Pinch an Inch  5.10a R

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Type:  Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet Consensus:  5.10a [details] FA:  July 28, 2011 New Route:  Yes Season:  May - Oct. Submitted By:  Jay Harrison on Jul 31, 2011 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (4) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Passing the crux on the FA.

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Description 

The crux is getting through the first 20'. Perhaps the hardest part is placing gear: though good pro is available, the stances are very strenuous.
The upper section consists of runout but mild 5.6 knob-hopping.
Pinch the rightmost crack's edge and pull up into a steep lieback. Bump to good knobs to the right, then make a tenuous pinch/jam/cling left (difficult but solid gear placement at this point). Step up onto a slabby niche, climb a right-rising crack to a horizontal, then climb straight up wonder-knobs, right of a rounded nose, to the ledge below the anchor.

NOTE: A lot of ice forms over the lip of the Birthday Corner early in the season. It falls from >30m up, landing among the base of all the Amphitheatre area routes. Even after the main winter's accumulation has fallen, nightly formations continue to bombard the area. Be watchful, wear a helmet, and if big ice is looming above on that crystalline spring morning, maybe climb somewhere else.

Location 

The rightmost two groove/cracks of a series of parallel cracks, 16' right of Amphitheatre Crack, 6' left of a right-facing corner with an offwidth chimney/crack in it.
Descent is via the 2-bolt anchor.

Protection 

Small to medium cams to #3 C4. Small TCUs (C3s) help at the crux.