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Many thanks to Bret Ruckman and Stuart Ruckman for their work in providing so much great beta in Wasatch Climbing North dtd 1991. Bong Eater Buttress is found on page 157. I have just about worn out my copy. Some information below is from their book and some of the information is from my own personal experience and my interest in old and great aid routes that are still fun and challenging to climb. I would also like to acknowledge Chris McNamara and www.supertopos.com for the format. Please visit his web site. As always climb at your own risk, be careful and climb safely. Carl ...

Bong Eater 5.10d, C1+ or Top Rope***, Little Cottonwood Canyon

Bong Eater Buttress: On the north (left going up the canyon) side of Little Cottonwood Canyon, straight above the lighted sign at the intersection of Highway 209 and 210, is a steep chunk of granite with an obvious dehedral. This dihedral is Bond Eater, the first significant outcropping of granite in the canyon.

Approach: On the north east corner of the Park and Go parking lot at the bottom of Little Cottonwood Canyon is the start of the Bong Eater Buttress trail. Climb up from the parking lot for a short distance to a trail intersection. Turn left (west going down canyon) for approximately 20 feet, then take the obvious trail right (north) and follow this trail to the Bong Eater Buttress. The buttress is a 10 to 20 minute hike.

The Bong Eater and The Hand Eater (just right of Bong Eater) are two great short aid routes. Both routes are easy to set up for a solo climb. Bong Eater is a challenging off width adventure that takes clean protection well and gives the climber a great chance to use his/hers biggest cams for the problematic off width finish. The top of Hand Eater gives a leader and a follower a chance to set up, execute and clean a short pendulum traverse. Don't let the C1+ or the shortness (70 feet) route fool you, these routes are fun and challenging and they will test your aid climbing skills. Bong Eater and Hand Eater are good winter routes with mornig to midday sun.

First Assent: Warren Marshall and Lenny Nelson, 1964
First Free Assent: George Lowe and Pete Gibbs, 1974

Rack:

Nuts:
2 each (offset useful)

Cams:
1 each to one inch
3 to 4 each 1.25 - 1.75 inch
2 each 2 - 3 inch
I each larger sizes to 5 inches (save the big sizes for the top)

Note: With extra cams or a modest amount of back cleaning in the 1 - 1.75 inch sizes the route can be climbed with cams only.

Strategy: Bong Eater is a very popular free and top rope off width/lie back crack climb. Like all of the best crack climbs in Little Cottonwood Canyon they are great opportunities to practice your granite aid climbing skills. Generally I would suggest that you aid on these best climbs in the off-season or during questionable in-season weather. To start the climb, throw in an opposing cam at the bottom of the route. Rack most of your gear on your left side and try to stay out of the crack as much as possible. I have found the top to be very tricky and I am reluctant to describe my cluster of cams and desperate humping of the rock to finish. On my last aider placement I attached a fifi hook to my aiders with a 10-foot cord for easy retrievel as I left my aiders for an airy 10 feet of 5.4 free climbing to the bolts.

The lead climber will help the second if he/she redirects the tag line through the third bolt which is down and climbers right (east) of the main two bolts. This little act of friendship will keep the cleaner from getting stuck in the off width at the top. Also, if you choose to use stoppers it is always nice to have a hammer for cleaning.

Descent: Rappel the route or walk off the back.

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Hammer for cleaning?

Hammer for Cleaning - I know to most the word hammer within the realm of aid climbing means rock distruction. However, I have found that if I carry my hammer during cleaning I can simply place my cleaning tool at the base of a previously weighted stopper and tap the cleaning tool with the hammer for a very clean and easy removal. This method is easier on the rock and the stopper.

While free climbing I will carry a palm sized stone in my chalk bag for tapping against my cleaning tool for stoppers that are set. You never know until after you have yanked on a stopper to remove it if you will damage the stopper or the rock.

I appreciate the question from Shaft. I would love to hear from others how they clean set or weighted stoppers.

Carl ...

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Just curious about the hammer, I suppose hitting the nut tool with the palm isn't very smart, I do remember using a biner.

The stone idea is a good one.

I've always put rocks in my friends chalkbag(backpacks) , not mine!
also , at the top of the bong , you may as well just finish the climb and not fool around with a huge cam that will only be 12" higher than the bomber#1 cam that goes in at the rest. if you can call it a rest . freeclimbing that is ...never aided it ....have frenchfreed it though

You the looney who was aiding that thing last week?

Looney is a great description of me. Yes, I aided it for my second time last Friday, December 17th. The first time was about a year and half ago. Carl ...

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Sooo, did you transcribe this description?

Yes, I transcribed the description with acknowledgements to others. I'm trying to be careful about plagiarizing.

"Many thanks to Bret Ruckman and Stuart Ruckman for their work in providing so much great beta in Wasatch Climbing North dtd 1991. Bong Eater Buttress is found on page 157. I have just about worn out my copy. Some information below is from their book and some of the information is from my own personal experience and my interest in old and great aid routes that are still fun and challenging to climb. I would also like to acknowledge Chris McNamara and www.supertopos.com for the format. Please visit his web site. As always climb at your own risk, be careful and climb safely. Carl ..."

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Climb On Safely

You can skip the big gear at the
top and just use a #00 gray
metolious cam in the flake, but
only for aiding, this thing would
not take a fall.
Prowser is a waaaay better solo aid
climb, no groveling in an offwidth
and really tricky small nutting with
a dyno to clip the bolt at the top and
a mandatory mantle above the bolt
(fun in the snow, in tenies).
Skip the hammer and don't weld your
stoppers with too much bounce testing.

Prowser 5.12b ** - I have not yet aid climbed Prowser and I appreciate your recommendation to do so. I will do it in the near future.

Grayhghost - Have you exited your aiders from the flake placement that you recommended above. It seems that your way would make for a much more difficult exit with in the off-width. I have to admit that I am a lousy off-width climber, which is way I was aid climbing Bong Eater to start with.

As for welding my stoppers I have to admit that since I had one blow early this year leaving me with a nasty cut on my leg I have been extra careful. I try to lighten up a bit.

Carl ...

_________________
Climb On Safely

I have done Bongeater so many times free
that it was no big deal to just grab the lip on
the left side of the O.W. and mantel it out,
so take that recomendation with a grain of
salt. You should get a set of HB Brass Micro-
Nuts to do Prowser with, it will save you a
good bit of time. Don't stress about the hammer
just be careful with it and don't get beat-up in the
parking lot when a bunch of people hear the sound
of pinging metal on metal on one of the most
classic cracks in the canyon.