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gregory_huey
Jan 25, 2008, 7:00 PM
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Registered: Mar 2, 2006
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Hello,
What type of rock is at echo Cliffs? How dry does it need to be before its safe (well, as safe as it ever is) from breaking holds and popping bolts? I heard atleast some of it is sedimentary - is this so, what type and how much/what walls? If so, does the standard 'three days of dry to the touch' rule apply ?
Thanks,
Greg
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blouderk2
Jan 25, 2008, 7:11 PM
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Registered: Jun 7, 2004
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I'm not sure about the rock quality, but I know the rock will definitely be wet. Also the trial will be a mud bog.
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socalbolter
Jan 27, 2008, 3:45 PM
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Registered: Mar 26, 2002
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I'd give it at least a couple of sunny days to dry out.
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roughster
Jan 27, 2008, 4:25 PM
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Registered: Apr 3, 2002
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This may not be universally true 100 % of the time but it is always a good idea to give rock at least 1 solid day of dry weather after seeing rain. And thats assuming only the best rock aka bullet granite or continuous basalt. If you have a very sheltered section of the cliff that doesn't seep (rare) it may be ok to continue to climb even in rain (Rifle's caves are a good example of this) but I would still be on the cautious side of things.
All sedimentary (Limestone, Sandstone, etc..), congolmerate, and volcanic (Breccia (such as Echo), Tuff, Columnar Basalt), and even Quartz Monzonite (depending on the relative grain size) will absorb water and thus weaken the rock. These rocks should be avoiding for at least 2 if not 3 days before climbing on.
How this applies to climbers is that we depend on the actual weakest parts of the rock to climb, aka flakes, cracks, protrusions. It is same weakness that we yard on with very extreme leverage forces. Not only does the water weaken the rock itself, but many flakes/jugs actually depend on the solidified "mud and crud" behind the hold to attach attach itself to the wall or at least offer additional support. A good example of this is quarry rock. At Auburn in NorCal, holds that are normally bomber will flex a lot and sometimes even pull out if it has rained with a day or 2. This is exactly what happened on a route called "Landslide" (which turned out to be a perfect name for it). A huge jug next to the anchor that was solid all summer pulled out approximately 6" when I yarded on it during the 1st winter after its development. It had nothing to do with the rock, rather the wet and thus weakened mud that held the hold in place that was the cause.
So long story short, always play it conservative and give the rock time to dry. Nothing is worse than knowing that because you couldn't wait one or two days to climb that you just busted off a hold or two on a classic climb.
(This post was edited by roughster on Jan 27, 2008, 4:25 PM)
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