Top Roping at Carderock with Tots

Carderock is great for little kids, as the descent makes a good challenge for any sized person, and the base is relatively benign, as long as there are firm rules about going near the river bank.

There are several excellent places to top rope at Carderock with 3-5 year olds who are just starting out. (Note that many of the easy regular routes have holds spaced too far apart for tots.)

Here are three slightly less than obvious ones:

1. Broken Crevice. The Broken Crevice between the Silver Spot face and the Biceps buttress. A good spot to begin as it starts with ledgey steps, and gets progressively steeper and the last bit can be deceptively challenging for a three year old. 2) Kindergarten Face Easy. Kindergarten Face just left of the nose. An easy traverse leads to a small left facing groove corner. Set the carabiners just right (looking down) of this groove, as the final moves above the groove break left slightly to the top of the face. 3) Meenehan's No Hands Slab. A largish very low angle slab just right of Meenehan's Staircase in the alcove up and right of Beginner's Crack alcove. This low angle face makes a good first challenge for the littlest ones; and if they make it, have them try the steeper face above, as the ledge in between provides a point to stop and regather totlet karma.

[If you're hoping to climb with grown-ups on the same rope, it is possible to combine Kindergarten with Spiderwalk; or the Laundry Chute and Yellow Jacket. Another helpful combo is Green Bucket - Golden Staircase, as the 30 foot section below Green Bucket is easy 4th.]

1. The Broken Crevice between the Silver Spot face and the Biceps buttress. 2) Kindergarten Face just left of the nose. An easy traverse leads to a small left facing groove corner. 3) A largish very low angle slab just right of Meenehan's Staircase in the alcove up and right of Beginner's Crack alcove.

top rope

PS If you're climbing with your tot alone, it is possible to fix a tag line on the back of their harness with the end of the belay rope. If they get freaked on the way up, or can't figure out how to lower, you can just laundry-rack them back down to the belayer.