[Hide Comment] I actually find the first pitch to be pretty enjoyable when dry with fun smeering/edging and good finger jams. On the second pitch one can lead up to the tree with slings, clip it long and do a slab traverse left into the 5.8/9? crack finish to what I believe it is starfire? The finish is dirty but kind of fun. Apr 4, 2010

[Hide Comment] The key words E- "when dry" ! ya that finish is YoYo/Starfire. Apr 6, 2010

[Hide Comment] The fixed cam's sling is in quite bad shape thats near the start. Apr 22, 2013

[Hide Comment] I agree that the fixed cam is manky at the start. I fell and it caught me but I noticed afterwards that it was a little too loose to trust. Oct 7, 2013

[Hide Comment] I used to guide this route a lot via a fun little variation that avoids both cruxes---an awesome alternative if Funhouse is all jammed up. About 50 feet right of Three Birches (3Bs), head up the 3rd class approach to Funhouse. About 20 feet below the start of Funhouse, walk left on an obvious little tree ledge until it ends. If you look down and left you will see 3Bs coming right up at you, and you will be level with the top of the arch seen in the photos. There is a tree to belay from. Place a tiny nut under the obvious overlap and then make one loooong (and slightly mossy) step over left to intersect with the 3Bs crack (you'll need that little piece of gear when leading because you're starting about 35 feet off the ground). Continue up to the 1st belay for 3Bs. Done this way, the first pitch is about 5.7. On the second pitch, go up and slightly right into the long layback flake, but before getting to the befuddling (and slightly heady) crux bulge on 3Bs, trend nicely up and right and finish up the beautiful little face on the second pitch of Funhouse, aiming for an obvious red pine at the top. Use long slings to keep the drag down. This pitch is about 5.6. This is a great little combo that no one ever does!!! If you look at the beta photo at the top of the page (labeled "under the roof") the belayer that is just visible at the top right of the photo is exactly at the spot where you will be coming in from the right (and the real P.1 belay for 3Bs is about 40 feet above the belayer in the pic.) Apr 28, 2014

[Hide Comment] Most of the route is great, but the finish ruins an otherwise fun route. The mantel is very tricky at the grade, with less-than-ideal slab fall potential. Then the 5.6 pure friction to the top is extremely run out, and covered in pine needles and dirt. I would avoid the standard finish if possible. Oct 2, 2017

[Hide Comment] Just did this route today: overall a stout route with awkward movements. The rock under the arch at the bottom was “sweaty” and smearing was tenuous, but the most serious part of the route is the standard finish up the runout, licheny slab at the top, which can be avoided on either side. My partner led that pitch, got confused, decided upon the standard slab finish and ended up taking a 60-foot tumbling fall from the top slab. He was about 30 ft runout above a marginal nut and took a big fall to a spot well below the mantel move. Miraculously he walked away with only a badly scraped elbow and no broken bones or other serious injuries. Needless to say, good route finding and a cool head are prerequisites for this climb. Jun 21, 2018

[Hide Comment] I found the p1 belay tree to be uninspiring (hollow, exposed roots) and decided to continue to the rap tree halfway up P2.

The P2 crux - slab mantle over a bulge - seemed bizarre for the grade and poorly protected; I escaped right as Peter Lewis described. The flake was cool though - wished I brought the #5. Overall, not sure I would repeat the last pitch. Sep 10, 2018

[Hide Comment] As far as gear goes...2 #3 cams or a #3 and #4 are nice for the second pitch in the big lie back flake. Then again, I’m not very brave..
My $.02 Aug 24, 2020

[Hide Comment] The first pitch of this climb is somewhat fun, and definitely 8+ imo, but the crux move on the 2nd pitch is stupid and dirty with a pretty bad fall onto a slab if you slip off. I can't really recommend the 2nd pitch of this climb, I ended up escaping right as someone mentioned above, which turns it into a nice easy romp. Sep 16, 2021

[Hide Comment] The 2nd pitch of this is really bad. Horrible/seemingly impossible mantle move. Going right was not intuitive, hard to traverse, extremely dirty, and not 5.6 IMO. The best thing to do would be to extend pitch 1 to the rap tree and rap off from there. To this tree gives you the awesome pitch 1 and the best parts of pitch 2. Oct 10, 2021

[Hide Comment] While climbing Fun House in June and July this summer it was common to hear bits and pieces of debris making there way by on Three Birches. One was baseball size. I'd love to climb this route but will wait until it becomes more chill. Aug 15, 2022

[Hide Comment] Kurt Winkler, Steve Larson, and I cleaned up the approach trail on 5/27/23 as part of the Friends of the Ledges cleanup day. We cut up a bunch of trees, cleared away debris, made the trail really obvious, and blocked the tops and bottoms of all the herd paths with logs and branches. The trail is clear and straightforward now…although the general area is still sketchy near the base of the cliff, so take all reasonable precautions. May 28, 2023