Conan 

"Extreme" is really good, too, while you are up there.

Skip rope-soloed the first ascent of this route in the early '80s, freeing it onsight while using a solo system of tying and untying overhand knots as there were no fancy rope-soloing devices back in the day.

This route is a blast! From the anchor it's easy to toprope Extreme, which felt a touch harder than Conan and seemed like it would be scary to lead. These routes get great late-day sun in the winter and are worth the slog up the gully.

While in no way dismissing Skip's ascent of Conan, rope solo technique using overhand knots is not entirely as cumbersome as it may sound. By hanging loops of rope from a locking carabiner, it is possible to untie a section and quickly drop it when you reach the end of the active side of rope. Drawbacks to this technique include the added weight of these loops, and the extra distance one would fall before the knot catches.

However, there are (and were "back in the day") several better methods for rope soloing, including: a moveable Munter-type knot system; the "Barnett system" using a prussik-type knot with limp yachting-type rope; using inverted Gibbs ascenders; and an opposing Jumar system (which is still used by a well-known local climber to this day).

None of these out-dated systems compare in safety and ease of use to the Silent Partner, or for that matter the Soloist, Solo-Aid, or modified Gri-gri systems.

Still, no rope-solo device, system, or technique should ever be considered completely safe or fool-proof. For this simple reason, rope-soloing at or near one's limit, particularly on remote, multi-pitch terrain, is best left for those with extensive rope-soloing experience, or better avoided altogether.

-SL

Old school trad and new wave sport ratings collide: we found this pitch harder than Hypertension which we did immediately beforehand. I'd give this pitch, 30' of unrelenting, overhanging and even thought provoking climbing, three stars if the crux were not right off the deck, requiring some desperate placements. My 11d rating is based on comparisons to Between the Sheets and Dead Boys Direct at Lumpy, both of which I'd done recently. That said, this pitch would probably seem easier at a cooler time of year.

I thought the gear was a bit jingus at the start, which also felt like the technical crux. Maybe anchor in your belayer....