Kyle Elliott Granite falls

[Hide Comment] The trail as of 4/13/18 is not well defined once it reaches the boulders. follow trail up through the trees after passing a informational/warning sign until the boulder field. As soon as it looks like you are too almost too close to restless natives, there is a fork branching leftward to flyboys. (FYI if you leave the trail leftward too early, you will be scrambling/hopping on sharp, teetering boulders) . the trail will traverse the base of the wall, passing a couple of cliff bands, then up around the left side of a clean overhanging wall with several fixed lines, up a gully, and up and right to the start of the route. Apr 17, 2018

Kirsten Chicoine Canmore, AB

[Hide Comment] There is tonnnns of snow at the top of Flyboys during late April. Or at least there was when my friend and I went. Make sure to prepare descent, its unclear where or how to get down by walking. It is also quite far 8-11 miles (according to information from maps and a lady at the outdoor store). AWESOME climb though, tons of variety for style, super protected. Apr 25, 2018

Elias Jordan Mazama, WA   5.9

[Hide Comment] When the Goat Creek Road is open (usually May - November) one can drive about 10mi from the Mazama Store up the road to the top of the Goat Wall. The hike from the top of Flyboys to the road is about 10min straight North. NOTE: This is no "walk-off" - unless your idea off a walk-off is 10miles of road hiking - it is a way to run a shuttle*. See photos for a map. *Best done with bikes (rentals available at the Goat's Beard in Mazama, or Methow Cycle and Sport in Winthrop). Apr 26, 2018

Elliott Schwartz   5.9+

[Hide Comment] I did this with a friend on May 5, 2018. We got to a pull out on the road at 7:00 after driving back and forth down the road a few times to check for obvious trails. We saw one trail, North of the pull out, not South like the description suggests. We figured that we must have been confused, so we started up that trail at 7:30. That trail went too far North to Goat Creek. We followed the rock faces heading South until we saw bolts for what must be Prime Rib. After that, it took a few more minutes of walking to find Flyboys. The approach hike took about 70 minutes including getting lost and following a few not-actually-trails into dead ends. Lessons: If near Goat Creek, you're too far North. The large dead tree is an *erect* dead tree, not tipped-over. We got to the base of the wall around 8:40 AM; started climbing by 9 AM. First few pitches were all fine. Directions on this page are pretty accurate as far as I can remember. I didn't expect quite so many traverses/walks between pitches. I stayed on belay for one of the traverses. After a few of them we decided to save time and just walk together while carrying the rope. The terrain is all pretty easy between pitches so this felt fine. Pitch 7: Excellent. "Wild" face moves were indeed wild. My friend enjoyed this less; ended up skipping one of the moves since he followed and could still pull gear that way. Pitch 10: Really fun. Pitch 14: Probably my favorite pitch. Good traversing to start, a few good slab moves, and finished with some really fun overhung stuff to get up into the chimney. I had to use some muscle to finish it on lead but it wasn't too bad. Big mistake: I thought it finished in the chimney. Go *through* the chimney; anchors are just above it. Pitch 18: Not as hard as 10 and 14. We finished climbing at 5:15. It took about 3 hours to rappel. We sort of followed a trail on the hike out but we lost it about half way down. Overall: Really great climb. Lots of styles of moves, very safe. May 7, 2018

Gregger Man Broomfield, CO

[Hide Comment] Not bad. We climbed this on 5/14/18 when there was record heat in Seattle - not sure what the temperature was on the route, but it was hot. In retrospect, I would have done better had I climbed in approach shoes instead. The most difficult moves did not seem to me to require precision foot placements, and by the end our feet hurt in the rock shoes (partly due to the heat, partly due to the amount of walking on the 4th class sections.) May 16, 2018

Steph Abegg Boulder, CO

[Hide Comment] Climbed Flyboys yesterday (May 26, 2018). Some comments: (1) 7 parties on route. Popular. (2) You can climb the route with 16 quickdraws. I would recommend perhaps making 4-6 of these alpine draws to minimize rope drag in certain sections. (3) You can link pitches. We linked quite a few with some simulclimbing but you could link even without simulclimbing. (4) The rap route is just beside the climbing route the whole way. There are loose rocks on several of the ledges, so be very careful about kicking rocks off on people coming up. (5) Fun day, can go quite quick (especially if you link pitches). We climbed the route in 3 hours and rappelled in 1.5 hours. May 27, 2018

Mason Gunneson Vancouver, BC

[Hide Comment] My first ever via ferrata... We parked at the second pullout and followed the trail for PR angling right towards FB when it seemed sensible. The scree is nowhere near so bad as pundits suggest and the total approach time is a mere 30 min. The majority of the climbing is very straightforward with nothing resembling 'sustained' (i.e. pumpy/enduring difficulties) climbing. One of the posters here wished they could have done it in approach shoes. I may not go that far, but it certainly could be done that way as the vast majority of footholds were large and there is little technical difficulty. Cruxes are very brief, exceptionally well-protected, and usually have excellent rests (read: no hands) before and after them. Descriptors such as 'wild face moves' seem out of place and suggest a far more difficult and exhilarating experience than is the case. Pulling a crux with bolts at my waist and shoulder level on good holds does not constitute 'wild' I'm sorry to say and it's important not to overstate the challenges encountered on this climb. It's the clear that the developers endeavored to create a safe and accessible climb and they succeeded in their goals. It is safe and then some. To see the 5.3 pitch with barely more than 8 feet between bolts is indeed a sight to behold. If you like well-protected climbs with no challenging moves above bolts, this is for you. If you prefer a more adventurous, committing feel, you might look elsewhere. With respect, there did appear to be a number of bolts in odd/unnecessary locations, even for timid leaders. There are a few nice pitches and many average ones which is to be expected on a route of its length. The rock is generally good, though with some obvious loose sections, which again is to be expected. Nice view from the summit. We didn't rap due to high winds and opted for the long walk home. Lucky enough to get picked up. For visitors: ARRANGE A SHUTTLE FROM THE TOP BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY BEFORE STARTING. Jun 15, 2018

wakaranai Mount Vernon, WA

[Hide Comment] If you get to the mine on the approach you went a touch too far. Bikes are the way to go. We did it in about 12 pitches linking several and would have linked more but there are so many ledges it made us pretty anxious about knocking rocks on the party below. A couple of memorable pitches...the squeeze chimney and P7 corner thing for sure stick out as the best of the climb despite some razor sharp rock on chimney. Worth doing this as an early season alpine sporty adventure for sure! You'll likely be skipping some clips but who cares, do it, it's fun! The topo on this thread shows it as a grade V which it is not even close. It is not a grade IV either....there are many more committing Grade III's out there actually Jun 16, 2018

Zachary K Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] GPS Coordinates for the start of the climb: 48.623704,-120.450665 For the parking pullout: 48.622325,-120.454698 Jun 18, 2018

S Saunders Oakdale, CA   5.9

[Hide Comment] Kudos to the developers for putting up a super fun route. We had a blast. Regarding the generosity of bolting, it is definitely very safe. For those that feel there are too many bolts, do what we did: skip anything you feel is extraneous - Clip what you want. Pitches can definitely be strung together, but we opted to run each pitch independently due to the number of parties on the route. This kept us moving without creating pile ups. Two other parties generously allowed us to pass. Folks seemed quite courteous the whole way up. I counted 6 parties, including us, on a Thursday. Car shuttle...all the way. 18 safe and fun pitches in a gorgeous setting. What more could you ask for? Jun 30, 2018

jason taro Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Approach trail had a small cairn with an old climber shoe. @aswiley1 With a 70m rope and 20ish draws/runners we linked (if i remember right) 1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 10-11 (through drag got pretty bad). Should probably simul or walk p 5 and walk p 15. Jul 5, 2018

Jeff Botimer

[Hide Comment] A great route. Someone put a ton of work into this, and into making it very safe. Thanks to those who put it up! A couple comments: 1. Most pitches cannot be linked with a 60m, we found that out the hard way. 2. Pitches 7 and 14 felt closer to 10a/b to me. Perhaps a hold has broken? Still a ton of fun, but just keep that in mind if 5.9 is near your limit. 3. The route was really easy to follow, even when you have to "hike" between pitches. The "hikes" between routes was kind of different, but I enjoyed them. Jul 18, 2018

Lars Teigen

[Hide Comment] Here’s a video from a climb a couple weeks ago. youtu.be/rlzom4zhQSQ Fun route. Some of my favorite pitches were 6,7,10, 14, and 18. Unfortunately I hadn’t cleared my camera from the last climb and ran out of memory after pitch 7. But I still added pictures from the route after that point. Jul 19, 2018

Samuel Rosenstein Newton, MA

[Hide Comment] This climb was amazing! Here's some beta: - Visit Goat Beard in Mazama for information on the climb. Everyone that works there is great! - Park at the prime rib pullout, and walk towards the Mazama store for about 20m, they'll be a little trail that is pretty steep. If you don't see a sign for 10min, then you're on the wrong trail. Once you hit the talus, keep following the Cairns right, all the way until you pretty much hit the wall. You'll then see a trail that goes left along the wall - take that. You'll reach the fur trees, and then you'll need to walk down a bit to an angled ledge for the start of the climb. - For the climb, if you have a 70m rope, you can link up 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. They'll be a lot of rope drag, but it's worth it. Bring a ton of draws, or skip bolts (we skipped a bunch as the climbing is moderate). - THERE IS NO WALK OFF. You can setup a bike shuttle, but the walk down is 10miles at least. Would highly suggest renting a bike from Goat Beard and stowing it at the first cattle guard on the road at the top of goat wall. - If you plan to rappel, make sure to get the topo from Goat Beard. The rapel stations are different than the belay stations and traverse extensively. The guides at Goat Beard highly suggest to not rappel this route. Aug 1, 2018

Mary Dang

[Hide Comment] Did this on July 27, 2018. Started this climb later on in the day (10AM) and got to the top 8:20PM as the sun was setting. Fortunately, our friends ahead of us climbed much faster than my partner and I and they were able to descent and drive the car to the top to pick us up. Definitely recommend leaving a car up or arranging a shuttle. Their descent took about 3 hours. Lots of loose rocks here, I was struck by a fist sized rock while the rope was being pulled up and my helmet cracked. Fun climb though! Aug 1, 2018

david

[Hide Comment] Be sure to walk southeast along the road from the parking lot. We weren’t thinking and walked northwest to a trail, ended up getting lost but finding Prime Rib instead and doing that. Don’t repeat our silly mistake! Aug 6, 2018

npaolini Vancouver, BC

[Hide Comment] Great climb! Thanks to the folks that put in all those bolts. I can't say that I clipped all of them but the extra effort that went into making a nice separate rappel route was much appreciated. Rappelling 18 pitches seems like a lot but it actually was pretty chill with very nice stances at each anchor. A 70m rope to link pitches (and skip some rappels), and approach shoes to save your feet make for a very pleasant day. We brought 10 sport draws and 5 trad draws, but I would lean towards more extendables when linking pitches. Aug 6, 2018

Jeremy Y

[Hide Comment] Did this in early August and the trail from the road is impossible to see from said road. The only obvious trail goes to Rib Cage, and getting to flyboys from here involves some very dangerous talus fumbling, then wandering along the cliff line bushwhacking. My partner nearly had his leg trapped in between two shifting rocks. We were pissed. From on the a few pitches up, I could see that the trail really is 200 feet or so to the right when facing the well marked rib cage trail, but from the road it just looks like a crappy washout for the first 10%. Persevere with finding the Flyboys trail, going from Rib Cage trail is dangerous. Once we got to the route its a was blast. We were on route for about 7.5 hours, and were car to car in about 10. 60m rope does every pitch easily. Pitch #7 was by far the stoutest, I might even call it 5.10. It's safe, just two or three moves where you actually have to crank. Everything else was pretty relaxed. The whole route is overbolted if anything, you'll never feel even a tiny bit runout. We stashed rented bikes at the top (the hike was a little further from the topout than advertised, but simple enough on an obvious trail). Once you hit the road go right and you'll see the pull in where you put your bike. FYI, this is a dirt backroad for cattle farming, you are not going to be able to hitchhike out. The biking is a little bone rattling, but all downhill or flat. The awesome dudes at the Goat's Beard mountain supply hooked us up. We were running late, paid for our bikes over the phone en route to Mazama, and they left them out for us after closing time to pick up and stash the evening before. Aug 23, 2018

Gaar Springdale / Zion UT / Moab

[Hide Comment] Super wandering route. Climbed whole thing in approach shoes, was able to reach through most cruxes. The "chimney" pitch was the most challenging and the only difficult move on route. On average skipped 3-5 bolts per pitch. 5.9- Sep 3, 2018

Don Ferris III Eldorado Springs

[Hide Comment] Essentially a glorified Via Ferrata. So many bolts. With this many bolts so close together it’s bound to get rediculous amounts of traffic and on this choss pile that’s a bad combination. Parties were dodging rocks all day, big ones. Not everybody has to climb every swath of rock. Run outs keep out the riff raft. Wear helmets people. Only a matter of time on this one. Sep 10, 2018

Josh Rappoport Natick, MA   5.9

[Hide Comment] Climbed this yesterday with Josh Cole from NCMGs and a friend. It was my friend's first multi-pitch experience, and it was GREAT! Weather was a bit windy but otherwise great. Air was relatively clear of the smoke that has been in the area recently (thanks forest firefighters!). We started on the route at 8am and there was already a party ahead of us, and immediately two behind us. The approach is a bit of a steep slog through a dusty trail, and then a huge rubble pile. The climbing was relatively sustained and quite accessible. In my opinion the challenge comes from the exposure, rather than particular crux moves. My least favorite pitch was 9, we linked up 10 and 11 which was the highlight of the day for me. Pitch 14 was also super fun, a quite exposed start with a bolted chimney end. Because of the fires in the area Goat Creek Road is still closed. Thus we had to rap off, which was actually pretty fun, although long and somewhat involved. We chose to turn back after pitch 16, as the hour was getting late and we didn't want to descend in the dark. We were exactly 10 hours from start to finish. I definitely agree with the other commentators here who warn people without a lot of proper multi-pitch experience to be wary (maybe consider hiring a guide). The climbing certainly isn't hard but the route is challenging. Some of the pitch to pitch walking is a bit dicey and the rap station locations are not always self evident. All in all a great day out. Super tired and sore today! Sep 11, 2018

Terry Parks Tacoma, WA

[Hide Comment] First, this is no way a choss pile. There is a liberal amount of loose rock on some ledges, but if you climb in the mountains you'll encounter loose rock. If there are piles of people expecting a 'sport route' then there will be some rockfall - climbers rapping just need to exercise extreme caution. It took us 2 hours to rap and we didn't notice any rockfall. Watch where your rope is running when rapping and have some cover when you pull rope, just in case. As of yesterday, 8/15 Goat Creek Road is still closed. Trail east of parking area is very obvious. Thanks Bryan and Jerry for the imagination and hard work! Sep 16, 2018

Mo Cheng Portland

[Hide Comment] Pitches 1-8 could be linked pretty easily. We linked more but forgot which ones we did. We heavily used alpine draws and regularly skipped bolts on the easier pitches to reduce drag. We did it at a moderate speed, and also had a break, all totaling 11 hours. During October, the sun starts behind the wall, and comes through around 2 pm. PERFECT. Bring a head lamp just in case. Once you get to the top, follow the trail and cairns up to the cattle fence. Trail will follow the cattle fence ending at a big metal gate. A quarter mile down the road to the right will be where the pull out is for the caravan / cars parked at the top. Oct 22, 2018

Eric K Leavenworth, WA

[Hide Comment] We did it C to C in 6:34:00 33 min, Car to climbing (with poop break) 4:31 Start of P1 to when second topped out. We did it in 11p, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9, 10-11, 12-13, 14, 15 was walked (felt 3rd class), 16, 17, 18. We used a 70m rope and with a little simil-climbing 36 min, top of route to bikes (with lunch break at the top) 54 min, biking back to car Oct 23, 2018

Porter M Bellingham, WA

[Hide Comment] We found linking pitches to not be much of any of a time saver. So much drag builds up that it’s not really worth it. Instead have good rope management and swing lead to maximize efficiency. Nov 5, 2018

sean w Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] As of May 2019, the trail through the scree is well defined and marked with many Cairns. Follow it up toward the base of the wall, where it will eventually cut left and wind back around to the base of the route. Allow 20-30 minutes to hike in. We found it faster to link pitches and avoid drag by skipping bolts with 1 or 2 sections of brief simuling. As others have said, this route is very generously bolted. Base to top-out in a little under 6 hours. We agreed P14 was the most fun. If you're opting for the car or bike shuttle method of getting back down (highly recommended), here are the GPS coordinates of the approximate location to park/stash bikes. This should put you right next to the second cattle guard/gate: 48.625150, -120.437341. From the top, follow Cairns up to a faint climber's trail that leads through the woods back to the road. Have fun! May 5, 2019

Alana Kamahele San Diego, CA

[Hide Comment] GPS for where to stash bikes/ where to park a second car at the top of climb on Goat Creek Road: 48.6257203, -120.4381414 May 6, 2019

Yiddar S   5.9

[Hide Comment] The trail is well-defined as of the past weekend. Look to the right once you are at the top of the talus, you should see the bolts of P1. If you reach the large piece of rusted metal (it's a car?) you've gone too far, the trail that goes further left will take you to prime rib. Bring plenty of alpine draws to avoid rope drag, especially if you want to link pitches. May 7, 2019

JJ W W Seattle

[Hide Comment] Climbed 6/11/19. Two parties that day. Car Shuttle Arrangement (1hr) - 30 mins to the top, 30 mins back down Approach(30min) - Sign at the start of the trail with a sign in book. Follow the cairns. Aim for the white streaks initially, but make a left at the fork. There should be cairns on for both sides of the trail Climb (7 hours total, equivalent to 23 mins per pitch on avg) - We linked pitches 1-2, 3-4, 5, 6, 7-8, 9, 10-11, 12-13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. We had a 70 meter rope, and it was barely enough. There was a lot of drag at the linked pitches, and pitch 12-13 left no rope at all. May be worth not stringing pitches together if done again. Gear - we brought around 24 draws (5 alpine) since we were linking pitches. More than enough. Hardest move for the entire route IMO was single face move off pitch 7, traversing to the left 14 for me was best pitch of the route. Overhanging traversing flake, with a chimney. 18 was pretty moderate - the boulder moves were certainly less difficult than pitch 7 After topping out just follow the cairns through a fixed rope section then onto the trail. Though we did see a few rappel stations on the way up, there were only a few - so not sure how the rappel route would actually go. For those that choose to rappel, remember to build in time to find the rappel stations, but IMO the shuttles are the best way to go. GPS Coordinates for the start of the climb: 48.623704,-120.450665 Car Shuttle: 48.625722, -120.438139 Parking for Approach: 48.622325, -120.454698 Jun 12, 2019

Lou Hibbard Eagan, MN

[Hide Comment] I am adding better directions as to how to get to where to leave the bike as we were given vague directions when renting the bike. Leaving Mazama store go 1-2 miles on Goat Creek Road (only one direction you can go). You turn left at the top of a hill on a road which is marked at the start with a brown FS 52 sign. We were told at the store to look for Goat Peak road (which apparently the locals call it) but there are no signs with that name. Also - the flyer the store sells says to look for NF - 5225, The road sign says 52 or FS 52 and the sign is only on the right as the road starts. Go up the 52 road and take a left at the only major intersection. At the second cattle guard you will see the trail for the climb top out come in from the left. Also - you only need one bike if you want to save money. The other climber(s) on top relax or hitches a ride down to save the drive back up. Several vehicles passed while I was waiting. Jul 12, 2019

ArthurG Los Angeles, CA   5.9

[Hide Comment] An absolute WA classic! An alpine experience without the long approach, chilly bivy, or high altitude. For 2 climbers, rappelling is the way to go since setting up the shuttle takes at least an hour (30 min drive up, 30 min drive down). Any more in your party and a car shuttle is super nice. Keep a cooler with lunch and beer in the car up top. You'll need a 70m rope to link pitches without simulclimbing. Use lots of alpine draws and skip some bolts to minimize drag. Anchor at the top of Pitch 10 is easy to miss. If you get to easier ground, you've already started Pitch 11. Rap anchor is climber's left at this point (orange tape added recently to the chains). Highlights are pitches 7, 10, 14, and 18... with 7 being the hardest with a wild, reachy left traverse move. Jul 21, 2019

craig rankin Seattle, WA   5.10a/b

[Hide Comment] A little more bike shuttle beta. The trail off the top of the wall leads to a cattle guard on the road a short ways past the unmarked Goat Wall lookout- a fairly obvious pullout off road 5225. Stash bikes near the cattle guard. Be ready for a lot of washboard on the road but still a fast and fun way down. We left the ground around 6am and were back in town by 12:15pm. The route was in the shade for us until pitch 18. I"d agree with many of the comments regarding the route's nature. We were able to safely link many pitches and skipped a ton of bolts. The crux on P 7(our pitch 4) :however, felt more like 10 B to both myself and my partner. A fun route! Jul 27, 2019

Matt J Miller

[Hide Comment] We climbed this on 8/5/19. It got into the upper 90's that day, so the upper pitches and bike ride down were pretty hot (the breeze helps, though). We each brought 2 liters of water but were mostly done with it by the time we finished the route. In retrospect, I wish we'd stashed a Nalgene with our bikes the night before because I was cooked. I agree with Craig's comment below about the washboard, we aren't bikers and we were pretty sore the next day from the bumpy ride. Other than that, we had a blast! We also linked most of the pitches with a 70m rope and skipped tons of bolts. We brought 19 draws, 10 of which were alpine, and I don't think we ever used them all (though we were comfortable with running it out on easy ground). As many others have said, pitch 7 has the hardest move on it, but the chimney pitch was the most fun and also the most strenuous. Aug 8, 2019

Max Hughes

[Hide Comment] Approach: We got super lost on the approach because we goofed up and parked at the second turnout. If you park at the second pullout, totally disregard the random cairns once you get to the boulder field and cross to the right once you get to the top of it. GPS for the start of the climb is spot on! If you reach the waterfall gulley, you are WAY too far to the left; drop back down and cross the boulder field. Look for the big heap of rusted metal (train car?) and its just to the right of that. Also, look for the large standing dead tree with neon green moss which is at the base of P1. Climb: Unpopular opinion this was super mediocre climbing. Every pitch was very well protected. Rope drag is pretty heinous even when we mostly used alpine draws. Pitch 7, 14 and 18 were the only memorable ones. Lots and lots of awkward anchor stations lead to loads of uncomfortable belaying. Someone has posted really good beta for pitch 7 (which I cant find right now) and a wide left foot to the pocket will be your best friend. I agree with others who have said pitches 7 and 14 lead much more like a 10a/b. Do Prime Rib instead. Decent: Once you top out follow the cairns to the barbed wire fence and follow the very defined trail. For the love of god if you don't have a bike with reeeeeeaaallllyyyyy good suspension or fat tires then ARRANGE A SHUTTLE. 7(?) miles of the most god awful washboarded gravel road took more of a toll on my hands than the entire route did. My arms were numb by the time I reached the main road. The amount of cows we saw on the way down was the most memorable part of this climb! PS: I'm calling BS on whoever said they climbed this in approach shoes. Sep 4, 2019

Caleb Mallory Maple Valley, WA

[Hide Comment] Enjoyed linking this one up with Prime Rib for a big day of simul'ing fun. Sep 6, 2019

Steve Blair Bozeman, MT

[Hide Comment] climbed it on a beautifully perfect day...not too hot or cold and no wind. Most of what is said here is spot on. The trail was well defined. Working around the bulge on pitch 7 is the single "hardest" move on the route. As a whole, I rate it "5.fun"...not very hard for the grade. My feet thanked me for climbing it in approach shoes...totally doable in approach shoes...for reference, I onsight most 5.10s most places and climb harder on occasion. Some have suggested that a pitch or two go at 10a, I say no way...a soft 5.9 (or just 5.fun) the whole way...well protected...maybe over-bolted. I think I skipped 2 out of every 3 bolts. I did not experience any distinct cruxes on the last pitch, much less 3 of them. The chimney pitch was fun with some variation to movement compared to the rest of the route. I concur that this is a great long route for someone wanting to break into 5.9 lead climbing but not very challenging if you are solid at the grade...again, just "5.fun" Oct 6, 2019

Eric Roe Spokane   5.9

[Hide Comment] This route can only be described as bizarre. Way over bolted -- dozens of bolts on 3rd and 4th class terrain, belay and rap stations which are an absolute cluster f*** (5-6 bolts within arms reach of each other?? Including at least one spot that had one 3 bolt anchor and 3 lead bolts in a 6 foot radius, on 4th class terrain). Most of the climb is incredibly soft, several pitches are 2-3 grades over estimated (I'm a bad climber, don't think I'm sandbagging) and several more pitches choose to arbitrarily try to make things harder by placing bolts off the obvious line (including one "pitch" with a half dozen bolts trying to turn a 2nd class ramp into 4th class for some reason?). Unnecessary anchors for the start of pitches that start on massive ledges, but the bolts are awkwardly too low. Un-ergonomic anchors for several pitches when a better choice is 5-10 feet away. Then, when the occasional 5.9 move shows up, there's several times when the bolt that protects the move could only be reached if you're over 6' tall. Don't get me wrong, it's not necessarily bad to have to pull a "committing" move before clipping a bolt. But compared to the way the rest of the route pampers you, there's a noticeable dichotomy. It felt weird to climb what felt like a via ferrata for a dozen pitches, then get to a spot where you have to pull one of the harder moves on route facing a nasty fall onto a pointy ledge. Like I said, bizarre. Prime Rib is a similar route that can be described as well bolted (still maybe over bolted, but it's at least consistent and not nearly as egregious.). On Flyboys, as you top out you might be scratching your head wondering what just happened to you. Which is strange, because I think the same guy put up both routes? Honestly I appreciate the effort it took to create this route. I just want to understand the why of it all. Anyway, I still enjoyed it. Dec 4, 2019

Joe Weber

[Hide Comment] Loved this climb ! That's coming from a person that bouldered for 8 years and this was my first multipitch. Apr 10, 2020

lucander Stone Ridge, NY

[Hide Comment] For god's sake, if you're a slow party get out of people's way when you're on this. For a lot of people this is one of their first few multipitches, so here's the etiquette on big routes: offer for obviously faster parties to pass you. May 4, 2020

Dane Setzer Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] I hesitate to call this a Grade IV climb. Most competent parties can make it to the top in half a day. Though with enough people clogging it up it might feel like a Grade IV... May 27, 2020

Riley Cahoon West Linn   5.9

[Hide Comment] Sent this route on June 26, 2020. This was my first true multi pitch route. It was nothing short of amazing. Reading through many opinions and comments I will provide my opinion from the standpoint of a climber with intermediate experience. The approach was a little confusing. As mentioned, there is a pretty solid scree field you have to cross to get to the start of the route. Once you find the dirt climber trail (pretty obvious), look ahead for some Cairns once you hit the scree field. If you are hiking (more like crawling) through the scree field and don't see cairns, then you're going to get an extra warm up and spend more time than necessary. Spend an extra few minutes ensuring you find the trail, makes for a more enjoyable approach. All this goofy stuff in the comments about this route being a "via ferrata" that you can climb in approach shoes is a wet bag of horse poo in my opinion. Let's be accurate and respectful for those people that may take you seriously and do unsafe things while on the crag. Even if this was a steep jaunt up a mountain (it is not, however you seldom will climb more than 5 feet without clipping a bolt) safety is paramount. Anyways, the route was a super fun cruise up mostly 5.9 and below grade climbing with some awesome exposure and fun technical problems. Three specific problems seemed pretty stiff for 5.9 but were super fun and kept things interesting. The squeeze chimney was by far my favorite. For those that are new to multi pitch (I am) and are looking for a good opportunity to push your endurance pretty hard, I'd say this is the route for you. However a few things to keep in mind: 1. This is 18 pitches! All this "we finished in 4 hours... 6 hours..." stuff is very unreasonable for new multi pitch climbers. 2. I was led by a friend with 15 years of experience and we completed it in 9ish hours and it took us 4ish hours to rap the route. Consider staging a shuttle car at the summit so you don't have to rap 18 pitches. 3. As another macho meat-muncher argued against in these comments, this IS Class 5 climbing. Be smart, be safe, and bring an experienced big wall climber. 4. If your a newby to big walls, bring stuff you'd bring on a long hike (i.e. flashlight, lots of snacks, lots of water, crag shoes/ approach shoes etc.) To conclude, the route kicked my butt due to its length, but the climbing was fun and unforgettable. I will definitely visit goat wall again. Jun 29, 2020

Ryan Westby Portland, OR   5.9-

[Hide Comment] Climbed this on Friday, June 19th, 2020. We left the car at 5am, and topped out at around 11am. We met no other climbers on our way up. Our pitches went like this: Simul'd 1-3, 5-6, 8-13, 15-17. Chris led 4, 7, 14, and 18 on their own. Any 5.9 sections were brief and well-protected. I thought the bolt spacing was great and provides options for different skill levels. We used about 1/3rd of the bolts. We rented bikes from the Mazama Store and stashed them at the top the night before. It was really fun to bike down, highly recommended. Overall this was a great experience and I'm glad we made it out there! Jul 7, 2020

sean w Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] After doing this route again as a "return to climbing post ACL reconstruction rehab", here are my thoughts: 1) Pitch Logistics: Linking pitches 1+2 and 3+4 is ideal. Linking 5+6 creates some pretty awkward drag and I would advise against this. 7+8 are easily linked. I believe we also (accidentally) linked 12+13. Each time I've climbed this we have coiled the rope and walked pitch 15, as others have said this is probably 4th class. 2) Cruxes: I think the physical crux of the route is the short traverse left on pitch 7, and entering the chimney on pitch 14 is slightly awkward/burly feeling. I feel as though the bouldery 5.9+ pitch 18 is more in the 5.8 range. 3) Timing: This was my first climb back in 6 months, and my partner and I completed it in just under 6 hours moving at a reasonable pace but not really rushing at all. In the past, I climbed this with a partner with very little multi-pitch + outdoor climbing experience and we completed it in just under 7 hours. For an experienced team moving quickly between anchors, 3-6 hours is a totally reasonable estimate. If you think you'll be on the slower side of this, please let other parties pass. Final remarks: I agree with the others who say they don't really see this as a grade IV climb, especially compared to some of the other grade IVs in the state (NE Buttress of Goode, Torment-Forbidden Traverse, Direct N Ridge of Stuart all come to mind). The views of Silverstar and the Wine Spires from higher up on the route are lovely, and the climbing is quite fun. Have a blast up there. Jul 7, 2020

Tynan Bowyer Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] I've seen many comments noting how "safe" this route is. While it's true that the route is generously bolted to say the least, the poor rock quality and excess of loose rock in some areas combined with sheer number of people on the route somewhat negate the "safety" of the hundreds of bolts on this thing. The route can also feel somewhat contrived on places, with bolts deliberately placed off of the line of least resistance. Finally, always expect crowds, no matter what day of the week you go. With all that in mind, you can't beat 18 pitches of easy climbing in such a beautiful setting. Jul 21, 2020

Lauren Poulson Southern Oregon

[Hide Comment] This route is 18 pitches of Cascadian choss and currently more crowded than your climbing gym - but fun nonetheless! Slow parties are definitely to be expected, as are parties skipping certain pitches (i.e. pitch 1) to cut you off. As others have said, expect crowds, and expect to be unable to go as fast as you might like. The route itself is extremely over-bolted in most places - was it pitch 12 that is a "5.7" even though it is really a 4th class scramble??? I have no idea what was up with that. It is also contrived, going back left and right with no reason, sometimes on the easiest path, sometimes on a somewhat more difficult path up. It's a beautiful day out - just come expecting crowds, choss, and a convoluted climb. Jul 21, 2020

Kemper Brightman The Old Pueblo, AZ

[Hide Comment] Ah the joys of being a developer, put up 18 pitches of accessable 5.9 and people get mad about it being popular and over-bolted... I'm pretty sure most people commenting here have never put in a bolt, built a trail or cleaned a route... I applaud the effort Bryan and Jerry, everyone else, please update your comments when you're done putting up your own 18 pitch route! Aug 19, 2020

Armando Cordoves Jr San Francisco, CA   5.9+

[Hide Comment] Started to climb it on 8/20. Rain delay forced us to bivy on the ledge of Pitch 14 (wanted to finish; didn't want to rap off or climb in dark). We were one of two parties on the route all day. Finished last 4 pitches early the following morning. Totally worth it. Views at night are spectacular. Pitches 7 and 15 are probably the most difficult, but nothing crazy. 5.9+ is a fair grade. Note: trail head isn't super defined. Aug 24, 2020

Dan Bookless Oregon

[Hide Comment] Might as well add to this labyrinth of comments... 4 stars (but not for the usual reasons) Props to the route developers and everyone that’s built up the infrastructure- trails, cairns, info bulletin board, etc Props for overbolting and using 1/2 SS fatties; I mean why not. This climb fills a niche and it’s clearly extremely popular! Aug 24, 2020

Ben Bilbrough Beaverton, OR   5.10a

[Hide Comment] Sunday, Labor day weekend 2020: We started the approach at 2:45 a.m. in the dark obviously :), walked back toward Mazama store for a bit from the parking lot, and the trail was easy to follow until the very end. It looks like people traverse in from the Prime Rib approach trail, so at the base of the climb, it seems the trail keeps going. Good to get an idea of the start of the route by the picture on the page labeled "The start of the route". 40 feet right of the tree is truly correct. Did the first four pitches in the dark. Excellent climb, props to the route setters, much appreciated. Fun climbing with some distinct cruxes. Some loose rock, a few small scrambles/walks, a few extra bolts, but overall was very stoked on this climb and after reading the comments here, it exceeded my expectations. Don't think an 18 pitch 1800 foot climb at this grade would ever be perfect. Bring lots of water! We went thru 3 liters. Only one other group with us the whole time, a third group had started, but we didn't see them behind us after pitch 5. Get after it! Oh yea, radios helped as well. Happy crushing!!! Sep 8, 2020

Mike Gagnier Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Definitely bring a bike with suspension if you're going to bike down - the road is washboard most of the way. Better yet bring a second car to leave on top if you have that option. In any case biking/ driving down is better than rappelling 18 pitches. Oct 8, 2020

Princess Puppy Lovr Rent-n, WA

[Hide Comment] People are way too high and mighty in here. First, all climbing is contrived and most bolted multipitch is gonna be contrived. If you don't believe this come borrow my drill and rap down goat wall and lets see how it turns out for you. Secondly it is so easy to over bolt a multipitch cause you might not really know where its going, believe it or not top rope soloing a section with 100 feet in the system isn't easy or intutative and keeping 1800 feet the same difficulty is super hard. Third if you climbed it and didn't immediately rap after the first pitch the experience must have been good enough to keep going. Apr 5, 2021

Joe Ludlow Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] I don't know why but THREE parties told us that Flyboys was to the left(north) of Prime Rib. It is most definitively quite a bit right(south) of Prime Rib. May 10, 2021

Megan McDevitt Idaho

[Hide Comment] Friction on P14 rap anchor makes it extremely tough to pull the rope, and loose rock seems to gather near the chains. We extended the anchor which fixed both of these problems (5/21). If our gear is gone, I’d recommend leaving your own or adding something more permanent. Happy Scrambling! May 26, 2021

Sergey Shelukhin Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] The route has tons of good climbing, but a third of the bolts could be moved a little bit to the East until they are somewhere like Infinite Bliss ;) Jun 15, 2021

Charles Yang

[Hide Comment] We climbed Flyboys and Prime Rib in the same day. 14.5 hours car to car. 18 60cm draws, 8 regular sport draws, 3 microtraxions, 70m 8.9mm rope. Lots of walking between pitches. Great belay ledges. Skipped bolts during lots of easy sections. In late June, the route is fully shaded until 9:37am. It was about 80% shaded until 11:26am while we rapped. Fun pitches were 3, 6, 10, and 14. The traverse from FB to PR goes up and left along the base of the wall. There's a trail that is easy to follow. You'll pass a mine on the right and then arrive at a rusted circle thing on the ground. At this point, turn left and walk away from the wall and continue following the trail. Eventually you'll start going down towards a large tree and gain the trail to Prime Rib. Timestamps: 4:22am: left the car 4:50: arrived at the base 5:12: start the route 9:37: topped out Flyboys 11:26: finished rapping, short food break 12:05pm: arrived at the base of Prime Rib 12:16: started Prime Rib 4:09: topped out Prime Rib 6:08: finished rapping 6:43: back at the car followed by burgers and ice cream Jun 22, 2021

Martin Brzozowski Houston

[Hide Comment] There seems to be a lot of pointless bolts on this route (like in sections where its class 3, etc). It would have been more useful to use these bolts to create variations to help with bottle necking an getting stuck behind slow parties. Maybe bring gear if going on a weekend, or just be ready to have a really chill day. Sep 16, 2021

Jerome Graham

[Hide Comment] Fun route! Lots of elevation gain. I thought the best pitches were #9 (solid rock, good holds), #14 (a sort of chimney, thuggish) and #18 (sustained). Sep 17, 2021

Big Bert Birmingham, AL

[Hide Comment] Far from a top 20 route in North America but a wonderful romp, none the less. Can link most pitches and turn it into a nice little 8/9 pitch putting. If you wanna go fast, don't feel ashamed to skip bolts, pass parties...but please do it in style/efficiently and have a plan for doing so before you get to the base of the route. We topped out with a comfortable/crusier 3hr 53min base to summit time. Sep 28, 2021

Jim Carlson Moscow, ID

[Hide Comment] Is this on Gneiss, similar to Skaha or Post Falls, for rock type? Jan 24, 2022

slim   5.9

[Hide Comment] Definitely not gneiss. I think it is "rhinostone", which iirc is kind of a metamorphosed andesite. Not columnar though. It is kind of funky, but often has a lot of good holds. Jan 24, 2022

d c r

[Hide Comment] Rhinostone is very interesting, I believe the geologic history is that the andesite tends to be volcanic, like Tieton River sort of stuff, but during the cooling process a batholith of granite intruded and baked/hardened it so it never formed columns but masses of sometimes strep rock with unpredictable angle. The batholith that hardened the North Bend rhinostone was the one that forms the Snoqualmie granite. I'm guessing (but don't know) that the Washington Pass granite metamorphosed the Mazama andesite. Jan 26, 2022

Niall Shannon Seattle

[Hide Comment] Attempted in late April, bailed on pitch 4. Seems like a great route, and very well protected. Would strongly suggest a 70m rope as the climbing anchors are spaced slightly farther than a 60m rope will allow you to reach if you bail and cannot reach the rappel route. Pretty easy climbing, but got sketched out due to inexperience with exposure and length of climb. Apr 29, 2022

Mr Rogers Pollock Pines & Bay Area CA

[Hide Comment] Bummer the developers chose to use plated steel garbage for an otherwise cool low grade route. Remember folks, ALWAYS use stainless. May 30, 2022

eric s

[Hide Comment] For those who haven't been to mazama before the descent description "pre-arrange a car/bike shuttle" might suggest that it's possible to arrange for a car to come pick you up at the top. No such service exists. You either have to arrive with two cars and leave one at the top of the route, or drop bicycles at the top of the route. As of may 2022 the cost to rent a bicycle from goat's beard mountain supplies (next door to the mazama store is) $50/day and bikes must be returned by the end of the business day (9a - 5p). If you're planning on getting an early start on the climb this means you'll need to rent a bike the day before (and spend $100/bike). If you're planning on finishing your climb after the shop closes, this means you'll need to return the bike the following day (and spend $100/bike). If you're planning on both starting early and finishing late, you're looking at three day rental at $150/bike. At that cost, it's nearly the same price to just rent a second car and leave it at the top. May 31, 2022

eric s

[Hide Comment] You can identify the swimming hole pull-out 3.1 miles from the mazama store by the signage which advises careful climbing and references a number of fatalities on goat rock since 2008. I suppose it's up to interpretation, but the only 'well-defined trail' within 100 feet of this pull-out is not the trail which leads to flyboys. 100 feet *away* from the mazama store is a level trailhead with more signage and a climber's register. This is the trailhead which leads to prime rib (and probably the reason why some comments suggest that the description on which way to go from the parking area is incorrect). The trailhead which leads to flyboys is 100 feet *towards* the mazama store. It's a steep dirt trail which isn't all that obvious until you're on it and has no signage. Facing goat rock it leads up and to the right before switching back. 20-30 minutes is an aggressive estimate. 45 feels more likely (especially if you aren't good at spotting cairns). May 31, 2022

Phoebe C

[Hide Comment] We did Fly Boys 7/1/22 and I'm not sure why there isn't a raptor warning on this because there are definitely peregrine falcons nesting on Diamond Buttress next door and they became pretty stressed with us at the very last pitch (flying close ~20ft overhead, shrieking, but no dive-bombing). At that point it was faster for us to just finish the pitch and leave asap. But 2 guys climbing ahead of us had just climbed Sisyphus that morning and mentioned they thought Sisyphus should have been closed entirely, not just a warning because I think it's directly below Diamond Buttress....Is anyone monitoring the falcon nesting situation over there? Jul 7, 2022

Arch Richardson Grand Junction

[Hide Comment] Is this really one of the top 10 or 20 classic climbs? On the elite list with The Nose, Half Dome, Epinephrine, Upper Exum, Cathedral Peak, etc? Or is there a defect in the MP algorithm..... Jul 15, 2022

Jeremiah Melson Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Recommendations: Utilize the shuttle stations Be comfortable with 5.10+ climbing to have an easy cruise. But it does climb at 5.9 Bring at least 20 draws and mix in some extended draws to reduce drag We completed with a 60m rope, but I can see how a 70 would feel more secure. Overall 8/10 fun. Not 9 due to the headache of route finding at times, but overall it is straight forward and very well protected. Jul 21, 2022

Joshua Brower   5.9+

[Hide Comment] My wife climbed this route on 8/04/22 and had an AMAZING time. We started hiking from the Swimming Hole Parking, about 3 miles from the Mazama store (there is a climbing kiosk in this parking area), then head about 100 yards back towards the store, the trail is easy to find, on the left-hand side (there was a small cairn next to the road). The hike compared to Prime Rib was easier to follow, but was longer (35-40 minutes), at one point we came to a fork in the trail, stay left here. We started hiking just after 5AM and started climbing at 6AM. The route is very well protected, but in order to eliminate drag we skipped bolts where we needed and extended where we needed, only linked pitch 3 & 4, and pitched out everything else. Minimal amounts of walking in-between pitches compared to Prime Rib, after Pitch 8 we knew we had to move, we ended up moving up and left and actually skipped all of pitch 9, so if you plan on climbing pitch 9, after pitch 8, hike to the right. Pitch 14 was defiantly a change of pace, but a fun pitch, Pitch 15 could easily be walked. We topped out around 1 PM (roughly 7 hours for our first time). We had originally planned on rappelling, but to do wind, we decided we could probably hitch hike a ride, so we hiked off, and caught the first ride down. Awesome route, I wish there were more like it. Aug 8, 2022

Huayi Liao Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Great climb, linked most of the pitches and don't feel too long. I will say bringing a radio is very useful as linking two pitches make it impossible to hear from each other. And also I feel the follower need to be strong as it is very hard to take/haul the follower when you are 60 meters above. Sep 2, 2022

Jana Dong Lovelady Vancouver, WA   5.9

[Hide Comment] Weather was nice. Prob half the route in shade, unlike prime rib which looked to be in the sun completely. We had bikes after the climb to get back to car. Fortunately, the people who were climbing right in front of us gave me a ride back and then I dove back and got my friend. There is NO way the bike ride back is 10 miles when I clocked it. From the shuttle to Rock creek snow park was almost 14/15. From the park to the car parking was about another 4. We left water stached at our bikes. The cheapest actual camp sites start at $25/night. Renting a bike would cost you $100 (you’d need a 2 day rental). We linked pitches 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 (forgot not to do that (my bad)- rope drag was crazy. I kept down climbing to unclip the rope. If you decide to link it, I suggest double alpine slinging it at 2nd bolt on 6; don’t sling anchor). We linked 7&8, 10&11, 12&13, walked 15, You can’t link any of pitches of 16-18, rope not long enough due to all the “walking” in the route. We had a 70m. Other parties had lots of rope drag through out. We had 9 alpine draws and 10 QD. We skipped a lot of bolts, most bolts close together. Didn’t have much prob with drag. Some of the routes were incorrect in how many QD you needed. If you plan on clipping every bolt and linking pitches, I’d say at least 25 draws. Since we linked a lot, you won’t be able to hear each other at all FYI. Most anchor stations were flat and you could fit multiple ppl. Meaning, I think there may have been 2 hanging anchors/belays. I’d been wanting to do this climb for over 12 years- and finally got to. It was my friends first multi-pitch (May have been a tag long as a first…). She started getting into a rhythm with setting up anchors, rope management, knowing when to sling, belaying from above, etc. She’s a solid climber, she had fun and learned a lot. I climbed on a sprain ankle, swollen toe and injured wrist- so Win-win. We got lost on 2 routes- so it took us 11 hours. Had we not, you could easily do it in 9.5. Yeah, our route finding kinda sucked there. Lol. Also, on n the walk out, if you get lost and see a barbed wire fence, just follow it up. Takes you straight to the cow crossing gates by the parked shuttle. I’m glad to have ticked this off my list, but not sure I’d do it again. If I make the drive out there again, I’d prob hit up some of the other routes :) I guess I was expecting something a little more “amazing”. It wasn’t a bad climb, just wasn’t what I expected. If a friend wanted to do, I’d prob take them- maybe. Lol Sep 10, 2022

Christian and Jackie Perez Diaz Richland, WA

[Hide Comment] Can someone who has climbed this route before please tell me how many alpine quick draws to bring and roughly where to place them? Oct 14, 2022

Ananth Krishnan

[Hide Comment] @Christian. We climbed it last week and had 4 alpine draws and 12 QDs. We linked multiple pitches with that. You can always choose to carry more if you prefer. Oct 14, 2022

WF WF51

[Hide Comment] We linked 1 through 4, 5 through 8, and then simul-climbed the rest - basically a 3 pitch route. Nov 25, 2022

Jerry Daniels Mazama Washington

[Hide Comment] WF51. It is not possible to link 1-4 or 5-8. It is possible to simil climb that. Get your beta down so you don't confuse other potential parties Dec 6, 2022