Event Horizon

This route climbs 7 or so pitches into Black Hole on the South Rim. Overall, the climbing is high quality and well-protected. Pitch 3 is particularly spectacular. The first three pitches were originally climbed in the late '80s/early '90s by Cary Gunther, et al as the start to an aid line called Harpua. The subsequent line is a mystery, but we suspect it followed much of what became Black Hole and/or Shadow Boxing. The first three 5/16" bolts are from this ascent.

P1. Start just left of a wet streak and garden. Three old bolts gain a long finger crack to flake. A wet spot can be mostly avoided with stemming. Belay in groove, 5.11-, 45m.

P2. Continue up corner to small roof and finger crack. Step left around tall flake. Get a hanging belay, 5.11-, 25m.

P3. Start up finger cracks to large roof and overhanging dihedral. Pass a fixed hex and pin. Continue up past another roof to a ledge. Head left into big corner and belay, 5.12-, 35m.

P4. Climb up and step right onto ledge. Climb the first open corner crack to the right. At a tall, loose looking spike, step right to another crack. Continue up and belay in corner below larger, right-leaning flake, 5.10, 20m. Note: Black Hole climbs a flake groove a little further right to the same spot.

P5. Climb up on top of giant flake and climb right past two bolts. Pass a small dihedral and continue right to good leaning crack. Climb up and over giant detached flake (The Singularity) and belay in corner on top. 5.11 40m.

P6. Climb up over small roof and follow crack to dihedral and ledge. Continue up past a pin and to left-leaning groove. Top out the groove in a short OW (a #4 Camalot is nice but maybe not necessary). Belay on ledge, 5.11+, 45m.

P7. Continue up left-leaning groove, 5.9, 25m.

P8. The route joins Black Hole here. A long pitch starts at 5.10, to 5.11, to a stout 5.12 crux at a fixed nut. Continue up dihedral through a roof and to a ledge. A small perch 5 more meters up is the belay, 5.12, 60m.

P9. Continue up broken terrain to a large, left-facing dihedral. Follow dihedral 25 more meters to below where it turns black. Place a high piece and step down and straight right 5 meters to a horn. This is easy but run out. Belay on horn, 5.11, 40m.

P10. Climb up through a bulge, then another headwall. Then head left across easier terrain to a right-facing corner. Go up and belay at the base of large, S-shaped flake (next pitch), 5.10, 50m.

P11. Climb the S-shaped flake to small ledge below short, crystalline, jam crack, 5.8, 30m.

P12. Climb the short, sharp crack. Arrive in the Upper Meadow, and head up right then left to find a decent rock on a large ledge to belay, 5.10+, 30m.

Continue up and left through grass and bushes, traversing an airy slab into the rap line somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd rap anchors (15m above the top of Tague Yer Time). Continue up choss gullies and such to the Astro Dog exit chimney and chain anchors at the top, 2 to 3 pitches. If this is new to you, make sure and look around while doing the first two rappels, because you will likely arrive here in the DARK!

Descend the Astro Slog rappels to access this route. Do one more rap PAST the Astro Dog start. Traverse right into large bowl and meadow from the last rap. Black Hole is the huge dihedral on the left side of this amphitheater. Event Horizon starts to the right of Black Hole and just left of a wet streak and hanging garden.

You can also access this area from North side via the tyrolean traverse over the river. Go up and left from the tyrolean. The Black Hole dihedral is obvious from space, look right from there at nearly the apex of the amphitheater for the hanging garden and Event Horizon.

One or two very small cams. Doubles fingers to yellow Camalot. 1 #3 Camalot. 1 #4 Camalot is optional. Lots 'o nuts including wee ones.