Which bolt has taken the most falls?

[climbing fish]

Hi,

Not sure if this has ever been discussed, but I'm wondering if their is a consensus on which bolt in the Red has taken the most falls. I know bolts in the Lode catch whippers all day, but the traffic there is lower than at some of the easier locations. So, maybe it's a climb that just sees a ton of traffic (27 years, Brief History, To Defy the Laws, Breakfast Burrito?). Maybe something at 11a or 12a for people trying hard to push their grade (Fuzzy Undercling, Air Ride Equipped, Ro Shampo?).

My vote would be the crux bolt on Amarillo Sunset. It's a classic so it sees lots of traffic. It's near the shire so lots of gumbies get on it.

Anyway, thought his could be an interesting discussion. Lets see what you think...

[businessprofessional]

My vote would go for the bolt before the crux on Tissue Tiger. That thing has probably caught over 100 whips just between my friends and I. And we are generally a pretty fat crew, so we've put a beating on that bolt.

[lena_chita]

I think it would be different if you are talking about outright whips (falls while trying/going for a move), or about takes on bolts.

The busiest routes at the red, if you use the spray distribution in the online guidebook overview stats as the basis for making this statement, are 5.10a's (~16,000 recorded spray entries, as opposed to 5.12a (~8,000 range).

RRCGuide/?type=overview_data

But I would argue that the number of lead falls on those easier routes, as a fraction of total number of climbs on them, is much smaller. Based on my personal observation. People who are newer climbers are a lot less eager to take a lead fall, and more likely to ask for a safer take, if they are feeling shaky. And they are also a lot less likely to actively work on redpointing routes.

So if we posit that the climber working 5.12a is twice as likely as a climber on 5.10a to go for it and take a lead fall (not an unreasonable estimate, I would actually say that it is a lot more than 2x as likely) then most lead falls would be on easy 5.12 routes, even though there are more ascents on the easier routes.

So pick a classic 5.12a or 5.12b that has been around for a long time, is an entry level 5.12 climb, and has a defined crux. Maybe include once-rated-5.12a-now-downgraded-to-5.11d, too.

I'd say Tissue Tiger and Gung Ho, both near the top,
Manifest Destiny at the roof bolt,
Magnum Opus ~3-4th bolt,
Check Your Grip, in the sloper section, whichever bolt that is
Chainsaw crux
Ale 8 at the top.

Ro Shampo and Bare Metal Teen would have qualified once, but I think the number of sends (and falls) on these is down quite a bit since they are now in semi-closed restricted areas.

[JonFrisby]

Last bolt on Ro was my guess. And I don't think Fuzzy actually gets beat up because you're TRing through the crux