Gus 

One star is generous. Did it once. I'd never recommend it to anyone. Some bolts seem suspicious due to the rock attached to the bolt. 10d for the scare factor only. Shattered rock, I'd call it. Beware!

I like this route a lot. It had more interesting moves than the other routes in the area. (excepting Rum Tug Tugger) The grade was way off though.(as are most if not all of the routes on this slab) I would call this route 9+.

A note about lowering and rope management:

If your rope is 50 meters or shorter you could have some difficultly actually getting to the ground. Since this is overhung and long, you may end up dangling a ways above the ground and out from the belay ledge--we ended up in this situation, and my belayer had to make a few moves up the climb so I could get down to the ground. I would recommend both the climber and belayer tieing in, so no one gets dropped.

That said, I really enjoyed this climb--it's the definition of exposure (although the moves are no harder than 9+/10-)

And what's this about the route going straight up? The first few bolts are in a line above the anchors but after that this route wanders all over. I recommend having one or two long slings to extend some of the clips to limit rope drag. Also, it would be very hard to clean while being lowered or on rappel as the top anchors are well left of the bottom anchors and way overhung. We ended up having the second follow to the top then rappelling from there. Our 200 just got us down to a flat spot on the scramble approach. All that said, it was a fun climb but certainly not 10d.

So much for my ability to gauge human nature. The "crux" of Gus is on the headwall, and when this line was originally established I looked at the system of jugs on the right of the headwall and (honestly) asked myself "why would anyone choose the easier sequence when such a nice, more exposed, and tricky sequence can be had on the left?" Actually the comment raises an amusing issue concerning grades. Moving left, as I have always done it, entails thin fngers and a delicate smear on far left side of the headwall and close to 10d. The jugs on the right provide a much easier (perhaps not even 5.9) eascape to the anchor. I had placed the bolt a bit left in the hope of forcing the line to the more interesting sequence, however, my last run on Gus two or three years ago showed that most folks take the right side to finish. C'est La Vie. I guess we could ascribe left and right finishes to the line with different grades. I am reminded of the Zen aphorism: "when confronted with a choice of two paths, always choose the more difficult" (it will reward you more). Or perhaps more to the point, is rephrasing the Harvard Law of Biology: "the Climber will do as he damn well pleases".

An decent line that trends up and to the left on jugs. Be sure to have a set, non-verbal means of communication with your belay - the creek drowns out nearly everything. Also, rapping might not be the best idea due to the difficulty getting back to the belay anchors. String your line with lowering (and rope drag) in mind.

Definite scare factor - very exposed. Regardless of the grade, you feel like a champ finishing this route. I agree with Richard about the headwall crux, I did the juggy line to the right my first time out, and used the left sequence the next time, much harder. I would definitely recommend holding the rope when belaying down to avoid a tricky landing.

A great climb! Don't siss out and take the juggy way around the crux though. I'm not a strong outdoor climber and I agree it doesn't feel like a 5.10d so don't be afraid to give this one a try. Very difficult to clean the draws being lowered though so consider having your belayer follow up and clean and rap off the top. Have fun!

Just did the climb on 6/28/09. GREAT very exposed route! Adds serious diversity to your day on the Cat Slab, however it is easy to stray and create some potential swinging fall potential due to the blocky, juggy nature of the outcrop. "Gus" wonders around blocky roofs with a few alternatives to summit, so scout your bolts! ( I feel that the bolts were solid and well spaced). I agree with previous posts about the grade, though this was our final pump-out route, I feel the 10d grade may be in place simply due to exposure and the mental trip that this dark, overhung outcrop manifests. Certainly in the 5.10 range. Take a large sigh of accomplishment at the anchors and enjoy the sounds of the creek below and the rockies above.

A fine, fine line. The best way to skin the Cat Slab, bar none. But let's stuff the Zen master crap.

Were human nature so inclined, we would all drop acid, climb barefoot in Crisco-covered feet, hack off a limb or two, and call everything 5.16. As it is, it's pretty much SOP any where you go for any climber to take the line of least resistance on, oh, just about any climb in the known universe. That's how--in the twenty plus years I've been climbing--we roll.

In fact, the only people I've ever known to intentionally manufacture needless hardship have been gurlfriends. Ex-gurlfriends. And they're plenty already. So let's call this 10b and have a day, K?

Not by the way, just for the sake of spreading the info, my belayer followed this line, on the left, in bare feet (no Crisco, though), and still calls this 10b.

This route was really fun, it gave you that feeling of being up high, the rock quality was good, and it was just all around fun! We scrambled up to the anchor then had my partner follow me up, and then set up a rap, a 60m is fine to make it to the ground. Get out there and have fun!!