Angel's Freeway

This is the free version of Angel's Highway (III 5.8 A2, Paul Ross, Rosie Andrews June 6, 1972) utilizing the first pitch of Abrakadabra and a new diagonal linkage pitch to access the Highway's first belay. It adds up to an excellent sustained journey up the impressive wall between Repentance and Remission and features enough awesome technical crack climbing to rival The Prow and Women In Love.

Pitch 1. Climb the first pitch of Abrakadabra, the steep stemming corner just right of Intimidation's first pitch. Belay at a cold shut anchor on the ledge at the corner's top. 80' 5.11

Pitch 2. Traverse directly right fifteen feet on the sloping ledge, and climb a handcrack in a right-diagonalling corner that rises off the right end of the ledge. At it's top, step across Repentance and clip the bolt visible up and right (the last bolt on the first pitch of the aid route Reality Check). Freeclimb the slab six feet left of the bolt (5.10), then traverse back right to the double ring anchor on the top of the first pitch of Angel's Highway. 70' 5.10

Pitch 3. Using a new variation around the headwall bolt ladder, the next three pitches freeclimb the remainder of Angel's Highway: pad up an easy slab to a bolt, them jam and layback up the slim right-facing corner past four pins (5.11+) to a sloping ledge. Clip the new bolt on the bolt ladder above, then step down and traverse 15 feet left to where you can pull up onto some small angular holds that lead up and right to a bolt (5.8 R). Pull past the bolt (5.11-) and hand traverse right on top of the giant block to a belay (pins, gear) at a small stance at the base of the flaring corner (back on Angel's Highway). 80' 5.11+ (5.8 R)

Pitch 4. Freeclimb the steep, technical crack in the awesome flaring corner above, passing three pins at it's top, to a double ring anchor on the ledge. 50' 5.11+

Pitch 5. Climb the left hand corner, above the anchor, to a ledge; continue up the next corner to a slab and eventually the top of the cliff. 100' 5.8

Start the route with the first pitch of Abrakadabra, which is the right-facing corner just right of Intimidation's first pitch.

Bring a light rack up to a gold camalot. The R-rating comes only from a 5.8 runout on pitch 3.

The crux pitches were toproped on one occasion prior to the redpoint. We replaced two bolts and one pin on Angels's Highway, and placed one new bolt on our pitch three variation, all on rappel.

On the route's second ascent, Stefan Glowacz, linked the two crux pitches by reaching back and unclipping the bolt on the pitch 3 variation (to eliminate the rope drag). After coming down, Glowacz onsighted The Mercy (13d) with ease, taking a several minute rest in the middle. As a footnote to the given grade of Angel's Freeway, the slim corner on pitch three gave Glowacz more pause than The Mercy, and a photo in a climbing mag of someone on this section called the route 5.12. At the time of our ascent our deep-seated Yankee humility dictated we grade it no harder than the Prow or The Possessed, but I suspect an onsight of the Freeway might feel hard for 5.11, no matter how many pluses you add..