This is a great and sustained route -- somewhat tough on the toes, but the crux is easy for the grade. All-in-all the rock isn't quite as good as the Regular Route, but it is much steeper -- it's a toss up as to which one is the better route.
P1: Begin by a large block that is leaning against the dome. Head up on somewhat low angle terrain with limited opportunities for pro, do a tough step left, then contour up and right and belay on an obvious platform ledge below the beginning of a long left-facing corner system. 5.9.
P2: Continue up on 5.9 climbing to another ledge below a thin finger crack.
P3: Climb up the finger crack past a crux move, and then onwards up a steep, left-leaning crack to a good belay. 5.10d. I believe there is a 5.9 variation out right near the start that avoids the hard climbing but that it is of lesser quality.
P4: Continue up the steep corner using the crack and knobs. 5.9.
P5: Perform a somewhat scary underclinging traverse left and around to another corner system and up this to a belay. 5.9.
P6: Continue in the same system. The climbing eases with the angle. 5.8
We climbed this beautiful route one day, and got back to the base in the early afternoon. The Regular route was starting to empty out so we climbed that as well. A fantastic day of climbing!
Pitch 5 as depicted here has another hair-raising option that we accidentally did, definitely more committing than the undercling:
Continue directly up the ever-thinning crack, past the undercling exit, using mostly knobs and the occasional good fingerlock. Pro is sparse, thin tcu's. Eventually, just as the thin crack peters out and your runout meter (if it's at all like mine) hits red you'll arrive to what you'll think is your salvation but turns out to be a nightmarishly hollow flake the size of a jumbo dining table. I belayed from here, not recommended - scary, left that belay with more grey hairs on my head. Beyond the flake, a committing traverse up and left past a big hole (runout, falling not an option considering the hollow flake) gets you back to the P6 crack as described above. I probably wouldn't do it again, and wouldn't have done it if I knew what it'd entail, but definitely a pitch I'll not soon forget!
I agree that Lucky is MUCH better than the Regular Route. My favorite climb in the meadows.
By Schoney From: Joshua Tree Oct 1, 2008 rating: 5.10c/d
I climbed four diff routes up Fairview this summer.....Lucky Streaks had nothing but quality pitches all the way. I recommend going direct to start the 3rd pitch. I got excited sitting @ belays, because the next pitch looks so good.
Wonderful route! A different experience than the Reg, for sure.
By Andy Laakmann Site Landlord From: Jackson Hole, WY Jul 20, 2009 rating: 5.10d
Great route with great pitches.
P1 - No big deal for climbers confident on 5.9 slab.
P2 - Short steep finger crack section that takes any gear you can throw at it. Awkward belay.
P3 - The business pitch. Crux is short and well protected... and I was surprised to see a good hand jam in the middle of it. It seemed to me the "true" crux of the pitch (and route) was the slick 10b layback move higher up. The gear was fiddly and the moves tenuous. Nice stance for the belay.
P4 - Easy, and definitely not 5.9... 5.7 felt more like it.
P5 - A long, complex pitch. The traverse left is devious and the gear tricky. I ended up face climbing left after a short down climb towards the end of the traverse. A purple C3 came in handy on the traverse. Managing rope drag was tricky, and I used lots of long slings. After the traverse, expect 100' of steep, strenuous 5.9 climbing with bonus rope drag to the belay.
P6 - My partner and I termed this the "ass-crack". Not hard, but not exactly a fun pitch either. Just a long, wide, knobby crack at 5.8. It was 200'++ to the very top.
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