The ‘Piece of Cake’ Problem

The Ruler Climbing Guidebook

The cliffs at Interstate State Park (aka Taylors Falls) have been used by rock climbers for decades. One of the most popular routes is Piece of Cake (POC), a 5.7 on the Minnesota Strip. Unfortunately, it is the scene of most of the poor anchor setups I’ve seen while climbing here for 35+ years. My goal in this post is to point out some issues in the hopes that others can understand the problem and be safer.

Some notes:

  • My primary goal in any climbing activity is to maximize safety in the current situation. When top roping, the safety and security of the anchor system is paramount, along with preventing rockfall. Other situations may call for different approaches than I discuss here.
  • Use whatever type of gear/cordage/knots that you prefer, as long as they allow you to construct a safe system.
  • I did not set the anchors pictured here and I snapped the photos over the years. A collection of these and other ‘interesting’ anchor photos are here.
  • Photo legend: Letters A-F and POC are at the same location in all photos. POC = the typical location for the top anchors for Piece of Cake.
  • If this post is too long for you, at least read this (which I discuss at the end of this post).

I recently saw this anchor system. I assume they were climbing Good Knight and/or POC. The yellow cord is looped around a large block (roughly 3′ x 3′ x 5′).

I’ve seen this large block looped with rope many times over the years. Is this block a good top rope anchor?

Photo 3 shows another view of the same block, tied off in a similar fashion. Notice that the block rests on three or four points, and the block is angled downward towards the cliff edge (to the left). Block B is detached from the bedrock, Block C and E are detached, and the blocks partially supporting Block E are detached as well.

Looking at this block from the other direction we can see that the small blocks supporting this end of the main block are detached. The diagonal crack just above the plants at the bottom suggests some movement of this key support.

So if you wanted to pull the big block off of its support, how would you rig it? Exactly as seen in Photo 1.

Here’s a slightly blurry view from across the river. The large block is indicated by the arrow. The rock behind (loose) Block B is holding the big block in place.

Climbers on Piece of Cake, Taylors Falls
Climbers on Piece of Cake, Taylors Falls

But this block has been there for ages, so it is safe to use, right? Are you absolutely certain? Are you willing to bet the lives of everybody below? Let’s examine the surrounding rock for clues.

The even larger blocks at the base of POC fell off of an apparently firm base not that long ago. The yellow arrows in Photo 6 shows theses blocks on a busy day.

Here’s a view with this base block gone; the yellow box is roughly the location and size of the block (6’ x 6’ x 3’):

Just to the left of POC, the current Fallen Knight (5.9-5.10) was created by a huge rockfall around 25 years ago. Here’s a photo of the rock before the collapse–everything left of the arrows fell down. The DNR closed the area for a couple of years to monitor cliff stability; look for the small yellow paint marks on either side of some cracks while you’re climbing.

A few years back the short jam crack just right of the Rosebush overhang literally fell apart, leaving two microwave-size loose blocks. I used that crack many times for pro when leading Rosebush—yikes!

Going back to the top of POC, the smaller blocks between blocks B and D have been peeling away for years. Before they fell into this position, they used to form the nice cracks where folks would place their anchors. These two yellow blocks are gone now (Photo 2).

It seems pretty clear that this area is falling apart. Vibrations from the road, the fractured nature of the rock, and yearly freeze-thaw action means that all rock must be tested when used, even when you have used it in the past. So the block in question is not ‘too big to fall.’


Let’s go back to The first photo (Photo 10). The questions are:

  • What are the best anchors available for a top rope setup in this situation?
  • If the block is used, how do we properly construct an anchor?

Let’s answer Question #2 first.

The proper way to anchor a chockstone or detached block is to attach the anchor around the junction between two pieces of rock. Joining the ends of the sling using the carabiner is fine here if you prefer.

If you are not familiar with safe ways to sling a chockstone or block, please research further using reliable resources (not random people on reddit/FB/etc).

Back to Question #1: what are the best anchors available for this top rope setup? Here, the position of this large block (poised at an angle, only partially supported) is the primary reason to avoid using it and definitely do not sling the center as in Photo 10. If the block was securely grounded on a flat surface I wouldn’t be too concerned. But we want the best anchors, so what are the other options?

It’s common to see cams placed in the cracks circled in Photo 12. Block B appears to be completely detached (Photo 4) and you could probably move it with a crowbar. I won’t try that, since block B may help the block behind it stay in place and keep the big block from falling…

Block F might be partially attached and seems solid, but it could flake off at any time, as the blocks in Photo 9 did. So let’s keep looking around to see all of the options.

We can avoid the large block and these cracks because there are multiple solid anchors available:

  • #3 Camalot (or #9 hex) in the crack on the main wall behind the large block.
  • Small but solid tree about the cam crack (I don’t use it but it’s there).
  • Multiple small-medium wired nuts in the cracks in the yellow box (Photo 14).

These were quality placements in May 2023; did you confirm that these placements are still bomber before you used them?

The cam/ hex placement and tree are just behind the block. A #2 or #4 Camalot might work in the crack.

My very old school #9 hex is solid as well.

There are multiple wired stopper placements in the area of the yellow box in Photo 14. The best placements are above the arrow. While these blocks are technically detached, they are geometrically wedged in place and cannot move unless the main cliff edge falls. Compare to block F (Photo 12), which is shaped to easily fall out.

There’s also a big tree not far past the block. This tree is better for anchors going to Good Knight or location A. People seem to enjoy anchoring to the loose blocks just right of the tree, for some reason…

The keys in top rope anchor choice are: (1) determine the quality and location of all possible anchors and (2) use the best anchors available, rather than the most obvious or easiest or fastest to use. If you can’t set a bombproof anchor with your equipment, do a different route! Most routes at Taylors Falls are much more straightforward to set than POC (if you have enough cordage).


Final thoughts. Bolts are not the solution; properly equipped and trained climbers are the solution. To safely set a top rope on most climbs in a Minnesota State Park you need three things: (1) gear from medium wires to #3 Camelot (or an equivalent Hex/Tri Cam/etc.), (2) sufficient cordage (50-100 feet, depending on the area and routes), and (3) the skill to use #1 and #2. A 20 foot cordelette and a set of quickdraws won’t cut it.

Our anchor decisions might be quite different in other situations; we’re talking about top rope anchors here, not an emergency ten-rappel descent in a major storm. The consequences and benefits will vary in other scenarios. In this case, the consequences of the block falling (several deaths) far outweigh the benefits of using it when far better options are available.

Your anchor decisions can have tragic consequences at Taylors Falls. Here is the narrative and photo from the death on Sonny and Juanita not long ago. The climbers used an obvious crack for rappel anchors and all of their pieces pulled because an apparently solid block was loose. Please read this carefully and if you’ve already read it, read it again. 

If you decide that this and other loose blocks are safe to use, that’s your choice–IF you are the only person that will suffer if you’re wrong. But remember that you are making that decision for EVERYONE at the bottom of the cliff. Do you really want the deaths of multiple people on your conscience for the rest of your life? Assuming you’re not dead too.

Be safe and be happy, especially when it’s easy to be safe as I’ve shown here.


I’ll leave you with this photo, which I took just below Camp 2 on K2 in 2008. The climbing route is directly below the boulder for a thousand feet or so. I hope the ropes holding this 5′ x 5′ x5′ boulder in place broke during the winter when nobody was around!

Rocks tied in place above House's Chimney, Abruzzi Ridge, K2.
Rocks tied in place above House’s Chimney, Abruzzi Ridge, K2.

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