Bouldering has been described as "rock without risk," but I'd
say that distinction is more appropriately applied to toproping.
With a solid anchor and a good belayer, a rope from above
eliminates nearly all of the risk from climbing. Granted,
getting the rope up there might be more risky than actually
leading the route, and you still have to contend with loose
rock and such, but for the most part toproping allows climbers
to push their limits by trying harder climbs than they think
they could lead with the confidence that they won’t hurt or
embarrass themselves too badly in the process. Sure, toproping
is pretty much for wimps (i.e., most of us at some stage of our
climbing careers), but it still is one of the most popular
types of roped climbing. It is an excellent training tool,
allowing you to climb repeated laps on a route and thereby
improve both your technical skill and stamina. It is also pretty fun!
At crags throughout the state, I have often heard the question,
"Where can I set up a toprope?" My guide,
Rock Climbing Washington,
lists a few toprope routes in the Icicle Creek Canyon, but doesn't
go into detail about which other routes provide good toproping
opportunities. To bridge that gap, here is a list of some of the
best and most popular toprope routes and crags in Washington.
This guide will be supplemented. If you have a favorite toprope
climb that isn’t listed here,
contact us
and we’ll add it to the list.
If you have a good photo of somebody toproping one of these
climbs and are willing to share it, let us know.
Index Town Walls
There are really no true toprope routes at Index, at least not
very many that you can set up without climbing a route first.
Several popular Index climbs are often done with a toprope,
although the approach to set up the rope is usually 5.8 or 5.9,
or harder. Here are some of those routes. This is not a
complete list of the toproping possibilities at Index. Any
route can be toproped if you can get a rope up there.
- Libra
Crack (5.10a) *** The popular hand crack. Climb up
to the anchors via the 5.6 variation or another route to set
up the toprope.
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Verge (5.10d) * The
arete/face right of the Aries dihedral. Approach via the Aries
dihedral (5.8) or Sickle Crack (5.7) to the bolts below On the Verge.
- Sonic Reducer (5.12a) *** A thin slab problem with a "roof"
that is more often toproped than led. Usually approached via the
Taurus route (5.7) to its anchors.
- Terminal Preppie (5.11c) *** A steep slab climb with
a "roof" that is also often toproped. Also approach via the
Taurus route (5.7) to its anchors.
- Terminator (5.10b) ** Climb the 5.8 crack on the right to set a rope.
- Iron Horse (5.11d) *** Another great route that is
toproped more often than led free. You have to aid the
route (C2) or climb Sagittarius (5.9) first to set up the rope.
- Arachnid Arch (5.11d) *** The super thin arch
below the big arch of Sagittarius. You have to climb the
first half of Sagittarius (5.9) or aid halfway up Iron
Horse (C2) to set up this toprope.
- Bat Skins (5.11a) * The arch and flakes just left
of the City Park bolt ladder. A toprope can be set up at the
first pitch anchors while rappelling from City Park (C1) or
Godzilla (5.9). A direct 5.10c face variation can be done
instead of the arch, if it's dry.
- City
Park (5.13c) *** Many have tried, many have failed. You have to
climb Godzilla (5.9) first. Double ropes required.
- City Park bolt ladder (5.10a/b) * Climb the first bit
of Godzilla (5.7) and hang a rope from a sling around the pedestal.
- Skinhead Upstart (5.12b) ** This is a variation of
City Park, climbing the first 20 feet of the crack then traversing
left to the Bat Skins anchors. Climb Bat Skins (5.11a) or rappel
in from City Park to set up the rope.
- 24-hour Buccaneer (5.11b) A dangerous lead but a
fun toprope just below Thin Fingers. Climb either the 5.10a flake
or the 5.9 half-chimney to get to the Thin Fingers ledge to set
up a toprope.
- Thin Fingers (5.11a) *** The awesome steep crack
route, which is often toproped despite approach difficulties.
Climb either Tatoosh (5.9, with a chimney and offwidth) or the
Narrow Arrow route (5.7, very loose and blocky) to the ledges,
then traverse brushy Class 4 to the upper anchors. Double
ropes recommended.
- Boulder Arete (5.8) * This is a slabby arete on one
of the big blocks in the talus field right of the Lower Wall.
It is the only really worthwhile problem out here. Many
climbers use these boulders as a toilet, so watch out!
- Big Science (5.12a) * The knobby face problem left
of the cave door in The Country area. Approach via S.S.
Ultrabrutal (5.7).
- A Touch Too Much (5.11b) * This is the curving
flake in the middle of Garden Wall. It's a great toprope climb
that ought to be cleaned up more often.
- Pressure Drop (5.11a) ** A fun finger crack on a
small cliff below the Upper Wall. You can hike to the top of
this one and sling a tree; bring a long sling and a scrub
brush. There are two other topropes on this wall (5.11b and d)
that probably are very dirty.
- Spineless (5.11b) ** This bolted arete on Private
Idaho can be toproped by hiking up and slinging a tree at the
top of the wall. Other routes on Private Idaho can be toproped
in a similar fashion.
Darrington
Sorry, there is no good toproping at Darrington, except maybe one
5.10 slab route on the Karger Boulder (see map on page 100 of
Rock
Climbing Washington). Somebody actually went to the
trouble of building a little wooden deck at the base of this
boulder, so climbers wouldn’t have to stand in the swampy muck
at the base of the boulder, but that was a long time ago, and
the deck is rotting away now. Of course, you can toprope any of
the routes at Darrington if you can get a rope up there. Instead
of toproping, just hire a rope gun to lead you up the routes,
which is a much more reasonable approach.
Mount Erie
Many routes at Mount Erie can be toproped from anchors or
trees atop the several cliffs. Here are some of the more
popular toprope routes. There are many, many more toproping
possibilities at Mount Erie.
- The Open Book (5.6) ** The dihedral left of the
Nose on the Summit Cliff. A popular lead, but very often
toproped. Class 3-4 downclimbing or rappelling required to
reach the anchors.
- Nosedive (5.10c) * Climb straight up the blocky
overhang and arete of The Nose on the Summit Cliff. Use the
bolt anchors above The Open Book to hang a rope.
- Queen of Hearts (5.8) ** An R-rated lead on the
Summit Cliff that is often toproped from anchors. Getting
to the anchors requires rappelling or Class 3-4 downclimbing
from above, or leading up another route from below.
- Beam Reach (5.10d) * The leftmost of the three
sport routes on the left side of Powerline Wall. The anchors
for all three routes may be reached via a Class 3
traverse from above.
- Intimidator (5.10a) *** The middle sport route
on Powerline Wall.
- Sushi Eatin' Mermaids (5.10b) *** The rightmost
sport route on Powerline Wall.
- Sunkist (5.10c) *** The best sport route on the
Orange Wall. Getting to the anchors requires Class 3-4
scrambling to the ledge above the routes.
- Karnage (5.11c/d) ** The middle sport
route on Orange Wall.
- Frogs in Space (5.11a) ** The steep crack and
face route just right of the start of Zig Zag on Snag
Buttress. Climb the initial dihedral of Zig Zag to get to
the anchors. The other sport routes here may also be
toproped by rappelling in to the anchors or climbing
an adjacent route.
- When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play (5.12b) *** The
best route at Mount Erie? Find the anchors at the top of
the Headwall, drop a rope, and find out for yourself.
North Bend
There are not many routes at Little Si and Exit 38 that can be
toproped without climbing another route to get to the
anchors. Climbers often do just that, climbing an easier route to set up a toprope on more difficult line "next door." You could
hike to the top of a few of the crags to set up a rope,
but this has led to serious erosion, for example at the Repo
walls at Little Si. And getting to the anchors may be difficult from above, so this is not recommended. If you want to
toprope at Little Si or Exit 38, hire a rope gun to set a
rope for you or climb something easy then swing or reach over to the anchors of an adjacent route and hang a rope that way.
Fossil Rock
Many of the routes at Fossil Rock may be toproped by hiking
up to the top of the rock to reach the bolt anchors. The anchors
are not always readily accessible from the top, though, making
this a risky proposition on many routes. It is better to climb
a nearby route and hang a rope if you want to toprope here.
Either that, or have another climber set a rope for you before
they lower off.
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Jeff Smoot bouldering at Skyline Ridge
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Stevens Pass
All of the routes on Ramone Rock are easily toproped. Many good
topropes in the 5.0 to 5.11 range. Bring a light rack of chocks
and cams for anchors, and some long slings or an extra rope.
There are also a few good toprope problems among the boulders
and rocks on the ridge above Skyline Lake. The two best topropes
in the Stevens Pass area are:
- Teenage Lobotomy (5.11a) ** The roof crack in the
middle of Ramone Rock. Originally toproped and called Thirty
Seconds over Tokyo, it was led a few days later and renamed.
- Skyline Crack (5.11a) ** A thin crack in weathered
granite on the crest of Skyline Ridge. Also a lead problem, but
easily toproped. (The photo shows the crack to the right of Jeff)
Snoqualmie Pass
Any of the routes on the Fun Forest may be toproped if you
have a very long sling or an extra rope (unless they've
installed bolt anchors atop the routes). The best toprope
routes are on
Blondie Bluff,
just up the interstate.
- Clash City (5.11b) *** A steep, flaring,
straight-in thin hand crack. Set up the rope by hiking
around to the left and up to the ledge above the crack.
You’ll need a long sling and several mid-size cams.
- Train in Vain, aka The Scarab (5.12b) * Dick
Cilley named this The Scarab, but we've always called it
Train in Vain in keeping with the Clash motif, since it's
right next to Clash City. Short, but really tough!
Leavenworth
There are many excellent toprope problems in the
Leavenworth area, especially on the many boulders and
short walls of Icicle Creek Canyon, the toproping
capital of Washington. Here are some of the favorites.
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Matt Arksey topropes Dish Crack
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- Dish Crack (5.10c) * A thin crack on a convex
wall on the buttress just up from Mountaineers' Buttress.
Scramble up ledges to set up a rope; bring some gear
and a long sling.
- The Prow (5.11b) ** The steep prow on the left
side of Bolt Rock. There are some slabby toprope problems
on the road face.
- Squealer, aka East of Java (5.12b) * A super
thin, overhanging finger crack with a crux mantel, just
above the Snow Creek trail parking lot. Short but severe.
- La Cucaracha (5.10d) ** The thin crack line
on the right side of Madsen's Buttress. A lead route,
but usually toproped. Bring a sling and a few cams to
set up a toprope.
- Williams' Twelve (5.12a) ** A diagonal seam/flake
on the short wall just above the road past Snow Creek
trailhead. One hard, sequential move.
- Deb's Crack (5.10d) ** The left-leaning, overhanging
finger and hand crack splitting the boulder just up and left
from Williams' Twelve. A pump.
- Zig-Zag (5.11a/b) ** A zig-zagging flake and face
problem left of Deb's Crack.
- Bruce's Boulder Face (5.11b) *** The steep slab
facing the creek. There are many good, sometimes contrived
slab and crack toprope problems on Bruce's Boulder, from
5.2 to 5.12. This area is often very crowded.
- Barney's Rubble Slab (5.7) *** The friction slab
on the right side of the Barney's Rubble formation. A 5.10a
variation climbs the blanker slab on the left. There are
many good topropes on Barney’s Rubble, from 5.4 to 5.12.
This area is often very crowded.
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Todd Skinner topropes A Slice of Pie
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- A Slice of Pie (5.11b) * A short face problem
hidden behind the big flake right of the slab problem on
Barney's Rubble. You need a couple of chocks to set up a rope.
- Z-Crack (5.10c/d) *** A toprope may be set up on
this route and Meat Grinder by scrambling up the chimney
on the right. A great route for laps.
- Meat Grinder, aka Alcove Crack (5.9+) *** The wide
cracks right of Z-Crack, also frequently toproped.
- Dogleg Crack (5.8) *** The crack to the right of
Meat Grinder You can hike all the way around, or climb a
Class 4-5 chimney up from the top of Z-Crack to set up a
rope on this crack. A 5.10a face variation on the right
is also popular.
- Rat Creek Boulder Arch (5.10c) ** The arching
flake on the steep face of Rat Creek Boulder (referred to
as Hook Creek Boulder in Kramar's guide). There are
several other good topropes on Rat Creek Boulder, from 5.8 to 5.11.
- Rat Creek Boulder Face (5.13?) This is the super
thin face just left of the arch. Somebody told me he climbed
this back in 1980 or so. It's possible. Try it and see
what you think.
- Atlas Shrugged (5.11b/c) * An overhanging seam on
the side of the real Rat Creek Boulder. Getting there is a bit
tricky these days, due to access issues. Bring some gear to
set an anchor.
- Baby's On Fire (5.13a) * A super thin overhanging
seam to the left of Atlas Shrugged.
- Classic
Crack (5.8+) ** The very popular jam
crack just up the road from Eightmile Campground. Class 4
ledge scrambling to the anchors.
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Matt Arksey topropes Z-Crack
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- Twin Cracks (5.8) ** The cracks just left of
Classic Crack. A 5.9+ start via the offwidth is interesting.
- Doin' Dishes (5.11c/d) * A thin face problem just
right of Classic Crack. Often dirty.
- Deception Crack (5.9) * The thin, angling crack on
the right side of Classic Crack Buttress. Very shallow, with
slippery rock. There are a couple of good 5.10 topropes to
the right of Deception Crack.
- Carnival Crack (5.10d) **
The big off-width across the road from Classic Crack Buttress.
Hardly anybody ever leads it.
- Trapeze (5.12a) ** The shallow cracks just left
of Carnival Crack.
- Little Red Corvette (5.11d) * A thin crack and dike
on the creekside buttress across from Bridge Creek Campground.
In late summer, when the creek is very low, you can rappel in to
a boulder to start the route. If you fail, you have to batman
or jumar up the rope. Otherwise, the only escape is desperate
wading across submerged boulders.
- Every Inch is Hard (5.12a) * This is the overhanging
thin crack on the granite buttress overhanging US Highway 2 just
around the first curve west of Leavenworth. The crack almost
literally overhangs the highway. It is not often climbed,
for good reason.
Frenchman Coulee
Quite a few routes at Vantage may be toproped fairly easily by
hiking along the rim and setting up a rope from above. However,
the rim can be very loose, so use caution. Most topropes are best
set up by climbing the route or another nearby route.
Refer to
Bill Robins' website
for information about Vantage climbing
safety issues before you try to set up a toprope on any route.
Tieton River Canyon
Like Vantage, there are not many true toprope routes on the
Tieton columns. Hiking to the top of the columns to set up a
toprope is not recommended here. Several routes may be toproped
by climbing another nearby route first, although the approach
routes are often nearly as difficult as their neighbors.
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Rick Rice topropes Bat Crack (5.9), Minnehaha
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Spokane
Spokane has some of the most accessible toprope climbing in
the state. Almost every route at Minnehaha and Dishman Rocks
may be toproped from bolt anchors reached by scrambling up to
the top of the cliff. A single rope, several carabiners, and a
long sling are all you need for a majority of toprope routes.
Mazama
Many of the routes at Mazama's Fun Rock may be toproped
easily by hiking up to the top of the cliff and setting up
a rope from bolt anchors. The routes on the other cliffs,
especially Canine Crag, have very loose rock making it very
dangerous to try setting up a toprope.
Other Areas
Aside from a few cracks here and there (and some way out
there), I don’t know about toprope routes in other areas of
Washington. If you know of any good toproping areas or routes,
please
let us know.
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