Remain in Light
5.10b YDS 6a+ French 19 Ewbanks VII- UIAA 19 ZA E2 5b British
Type: | Sport, 360 ft (109 m), 4 pitches |
FA: | Chris Wright with Alan Watts & Lizzy VanPatten, February 2024 |
Page Views: | 1,916 total · 129/month |
Shared By: | Chris Wright on Feb 14, 2024 |
Admins: | Kevin Piarulli, Micah Klesick, Nate Ball |
ALL SEASONAL CLIMBING CLOSURES FOR CLIMBING AND SLACKLINING WILL BE LIFTED ON FRIDAY, JULY 7TH THIS WEEK.
THANKS, EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP IN OBSERVING RESTRICTIONS DURING THE NESTING SEASON!
There are many seasonal raptor closures with varying dates and specific boundaries. These generally effect The Monument, Kiss of the Lepers, Picnic Lunch Wall and/or Smith Rock group, and possibly elsewhere. These usually run from February to the beginning of August, but each closure is usually shorter than this, and is dependent on the birds' behavior. Check this site for details: smithrock.com/seasonal-clos…
Description
Like a lot of Smith routes, the rock may not be entirely perfect, but it’s good enough to be fun and should make for a fine outing with plenty of bolts, comfy belays, great views, some genuinely enjoyable and varied climbing, and a righteous summit to boot. Mr. Alan Watts himself declared on the first ascent that the route was destined to be a classic, but you’ll have to head up there to find out for yourself. If you’re not smiling on the final romp to the top then Smith adventure climbing might just not be for you.
Most of the bad rock is low on the route, but luckily it’s pretty easy where it’s crumbly, and you can skip some of it by using the left-hand start. Of course some looseness does remain, but if it’s still there it’s probably because I couldn’t get it off, and believe me - I tried. With a bit of care you’ll hardly notice, and above that the climbing has an awesome position and a mix of corners, cracks and stemming with little nubbin wrestling to speak of. There are some ledges on the upper half of the route that are still covered in rubble, so do watch out, but they shouldn’t cause you any trouble. This is a route that should hopefully appeal to anybody, not just the choss connoisseur.
P1 (5.9, 15m - 7 bolts): Start either directly in the corner or on the face to the left, which begins next to an old fence post and is described separately as Rive Gauche. Both starts are about the same difficulty, though the left option is definitely more fun and highly recommended. For the original route, start up the groove below the obvious left-facing corner and pull past an awkward overlap and a few more bolts before gaining an anchor on a small ledge which is shared with Rive Gauche. Belay here or do as the original ascent did and link with P2 for a full 40m pitch.
P2 (5.10a, 25m - 12 bolts): Step right from the belay and continue directly up the corner. A short section of easy stemming on lousy rock leads into a cruxy micro-roof with good holds on the right, then onto fantastic stone for the rest of the pitch. A mix of stems, jams and pulling on beautiful orange rock ends on a comfortable ledge.
P3 (5.9, 30m - 12 bolts): Climb directly up from the belay (tricky) before exiting the corner and then coming back left around a roof. Watch out for a large, wedged block beneath the overhang, but you shouldn’t have any reason to touch it as the most logical line moves left well below. Above the roof a couple of thoughtful moves bring you to easier terrain and another belay on a luxurious terrace. A few slings on the zig-zags will help avoid drag.
P4 (5.10b, 40m - 18 bolts): Head up the groove and past a cracked corner to gain a small ledge. Move right and up the edge of the handsome face before some artful moves bring you rightward into a juggy ramp/corner. Continue up easier terrain to a rubble-strewn ledge, then up the brilliant (and easy) arete to the top. Long slings will again help alleviate drag, especially at the beginning of the pitch and above and below the ledge.
Descent: Rap the route. (Don’t try to walk off - it gets ugly fast.)
R1 (35m): A 70m rope will just barely get you from the top of the wall to the anchor on the terrace, so be sure to knot the ends and watch it as you approach the ledge. If you're worried that your rope won’t reach, there’s also a good anchor about 30m directly below the summit on Hawkline Monster which you can use to break this in two. Either way watch out for loose rock while pulling your rope, but luckily both anchors are out of the way of anything that comes down.
R2 (30m): A shorter rap easily reaches the P2 anchor.
R3: (30m): Rappel to the anchor on the ledge at the top of P1/ Rive Gauche. (It’ll be tempting, but a 70m rope won’t quite get you to the ground.)
R4: (15m): Another short rap puts you back at the base of the route.
If there's a party coming up the route, it's also possible to rappel Hawkline Monster on new anchors.
Try your best to be careful about dislodging rocks on the loose ledges on both the up and down as the river trail is right below the wall.
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