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Russ Erickson on Rat Creek Boulder
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Icicle Creek Canyon
Icicle Creek Canyon has some of the best granite bouldering in the state.
Boulders are everywhere in the Icicle, some beside the road, others hidden in the trees,
brush and gullies. One can spend days exploring and bouldering in the Icicle, but most are
content to do a few problems to warm up or finish off a day of cragging.
Snow Creek Area
These problems are located on the many boulders in the vicinity of the Snow Creek Trail
parking lot. Caution: Some of these boulders are on private property, so either ask permission
or stay off. Also, a Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking in the parking lot or within
a quarter mile of the parking lot. The forest service enforces the permit requirement at this
parking lot. The problems are described as one approaches from the parking lot, first down the
road, then up.
- 1. Squealer (V5 R) *** A super thin overhanging crack visible on the slope directly across the road from the parking lot. Definitely a highball problem. Only 15 feet high, but with such a bad landing that most everybody tries it on toprope, and few succeed at that. It has been climbed unroped, but I wouldn't recommend it without a thick pad, a helmet, and strong, alert spotters! See if you can toprope it first before you hurt yourself really badly.
- 2. Wedge Rock Face (V0+) *** Wedge Rock is the first big block on the left as you walk down the road from the parking lot. This problem is the steep, crimpy face on the left side of the boulder. There are many variations to this problem. You can do it with a sit-down start (V2); with a single dynamic move to the top (V3); one-handed (V4); and eliminating the two largest holds (V5). I am sure you could make up something even harder if you tried.
- 3. Wedge Rock Ramp (VB) Climb the ramp just right of the face problem.
- 4. Tightrope (V1) * Opposite the face problem is a smaller block with a slab on one side and an overhang on the other. This problem climbs the arete between the slab and overhang, with no hands. A leaping start is required.
- 5. Slab (V1) * This is the slab on the left side of Tightrope arete. Bad landing. A real ankle breaker if you peel off the last moves.
- 6. Roof Traverse (V0+) This is a traverse across the lip of the overhang right of the Tightrope arete.
- 7. Roof Problem (V1-) ** Down around to the right of Wedge Rock and its twin is a small block perched atop some other blocks, forming a roof. Start on the lowest holds possible and climb out over the roof. Usually covered in pine needles and sap.
- 8. White Slab (V0+) *** Just left of the roof problem is a boulder with a clean white slab. Friction up the slab, staying on the face to the top, avoiding use of the edges on either side. Try walking up this one with no hands and tell me what you think it's rated; I say V5 at least.
- 9. Cat Burglar (V0) * This problem is on a boulder just up and right from the roof problem. Traverse the face to the ramp on the right side of the boulder.
- 10. Lichen It (V0+) ** Climb the blank looking concave face directly up the middle of the boulder. Hint: there's a hidden hold camouflaged by a patch of lichen.
- 11. Scratch (V1) * A groovy thin face problem on the left side of the boulder face.
- 12. Bolt Rock Traverse (V0) ** An edgy traverse along the uproad face of Bolt Rock, just down and right of The Prow. There are several other good problems on Bolt Rock, although a toprope is recommended for some of the high problems. If you don't know what Bolt Rock looks like, there's a picture of it on the toprope page.
- 13. Rock Anchor Problem (V0+) *** The steep face on the left of the road face of Rock Anchor (Kramar's guide calls it Anchor Rock but the spray paint says "Rock Anchor" if you can still read it). Painful but worth it. Note: this boulder is on private property. The last time I asked, the owner gave permission to climb, so by all means ask before you climb here.
- 14. Old Rock Anchor Problem (V4) *** A reachy thin face problem just left of the cable. This used to be a good problem, before they bulldozed a bunch of dirt and rocks against the boulder. Now it's a one-move problem, and not really that hard anymore, and the landing is actually worse.
- 15. Rock Anchor Traverse (V0) * A slabby thin face traverse along the right face of the boulder.
- 16. Rock Anchor Back Face (VB) * A licheny face problem on the hidden face of the boulder.
- 17. The Pumphouse (V1) ** This is an old classic, a steep face problem just right of a cinder-block hut located just up the service road leading upstream from the Snow Creek Trail parking lot. The road is posted "No Trespassing" so don't hike up the road. (There's another way to get there without passing a no-trespassing sign.) The rock has deteriorated much in the past 20 years, but the main face/overhang is still fun. A direct variation eliminates the easier "approach" and climbs right up the face from the ground. The final move is the crux however you do it.
Clamshell Cave
The Clamshell Cave is a "secret" crag located just up from Hammerhead Rock, about 5.2 miles up
the Icicle River Road from Icicle Junction. There is a big boulder, The Cube, lying at the base
of the crag. It has a few good problems, and several more problems that aren't that great.
- 19. The Cube, Far Left Face (V0) *** A fun, flaky face problem on the far left side of the face around the corner to the left of the crack.
- 20. The Cube, Left Face (V0) *** Another fun, flaky face problem just around the corner to the left of the crack.
- 21. The Cube, Crack (VB) ** The obvious crack on the downhill face. The first move is the hardest. May be a little highball for inexperienced crack climbers.
Bruce's Boulder and Barney's Rubble
Bruce's Boulder is the small dome located on the left side of the road about 5.6 miles up
Icicle River Road from Icicle Junction. You can't miss it. Usually there are about 50 cars
parked here, and hundreds of climbers swarming all over everything. Most of the problems here
are toproped, but all have been climbed unroped, and many are considered highball problems by
dedicated boulderers. You should use a toprope to avoid certain injury if you fell off from
high up. Some of the best are mentioned here. For others, use your imagination. You can contrive
just about anything.
- 22. Corner Crack (VB R) * Way around on the far left side of the river face is this fun corner crack. It can be led or toproped (5.2), but is more often soloed.
- 23. River Face (V2 R) *** This is the "blank" face of the boulder, just right of the corner crack. It is best toproped, since the hardest moves are 20 feet off the ground. You would break ankles or worse if you fell of trying to boulder it. Even Marc Twight backed off of this one.
- 24. Dish (V0 R) * A few thin friction moves lead into the dish on the right edge of the river face, from where a shallow flaring crack (5.9) continues to the top.
- 25. Double Dish (V0) * Around the corner to the right from the river face is this problem climbing up two dishes, with the crux being the steep face in between.
- 26. Unnamed (VB) * The easy route up the face right of the double dishes.
- 27. Base Traverse (V1) ** Traverse the base of Bruce's Boulder from left to right, starting on the Corner Crack and continuing all the way around to the unnamed problem and up. I remember this as being rather difficult, but it's been awhile.
- 28. A Slice of Pie (V2 R) * A toprope problem on the inside of the big flake just right of the popular Barney's Rubble slab problem. It's been climbed unroped, but it isn't recommended because of the potential for whacking your head on the opposite wall.
- 29. Rainbow (VB) *** A fun problem traversing the inside edge of the Slice of Pie flake. You'd hurt yourself badly if you fell off, but with big incut holds all the way across, you're not going to fall off unless you really screw up.
Forest Lands
An area just beyond Barney's Rubble with several boulders. Drive about 30 meters past the roadcut between
Bruce's Boulder and Barney's Rubble and follow up a dirt road on the right to a parking area. A
trail leads in a downstream direction from the left edge of the parking area. Follow it across a mud/ash flow
and through woods on the other side to the boulders.
- 30. Backdoor Ass Attack (V9) *** A sit-down-start problem that will have you hanging ass backwards. Photo 1 Photo 2
Rat Creek Boulder
The Rat Creek Boulder is a large rounded boulder located across the creek from Z-Crack
Buttress, about 6.0 miles up the Icicle River Road. You have to cross private property to
get there, but so far access to the boulder has not been restricted (as far as I know).
The boulder is now partly obscured by pine trees, and is often used by climbing schools to
teach basic climbing techniques. It is erroneously referred to as Hook Creek Boulder in
Kramar's guide. Even though it is located near Hook Creek, it was always called Rat Creek
Boulder, and until the last of us old guys is dead that's what we're going to call it.
Most of the problems here are fairly highball, and most are toproped though a few are usually
climbed unroped.
Bridge Creek Boulder
The Bridge Creek Boulder is the funky rounded rock across the road from Bridge Creek
Campground. Ever since a picture of somebody climbing on it appeared in Rock & Ice (May 2001),
it's become popular. There are a few problems on the boulder. My sources say they are in the
V2-V5 range. This area was charred by the last big fire. I'll explore and let you know what I think.
Mad Meadows
I don't know where this is, but I hope to get a topo soon. Meanwhile, here is a video of
Pipsqueak, a V7 problem that looks pretty cool.
The Sword Area
Coming soon!
The Egg Area
Coming soon!
There are a lot more boulder problems in the Icicle, and I'll add to this chapter this
summer and fall. It will take a little bit of time to catalog all of the boulder problems in
the Icicle. If you have any favorites or want to help me out, you know how to reach me.
back to bouldering
