Trail Conditions

Submitted by alex on Thu, 12/23/2010 - 11:31

Whenever I break trail to something I feel compelled to let others know so that they may take advantage of the boot pack.  I think a dedicated thread could be useful.  If you posthole to Solstice, Kansas Cornfield, or any other less-travelled line you might as well let others know!

This morning we "refreshed" the trail to the Curtains / Over Easy / Slot corner area and put in a post hole traverse to Dielectric Breakdown.  We then hiked straight down from DB.  You could climb straight up our "down" trail but it's pretty steep.

By the way, has anyone ever thought of putting a few bolts on Dielectric Breakdown?  It's a super fun climb with good dry-tooling.  However, the dry-tooling is impossible to protect (about 20 feet of it right now).  If there were bolts on that climb it would be an instant classic.  Of course, the "rock" (compact dirt and pebbles) would probably require 6 inch long bolts :-)

Thanks for beating the trail up to those routes. That is one that I'd like to flag sometime so that everyone can figure out the best, and singular, way. I don't think I've ever gone to them the same way twice.

Personally, I don't think Dialelectric should have any bolts. It comes in early (November) most seasons and is usually gone before New Years. I frequently encourage folks to get on it while they can. Typically it is plenty fat for ice screws (or at least requires some experience protecting thin columns) but after it dessicates and or is thin I can imagine one wanting to be able to clip some bolts. The route has been done lots of times without bolts. So adding them now would not improve anything, in my humble opinion. I think it is great that the route has a relatively small window of good conditions and that it requires some hunting and dedication to get done. For what it's worth, in my opinion, this is part of what makes Hyalite, Hyalite. I think it's already a classic!

Based on the conditions last week, I actually think that a few bolts to protect the lower part would have made it really fun and accessible.  However, I completely agree that the fact that it's rarely in condition makes it that much more special.  (It's a classic based on its elusiveness.)  Finally, I don't even own a drill so I'm not bolting anything but I'm still grateful for this forum which allows anybody to discuss thoughts and ideas.  It's in that spirit that I made the previous post.