Type: Trad, Alpine, 700 ft (212 m), 7 pitches, Grade III
FA: Scott Sinor, Dan Godshall, Greg German, Jackie Kuusinen
Page Views: 12,562 total · 107/month
Shared By: 303scott on Aug 5, 2014
Admins: Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

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Description Suggest change

This route takes a line between Rainbow Highway and High Variance. It is on excellent rock and generally protects quite well. It shares the 3rd pitch of Rainbow Highway and the last 15 meters of High Variance.

Pitch 1. (5.9 PG-13, 55m) You are aiming for a wide-looking crack to the right of the start of Coffee Achievers and High Variance. At nearly the lowest point of the Black Wall, find a cairn and climb easy but interesting slab past a small flake with pro on its right side, up to a small roof that takes pro. Continue straight up and then angle left on the path of least resistance to the base of a large flake. This is somewhat runout slab and should probably be avoided if wet. If wet, take the obvious 5.easy ramp/crack starting 20 meters left of the actual start up to the corner. Climb the flake up and right into an overhanging corner and pull through on a thin hand crack. Climb up and right to the anchors on pitch 2 of Rainbow Highway.

Pitch 2. (5.12 or 5.10 C0, 35m) Climb pitch 3 of Rainbow Highway as follows: from the belay head up and right on grassy/slabby terrain to the corner. You are aiming for a handcrack and left-facing dihedral. At the top of the dihedral, leave Rainbow Highway and traverse left on three bolts (crux) to a bolted anchor.  Most people appear to clip the first two bolts then downclimb and traverse a bit lower.  If you aid, then it is only about 15 feet on bolts.

Pitch 3. (5.12 or 5.11 C1, 35m) Climb the splitter finger crack for 35 meters. Don’t take anything larger than a 0.75 on this pitch. The difficulties start directly off the belay, with some tricky 5.11 finger crack. After 5 meters, clip a bolt where the crack pinches to a seam and fire the crux (5.12). Alternatively, clip the bolt, place a piece or two, and aid the crux, which is relatively short (about 2-3 meters). Then hold on for 25 meters of fantastic 5.11 fingers. Belay at bolted anchors.

Pitch 4. (5.11+ or 5.10+, 35m) Look directly up from the anchors and identify the large, left-facing weakness that goes through a wide-hands roof 25 meters up and to the left. Climb off the belay up left on unprotected 5.8 slab to gain a grassy ledge, or go around the corner farther left and climb a crack that will accept gear. Placing gear in the corner will significantly increase drag. Traverse back right and test the first, left-trending flake you come to, and decide if you trust it for gear (note that the flake flexes but has not come off on multiple ascents - including some fairly intense prying to try and get it to come off). Good gear can be had after the first 2 meters with supplemental gear available earlier in the Rainbow Highway corner to the right. Continue climbing the corner up to the final, horizontal roof and make a choice. Heading up and left through the roof is burly and incredibly exposed 5.11+ climbing with good protection. The route originally went through the roof, but the hand-traverse right around to the face is also fantastic and goes at 5.10 (keeping the pitch at 5.10+). In either case, belay at bolted anchors on the left side of the arête (hidden if you take the 5.10 exit).

Pitch 5. (5.11-, 35m) Take the obvious bolt line up 7 meters of slab, place pro, and pull through the roof. After the roof, traverse left towards the arête and then continue up to a bolt. Clip the bolt and pull up to an undercling (crux?), clip a bolt and pull through the second roof. Rejoin the last 5 meters of Rainbow Highway and belay at that route’s bolted anchors.

Pitch 6. (5.11-, 25m) From the Rainbow Highway anchors traverse 6-7 meters straight left on a grassy ledge. Climb 3 meters up the face to gain a smaller ledge and continue left to the arête. Climb the arête past a bolt, up to the roof, and bypass the roof on the left. Climb the right side of a flake, clip a bolt, and climb the arête to the anchors of High Variance. This pitch shares about 15 meters of the last pitch of High Variance. A special thanks to Matt Wilder for allowing us to add the upper bolt to his route.

Pitch 7. (5.10, 10m) Climb straight up through the roof if dry or climb out right through the easier weakness to the final anchors on Rainbow Highway. This pitch is very short.

Location Suggest change

This route is immediately left of Rainbow Highway and immediately right of High Variance. Rappel either Rainbow Highway or Good Evans. Sinners on Sunday starts at essentially the lowest part of the Black Wall, approximately 20 meters left of the start of Rainbow Highway. Look for a cairn below some easy slab to a hanging flake 7 meters up that takes pro on the right side. A small roof directly above it (5 meters) also takes small pro. You are heading for the crack in the corner, and then up to the pitch 2 anchors for Rainbow Highway.

Protection Suggest change

Double rack from .5 through #3 C4, 1-2 each grey and purple Mastercams , 2-3 orange Mastercams, 3-4 each blue and yellow Mastercams, 1 #4 C4, and a full set of stoppers from RPs on up. Quickdraws (5) and long runners. All bolts are 2 ¾ inch x 3/8 inch stainless steel with stainless steel hangers- all bolts were hand drilled. Double ropes are nice on pitches 1,2 and 4.

Photos

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