Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
Cool story to add to this great thread.
It looks like the same wall?
|
|
Chalkpaw
climber
Flag, AZCO
|
|
That is really cool to see that someone is finally heading down that monster of a "dome" to take a look. I was last there in 1998. I must have spent several hours, days wondering what it would take to rappel in for a look and maybe a climb. Like the OP, I couldn't find partners to go with me.
I've climbed all of the routes on the dome itself. Slabs, slabs. Starting in the 80's. Even put up some bolted lines on the steeper, left side of the dome proper in 1997. Don't remember what we called them, but they have 3/8 hardware, not the old 1/4 starr drives. I wonder if these lines ever get climbed? There are some scary old school routes on the main dome, nothing to do with the stuff to the north. I wish I kept the John Bald guide to the area.
More importantly, I was wondering how you guys are accessing the cliff. There is a totally easy, public land way into the dome itself. If you are going through the private land on top, with the railroad car "house", that is super sketchy! Check out the satellite view to see what must be a toxic operation of some sort! Rather, take Bean Creek Road to the south, and around the 3200 elevation foot line on the topo map, I found an old logging road on the left side of the road, now grown mostly over that leads toward the descent gully into the dome. This trail made a lot less hassle than trying to go through private property. Continue over to the area in the photos. Like I said, last time I was there was 97', but its really cool to read this thread about your explorations. All the best!
|
|
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
Nice find, Paul - thanks for scanning and posting that!
It might be fun to repeat the 1967 route.
There may not be that many 31 pitch 5.7s in northern California.
Perhaps with better shoes and a working headlamp, it could be done in-a-day? :-)
|
|
pbernard02
Trad climber
Chester, CA
|
|
Hey Chalkpaw! Thanks for the post. Did you do those routes with Rob? I went out there with Brian Conry (he had done a couple of routes up there too). I guess if I knew your real name, I could verify some of the info I have.
YES, one of the awesome things about the dome now is that access is no longer an issue. The forest service punched a road into it on Forest Service land in the late '90s? (can anyone verify this date?). You no longer have to pass through any private property, even the trail is on clearly public land. This is one of the reasons I've decided to include this in the guide. With access issues cleared up, the approach of 20 minutes, this is a great place to climb. However, it is still an adventure! Long run-outs, old bolts, smooth slab, out in the middle of nowhere feel. Like Conry said, "Not too many people are going to bring their girlfriends out here!"
|
|
pbernard02
Trad climber
Chester, CA
|
|
Yeah, that's it.
|
|
DJS
Trad climber
|
|
Didn't read through the thread so sorry if I'm late on this but this got identified as Bald Dome yeah?
I hope so cause... well... it is.
Check with these guys to get all the info and see the old guidebook for Feather River and surrounding areas.
If you chose one of the obvious lines you should have run into pitons and manky quarter inch Leepers by now.
I heard access wasn't an issue now maybe in the future i can get on the thing without fear of a guy on a four wheeler with a shotgun.
|
|
fearless second
Social climber
Chico, CA
|
|
Here's a couple of pics of the route my brother and I took from his airplane. (east side of bald rock dome)
|
|
adventurous one
Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
|
|
|
Jan 13, 2012 - 02:26pm PT
|
Paul - Nice detective work on that 1967 article!! That kind of effort is what defines a good guidebook author! Maybe those guys are still able to be located, and maybe they went back there again after that article came out? Sure looks like a lot of potential there.
I first heard rumor of some "huge granite slabs" down in the Feather River Canyon back in the late 80s from a kayaker friend of mine that knew I was a climber. From his account it sounded like at least an all day/multi day approach. (They were kayacking this very deep, technically challenging, inaccessable canyon and unaware of how one might access the climbing. And always difficult to assess the worthiness of a non climbers discription of "huge" granite that looks like good climbing potential)
Sounds like the access is reasonable after all. Great to finally see some photos, and hear a bit of the history coming out.
Any more photos of the stuff on the other side of the river? Can't wait to get down there and check it out finally. Thanks to the op for bringing this out of obscurity.
And yes, would be very cool to repeat that 31 pitch 5.7 (1967 old school, sandbag rating?) route. Or maybe find a new 10-15 pitch 5.9 or 5.10? Hmm.....
For more info and a preview of some of the other areas covered in the new "Rock Climbs of Northeastern California" that we are finishing, check out the Camp 4 Press website at camp4press.com
|
|
cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
|
|
|
Jan 13, 2012 - 03:30pm PT
|
Did anyone end up establishing a route?
I wish there were Xrez photos...
http://binged.it/wdEOPj
Looks pretty cool!
 Luke
|
|
NorCal Climber
Trad climber
Chico, CA
|
|
|
Jan 25, 2012 - 11:59pm PT
|
Look for Brian Conry!
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Dec 17, 2012 - 11:14pm PT
|
The Taco's just an amazing teapot, a virtual series of smaller storms swirling in orbit, small tempests.
Was anything ever accomplished in this obscure canyon? Ever?
My own thoughts are: Why go to the trouble of rapping into anything?? (The Fissures at Taft Pt., for example.) This is something I have never done in my life, simply due to a healthy respect for the dangers of rapping. I have better stuff to do than feed my ego by exposing myself to unnecessary risk, IMO.
And if nothing's been claimed as FA by anyone, WTF was this all about?
Happy New Year, BTW.
|
|
rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2012 - 12:04am PT
|
californians = rock snobs. anywhere else in the world and it would be lined with routes. lol
|
|
skamoto
Mountain climber
coalinga ca
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2016 - 09:11pm PT
|
So what's the latest news on this?
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2016 - 09:21am PT
|
If there aren't any routes to the right of where Clint and Co. rapped in, there should be.
That stuff looked pretty good.
|
|
Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2016 - 09:29am PT
|
californians = rock snobs DAMN RIGHT, AND PROUD OF IT
I used to live right next door to Garden of the Gods but I never climbed there because it wasn't granite.
|
|
HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
|
|
|
Mar 21, 2016 - 09:20am PT
|
This looks awesome but for the record, "Bald Rock Dome" is one of the most abysmal names ever. Is it adjacent to Bald Rock Dome Mountain near the Foamy Water River that makes its way through Furry Tree Forest?
|
|
splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
|
|
|
Mar 21, 2016 - 10:04am PT
|
then Furry Tree Dome it is!!!
Hey, I was firsties on guessing the location. ;)
cool article that you posted Paul.
I still need to climb at furry tree dome.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!