PRINT: Rock Climb Work Shoes, 1. Northern Vermont

Work Shoes

5.7, Sport, 380 ft (115 m), 3 pitches,

Avg: 2.7 from 94 votes
FA: Tim Farr & Evan Kirk
Vermont > 1. Northern Ver… > Bolton Area > Bolton Dome > 03. Railroad Yard

Access Issue: Parking and Dogs Details

CRAG-VT has secured a parking lot for the Bolton Dome! Currently there is room for 12 cars. Turn onto Champ Ln. and the parking lot is immediately seen on the left. There are signs to show you where to park. From the lot, walk up to the cliff.

IF THE LOT IS FULL: Park on the SOUTH side of the road clear of any mailboxes and with all tires off the paved portion of the road.

Additionally, no dogs are allowed at Bolton Dome after a few incidents involving neighbors.

Access Issue: Seasonal Raptor Closures for access issues: please review cragvt.org Details

Description

The most popular route at Bolton Dome and one frequently solo'd. It should be noted that the only 5.7 move is 10 feet from the ground before turning to 5.5/5.6 the rest of the way.

P1. Start just left of the route Trestle, behind a large birch tree, Right of the route Narrow Gauge. Climb up the steep face and clip the bolt over left. Pull up and over and continue up easier terrain, clipping 2 more bolts in the lower angle slab, until you're able to clip another bolt over left by the anchors atop Narrow Gauge. Belay here or continue up and left to the tree ledge above before making a hard right turn to a ledge with a bolted anchor station, mind the rope drag. 5.7, ~130’ *portions of this pitch have been climbed as evidence of prior ascents was found (pins). After several stories of people not bringing gear or slipping and the gear ripping, the decision was made by the FA party to add two more bolts in summer 2020, for a total of 4 bolts for P1.)

P2. Step up and follow bolts up the slab above before breaking left and up to a bolted chain anchor behind a down tree on a ledge. 5.5, ~ 110’ (* step up and clip a bolt and move the belay 40’ left to the start of P3)

P3. Move up and right following bolts up slab headed towards the top of the dome and enjoy the views! End at a bolted anchor station on a small ledge. 5.6, ~100’

Decent: Rappel over the bulging top over right, just below a small tree, headed for the anchor bolts atop of P2. Rappel straight down to a station placed in the center of the slab, of P2, on a small ledge. Rappel again to The Railroad Ledge and rappel again to the base just right of the route Trestle, merely feet from your packs. It’s also possible to rappel from this bolted slab station past The Railroad Ledge with a 70M but it’s a rope stretcher and may not reach with shorter ropes. Tie knots!

Single 60M rope
6-8 quickdraws (a few extendable)

Location

Start just left of the route Trestle, behind a large birch tree, right of the route Narrow Gauge. Locate a bolt ~10' up on the left.

Protection

Bolted route, only 6-8 draws needed (few extendable). Pitch 1 now has 2 more bolts in the middle section of the climb as of July 2020.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Route topo for Work Shoes

Work shoes start

P3 as viewed from Margaritaville

The excellent, exposed third pitch

P1 (harder part at bottom out of view)

Topping out on pitch 3!

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Anthony Staples

5.6

Old school cool. This is exactly what was missing at the dome. Nothing better than some comfortably runout and thin slab with just the right amount of exposure to keep easy climbing exciting.
That all being said, there are some funky shenanigans on this. Transitioning into the second and third pitches is awkward for sure. Somewhat contrived linkup of these pitches buuut the pitches are all good(especially the third) so I would still recommend this to anyone. Aug 3, 2019

Isaac Bernstein
Johnson, VT

Is it possible to walk off the top pitch of this route? either climbing past the anchors of P3 or turning it into a small pitch? Aug 8, 2019

Mischa Tourin
Underhill, VT

Isaac - for sure. You can continue past the anchors on the last pitch, look for gear, sling a tree or two, or run it out and belay from a tree at the top of the dome. Aug 8, 2019

Avery C

This one's worth it just for the adventure and the views from the top. Would definitely recommend skipping the anchors at the top of P1 and continuing up left and around a tree (tree has rope and carabiner that can be clipped) to belay P2 from a comfortable ledge. From then on it's run out slabs and long raps back down. Sep 1, 2019

Isaac Bernstein
Johnson, VT

finally got on this today! so fun! first 10 feet of the route is the crux of the whole thing. Rest of the route is cruiser up fun, clean slabs. We actually topped out instead of rappelling the route. Walked off looker's right and bushwhacked downhill until we got to the don jual area. If you decide to top out the route, you could either run the last pitch all the way up to the trees surpassing the anchor, and you could probably have descent communication with your second and probably be able to have eyes on them. Or you could just pitch it out, which is what we did, and worked fine. There's just no gear at all above the anchor except for trees, but its like 5.1. there's also a lot of lichen. Sep 10, 2019

Kristen Fiore
Burlington, VT

If I was a 5.6 leader on the third pitch I would be totally thrilled. Really excellent find by the FA party. A line that will surely be enjoyed for decades! Nov 5, 2019

jed wards
vt

5.5

This is an awesome, fun climb. Thanks to Tim and Evan for putting it up! It is essentially a sport climb except for the ~30 foot section near the bottom where a single piece of protection prevents a potential ground fall. I have heard of a few people leading this route who did not bring cams and do not own any. I know this goes against VT bolting ethics, but I think that being a great 5.7 at a highly trafficked cliff it might be could be a good idea to add another bolt above the first... but that is up to the FA party.

For any sport climbers looking to get on this: if you do not have traditional protection, make sure you're confident on low fifth class slab for the start! Mar 20, 2020

Tim Farr
Markleeville, CA

5.7

Thanks Jake ES,
I avoided placing a bolt in that P1 section, not only because of the good couple pieces of mid-size trad gear available, but also the historical perspective of this portion of the climb, intersecting with the historical era of the cliff with fixed pins uncovered upon cleaning. I'll consider adding a bolt or two there a bit more, but my gut says keep the VT ethics strong for now. Mar 20, 2020

Mischa Tourin
Underhill, VT

Obviously your call as the first ascensionists... but I would be in support of throwing in a couple bolts on the first pitch. I don't think there's really much as far as historical context in that corner and you've certainly created a pretty awesome and popular line! Mar 24, 2020

Adam Jacobs
Winooski, VT

5.7

regarding protection on P1: there are some small pro options soon after the 1st bolt and another horizontal a bit further up, but it does start getting run-out closer to the 2nd bolt. It's on pretty easy terrain (did it in approach shoes), but it's kindof dirty. Another bolt could be helpful, but a possibly easier fix would be to just clean it out a bit more so your footing is solid. All said - awesome climb, well done! Jun 10, 2020

Evan Kirk

4th

As of today, pitch 1 now has two more bolts. Its not bolted like a sport climb, but this should open the route up to folks who do not want to place gear. Hoping that each pitch has a bit of traditional bolting character, but also hoping to keep it safe (enough). Aug 7, 2020

Ryan Brass
Pittsfield, VT

5.7

Evan- it felt like a sport climb anyway, so maybe for the best. I think I used one piece of gear above the first bolt and it was comfortably run-out but never dangerous. I considered it the price of admission. With 2 more bolts added I definitely wouldn't consider it mixed anymore. Aug 21, 2020

Zach C
Vermont

Cruise-y with good views. When rappelling from the top, drop your ropes to the climbers (As you’re facing the cliff right for a cleaner pull. The bolts are well spaced Oct 6, 2020

Tim Farr
Markleeville, CA

5.7

Tightened the first bolt tonight and then also swapped out the top of P3 anchors to chain rings instead of just the single ring bolts. Aug 5, 2021

Luke Schaefer
Burlington, VT

5.7

Cool route! Was wondering if anyone has explored the possibility of going up the slab to the left of the patch of small pines ~1/3 of the way up p2. It looks like it could offer a way to reach the p3 belay without having to move it left from atop p2 but perhaps at the cost of being a bit brushy. It does look to be cleanish rock most of the way up though Jun 30, 2022

Dylan Thomas
Burlington, VT

Walking off climber's left via the Dome summit trail after topping out will get you back to the base of the route in 10-15 mins; much faster than 4 rappels. Aug 26, 2022

Michael Calascibetta
Aspen, CO

The Magnum Opus of Multi Pitch in VT. Some would say the best climb in VT, but most don't... Get on this, bring a beer, bring a pal, and have an amazing time as you bask in the sun and top out on the original DOME! Feb 15, 2023