Indian Creek Anchor Maintenance - Battle of the Bulge & Supercrack 2025

During the month of November, 2025, the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance Anchor Maintenance Crew returned to Indian Creek, Utah, to continue essential anchor replacement work—this time focusing on Battle of the Bulge and Super Crack, two of the Creek’s most legendary and well-loved crags.

This project follows last year’s pilot effort at 2nd Meat Wall and is part of a long-term collaboration between SLCA, the Access Fund, Friends of Indian Creek, and the Bureau of Land Management to replace aging and unsafe anchors with durable, sustainable hardware.

During the week, the team replaced 37 sets of top anchors and 5 lead bolts, while removing three anchor sets from culturally sensitive sites—Ruins Crack, “Why,” and Anasazi. Many of the old anchors showed serious safety concerns, including UV-damaged webbing, loose bolts, drilled pitons, and even improperly installed glue-ins.

All updated anchors were installed with stainless steel Team-Tough glue-in bolts and DeWalt AC100 adhesive, paired with stainless quick links, chains, and mussy hooks or rappel rings. The hardware was camouflaged to match the surrounding sandstone, maintaining the natural aesthetic of the cliffs.

These new anchors are designed to be low-maintenance and modular, making future upkeep simple while ensuring climbers can descend safely for years to come. We’re proud to help protect the climbing experience in Indian Creek while ensuring safety, sustainability, and respect for cultural resources.

Routes Completed at Indian Creek

  • Cal and Andy’s Route

  • Quarter of a Man

  • Black Corner

  • Battle of the Bulge (both anchors)

  • My Awkward Battle

  • The Mayes

  • Unknown 5.11 (right of Mayes)

  • Railroad Tracks

  • Unknown (right of railroad tracks)

  • Swedin-Ringle

  • Air Sweden

  • Three Strikes You’re Out

Super Crack Area

  • 3 AM Crack

  • Wild Works of Fire

  • Gorilla / Pringles

  • Three Pigs in a Slot

  • The Wave

  • The Man Who Knew Too Little (3 lead bolts)

  • Anasazi*

    *Anchors Removed

Battle of the Bulge Area

  • Elbow Vices

  • Pigs in Space

  • New World Order (2 lead bolts)

  • Cack Attack

  • Dogs in Space

  • Stress Puppets

  • Disco Machine Gun

  • Nail Up

  • Hole in the Wall

  • Big Baby

  • Our Piece of Real Estate

  • Sheila Lonestar

  • Ruins Crack*

  • “Why”*

  • The Jagged Wedge

  • The Warmup (JAFO)

  • Unnamed 5.11– (left of Last Battle)

  • Last Battle

  • Cave Route

  • The Man Cave

 

This project was made possible through the partnership and support of the Access Fund, Friends of Indian Creek, The Nature Conservancy, the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, and the Bureau of Land Management. A special thanks to the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation for providing grant opportunities that help make projects like this possible.

Julia Geisler