Top Roping Options in the Monument

[burnsbabe]

Hey folks,

  I'll be in the park with some friends this Friday-Sunday. Some of us are okay leaders on low level stuff (think 5.9 and lower), but other than that we'll need to be toproping. Do you have suggestions on areas on the east side that accommodate that more readily? I know the park is more trad/sport oriented, and that anybody leading generally has right of way on climbs. We don't want to be a bother, but also would like to not get kicked off our climbs repeatedly.

[JC w KC redux]

Tourist Trap, Teaching Rock and Upper Crust some immediately to mind.
You are correct that it is common courtesy to pull your ropes if leaders come through wanting to climb what you have TRed.
Do you have Brad's guidebook?
Any climb that says walkoff can be TRed but many times in Pinnacles the routes wander enough that yo-yoing isn't great and it is better to belay from the top.
There are tons of easy options for leading in the new routes list - check it out - you can take a nice hike, get away from the crowds at all the usual spots and have a ton of fun by leading easier stuff.

[Brad Young]

Answers will vary a lot, a hell of a lot, depending on whether you've got the guidebook.

Huge amounts of Pinnacles climbing is not on Mountain Project, and what is on that site is known for crappy entries and an almost total lack of "how to get there" information.

[Brad Young]

^^^

Oh, and pretty cool how this new poster (first post) still calls it a "monument" when it has been a National Park for over ten years.

Hell, Joshua Tree has been a park for coming up on 30 years, and I still call it a monument most of the time.

[Gavin]

I would echo what John and Brad have said - the answers depend a fair bit on whether or not you have Brad's guidebook with its detailed and comprehensive text and directions on different locations and how to get to them.

If you haven't lead-climbed a huge amount outdoors, some of the lower graded routes at Pinnacles can still be pretty heady too, based on how protected they are with bolts.

Assuming you are fairly comfortable with lead-climbing and have access to Brad's guidebook, I would also throw in Monolith if you can confidently lead the 5.7 (after which the other routes can be easily set up on toprope). You can also hike to the top of Discovery Wall to set up topropes for a number of routes, but it can be hard to figure out which anchor bolts go to which routes without Brad's guidebook... and a number of the anchor bolts are set back from the edge and require long runners to set up equalized anchors at the edge to avoid friction drag.

[mynameismud]

Welcome
I agree with JC
Tourist Trap although it requires a bit of a hike or bushwacking
Upper Crust
Teaching Rock
Discovery but it can be crowded and may require two ropes.

[JC w KC redux]

^^^
Mud is messing with you.
If you spend much time on here you may get accustomed to the snarkiness and teasing that goes on.

I would suggest going anywhere but Bear Gulch and find some peace and quiet.
For example, you could go to Deep Groove Wall, Junction Rock or The Ghost Slabs and have a blast with the place all to yourself. (Shhhhh...don't tell anyone  ). Or choose any number of other locations on the New Routes list - The Northeast Frontier has a ton of stuff and a wide range of ratings and types of climbing.

[mynameismud]

Not messing,
I do agree with Deep Groove as well.  Good add.

[Brad Young]

Yes, Deep Groove Wall is a good call. Should have it all the themselves, in a pretty part of the park/monument, not too far from parking, and routes right in the range the poster asked about.

[JC w KC redux]

Oh, and pretty cool how this new poster (first post) still calls it a "monument" when it has been a National Park for over ten years.

Maybe that means they have a guidebook.

According to the interwebs, the park bill didn't pass until July 2012 (House) and December 2012 (senate). I had to look it up because more than 10 years didn't feel right to me based on my history there. I never paid much attention to it since it was another year until it was signed into law and then seemed like it took forever for the NPS to actually change all the signs, logos, etc. By then I had lost interest and as some of you already know - I don't follow the news.

[JC w KC redux]

Not messing,

Really?

Tourist Trap although it requires a bit of a hike or bushwacking

Busted 

[F4?]

Back door

You rap in on autocream
I cannot describe how to approach from the caves.

[mynameismud]

you are correct.  I will tend to post options that require bushwacking.  It is part of the game.

Really?

Busted 

[JC w KC redux]

^^^
I thought maybe you were subliminally suggesting they climb Bushwhackin Dave (note apostrophe is missing so I do not end up like F4 or mungie).

[mynameismud]

I was thinking Rat Race and Nipple Jam, but you have to hike into the top from up the trail. 

[JC w KC redux]

I was thinking Rat Race and Nipple Jam, but you have to hike into the top from up the trail.

Yep - I figured it was something like that but you have to admit - that is a minimum amount of hiking compared to other areas (besides Discovery).
The only shorter approach may be Peaks View Pinnacle/Rock Bottom - if not shorter, it is certainly easier - but the climbs? Ay yi yi yi.

[Atomizer]

I get this question quite a lot. Brad, maybe the new guide should have more info on where to toprope, where to find sport climbs, trad, etc. The brown book is intimidating if you're not already familiar with the area.

[burnsbabe]

Hey folks! Tons of good info here! I don't in fact have the book (most places I can find a price attached to it is around $100 now and that feels like it can't be right. Anybody have a lead on a reasonably priced copy (cover price was $35 I think?). I'm in the East Bay, so if you're near by, or on the way down I'd be happy to stop someplace and hand you cash for it.

Still, all these crag names are very helpful. It was clear some things could be set up at the anchors by hiking the trails above, but I agree that it seems like it'll be hard to pair an anchor with a specific route. We can probably manage leading some 5.7-8ish things, which should help too.

I'll read through more specifically later, as I'm on lunch. The only book I have right now is what's in the most recent copy of Bay Area Rock, which isn't nothing, but doesn't even begin to cover the whole park, I know.

[JC w KC redux]

Brad, maybe the new guide should have more info on where to toprope, where to find sport climbs, trad, etc.

Chance Brothers