[Hide Comment] Be sure to place solid gear. There is some rotten rock and you should be good at determining good quality placements. If you are putting your friend on their first lead, you might want to consider a more difficult climb with better gear.
My friend took a 50 footer after plugging a stopper into some bad rock and only avoided injury by getting hung up on a branch of the tree at the bottom with a good belay. Jun 19, 2012

[Hide Comment] Fun route! First trip/first lead at T-Wall...set a #6 Wild Country Rock a wee bit too well...second couldn't clean it...booty for someone who can! Jul 11, 2012

[Hide Comment] My first lead climb, and in my opinion not the best for a new leader. Not too hard, but still more than I bargained for at 5.5 in the guide. Gear on the lower part is sparse; be sure to not get too far right. Ends at 2 bolts/rap rings. Oct 2, 2012

[Hide Comment] "This is a great route for novice leaders."
Uhh, I don't think so.
Although easy climbing at the beginning (first 30' left to right is less than 5.5), gear placement is sparse and requires an understanding of good nut placements.
I would NOT recommend this route for a new leader.
Dec 19, 2013

[Hide Comment] I would second the comments on the fact THIS IS NOT A FIRST GOOD LEAD!!! The pro is terrible, and the whole point of getting someone to lead trad for the first time is to learn how to place gear, not to take chances with ridiculous run-outs even if the climbing is easy. I agree it is a better idea to start on something maybe a bit harder with better pro. Dec 24, 2013

[Hide Comment] Ok, I'll play devil's advocate here. I climbed this route for the first time this week. For laughs, I used only a set of stoppers and 4 tri-cams for protection. I was surprised by how well it protected. I didn't have any runouts, and I passed up numerous cam placements the whole way up. Maybe it isn't the best first lead, but it can be very well protected with the addition of a set of cams.

I've been walking by this thing for years. Now that I've finally climbed it, I'm kicking myself. It's a great route, and well worth doing. Nov 13, 2014

[Hide Comment] The climbing is easy but the protection is small and hard to find. This would be a good climb to challenge your protection and head game on an easy route, but not so much a good route for a complete beginner.

The protection is there; in the Gunks this would be a G although I'd call this a PG when compared to the nearby cracks. Jan 16, 2018

[Hide Comment] Some of the rock on the second half creaked when pulled on and sounded hollow. Tread carefully and be wary of rock breaking Feb 11, 2019

[Hide Comment] youtu.be/moGYb6_K89s Oct 31, 2020

[Hide Comment] I tend to agree that this route isn't great for a new leader. I had fun but have been doings this for a quarter of a century. I would recommend Plastic Toys for new leaders. Nov 21, 2024