Buzz Cut

Buzz Cut is a quality line that never ended up making the guidebook. The rock quality for the first three pitches is very good, and the crux is steep and fun. It's a nice route for those looking for a half day climb in the 5.10 range. Especially if you want to check out a new gully and aren't about to jump on Lost Cities or Atlantis.

Morning sun and afternoon shade (same aspect as Midsummers, SC, Journey Home, etc)

To get an idea of the route, go to the Narrows Overlook and look across the gully to the upper terrace of rock on the other side of Prisoner of Your Hairdo. There is a large, 500 foot or so, left-facing dihedral that splits the upper wall. This is the Buzz Cut - you can't miss it.

P1. Climb a fun 5.7 crack on good rock for about 35 meters, ending at a small ledge/stance below a bulge.

P2. Move right a short distance and pull through a steep bulge (5.10) then back into the main crack system. Continue up the crack through another cruxy 5.10 section, eventually ending on a nice ledge. This pitch is about 30 meters. P1 & P2 can be linked for one excellent 60 meter rope stretcher!

P3. Two options. Continue directly up the main crack system on steep 5.8 climbing on quality rock (reminiscent of Russian Arete), evidently pulling through a 5.9 bulge in a wide chimney section before a ledge. Option two... climb the hand crack that starts about 10 feet to your right on the P2 belay ledge. This crack (5.9+) pulls through some bulges and gets thin in a few spots. The climbing is a lot of fun, but it's definitely a bit dirty and bushy in spots. If you choose this right crack variation, climb until it starts getting chossy (before a roof section) then traverse back left to a ledge. Same belay ledge for both variations - about 50 meters from the top of P2.

P4. This is a bit chossy but not too bad. At 5.8ish, it climbs a series of wide chimneys. There are a few spots you can move right on the face and avoid the wideness. At the top of the pitch where it looks like the crack takes you under a roof, move out right and exit on the large terrace above.

From this upper terrace, you can either hike back out to the rim proper (via a short gully as you look up and right), or climb any number of cracks and single pitch lines at will bring you to the rim. There are a quite a few nice lines in the 5.8 to 5.11 range if you're willing to wander around the upper tier.

Head to the Narrows Overlook and locate the route. It's the obvious, left-facing dihedral splitting the upper tier of rock. Once you have found the route and know what you're looking for, head down the Prisoner of Your Hairdo Gully for about 15 minutes or so, passing a small isolated rock buttress in the gully, looking right for the large terrace that you will start the route from. Do not try and traverse right onto the terrace too soon (you will end up bushwhacking and scrambling through a tangled mess) - instead head down the gully a little further until you find a good location to head right and scramble up to the terrace. Remember, you're climbing in the upper part of the gully - you're not descending nearly as far as the start of Lost Cities. This approach sucks real bad, but the route is worth it.

It's nice to have a few small TCUs and doubles from yellow TCU to #4 Camalot, one set of stoppers.