Tony Bubb on Final Exam, jsut below the Pass/Fail ...
Description
On the South-West face of Castle rock, slightly more West than South, there is a wall that forms a slight ampatheater. The Buttress holding Skunk Crack, Comeback Crack, and Curving Crack forms the left-hand margin, and the famous old Aid Roof (now freed) form the right-hand margin.
The back left corner of this ampatheater is a huge dihedral with an overhanging wide crack route called Bailey's Overhang (5.8). Just to the right of Bailey's Overhang, perhaps some 30 feet is The Final Exam. Coffin Crack lies just to the right of The Final Exam.
To climb THe Final Exam, climb up and left on a flake-like feature to just below a thin crack through a bulge, not far from the ground. Climb up through the bulge on reasonable pro, and then up the crack system until it begins to run out. At that point step right to another crack, and after a short distance back left to a multiple cracks system, which has reappeared. These cracks will take you to the base of an obvious roof. At hte roof you may traverse left to finish on Bailey's Overhang, Right to Finish on Coffin Crack, or best of all, shoot straight up through the (sandbagged) Pass Fail Option (5.11a???) to get above the roof.
Climb any of the finishes to reach a ledge up and left of the center of the roof and belay.
From there a set of Raps, or downclimbing to the Raps above Polyester Leisure Suit will get you back to the ground.
Protection
A set of brass nuts + a standard set of nuts and cams to 2.5" or larger, depending on the finish.
If finishing on Pass/Fail Option (5.11a) take a set of cams 1.5" to 3" for that. If finishing on Coffin Crack (5.10) or Bailey's Overhang (5.8), take pro to 4".
By Paul Hunnicutt From: Boulder, CO Jun 25, 2008 rating: 5.11
If you are expecting Boulder Canyon 5.11a think again. This is trad 5.11a rating all the way. It felt like 5.11 moves to me....especially if we were talking onsight grading. Having said that - after working the moves it really was several 5.10 moves to one burly move and then you're done. Felt more like a sequency boulder problem, because once you gain the slab it is so much easier.
There is a fixed nut in place right at the crux presently.
Castle Rock
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