SE Face

This route is good, even without considering that its in the Grand Canyon, and of course the views...

The sustained difficulty, amazing position and punchy cruxes add up to arguably the Grand Canyons test piece rock climb.

Pitch 1. Boulder up a crack to a traverse across blocks to the main corner. Continue up the easier corner to a sit down belay nook. 5.11- 110 feet.

Pitch 2 Go up through the runout squeeze chimmney, layback around the beautiful roof to a crux face sequence. Above, clip a bolt and get creative to make it to the hand crack corner and belay on a big ledge. 5.11 R, 120 feet.

Pitch 3 Surmount the fun bulging crack into a awesome bouldery fingers section (5.10). Above a bolt, desperate slab moves in the corner will get you to a stance. Ascend large blocks to big ledge. 5.11+ 120 feet.

Pitch 4 Work finger to tip jams up the open corner to a stance, continue laybacking and stemming the varied and challenging corner above to a nice ledge. 5.11+, 80 feet.

Pitch 5 Walk left and climb a low angle left arching crack with comical quasi- gear. At the arete, face climb runout easy scoops, belay on talus slope from gear in various bedrock cracks. 5.7 R, 100 feet.

 Pitches 1,2 & 3 all require generous use of runners to keep rope drag in check, but not in a tricky way. The route gets morning sun and afternoon shade.

It is possible to aid all the cruxes simply on small nuts and cams in order to climb the route in the 5.11 C0 range.

The route ascends a large, ramping corner on the southern end of the SE Face. From the NE arete, hike along the base for ~15 minutes until the talus covers up the vertical poop of the Hermit Shale. There is a building sized boulder that is too far. Look for a cairn under the start by a juniper.

To get down, hike across the summit plateau, with a detour up to the actual summit, to the NE arete. Find the top anchor on the edge of the ledge 30' right of the top of the Screaming Sky Crack.

Rap 105' down to a station.

Rap 60' to a ledge with a tree, angle hard left!

Rap 100' to a ledge, stay on rappel and move left and rap 10' to the lower tier of the ledge. Station on big ledge way out to the left.

Rap 115' to ledge, knot your ends!

Rap 50' to Earth. All stations consist of 2 bolts.

Hike your trash out.

Full trad rack of nuts (with micros for the aid moves), 2X BD #0C3 -BD#1, 1X BD #2,3, and optional #4. Bring several runners. Single 70m rope mandatory for raps.