Announcement: Temporary Route Closures in Muir

[weber]

To avoid stirring the RRC controversy pot, I decided a few weeks ago to reduce my posts to a minimum. When the victory whip rule was initiated at Muir, it was important enough to need to be posted here. I asked Sandy to make it a locked post, knowing that some cling dearly to their beloved aerobatics and bickering would surely follow in an open post. This was to no avail as others immediately started a separate thread which quickly grew to 6 pages, and the ranters were off and running.

So, we are going to post this sure-to-be controversial, but important, announcement concerning a few routes in Muir Valley.

Due to safety concerns, the following routes in Muir are closed until repairs are made:

Sanctuary: Cherry Red, Peace Frog, Prometheus, Triple Sec and Unamed (Hoosier Boys)
Solarium: Urban Voodoo, Super Best Friends, Summer Sunshine
Innner Sanctum: Cosmic Trigger

These spectacular routes were not set by Team Muir. It is our desire to re-open them as quickly as possible. Specifically, the bolts need to be replaced on these routes, in most cases requiring new holes to be drilled near the present ones.These routes are overhung, difficult, and beyond my climbing ability. But, as time and resources permit, they will be properly rebolted.

Even though these are relatively new routes, three bolts have completely popped out of the rock on them, the latest event occuring last Saturday. We discovered that this last bolt, just like the first two, was inserted in a hole that flared to 3/4 inch in diameter at the entrance -- a full 1/4 inch larger than it should have been. (I am not here to debate why the bolt holes are improperly shaped. In several cases we found that they just are.) Dynabolt Golds and Powers 5-piece sleeve bolts will quickly loosen in improperly drilled holes. When loaded by whips, the bolt can pitch up and down in this oversized hole, causing it to loosen the cone and allow the bolt to easily unscrew from it and release the hanger bracket from the wall.

We hope to have these routes again available to our visitors as soon as possible.

Rick & Liz Weber

[meetVA]

Rick, thanks for the update.

[mcrib]

Oh man I was going to get on Cherry Red. ya right.

[pigsteak]

thanks rick.

[the lurkist]

Thanks for the quality control, Rick.

[Spragwa]

Thanks Rick.

[merrick]

we appreciate everything you are doing rick, thanks for the update.

[Power2U]

[quote="Sanctuary: Cherry Red, Peace Frog, Prometheus, Triple Sec and Unamed (Hoosier Boys)
Solarium: Urban Voodoo, Super Best Friends, Summer Sunshine
Innner Sanctum: Cosmic Trigger " [/quote]

Thanks for all you have done, do and will do in the future with the wondeful piece of the Red you own.

Keep us posted on the conditon of these routes as they are some of the best that Muir has to offer. Thanks again!

[bryan]

I love puppies

[Christian]

I didn't read Rick's post that way Bryan.