By Joseph Stover From: Santa Barbara, CA Jul 1, 2011 rating: 5.10a
| I think this is the route that starts to the left of the grey-ish face of friable flakes. In the photo on this site, it is left of Chemical Warfare, correct me if I'm wrong. The route goes up and bit and curves/angles right for a couple bolts, avoiding the bad grey face, then turns back upward to a chain anchor. I felt the bolts were not too far apart, but a blown clip would spell disaster probably. I thought this route was a little more technical than chemical warfare, but the latter was a little more strenuous. Most of the holds seemed pretty solid, although I climbed extremely conscientiously, especially tapping the small footholds. I didn't know at all what I was climbing or what to expect, but I thought it might be 5.9 and that Chemical Warfare felt a little easier, mostly because it was less technical and strength helped. However, retrospectively I started to think that 10a would be a fair grade, and lo and behold, thats what its given in the guide and on MP. I was initially turned off from toxic waste wall by comments here. Definitely worth a visit for locals. I decided to check it out after I saw people climbing it recently, and I'll definitely return sometime. |