(02) Flake Out 

Bolts were tightened w/ a wrench in July '09....all bolts are crap and I would not advise climbing this route unless you climb it w/o falling or hanging. Last hanger before anchors is most dangerous of them all.

Enjoyable and long route. Crux is definitely at 6th bolt but is protected well. I can attest to the fall at the crux being clean! =) I've seen it done a number of different ways. Being 6'5", I grab the arete on the right but others mantle up on thin feet.

Listed as route #2 on route topo photo for Las Conchas Gateway Rock.

I agree, the crux is at the 6th bolt. Fun route!

Fun climb, but not 5.11c IMO. (I say that because I'm not onsighting 11c and I onsighted this, which made me feel like a rockstar when I saw the rating! Maybe I just got lucky???) Bottom move is bouldery if the direct approach is taken; an easier alternative lies to the right, then it's mellow up to the crux, a move of 11, then 5.10 climbing after that.

I also think that the crux of this route comes at the last bolt. The moves I make for the mantle feel 5.10 at most.

I do not know if the current anchors are what the first ascension team put on there but they are currently crap--1/4" diameter quick links with a breaking strength of less than 800 pounds I would bet. Next time I am out there I will replace them. If anyone else gets there first, bring a wrench and put some real hardware on there before someone who does not know any better craters while TRing directly through the anchors. Someone was way too stingy with the anchor setup and needs to replace the crux bolt.

William, I definitely agree with you there and have been meaning to fix these anchors with some quality Fixe hardware donated by NMCRAG. I hope to do this soon but if you'd like to remove the 1/4" links up there ASAP, that would be great.

The anchor set-up now appears great, and has fixed anchor biners for easy cleaning (May '08). Thanks, Jason!

As always, if toproping, it's best to use your own draws rather than the biners at the anchor to minimize wear on fixed hardware.

The crux (2nd to last) bolt is still a little iffy, although I expect that it will hold a fall.

Caution: 6/8/09 I was warned by other climbers that the hangers on the top half of this rout were loose! One person said that the nut was not even finger tight one one bolt. So be aware and maybe carry a wrench if you plan to climb this route.

Actually all the bolts on this are a little crusty... starting to develop some corosion or something in addition to being a little wimpier than the usual bomber bolts. The one protecting the crux isn't all that tight either, and the nature of the positioning is such that a good fall off the crux would pull as much out of the wall as straight down. I definitely didn't want to roll off the crux onto that bolt.

That said, the crux is a great move, I was doing it with a super high (scary) heel-hook on the arete, turning the crimp into a mantle (short-kid beta). Agreed with the poster who said 11c was a little, well, generous... I'd put this at 11a at hardest. I can also attest that, with the exception of the last two moves, this stays bone dry in the rain...

So, a little history (and education) on the bolts and anchors:
The bolts are glue-ins and stronger than any expansion bolt at LC. The reason people were sketched out that the bolts were spinning is that you can't tighten glue-ins until the glue is dry. You have to go back and tighten them later. I wasn't able to get back right away and tighten them the next day.

As for the smaller links, they do hold 800 lbF each. They only need to hold body weight. Multiply that by two, that's 1600 lbF total. Industrial ratings are 3x what they are marked as, so bump that up to 4,800 lbF. If you weight 200 lbs, that's an 24:1 safety factor if you clipped directly in, but you will be lowered, so it should still be a 12:1 safety factor, more than strong enough. They won't wear out since you're not lowering on them.

I think people are a bit caught in a rut when it comes to what they are comfortable with and aren't necessarily thinking about the application the materials are used in.

Lastly, the name of this route is "Flake Out" - I'm not sure how it got published that way in my book, but I think it was because it was the last route to go into Jemez Rock and I told the publisher that it was better late than never when I put it in.