The Matrix

A good slab route in a perfect setting. Good friction on featured rock.

Start: 25 feet left of Little Finger on the leftmost seem.

Pro: Bolt protected, Adirondack style, a bit run out. PG

1) Go up the left seem and through the overlap onto the face and the first bolt. Climb the sustained slab to a fixed anchor.

2) (crux) Stem above the belay and then up over a bulge then continue on dimpled rock to the second belay at a good stance.

3) Up the slab then easier climbing up and right to a right facing corner and a ledge with anchors.

4) Move right past the corner then up to an overhang with a left facing corner above. Climb the corner to a tree ledge, then above to the exit overhang. Positive holds up right to anchor. Sep 14, 2009

I have the most recent edition of the guidebook, and, according to the "topo" maps the author drew for this route, the first pitch (180ft.) only has 4 bolts. I'm no mathematician, but that is more than "a little run-out."

Can someone explain how you climb this, entirely sport (which is what everyone keeps telling me), without risking 80 ft. falls? (distance between bolts would be, on average, 45 ft.)

I'm planning a trip up there, and just want to be as prepared as possible.

Also, does anyone have any experience throwing down a double-70 for the rappel? Is there a high snag factor, or should it throw clean down to the anchors?

-B Mar 19, 2013

Brad: P1 of the Matrix goes up a gully for a good distance before reaching technical rock. After that, the bolts are pretty well positioned where the climbing is hard, but there are significant runouts at a lesser grade. I doubt there's a place where one could fall 80'; more likely a 40' fall in places. Rogers Rock is a slab, so taking a long fall is more of a tumbling affair rather than a free-fall. This type of climbing isn't "sport" climbing, but it is entirely protected by bolts. By the standards of the climbing here established over 40 years, this route is well protected :-)

Regarding rappelling this route with 70m ropes (which I've done) -- the extra rope isn't necessary, as the route is designed for 60m ropes. All that means is there will be some extra sorting to do. I doubt it's possible to throw the rope down the slab cleanly to the next anchor, as it's simply too low angle. Mar 19, 2013

Thanks, Jim, for your (continued) help as I'm planning this, my first multi-pitch climb. I love the book, by the way!

1) What would you suggest in terms of rope management for getting a party of 2 down?

a) lowering my first to the anchor, then rapping down two ropes, keeping the slack of the single rope I have with me (the other is now, of course, at the anchor with the first) in a rope bag as I go down

b) both of us lowering off of two ropes separately, the first of us taking the slack of TWO ropes in a rope back as I go down.

2) would you invest in any trad gear to protect the route further? If so, which pieces and where should they be placed?

Thanks so much,
Brad Mar 25, 2013

Check the book, but probably rappel with 2 ropes. I don't recall any opportunity for other gear. Mar 25, 2013

Many of the climbs on Roger Rock tend to be more difficult and have much longer runouts than the ratings suggest. Jul 26, 2013

Re' Rapping - My recollection is that Screaming Meanie's double bolt anchors are set about 50m ( 165 ft) apart, meaning double ropes even with a 70m (228 ft = 115 ft raps). If Jim says he's gotten down (other than the far right tree-and-lose-rock-line) with a single 70m, maybe there are some newer anchors on Matrix that allows this, perhaps by traversing back-and-forth between Matrix and Screaming Meanie; but 2ropes x 60m down Screaming Meanie is fast (2 raps) and direct. 2 x 50m will do it, but there's only 2-3 ft left on the 2nd rap to a semi-hanging station.

Jun 23, 2015

Robert, I never said that the route could be rapped with a single 70m rope. In the comment above, I said (or meant to say) that if you are rappelling with 70m ropes [notice the plural], then you will have excess rope to deal with.

To be clear, the route is setup to be rappelled with double 60m ropes.

The guidebook recommends two 60m ropes for rappelling almost all routes at Rogers Rock. Jun 29, 2015

I'm thinking about doing this route in the summer. I work at Silver Bay and have wanted to get to the top of Rogers Rock for a long time. The PG-13 rating on this worries me. I've seen in other comments that there are 45 ft runnouts and long distances between bolts. Are there many places to place pro gear between bolts to supplement the protection or is this a climb you have to be very careful on to avoid unpleasant lead fall/tumbles. I know that many slab climbs like this do not have many pockets or cracks to place gear. thank for the help! Mar 8, 2016

Jonah: I suggest doing the linkup of Screaming Meany (P1 and P2)and Matrix (P3 and P4). This combo gets you to the top and avoids the two hardest pitches of the Matrix (and climbs the best two pitches of Screaming Meany). Mar 9, 2016

Can this route be Safely rappelled with one 70 meter rope? if so how? Apr 10, 2017

Nick: See above comments. Double 60m ropes are necessary to rappel. Apr 17, 2017

WOW what great climbing! Pitch 2 was especially cool, but the whole thing was great. Buddy wasn't feeling it so I lead the first three pitches, then rapped to try and get one more full route in (almost did, 2/3 of Parallel Dreams), and the last pitch looked really easy. Guess I'll "have" to go back!! Aug 24, 2017

Hey, I am looking at climbing in this later this year as an easy multi-pitch to introduce my girlfriend to slab/multi-pitch. I was wondering if someone could help with the following questions.

1. Approximate length of each pitch and number of bolts per pitch
2. I read the other comments about rapping, we don't have two ropes, is there a walk off?
3. If we are coming in late October what are our chances of actually being able to climb vs. rain/bad conditions?

Thanks,
Sam Aug 2, 2018