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Climbed "Yakusa" this past weekend with Josh. Great climb. Would like to place anchors at the top. Does anyone know how to contact Barry Brolley so we could see if that is o.k. with him. We walked off via some pipe ladders - fun if you know they are there. The rap tree is dangerous.
Thanks

supposedly a girl from the valley changed out the webbing and said the tree up there was fine to rap off of.

Ya, the webbing is new and there is even a new rap ring, but that doesn't make the tree itself any safer. The tree is not only dead, but also within 18" of the cliff edge(I doubt the root ball is very substantial) and the tree has been snapped off about 8 ft. up by a bad storm. With the tools and knowledge that we as climbers possess, there should definitely be anchors at the top.

If it needs anchors put them there. In this case I don't think its a matter of whether or not the FA approves. If an anchor is unsafe then it needs to be fixed.

Ascentionist wrote:If it needs anchors put them there. In this case I don't think its a matter of whether or not the FA approves. If an anchor is unsafe then it needs to be fixed.

I disagree in principle. In this case, the current "rap" anchors seem to be unsafe...this has nothing to do with climbing the route and topping out safely. Therefore I do not believe you can use this blanket statment that it "needs" anchors in which to bypass respecting the FA.

This being said, I spoke with the FA and it is in progress to put in bolted anchors.

Not to be a jerk about it, but I really don't think getting down safely has anything to do with the FAs preference. I've seen people rap of some really scary stuff. I'm not saying Barry would do this, but suppose an FA rapped from a small pine and left webbing. Everyone else afterward assumed that this was the anchor. Would it really matter how the FA felt about it if someone climbed a little higher and left webbing on a more substantial tree?

It the tree that has webbing on it has died and is unsafe and people are going to assume that this is the anchor they use to get down, then something should be done. At the very least, clean the webbing off the suspect tree and move to a better one. But once again, I don't see how the FA has anything to do with it. What if the FA had moves to another continent or had died, or didn't climb anymore? Would it still matter? If not, then why does it matter if they do still climb in the area?

Yeah, Ascentionist got it right. Safety is alot more important than feelings and ethics. It would be good to remove the slings off of the dead tree so someone doesn't get killed. Good anchors are also important for continued access - the DB National Forest Service has left it up to us, the climbers, to maintain bolts and top anchors. Death/massive trauma due to bogus anchors ain't gonna make RRG climbers look good, and would probably lead to more regulation.

You guys don't make sense. If you have ethics, doesn't it mean you also regard safety and other people's feelings? It all goes together, at least IMO.

Why this is such a big issue is beyond me. Caspian already said that he spoke with Barry and the issue is being addressed. There should be nothing else to be discussed.

quicksilver wrote:Climbed "Yakusa" this past weekend with Josh. Great climb. Would like to place anchors at the top. Does anyone know how to contact Barry Brolley so we could see if that is o.k. with him. We walked off via some pipe ladders - fun if you know they are there. The rap tree is dangerous.
Thanks

I just checked and the need for anchors has also been suggested in the comments on this route. Since this route is on the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve you need to check with the PMRP Property Manager, Bob Matheny, about putting in anchors and Bob can also talk to Barry. I really don't think either gentlemen will see a problem with that. Let me know if you need Bob's contact information and I will send you a PM with that.

squeezindlemmon wrote:You guys don't make sense. If you have ethics, doesn't it mean you also regard safety and other people's feelings? It all goes together, at least IMO.

Why this is such a big issue is beyond me. Caspian already said that he spoke with Barry and the issue is being addressed. There should be nothing else to be discussed.

Ditto. After the FA said "no problem" and it's being addressed, the remaining discussion is academic. Oh and also if Dr. Bob approves the anchors.