Bolts @ Shad Bay?!

[Rowan]

Does anybody know anything about bolts on this chunk of stone, at the very tip of the peninsula between Prospect & Shad Bay?:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54433808@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54433808@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54433808@N ... otostream/
Picxs 2 & 3 taken from the top of the orange wall.
You probably can't see from the pics but there's one bolt above the featured grey wall, and another one above the awesome clean wall.
I'm appalled that anybody would place bolts where there is such an abundance of opportunity for natural protection, that doesn't rape Mother Earth.
Just kidding. Ha. Ha. No, I just that I happened across this fine piece of stone while out for a walk on Saturday and thought wow, that'd be some fine climbing... with a TR, considering the fall potential. And lo and behold it turned out somebody else had the same idea.
Anybody know like: how long they've been there, what the climbs are like, if there's any kind of stance below the big wall at low tide?

[chameleon]

That's funny, I was just looking at a photo of this cliff earlier today for some reason.

I have a vague recollection of someone putting in those anchors but can't recall who. Sorry to be of no use whatsoever.
Sean Kelly (The Mitt) might know more cause he lives a few km from there.

There's also another cliff along that shoreline that could be of interest. T Foster looked at it a while ago.

S

[chameleon]

Here's that other cliff I was referring to. Pretty sure Todd took this photo.

[seanT]

Cassidy I can give you "up to date" information on that cliff but it will cost you $5.
Lance

[chameleon]

Don't tell me.....

you bolted a crack line..........
it was too hard for you........
it remains unclimbed......
as an inspiration to the rest of us...

is that it?

i'll keep the five bucks thanks

[pulldown]

Cassidy, that is my picture. I have more picture from the day that i climbed a few of those routes with Frank Armstrong. Routes were fun but anchors were totally flowers! It would be a fun little spot if there were fixed anchors on it.

I have no info on the wall with the bolts. Maybe deep water solo potential?

That update is free but the next one will cost you or i'll have to plug my sponsors in every post.

brought to you by Pull Down Production, producers of the best climbing films east of Montreal ... and north of Maine.

[pulldown]

Interesting. My description of the anchors was replaced with "flowers" Let me correct that.

The frigging things were frigging flowers ass frigging garbage.

flowers

[chameleon]

Bolts required to deep water solo? Pansy!

[Scooter]

DOOOOOOOD!

You built an anchor off of FLOWERS???

[Rich]

The bolts were placed by a Prospect local over 10 years ago whom is unfortunately no longer with us. Not sure what they were used for at the time - may have just been to rap.

I believe Punshon and Nate did an aid climb on the cliff some 5 or so years ago.

[chameleon]

Sorry for the post above Lance - that was overly harsh. My bad.

[chameleon]

Here's a link to that aid climb rich mentioned

http://www.climbeasterncanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4250&hilit=prospect

[jeremy]

nate ben and i put up a few free climbs on that cliff with the offwidth in it back in 08 or 09

jeremy

[chameleon]

Jeremy, do you recall where you guys climbed and how hard the lines were?

I was chatting with Todd today and he described 2 lines that he and Frank (?) did quite a few years ago. I've drawn them in blue.....
also drew where I'm guessing Nate's line goes in yellow.

Does this make sense?

[jeremy]

I climbed the offwidth where the guy is standing 5.10b ish. The other 2 i remember were cracks left of the roof where the yellow line is 5.6/5.7 ish. Im not sure if that is nates aid route or not. we did them in fall 2006 or spring 2007

[Eager]

Looks like a bouldering wall to me:)

[The Mitt]

The bolts are really old at the short wall. Have to be more than 10 years old as they were really old looking when I moved out here in Prospect 5 years ago.

S

[seanT]

The Mitt exists????or is this some pale imitation? thanks for the follow up Princess, Big Daddy Wallace feels a lot better now.

[The Mitt]

He does exist, and is looking at a come back tour

[Rowan]

Thanks for the info guys. It might be worth taking a rope out there some time when it gets a bit warmer, or D(?)WS when/if it gets a lot warmer.
It'll be interesting to find out what 10 years of salt water does to a 3/8 bolt. The Fixe hangers look good as new
Rich, just reading between the lines of your comment: was it Adrian Jay (see my second/third picture) himself who placed them?

I did see that larger wall on the weekend, but the tide was so high I couldn't get around the corner. I had thought though that that was part of the Duck Head bouldering area. Guess not!
This area seems to have gotten a lot more developed (ie, housing developed) since the GL guidebook, but at least it's made the approach here a doddle.

[Rich]

Yep.

[The Mitt]

Be careful on the high head, Prospect. The owner was pissed a few years ago when we went out on it.

S

[chameleon]

Sean K (Hi) ,

The High Head cliff - is that the one with the offwidth?
Are both cliffs on private land and are they close to each other?

[chossmonkey]

It'll be interesting to find out what 10 years of salt water does to a 3/8 bolt. The Fixe hangers look good as new

I've got a place that isn't anywhere close to the ocean with SS bolts less than 5 years old that are starting to corrode. The hangers as well as the bolts. They are in limestone near a waterfall and they get some water spray. I'd bet the salt water air is not as kind.

[The Mitt]

Sean K (Hi) ,

The High Head cliff - is that the one with the offwidth?
Are both cliffs on private land and are they close to each other?

The one with the Offwidth is known as the High Head. We were trying to figure out if it was definitely owned or not, but we kind of just took the people at their word (that was back in the late 90's). I remember something about the NCC (Nature Conservancy of Canada) taking it over a few years ago, maybe.

The other one that is right on the ocean is definitely on Crown land. The little wall would be a boldering problem if the landing was not in 2 feet of water on sharp rocks. Looks good though.

They are within 15 min hike of each other

[chameleon]

cool. thanks.

NCC owns much of the hiking trail but there's a big chunk that is privately owned. undeveloped but it has a right of way in from the main road.

S

[The Mitt]

If they have a right of way in from the road then it almost is sure to be a part of the High Head.

[Nate]

Hey dudes.

Todd: You can take Montreal too honestly. East of Toronto?

The smaller, crappier cliff has seen a lot of changes actually. If anyone has recent photos you'll notice large chunks of the face are missing. My aid line actually heads up just left of the left blue line you drew. Ben climbed the gross, steep off-width and dislocated something in the process I think? We also climbed the easier stuff out left and those lines in blue. All the rock is rotten and unpleasant to climb on. Really only fit for snowy, aid climbing and pretending your an alpine adventurer.

The other, much more bitchin, cliff has seen some impressive changes as well. A 4ft X 4ft X 20ft pillar got ripped off the face a couple years ago taking a pretty good line with it. There are some great top-ropes up the main face and also up the sort of overhanging buttress to the right. Also I've heard you can jump off the top buttttt only at high tide and after some pretty serious scoping with a snorkel for a landing spot. Great place on a hot day!

Nate

[chameleon]

Hey Nate,

By 'just left of the blue line' do you mean: "halfway between Mike and the blue line"? or like "about a metre left of the blue line"? Either way, that would put your aid line to the right of the off-width -correct? Todd said his actual route of ascent was a few feet left of where I drew the blue line.


Jeremy mentioned that he had climbed the off-width but Ben had trouble with it. He also mentioned that you guys had climbed a couple of easier things left of the yellow line.

Have you climbed the yellow line route at all - is that easy?

All in all, it sounds rather unsavory.

[Nate]

Yeah the aid line is about mid way between the offwidth and the blue line. Starts with a tough roof section then up into a corner. I do remember Jeremy leading the offwidth and Ben trying to top rope it. Where you've got the yellow line is pretty easy stuff. You just pull over a short roof and after that its crumbly jugs all over. Most unsavory!