Blockbuster Ballet
5.8 YDS 5b French 16 Ewbanks VI- UIAA 15 ZA HVS 4c British
Avg: 2.1 from 13 votes
Type: | Trad, 500 ft (152 m), 4 pitches, Grade II |
FA: | Rich Thompson Gary Axen, 1974 |
Page Views: | 2,639 total · 16/month |
Shared By: | Charles Vernon on Oct 12, 2010 |
Admins: | adrian montaƱo, Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen |
Description
If 5.8 is your limit, this route will keep you on your toes. This is a good route for someone who wants to experience the Reef, but doesn't yet feel ready for the 5.10 climbing on classics like Warm and Free to Rapture and Reefer Madness. There are fun moves on every pitch.
P1: Climb the curving flake and around the right side of the roof (route crux), then up the ramp/corner that leads up left to a belay. This pitch is about 80 feet and I am pretty sure could be linked to P2 with a 60 rope, but I didn't actually attempt it.
P2: Depending where you belayed, either climb straight up or up and right through short cracks and flakes. Continue up a corner, past a tree, and up easier ground to a belay ledge below a chimney.
The Tarantella variation for P2, 5.9 R leads up left and looks awesome, I checked it out but saw no pro at all for a long ways, so I stuck with the original.
P3: there is a massive flake above you, with a visible, cool-looking 5.6 chimney on the right side, and a 5.7 offwidth (not visible) on the left. Having done the latter, I recommend the former. This is a short pitch but would be difficult to link to the last pitch without unbearable drag.
[edit] Came back and did the route a 2nd time, this time with the chimney. The chimney is waaay better than the offwidth; it's really fun, one of the better chimneys around. The route is a solid two stars done this way, I think.
P4: from the belay atop the flake, head up and left, with several variations possible and nice exposure. Stretch the rope out to the top.
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