstaff, AZ