Lower Progressive 

This climb is actually solid 5.11. ;-) I found the big piece for the top unnecessary as I placed a #3 Camalot at the bottom of the slot. One of the cruxy moves is getting into the slot, and for this move the #3 is at your feet, after that it eases up. A #4 Camalot is definitely too small for the slot. Take a good selection of thin hands through hands pro for the meat of the route.

Lower Prog. is 5.11? Check out Skip Harper's targeted comments in the "Heel and Toe" Guidebook and try again. Benchmark 5.9+!!!J. R.

I followed this a couple of days ago. 9+ seems like a fair grade. Seemed easier than Middle Parallel Space.

When I hopped on this, I thought it was Handjacker, and thought 'damn this is tough for 5.7!!'. I feel much better now! I think the erratum stuff in the 'Heel and Toe' clears this confusion up.

I too made the classic mistake of getting on this route thinking it was Handjacker. Fortunately I correctly assessed that I was about to be whipped by a typical Vedauwoo sandbag. The route eats gear (if you can place it!) in the #0.5 to #3 Camalot range, and I'd give it more like 5.10b. Lots-O-Fun (especially on TR ;_)

It's a 5.9, don't cry when you get humbled by it. Just remember to get down and funky with it.

Alright folks are you ready for the secret key beta? If you do not want too much beta then do not read any more. If you do, here goes. When you get to the wide section at the top use the really good feet out left and the good crimpers and it is one easy move past the "crux" that does not take you off route. Try it and see.

BETA, IF YOU DON'T WANT IT DONT READ!

On the lower section, work a semi drop knee with the left foot on smears on the left face. This will square your hips to the crack and allow you to make big fluid moves. Really fun moving. If your thrutching, you havent figured it out. Like most Vedauwoo "grunt fests", a little technique goes a long way. Classic climb.

BTW, have to set a gear anchor with hand sized stuff and to get down down climb the chimney below Escalator, the left leaning hand crack back and to the right.

My beta would be different and I had no problems on the pitch. I loved the clean rock, excellent jams and tenuous smearing with my left foot. The exit was fun, I got to use my #6 Friend. I coulda used other stuff, just had to use the damn thing since I was in the land of big cracks!

There are occasionally slings at the top of Handjacker you can rap from, but don't plan on them being there.

New bolt anchors have been unnecessarily added to the top of this pitch. They have been placed in the worst of all possible places, set way back and down low where the rock is fractured into large boulders, there is clean solid rock two feet higher. Any attempt to lower off after a lead or a toprope ascent will result in a stuck rope. Not only can a natural gear anchor be set up in the same place but an easy downclimb can be found by walking around to the right (easier than it looks!) and downclimbing a v.easy chimney up against the main wall underneath Escalator 10b.
Please think before placing unnecessary bolt anchors, and if you do decide that they are required please bolt better than this.

I was really surprised to see the new bolts when I climbed it on Tuesday.... True, they probably aren't necessary, and I would have put them above as well, but pulling the rope from the rappel did not result in a hang up. They were probably put there for some one to set up a simple top rope. Ball up and lead the damn thing, it's a wonderful climb.

My rope snagged as I pulled it which resulted in me having to climb up the chimney near Escalator to free it. Don't bother with the bolts, just throw your rope down and walk off. Maybe someone could paint them (read: remove them) so they're not completely hideous?

The bolts are just all around poorly placed. It's easy to get a toprope stuck, and we definitely got the rope stuck trying to pull from the rappel. Just walk off.

Standard Vedauwoo 5.9+ as a crack climb.

Face climb the crystals, and just use the crack for pro, and its a standard 5.9-. Just because its near a crack doesn't mean you have to climb it as a crack.

One of the better gear face climbs at the "Woo" that is much easier than trying to jam it.

TR'd this one...but it might be one of the few Voo 5.9's that I could lead. Very good jams, and good pro. I thought the first move off the deck was the crux, although it's easier for more flexible climbers. Top piece would definitely be a #4 or #5 Camalot. The last few moves are OW but there are also medium-size crystals available to the climber's left hand, which helps quite a bit.

Vedauwoo 5.9+ is probably a reasonable grade, which is to say it'd be about 5.10b most places.

Props to Old Fart--and anyone else--with the finger strength to face climb this one!

I have quite often face climbed out left at the end of this one to avoid doing the offwidth finish. Think that is what the"Old Fart" is talkin bout.

There are some good edges and crystals out left, through the whole crack, that make for good rests. There is especially a no hands rest before the offwidth finish. Also, a lot of people do face climb the slab at the end, avoiding the offwidth section.

Saying all that, I thought it was 5.9 even. You definitely was tight hands to hands for gear, and a big piece is nice for the end. Due to the flare, a few #1 Camalots are nice with 1 or 2 #2 Camalots, and a #5 Camalot for the end.

I found it much harder than most other Vedauwoo 5.9+'s, I fell twice on lead and 3 times on TR (I was spent). The gear is all there to lace it up. If you feel the need to lace it up, bring some extra C3 #1s and #2s. I thought the crux was about 1/2 way up rattly fingers/ really thin hands for about 4 feet. Getting on the thing isn't too easy either. If you're worried about the top, bring something bigger than a #4, a #6 would most likely be perfect.

The bolts are the worst TR bolts I have seen. They should be chopped and replaced, or eliminated.

No way you could place any C3s on this climb. I think you mean C4s.

Excellent! Thin hands to a wide move or two at the top. Either belay from the top or, if top-roping, the crack at the top is a rope eater right before it gets wide. Maybe place a nut or 0.5/0.75 Camalot there to fill up the crack so the rope can't get stuck. Better yet to run the rope over the bulge (won't get stuck but will abrade the rope if weighted a bunch).

Awesome climb! Though I really wanted to stem my left foot on the low angle left wall, I found this made moving up a LOT more awkward. So best to stay straight in 'til the top, at least for me.

Also, I ignored the ample face features and stupidly tried left-side in at the top OW and got throttled. Right side in, using the great crystals for left foot & hand and working the arm bar/heel-toe combo with the right side made this feel spot on for 5.9.