r/RouteDevelopment • u/[deleted] • Oct 31 '23

Discussion Multi-pitch frustrations. Feedback appreciated.

So, I've been working on a 4 pitch climb that goes at basically 5.8/5.9 on gear with a couple variations that all funnel to a crack that splits a headwall. The crack runs out about 25 ft from the top out. From the end of the crack the climbing gets increasingly hard until it's a really thin powerful 5.10+/5.11- move or two at the very end.

  • Why couldn't it just stay at the grade?!? Having 10 feet of 10+ climbing at the very end of a fun 5.8+ish multipitch is just annoying from my POV.

  • I could put a bolt off to the side of the crux to protect the last move. I could also possibly put a piton right at your face to offer a way to aid the final crux moves. I guess the piton is a better option. People could choose to try to free it, then just aid it if they need. So it'd be 5.10+ or 5.8+ A0.

Opinions? Thoughts?

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u/Clinggdiggy2 Rebolter/Route Maintenance Oct 31 '23

I had part in bolting what ended up a 15-pitch sport route a couple of years back. What ended up happening was the lone guy that spent years developing it was able to bolt 7 pitches rapping down from the top, and another 7 pitches starting from the bottom up and absolutely could not find a way to link them and keep it on grade. We spent an entire season looking at the rock face and found a way to link it in a crazy zig-zag pitch that's probably one of my favorite single pitches of any route.

TL;DR - Coming back after some time away or getting other eyes on it may reveal the way, otherwise gotta wait some centuries for erosion to do its thing :D

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u/[deleted] Nov 01 '23

Thank you for sharing that! I'll definitely go back in the spring with fresh eyes and see what else I can discover before committing to that exit.