Type: Trad, 400 ft (121 m), 4 pitches, Grade III
FA: John Bachar & Dave Yerian, 1981
Page Views: 40,397 total · 212/month
Shared By: LeeAB Brinckerhoff on Sep 2, 2008
Admins: Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes

You & This Route


11 Opinions
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Description Suggest change

P1-5.11c/.12a Head up the ramp at the left end of the B-Y ledge for a ways, then climb easy knobs up to the base of the prominent black streak, reach from the horizontal to clip a bolt. V3/V4 boulder problem, and all that that implies about the grade, gets you established above the bulge, clip another bolt. continuous 5.11- climbing gets you to a left facing flake that would take a .75 camalot, I believe. Follow the flake to the anchor. Relatively well protected, though pounding into the slab would not be pleasant.
P2-5.11a Steep right off the belay and clip a bolt, no factor 2 falls. Look up, compose yourself and set off on through the slightly overhanging sea of knobs passing 3 bolts in 120' on the way to the next anchor. One of the BEST pitches ANYWHERE, if this was on East Cottage and had 6 bolts you would have to wait in line all day just to get on it.
P3-5.10d Less steep that the previous 2 pitches with hard moves right off the belay and again the last 10' before getting to the horizontal. Traverse right about 30' to the next anchor, using stoppers and thin cams to protect the traverse.
P4-5.8/9 Climb the flared, knobby, lichen covered (doesn't pro real well) crack to its end and a 1/4" bolt. If you have the luxury of an old, old Tuolumne guide book then you will see that it says to traverse right into a left facing corner, I instead headed straight up from the 1/4" bolt on terrifying flaky way more runout slab climbing to the top. Needless to say I don't have a very good description for the end of the route.

Thoughts:
  • I would recommend rapping after the first 3 pitches as it did not seem that the top got done very often and it saves you from having to carry shoes for the descent.
  • I really felt that the first pitch involved a V3/4 boulder problem and one other person I talked to that had lead the pitch agreed, perhaps the first pitch is actually 5.12a, but for now I'll leave it at 5.11c since that is so much better than the original 5.10+ rating.
  • If you can get through the first pitch the second should be doable.
  • The bolts are beefy, not 1/4"ers (until the 4th pitch) and the 2nd and 3rd pitches have bolts pretty much right off the belays, so perhaps R/X or even R is more appropriate or maybe E5 6a. . . I think?
  • The second pitch is a true standout

Location Suggest change

Facing Medlicott Dome it is on the right hand side and follows the very prominent black streak all the way to the top. The route begins just to the left of four or five shorter bolted sport routes.

Protection Suggest change

6-8 QD's or slings, stoppers and cams to .75 camalot for the first 3 pitches, full rack to #3 camalot if topping out.

Photos

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