Type: Trad, 80 ft (24 m)
FA: Stuart Ruckman, Gordan Douglass, Eric Stroud, and Libby Ellis, 1987
Page Views: 1,262 total · 8/month
Shared By: John Steiger on Aug 17, 2011
Admins: Andrew Gram, Nathan Fisher, Perin Blanchard, GRK, D C

You & This Route


4 Opinions
Your To-Do List: Add To-Do ·
Your Star Rating:
Rating Rating Rating Rating Rating      Clear Rating
Your Difficulty Rating:
-none- Change
Your Ticks:Add New Tick
-none-
Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Description Suggest change

The topo in Ruckmans' 1998 guide shows this route climbing up the left side of the Winky and Waxman pillar then diagonalling left to a short, right-leaning, left-facing dihedral followed by a 5.10+ face section to a large horizontal break. Since Stuart did the FA as well as co-wrote the guide, a reasonable assumption is that the topo correctly shows what he climbed. However, I was told by a knowledgeable local years ago that Pins and Knickers is the left slanting thin crack system starting above the very top of the pillar, about 5 or so feet left of what is now Better than Bitter. In any event, I'll leave that mystery to others and post up the latter line, which IMO is one of the finest trad pitches of its grade in BCC.

Although the guide rates P&K as an R, the line we did is adequately protected (microcams, unavailable in 1987, may be the reason). As usual on steep quartzite, though, hanging out to place the gear can give a similar sense of unease. From the top of the Winky and Waxman pillar, finger jam up the left-leaning crack until it pinches off then pull the crux -- bona fide 11a -- into a rest of sorts, place an excellent brass nut in the back of a pod that also can take a No.3 camalot, and gain the horizontal break. Traverse a few moves right along the break, then step up and left onto the headwall and airy climbing to the belay. Feel free to snicker at those on the sissy sport routes on either side.

Location Suggest change

Between the Hollow Man and Better than Bitter bolt lines; the real climbing starts above the pillar of Winky and Waxman Go Bolting. Descend from the Better than Bitter chains.

Protection Suggest change

Probably can get by with one set of cams from micros to 3”, supplemented by 1 set of brass nuts. Gear belay on top.

Photos

loading