Sinewave: One of the most intriguing routes to be found at the Old New Place or in White Rock, for that matter. A challenging and sequency boulder problem off the deck, begin climbing the sinusoidal crack, which will test your skills and strength as you work to keep from barndooring off. The crack is more of a seam for the first 15 feet, although there are places where small RPs would provide protection; bold leaders solid at the grade will love this route. After the initial crux the grade eases for the next 15 feet with large ledges providing good rests and more opportunities to place gear. The route splits into two cracks after this: the left crack, which is assumed to be off-route, goes at a grade of 5.8 to 5.9 rattly fingers to hands with lots of face holds; the right takes you up an excellent overhanging thin fingers to tips crack which, if not for a large sinker pocket midway up on the left, would be significantly more difficult. Ten more feet of climbing in the crack and on small crimps gets you to the top of this classic route.
Historical Note: It’s reported that the late Derek Hersey freesoloed Sinewave back in the day. Think about that next time you jump on this route!
Nuts: 1 set including micros Cams: 1 each up to #1 Camalot with doubles in the .3 to .5 range. Micro TCUs or C3s may come in handy too. 2-bolt anchor, reachable from the top, was installed to prevent further damage to trees.
By George Perkins Administrator From: Los Alamos, NM Mar 13, 2009 rating: 5.11d PG13
This is probably the toughest 5.11 crack at White Rock that sees frequent attempts. S-Crack is way more difficult than all the other 5.11s on this cliff, and substantially harder than Unrelenting Nines at The Playground in my estimation. There are at least 3 different ways I've seen people pass the crux (only one of which seems to work for me). Most action is on toprope, but a number of people have led this climb, which is rare to see because- at the crux moves about 15' up- only brassies and other tiny nuts are between you and the ground. [edit 9/09: but I'm glad the landing is flat and sandy!]
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