Nuts and Volts

While remote, this route exemplifies a little piece of climbing history: the dawn of the sportclimbing era. It was the last route I drilled by hand, and the first route on which I set 3/8" bolts. It was established from the ground up, but is the only time I ever used aid from hooks on lead for the drilling stances.

Always the guy with the eye for obscure, remote new lines, it was Alan Bartlett who talked me into the walk up the hill. Formerly a climbing guide in Yosemite, he was doing a stint at Chockstone Press when I moved to Colorado. He scoped out the wall on one of his rambles, and lured me with tales of glorious first ascents. Thus bedazzled, I threw a drilling kit in the top of the pack and we were off.

After warming up on "Ohmer's Odyssey", the classic 5.9 crack splitting the middle of the wall, we got to work on "Nuts and Volts" to the left. An initial right-facing flake/arch took a couple of nuts, then petered out. Near vertical face-climbing on pockets and pebbles lead onward, but lacked anything remotely suitable for a free drilling stance. Out came the hook, followed by the drill and the hammer. Fortyfive minutes later the first bolt was in, and a couple hours after that the hard labor was finished and I had blisters on both hands.

After a quick trip to the deck and a drink of water, we pulled the rope, then relead the pitch to make it "official". We wrapped up the day by climbing everything else on the wall. A week later I ordered my Hilti and the world has never been the same.

Four bolts, gear for the start and the top anchor.