Occupied Territory  5.13a

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Type:  Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet Consensus:  5.13a [details] FA:  Moe Hershoff Submitted By:  richard magill on Jan 1, 2001 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (8) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Private Property issues MORE INFO >>> The West Bank / Wild West / Secret Crag has been problematic for years due to access concerns. There have been negative encounters with gun-toting landowners who have alleged that the entire mountain is on private property. Typical approaches involve brief crossing of railroad property which appears to be prohibited. Exact demarcation of property boundaries are not always clear. When in doubt, be discrete or polite. Do not park your vehicle near the railroad tracks near Plainview. It is a well-known irritant to Plainview residents. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

A great line in a spectacular setting!

Ridge 4 is a climber's dream - beautiful routes on killer sandstone, no crowds, and a really gorgeous spot. There are a variety of sport routes and trad routes up here, but Ridge 4 is mostly a sport crag, and one of the best routes on the crag is Occupied Territory.

When you get to Ridge 4, you will likely first come up to a big flat spot where Killer Elite (12a) takes off up the crag. Uphill just a little ways (50 feet) is Mud Shark (10d). The next route to the left is a short 3-bolt 12c. The next route left of that is Occupied Territory.

Start up a dihedral (pretty easy) until you reach a roof around the 3rd bolt. This is where the crux sequence starts - a burly problem that involves a sick reach to a shallow pocket. The route stays in your face with bad feet and steep climbing for the next few bolts, and then eases off. One more 5.12 move awaits high on the route to keep your full attention!

Some say there probably is no 13a move on the route, although it definitely pushes into the 12+ range at the start of the crux sequence, and several 12 moves stack on top of each other to get through the entire crux. So, I think the grade is justified.

Regardless of the rating, this is a really fun line with lots of engaging, continuous, burly pulling. It is great for a nice winter or fall day!

Protection 

9 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor.