[Hide Comment] These comments were as of July 2017. Its position on the arete is pleasing to the eye, but that's where the niceties end. It is so incredibly loose and dirty that it is honestly dangerous to the climber and the belayer in my opinion. I pulled out two cantaloupe sized cobbles with my bare hands. To top it all off, the anchor is in poor rock and the chains are not equalized which adds even greater stress. The average 5.7 climber is not prepared to do the kind of cleaning that this route still requires. Jul 25, 2017

[Hide Comment] Keep in mind you may be within the first 5 people to touch the route. It's a shame it will never get enough traffic to get cleaned up now that your comment is here. Jul 25, 2017

[Hide Comment] I returned to this route today and did some cleaning and anchor station work.

1. I banged off a few loose cobbles with a hammer
2. I brushed and then cleaned the entire route with a battery powered leaf blower
3. I worked on the belay station, which now has three bolts

The anchor is not now, nor was it ever, in poor rock. The glue-ins are in absolutely bomber stone. Initially there was an expansion bolt to the right of the glue-ins and it was a little sketchy, but it is gone now. In the interest of addressing any reticence someone might have about getting on this route as a result of the "bomb" rating I added a third bolt to the anchor station and equalized the whole enchilada. No doubt this route will continue to clean up, but this is a really great route. The fact that it is an easy route in box canyon makes it unique and it should see a lot of traffic.

Perhaps Rob Phillips will jump on it again, find the route improved and change his rating?? Apr 5, 2018

[Hide Comment] Not a bomb. Honestly, out of the 5 new routes in this little cluster, it is the best one and the only one I would do again. Climbing on the arete provides cool holds and compression moves. There was the normal amount of small choss for a new Maple route. There is a death cobble that needs to be addressed. It's directly in the rope line, right below ledge for the chains. I think you can actually see it in the above pic; big red cobble just right of the topo line. I put a big X on it. It's easy to avoid if you know it's there but it's very loose and the natural foot you would use. I couldn't wiggle it out safely. Next time I'm down there solo, I'll clean it up.

• ***I went back up this route with a hammer and took down a bunch of rock. The best rock quality is on the arete itself so don't stray into the rotten rock to the right of the climb. I cleaned this stuff up as best I could as well. Get on this route, I think it's good to go.

May 29, 2018

[Hide Comment] no longer very dirty. a nice addition to the wall. Jun 9, 2018

[Hide Comment] Many Thanks C Hopwood!! Jul 3, 2018

[Hide Comment] I have toned down my original comment. Thank you Jason Stevens and others who have put in tons of time to clean and equip this and countless other new routes. Your Herculean efforts are much appreciated and admired. However, I still think it is important to let people know about the condition of routes, especially if it seems unsafe to the climber and/or others in the area. A response like the one by Jason and C Hopwood is really what was intended for such an appealing looking line.

I don't think my comments were unfair, or unwarranted. I think the aspects of the route that I felt were most serious were acknowledged and addressed. I was concerned about things like the "death cobble" and the "bunch of rock", as well as the "expansion bolt to the right of the glue-ins and it was a little sketchy". In a busy spot like this, this kind of work should be done in a controlled way, and not left to an unwitting army of novice climbers to hopefully "clean up" over time. Aug 2, 2019

[Hide Comment] No hard feelings here, Rob. Your FA history is a testament of your own credentials. Good ole-fashioned honest feedback is helpful, and will certainly result in this being a safer and popular route. Aug 5, 2019

[Hide Comment] I just climbed this route today. I don't think anyone has climbed it in a while. Lots of spiderwebs in the pockets and not a whole lot of chalk. Pretty sandy and dirty. There is a section just a few bolts up that look like it's going to crumble, a large flake that should be knocked off. With the cleaning I'd say this climb is probably harder than a 5.7. towards the top are def more difficult moves. and a lot of the moves on this route are delicate. Aug 25, 2019