Thunderbolts (Easter Island) 

P2 is height-dependent and will be difficult to protect well for a short leader. If you are a chicken like me on sandy desert slopers, the second pitch will feel a lot harder than 10a. Wear slip-lasted shoes to make this feel more secure/easier.

I was at Indian Creek over the weekend and it was reported to me that the chockstone linking P1 and P2 together actually broke loose and no longer exists as of 3/31/02 (ironically Easter Sunday). Can anyone confirm this?

The "piano-sized" chockstone that marks the end of the first pitch collapsed on March 31, 2002 (Easter Sunday). I rappelled off Easter Island about 45 minutes before it collapsed, and was climbing Thumbelina at the time. The route is probably more difficult without the chockstone, and there is probably more loose rock near the top of the first pitch waiting to come down.

I was camped underneath the Bridgers and watched the piano block fall out. Had climbed the route the evening previous, super fun, it probably will be just as good with the addition of a drilled pin or two to protect the (now) runout start to p2.

I did this route on 5/7 and two bolts now protect face climbing where the chockstone used to reside. I never did the route before but I can't imagine it is harder now, I think the crux is higher up around the corner. regardless, this is a stellar pitch of exposed face climbing.There are many small blocks to be trundled off the first pitch, have fun!

Super fun! Long slings at the beginning of p2 will help prevent any drag on the thin face moves around the corner.

The two new bolts aren't any harder than the moves up higher

For posterity's sake: Make certain you are damned solid on 5.10+ leading for the second pitch. I have done many route on Supercrack Buttress and thought I was good-to-go on this meager "sport-lead..." Think again. Face nubbings and two-finger pockets on the varnished "chute section" make clipping the fifth bolt hell. There are seven total bolt hangars on the route, NOT including the anchor (three pitons and a hangar). All told, a fun route with GREAT exposure on the WNW side and a rappel from the summit that I likened to the Maiden of Boulder's Front Range!

Don't really feel that the route is much harder than .10a, just somewhat inobvious and requiring some good balance. Feels cruxy through the middle 3 or 4 clips; delicate. Nice exposure, excellent movement and WELL PROTECTED by well spaced bolts/drilled pins. Definitely the easiest "Tower" of all the Jacks. Great beginner tower and a nice airy rap almost the whole way down!

More pictures and a TR at www.piquaclimber.com/past/bridgerjacks/easterisland-sparklin>>>

Fun route. I agree that the second pitch is 10-, but the sand makes it feel exciting. The climbing looks (from below as you are climbing) harder than it is: it's all there.

A modest rack for this climb would consist of (2)#1 Camalots, (6)#2 Camalots, (4)#3 Camalots, (2)yellow Aliens, (2)red Aliens, (6)shoulder runners, (10)quickdraws, a cordellette, and some sticky rubber for your feet, and pray for no wind.

If you're looking for a spicy climb, pick this one! Pitch 2 is well-protected, but thin & tenuous. It had my undivided attention the whole time. It's also unique to sort of corkscrew up the tower along the face, rather than straight up a crack.

A handful of cams from .3 to #3 (camalot sizes) is sufficient for this climb. The first pitch isn't all that long anyway. The belay crack takes #1 cams nicely.

A 60m rope will get you down without any problems. Just use the piton/bolt anchor that is about 20' below the end of this route's pitch 1 to get you down to the ground. No need to bring a second rope.

P2 is great sandy slab wandering around the west side of the formation to the summit. A #2 is helpful for the start of this pitch.

The ASCA replaced most of the lead bolts (pins) and the anchors. Brown chain now reigns. One 60m doing two rappels will get you down. A couple of the angles were stuborn, but most popped out waaaaaaayyyyy too easy. Again, all that was holding them in was a wad of rust mixed with sand.

I just climbed this route over the weekend (9-19-10) under 92F heat. Yup...better get up early for this one as the first pitch sits in the sun although as the "REAL" Creek season kicks in, the temps will be much better. We were up early and hiking under the new morning sun. There's a new anchor at the top of p.1. sweet chains and bolts. There's plenty of rocks small to big here so be careful moving around. None of these would hit your 2nd but you never know about folks below. There's also a new anchor on summit same as below...chains and bolts. I ended up skipping the p.1 anchor and continued up to the notch between towers to sit on the ledge in the shade. It's a perfect place to hang out, enjoy shade, eat & hydrate and watch your partner send p.2. Two red BD cams and a cordelette offer a sweet anchor here. I don't remember what p.2 was like having climbed this tower many years ago. p.2 is super fun and all there. Definitely easy 5.10. One 60m rope raps you to the anchors for p.1 and then another easy rap down.

Rack:
1st pitch: 1- red BD cam, 1-blue BD cam, 1-black Alien, 1-green BD cam, (another red BD cam for your anchor if you're going to skip the chains and sit in the shady ledge between towers.
2nd pitch: 7 quick draws.

Sweet and light rack.

Enjoy.

Climbed this for the third time last week, wanted to say thanks for replacing the drilled pins on the second pitch!

Drilled angles don't need to be held in because they are at an angle. unless you find some way to fall upward you will NEVER pull them out. I trusted the original hardware much more than bolts placed by someone who couldn't see this. whoever did this didn't fix the holes they made by removing the established protection so now the pitch is full of bright shiny bolts and large drilled mono pockets.

Yeah dude, thats me... unable to see that 100% of the force on a piece of fixed protection is downward. Hmmm.

Besides pullout, the biggest problems with angles are:
1) they are untreated steel and will break down in sandstone. As taken directly from BD's website, "With normal use and proper care, the life expectancy of your aid iron is approximately five years, and can be longer or shorter depending on how frequently you use them and on the conditions of their use. " All of the pins were rusted, thus showing they were way over 5 years old and exposed to, on average, about 10 inches of rain per year... in rock that has salt in it.
2) they are not designed for repeated falls. Again, BD: "If aid iron has been involved in a severe fall or left exposed to the elements for a long time, but is not obviously damaged, it still may be ready for retirement."

Angles do still have their place, but not as bolts. That worked when there were 20 people who frequented the desert and the route got done by folks who never fell or weighted the rope. Its a different world now.

I did plug the holes... they have apparently subsequently been dug out. I'll do it again.

Just FYI, "NEVER" is a really long time, especially considering one of them had already come out when i got there to rebolt.

Hunter Seriously!?

For how much work Sam puts into replacing bad fixed pro and keeping the climbing community safe, he sure seems to get a lot of flak for doing it.

I for one am always stoked to see ASCA bolts. When you have old bolts pull under your static body weight you'll come around.

Thanks for the hard work Sam!