Arin Trook on one of the lower pitches of Yankee C...
Description
This is a long moderate route with the 15th pitch being 5.12a. If you don't do the 15th pitch, it goes at 5.10b. I only did the first 14 pitches. We climbed with a single 60m rope and on the raps, we had the knot up against our belay devices multiple times. I recommend the 60m rope, a 70m would be an extra 10m * 14 * 2 = 280m of rope to manage. The rock is sharper the higher you go, until the 14th pitch...in shade and not as sharp. Here are the pitches as best I can remember:
All pitches are 80-100 feet long.
P1: 5.8 Climb pockets to a semi-hanging belay.
P2: 5.8 Climb pockets.
P3: 5.10b Some more pockets, but steeper and thinner. Some crimpers.
P4: 5.8 Jugalicious!!
P5: 5.9 Jugs to a fun roof.
P6: 5.10b Follow the fixed rope around the corner to a good belay stance. Climb carefully up left side of large spiny cactus. The crux comes about halfway.
P7: 5.9 Left angling face climbing with fixed quickdraws to aid in rapping down. Would recommend clipping your own draws to bolts on lead.
P8: 5.9 I led this one. I just remember it being fun. I think it went right and up through a crease in the steep wall on the right.
P9: 3rd Class. Follow fixed rope up for about 50 feet, then follow trail to right, then left as it winds around (140 feet?) to a nice belay stance in the shade.
P10: 5.10b After cooling off in the shade, climb up easy rock to first bolt, then do some 5.8 liebacking through 2 bolts, then pockets/jugs for a couple bolts, then pull through crux on sharp holds to a small stance at anchor.
P11: 5.9 Off belay make some tight moves to right and up. This is a strong and continuous 5.9 pitch.
P12: 5.9 Less strenuous than the pitch before, but it pulls some vertical moves on jugs, but the jugs are starting to feel too sharp on my raw fingers! The belay is right near the ridgeline.
P13: 5.8 Climbs along the ridgeline on the sunny side up sharp rock to an awesome belay on the shady side. Did I mention there is glorious shade at this belay? There is a summit register of scraps of paper with names on it. Plenty of room here to unrope, drink, eat, cool off, chat, and take pictures.
P14: 5.9+ This pitch starts at a bolt on the far end of the lounge in the shade. Climb rock that is not as sharp on your hands. Do some fabulous stemming and some chimney stuff to gain the sunny ridgeline. Follow ridgeline to belay anchors.
P15: 5.12a I am not this good of a climber, and if I were, my fingers would be too raw, but I could see the closely spaced bolts running up to a cool top out point. I had my partner lower me back to the lounge area, because this belay stance was small.
Location
Hike past the tin shed and about 30 feet uphill. This is the long clean line left of Space Boyz.
Great route, I liked this one alot better than Spaceboyz, solid rock all the way up. The last 12a pitch is fun and worth doing, although the calcite? holds fell pretty sharp. I climbed it straight on the bolt line, with what I felt was the natural line and 12a felt pretty accurate.
By caughtinside From: Berkeley, CA Feb 5, 2009 rating: 5.9
I didn't do the .12a pitch, but nothing else on this route is harder than 5.9. It is long, but the moves are repetitive and uninteresting.
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