Type: Trad, 50 ft (15 m)
FA: Alec Sharp & Matt Lavender, 1982
Page Views: 1,643 total · 18/month
Shared By: Mark Rolofson on Jul 14, 2017
Admins: Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

You & This Route


2 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.
Warning Access Issue: Seasonal Closures 2024 - Bitty Buttress, Blob (Eagle Rock & Security Risk now open!) DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

This climb ascends a left-facing corner via a fingertip lieback. Face holds lead up into the base of the corner below a tiny roof. This start is also the start of "Crank It" that then moves right into the next crack.

Place small nuts & execute a very difficult crux fingertip lieback. There is one horizontal face hold & a poor undercling tips lieback slot under the roof with slippery feet on polished black rock. Above the roof, the crux ends at a good fingerlock. The moves ease off to 5.11. At the top of the corner, the crack fades out. Step left onto a rounded knob on the blunt arete, & move into "The Campaigner; above the second bulge. Undercling back right to a good, jug flake.

I used to end the climb here, as it was possible to reach a bolt for the aid line Ground Zero (that is now Crank It). I don't know if it possible to reach the anchor on "Crank It" that is further right. It is possible to continue up a dihedral past 2 bolts (the top of "Nuclear Winter") to finish on the big ledge on "Cussin Crack".

I find it very amazing that no one has posted this route before now, considering the first ascent was in 1982 & I led it in 1986. After that, I top-roped it often after leading "Rebellion". This is a worthy piece of climbing. Protection can be placed every two or three feet, so perhaps it doesn't deserve the R rating. However, hanging on to place the gear is quite strenuous, & caution must be taken to get in good gear at the start. This includes an opposing piece to keep the gear from lifting out. I used double ropes when I led this climb. This adds a great amount of safety, allowing you to alternate ropes on each piece of protection.

D'Antonio's guidebook rates this climb 5.13b & says it was grossly underrated at .12b. Alec Sharp originally rated the climb 5.11+. I may have been the first to call the climb .12b. Years before I climbed it, John Sherman had told me he thought the climb was quite hard & a sandbag at 5.11+. One skinny fingered Brit, named John Aaron, told me it was .12a to toprope.

Location Suggest change

This is between Rebellion & Crank It.

Protection Suggest change

#3-6 RPs (Black Diamond steel nuts), # 6 stopper, and a 0.5"-0.75" cam. I didn't have Aliens when I led this route. Tiny to small cams may also be useful.

Photos

loading