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RCU
Jul 18, 2011, 3:04 PM
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Just a heads up, the UNC traverse wall should not be climbed on. The wall has stones stuck to the side of it with epoxy, and they break off frequently! This is a great place to get injured.
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TarheelJD
Jul 18, 2011, 3:28 PM
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That thing is like 15 years old, put up in the mid 90s by Mike. I topped out on it one time but it was definitely sketchy.
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RCU
Jul 18, 2011, 5:14 PM
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TarheelJD, I just moved into the Chapel Hill area, maybe you could give me some helpful advice. After searching for days online, and spending a week talking with local shops and climbers, I cant seem to find a spot to boulder that is not an hour or more away, or illegal to access. Im not looking for anything amazing, just a rock close by to train on between climbing trips. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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TarheelJD
Jul 18, 2011, 5:21 PM
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I don't do much bouldering so I'm not the best resource.
That being said, the closest real rock that I'm aware of is either at pilot or moore's. That obviously isn't super close but it's a reasonable day trip. There is some bouldering at both spots.
The triangle rock club is a good gym choice and the UNC indoor walls can do the trick if you already have access through UNC.
I'm sure there is some errant small boulder laying around somewhere closer but I definitely don't know about it.
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csproul
Jul 18, 2011, 5:56 PM
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RCU wrote: TarheelJD, I just moved into the Chapel Hill area, maybe you could give me some helpful advice. After searching for days online, and spending a week talking with local shops and climbers, I cant seem to find a spot to boulder that is not an hour or more away, or illegal to access. Im not looking for anything amazing, just a rock close by to train on between climbing trips. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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RCU
Jul 18, 2011, 6:43 PM
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csproul,
I have heard of the tunnel on MLK, but what is the forest theater? Also, I went looking for the boulders at University lake, but there where no trails and everything was fenced off. If you could tell me how to find them, that would be killer. Also, if anyone wants to hit these boulders up, let me know. Im not really a "boulderer", I just find that gym climbing does not translate well to rock, so I like to use bouldering as the major part of my training when I dont live near a crag. Thanks for the help!
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csproul
Jul 18, 2011, 7:03 PM
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RCU wrote: csproul, I have heard of the tunnel on MLK, but what is the forest theater? Also, I went looking for the boulders at University lake, but there where no trails and everything was fenced off. If you could tell me how to find them, that would be killer. Also, if anyone wants to hit these boulders up, let me know. Im not really a "boulderer", I just find that gym climbing does not translate well to rock, so I like to use bouldering as the major part of my training when I dont live near a crag. Thanks for the help!
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schwa99x
Apr 13, 2015, 8:45 PM
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Interesting to find this discussion.
I put this traverse wall up in 1993 with the the permission of UNC when I was in graduate school per the comment by TarHeelJD.
It was never meant to last this long and it's expected life was about 3-4 years. Reflectors on public roads last about that long with hundreds of cars hitting them daily.
It was built because there was no real place to climb in the area and I wanted to give myself and other local climbers a place to train with a traverse and work endurance. Free. I was a poor graduate student. 
I pulled the rocks out of Asheville NC stream, cleaned them, designed/set traverse routes, and used road adhesive to apply them to the wall. Over the next year, the local climbers and myself removed or replaced the holds that flexed or popped off. The idea was that the traverse would be a couple of feet off of the ground at its highest point (ideally with a spotter) and not meant for vertical climbing. We all recognized the potential hazard if a hold came of of the wall.
During the 3 years that I was living at UNC, we maintained the wall and the holds. George (a local climber and friend that had recently moved to RTP) weighed about 265 lbs and never had a hold give way during that time.
I'm not surprised that the adhesive for the holds are wearing and that they are not safe. I have run into several people from UNC over the years that climbed on this wall while students at UNC. I was there in 2012 and two students were using it. I was shocked. It's likely gotten more use than anyone ever intended with many local students and climbers enjoying it.
I would love to see UNC put up a replacement professionally built outdoor traverse wall. This walls safety is likely compromised so I would be very cautious about its current viability.
Michael
(This post was edited by schwa99x on Apr 13, 2015, 8:51 PM)
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