RRC Archives

Dirty, muddy, belaying on a ledge, scrambling on some slab to get to the start....

What are the worst spots at the base of a route that make it: difficult to belay, tough to get to, super sketchy if you fall before you get on belay, or just dirty and manky around the base.

Last weekend I was at curbside, and yesterday I was at the north 40 and the base of Amarillo Sunset got me thinking.

Frugal Chariot is one that isn't dirty, but would be particularly bad to fall if you weren't stick clipped. Hell, getting it stick clipped in itself is treacherous.

What others stand out to you?

Twinkie
No Fluff

Crack attack
Marmalade

i second crack attack

27 Years comes to mind. The base slopes steeply away from the wall. And since it's a popular moderate, there's lots of traffic at a very narrow base which causes futher erosion. It's wet and muddy for most of the year. Maybe there's a way to improve the situation with a little base enhancement. The Kamsight slab at Roadside was worse until volunteers dug a nice flat bench for it. There are other walls in the Red where the hill goes right up to the rock and no flat spot, but most of the climbs don't see much traffic so it's not worth doing anything about it.

All the routes at The Animal Crackers Wall. The belay seat is facing the wrong way.

This isn't really a bottom stance, but the belay from the top of the quest is way to the side and the crawl over to it is covered in sap. bees really like sap

the upper part of bruise brothers can get nasty muddy if it rained recently, A copperhead also lives below those two 5.8 trad climbs as well as some bee's whoe made nests under two rocks...I'd say that's hardly hospitable.

der uber..is the base of amarillo sunset a good or bad base to you. it is a solid rock base and flat, BUT if you fall without the first bolt clipped, you are toast.

In the future I expect the base of all climbs in the 'gorge' to be squared off with rail ties and filled with a nice soft mulch!

If I get dirty one more time...