Type: Trad, 950 ft (288 m), 10 pitches
FA: Jim Bridwell, John Long, Kevin Worrall, Mike Graham, John Bachar, Ron Kauk, 1975
Page Views: 115,338 total · 568/month
Shared By: Alex Shainman on Jul 10, 2007 · Updates
Admins: Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes

You & This Route


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Description Suggest change

Totally CLASSIC route in its own right! Will get you ready for typical El Cap weirdness. All the hardest pitches rely on good bolts and some questionable fixed gear.

P1. Start from the pedestal and aim for the double cracks. Cool opposing crack moves and lots of good pro tapers to a hand size crack with some loose flakes and then a 2-bolt anchor on the right. (5.10)

P2. Jam or lieback (better) the unassumingly awkward flake/crack to a hanging 3-bolt belay under the roof. (5.8)
  • Belay low, away from anchor. Right bolt will be 1st piece for next lead.

P3. Demanding and committing free-climbing with small underclings, shitty feet and hidden pin-scar moves around the roof...Very exciting...Head up to the cool flare and stem up to a ledge through a fun blocky section. (5.11)
  • Gear at roof is one bolt, a sketchy upward driven pin and two fixed wired at the end of the roof (both have very frayed cables and one is about to snap as of mid June 2007).

P4. A face move connects to the continuous arching crack out left (can protect up high in right crack). Follow the awesome tips crack with good pro and lieback/stem your way up and over the bulge and onto a good ledge and bolted anchor. (5.10)

P5. Run it out up the precipitous groove. The groove thins to a heavily pin-scarred seam. Have all your offset nuts and Aliens ready to unload where you can but don't block your fingers! Do a trick move right over the bulge and link a couple more finger pods until you can clip the first of several good bolts. (10)
...Tiptoe out left to clip bolts and a pin using long runners (ignore the pins/bolts that go up and left. Start a rising friction traverse out right past a couple bolts. Stay to the right of the bolt line for a hard stand-up crux move and clip a bolt which probably has a poot-sling on it. From the last bolt, balance through a thought provoking section with a drilled hook hole and blunt knob. Its run out to the anchor over easing terrain and mantles. (5.11)

P6. Friction climbing with some small edges follows a closely spaced bolt ladder (new bolts). At the end of the ladder make a tough move left to an overlap with a good pin to clip. Continue to make exciting crux moves until you can stand in the polished, crystalline dike and clip a bolt. A slippery traverse left finally puts you on a ledge...A very cool face pitch, my favorite.
(5.11)

P7. Jam and stem up a right facing corner and up and over a steep section with some interesting flakes. Set up a belay off gear and pins below the Half Dollar flake. (5.9)

P8. The Half Dollar (the easiest of the wide features on the Salathe and quite fun if you do it right)...Undercling and jam to a stance at the sweeping corner. After a frustrating gear placement, stand-up and twist it up! There is good gear in the corner.
  • KEY BETA: Get your right side toward the corner and stem up and hopefully you can reach jugs on the left wall which can be liebacked as you stem until you can finally jam the crack. Once you are in the middle of the corner/chimney there are different ways to do it. Climb over a big block on the ledge and belay. Make it fun!! (5.10)

P9-10. Can be linked with a 70M or 60M and 20' of simul-climbing...Broken corners to a blocky, rampy
crack system. Bolted anchor at the right edge of the big ledge.

  • Traverse left to another anchor and either start downclimbing or single rope rap to another anchor...Keep downclimbing the inside sometimes wide corner/crack (5.10) or do a double rope rap over to Heart Ledge and the beginning of the double rope rappels to the base...Look around for anchor options on the way down and slightly right.

Location Suggest change

First ten-eleven pitches of the Salathé Wall route. Left side of the Nose buttress.

Protection Suggest change

Runners and draws. Double set of cams from blue Alien to blue Camalot). Include a set of (offset) wired nuts plus double offset brass (HB's are nice). Tag an extra rope unless you KNOW FOR SURE that the raps are fixed and are rigged up properly! People do weird things up there...

Photos

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