Mountain Project: Climbing Sand Rock

Gravy Train starts in Alabama - climbing conglomerated flakes and pockets, but transports you to the Gunks - climbing great horizontals before finishing at a big horn.

Location

Located on the valley side of the Holiday Block...far left side when facing the formation...next to Oyster (sport climb)

Protection

Comments on Gravy Train

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By saxfiend
Administrator
From: Decatur, GA
May 31, 2009
rating: 5.10a

This rivals Comfortably Numb as one of the best trad routes at Sand Rock. Plentiful protection and great interesting moves from top to bottom. My first 5.10 gear lead. Cowabunga!

By Chris Blanchard
From: Hanford, CA
May 8, 2010
rating: 5.11a

Dixie Cragger's Atlas has the difficulty for this route and Oyster switched. According to Johnny Arms (the king of Sandrock) - he told me Gravy Train is 11a and Oyster is 10a. It might be graded a little sandbagged, but words of the king stand.

Also when I climbed this route back in April, there were anchors at the top (closed shuts).

By saxfiend
Administrator
From: Decatur, GA
May 8, 2010
rating: 5.10a

Chris Blanchard wrote:

Dixie Cragger's Atlas has the difficulty for this route and Oyster switched. According to Johnny Arms (the king of Sandrock) - he told me Gravy Train is 11a and Oyster is 10a. It might be graded a little sandbagged, but words of the king stand. Also when I climbed this route back in April, there were anchors at the top (closed shuts).

Chris, the Cragger definitely has the routes mixed up, but you're confusing things even more. It sounds like the "words of the king" got lost in translation somehow.

The routes at the left end of the Holiday Block's south side are:

Gravy Train (5.10a) -- furthest left route. This is a trad lead and is by no stretch of the imagination a 5.11; really, it's a little soft for 10a. Also, the route has no anchors, so whatever you climbed in April was another route. The description in the Cragger for Gravy Train actually belongs with Oyster.
Oyster (5.10a) -- just right of Gravy Train. This is a sport route and does have anchors. As noted above, this route is mistakenly identified as Gravy Train in the Cragger.
Walking the Dog (5.9) -- right of Oyster. Another trad line, it also has anchors.
Rabies (5.11a) -- right of Walking the Dog. A tough sport route with anchors at the top. This is the one that the Dixie Cragger mistakenly labelled as Oyster.

Hopefully that will clear things up for you.

JL

By Jeff Mekolites
From: HOTlanta, GA
Aug 4, 2012

Well...guess the "king" was wrong. Hmmm...image that.

By Will McFarland
From: Huntsville
Sep 14, 2012
rating: 5.10a/b

This is actually Oyster.

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Gravy Train

5.10a

Description

Location

Protection