Todd and Phil met me at the Pro Ski Shop in North Bend on Friday for our Intro to Rock course. The goal of the three days is to get novice climbers comfortable following single pitch routes, cleaning the anchors and being lowered, and being able to set up top-ropes at established anchors for their own climbing. These two had some limited experience climbing indoors at gyms - Todd had also spent one day outside working on movement skills - so they were the perfect students.
On Day 1 we hiked to We Did Rock at Exit 38 and focused on movement skills and safely cleaning anchors to be lowered.
On Day 2 we went to the Gritscone at Exit 38 and worked on top-rope anchor skills - and got in a few good climbs along the way. The 5.10a there is fantastic!
On Day 3 we upped the ante by heading over to the Repo towers at Exit 32, where exposed top-rope anchors require protecting the scrambles and rappelling. The heat was wilting, so we kept it short and simple and then hiked around to a couple of the other crags. We also discovered George's Bakery in North Bend - I'm a little shocked and embarrassed I haven't walked into this place before - its right across the street from the shop! Another bakery to add to my list!
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| Those donuts are about 8" across. No kidding. |
Statistics: Pro Guiding Service - Intro to Rock. Exit 38 - We Did Rock, The Gritscone; Exit 32 - Repo I and II Towers. 3-5 August with Todd and Phil.
