The Other One 

But would it be categorically unfair to dismiss the area as offensive because it's egregiously over-bolted?

Touche! While I will never have the steady mind control of our head-pointing masters, even I am committed to the idea that part of what we do is to play a mental game. My recent visit to the Sport Park also uncovered very little need for those superfluous synapses.

One of the only climbs that I know I'm going to miss about Sport Park. I don't really think the first couple of moves are .10d, but I think this is actually an 11a move over the top roof.

After getting rained/hailed on at Castle Rock on Sunday then walking up to the choss at Mountain Rose crag with threatening rain again, I and my partner decided to go walk up to sport park at dusk and check the place out & see what all of the noise is about. We went with no guide, so we didn't know what routes we might try or what kind of chip & glue we might see. In the fading light (this route being done on a cloudy night at 8:45PM on May 18, the sun having set 15-20 min ago) I wound up for this route.When I was done, I called it 5.10c. I am guessing, but the point is that the route is seriously over-graded.On the bright side, the holds were all natural (or at least what I could see in that light- without the chalk on them, they would have been exceptionally hard to find). The crux was pulling over the round bulge onto slabby holds and I was relieved not to have found a deep finger pocket there- one which would have changed the climb totally.The line was reasonably bolted and due to it's position on the arete/end of the buttress was not seemingly crowded. If all of the lines at the Sport Park had been done in this fashion, nobody would bother bagging on the place for anything more than the blatant over-rating of the climbs.

5.10c in the dark. This is not an exaggeration- it's how I did the route.

Probably my favorite route in the Sport Park....

I pulled the last roof with a little right hand crimp and reached up to a high sloping left hand. This felt harder than 10c...perhaps I botched the beta? I would agree there was NO other climbing on the route harder than 10a, but what the crap, is there an easier way to pull onto that slab?

You don't think that right hand crimp was chipped?

Yeah, what IS that other route rated? Harder than I usually try, but it seemed so inviting after The Other One. I got the last clip and went nowhere. I tried going straight up and failed miserably. (My partner deviously stepped up on the arete and crawled onto the right face and finished.) Straight up "power crimping," wide feet on the overhanging wall and using the high sloper on the face got me nowhere. (Neither did the sketchy slapping along the arete.) It would be nice to know what my limit was.

My honest opinion was the route was 10 with a single 11a move pulling the last bulge. Fun stuff.

That other route to the left is Shakedown Street, 12.c, according to this source. The Other One is a quality climb in great position. We got some incredible shots in profile with massive, towering cumulus above and the colors of the rock really popping. I'll post as soon as I get my camera back. The crux moves took me some figuring out. Some guy who was free-soloing 8s tried to give me the beta, but I tuned him out. For what it's worth, a guy I saw flash some 11d to the left, one of the roof routes, had a harder time on this climb. I would concur that this is the best route on Surprising Slab.

Enjoyable, to say the least. After some beta, I found the moves weren't too outrageous. The crux is REALLY tricky if you don't know where that crimp is. I tried using the sloper to the right and felt like pulling my hair out. Sturdy holds, regardless of possible chipping.