Bob & Ralph's Most Excellent Adventure

Bob & Ralph's Most Excellent Adventure ("B&RsMEA")NOTE: While intermediate belays on gear are possible, a 70m rope is virtually required for this climb.  Double 70m ropes makes the descent in only 3 raps, although there is a rap line (5 raps) possible with a single 70m.  P1 – Start at the base of Cinema Gully and climb up left and center, about 40 ft up break out left (this is probably the 2nd “obvious” place to break out left).  Once out of the gully, continue up to a bolt (about another 20-30+/- ft ) on a slab.  (You may see a rap-anchor to your left.) Now up slabs and small corners to a double bolt anchor about 20-25 ft right of where Asteroid Belt breaks through the headwall.  215-200 ft  5.5-5.6 P2 – Up past 1 bolt and gear (Med cams) to a “left foot commitment move” at the top of the “headwall”.  A bolt protects the slab immediately above the commitment move, but not the move itself.  Now head up towards the dark brown swarth of rock that is usually covered in ice from Nov to April.  Slabs, corners, occasional gear, and 3 more bolts (one by an ancient ¼-inch buttonhead) lead to a double bolt anchor at 215-220 ft (another “70m pitch”)  5.7 +/- PG, and 5.5-5.6R due to some slab moves 10-15 ft above ledges. NOTE: Once at the P2 belay, there is a triple-bolt anchor (2 very old 3/8” plus a new SS 3/8”:) up and to your left 25+/- ft.  It is next to a wide, sandy ledge with small trees/bushes.  You can not reach it by “extending” P2, even with a 70m rope.  The “Falling Bodies” climbs start on that ledge. P3 – Up the dark brown rock, following closely-spaced bolts.  Around the 3rd or 4th bolt the route trends left to a “hump” (gear, med. Cams. in its right side).  On top of the “hump”, step up and right (bolt) and continue up (gear, small TCUs, and I think 1 more bolt) generally 15-20 ft right of the line of bolts to the left (Falling Bodies) to a double bolt anchor on the vertical, black rock above the water gully.  125 ft +/-  pretty continuous 5.8 to 5.8+   ( or 5.7+/5.8- A-0 at 4th (?) bolt where the climb steps left on a smooth slab) Descent - Rap the route with 3 double-rope 70m raps, ……or rap the independent rap-line to climber's left with 5 single-70m-rope raps. At least 2 of the raps are a FULL 35 meters, so tie knots!  From the top anchor, this line raps to the old bolts (now a triple bolt anchor) at the right end of the sandy ledge, 20-25 ft up and left from the P2 anchor of "B&RsMEA".  (See ROUTE PHOTO)  History- In 2015 Bob and Ralph climbed Asteroid Belt and continued up to the old double bolt anchor at the sandy ledge about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pitch above where Asteroid Belt veers to the left on vegetated ramps. Ralph climbed up to the arching crack in the grey rock above, placed two pieces of gear (a #0.75, green, Camalot and a small Red "TCU Camalot"...the ONLY gear in the pitch) About 15 feet beyond (and about 65 ft up the pitch) a crystal broke off and resulted, with slack and rope-stretch, in a 40-50 ft fall, which resulted in a badly sprained ankle. Although a party on Hugo's offered to help, we executed a self-rescue with no further adventure.A week later Bob hiked to the top of the mountain and rapped the entire cliff to retrieve the gear in the crack. The 0.75 Camalot had completely blown out of the crack and was just hanging, Ralph having connected it to the red TCU, which, in turn, had completely expanded and was acting as a nut, not a cam, and was inches from blowing out of the crack also. This was all that was between the 40 ft fall and a 150-200 ft fall. Truly an "Excellent Adventure". The name "Falling Bodies" for the route came to mind. Five years later (neither Ralph nor Bob could believe five years had passed, but date-stamps on jpg's don't lie) Jon Sykes, who Bob had told the story to, volunteered to lead up a new route in the area. He chose to climb the dark brown rock to the right of "Falling Bodies" and to name the route "Bob & Ralph's Most Excellent Adventure". Bob & Ralph returned to the "scene of the crime" and put in two alternate-ending pitches to "B&RsMEA", "Falling Bodies (Right)" and "Falling Bodies Direct".  FB(Right) takes the line that Bob had originally proposed to Ralph in 2015 (he was actually climbing a bit to the left of it when he fell). whereas FB Direct starts at the left end of the sandy ledge and climbs directly up.

Start at the tow of the slab at the base of Cinema Gully

Std Rack augments bolts NOTE: A 70 m rope is almost mandatory for this climb