Climbing restricted due to tourist safety MORE INFO >>>
ACCESS NOTE: Please note that the forest service has restricted climbing for any routes past the area of Red Wagon (just left of the Trinity Cracks) due to tourist safety. Local access groups are working to get this restriction lifted.
Alley Oop is one of the better moderate routes at the Overlook. It's just challenging enough to give a beginning leader some interesting moments, but well protected and offers some cool moves. Center right of the wall, look for a wavy crack running up a flat wall that forms the right side of a big corner. Climb up the wavy crack, skirt around a protruding boulder, then continue up. The crux comes where the corner squeezes down to a tight 1/4" crack leading to a horizontal ledge. Get a good nut in a layback your way onto the ledge (a belly flop might be in order if it saves you a fall). Then go to the right end of the ledge and up to the top.
I found Alley Ooop to be awkward in places, and difficult to protect in two critical areas. There were a few fun moves, and the direct finish to the climb (off the upper ledge - ~ 5.9) was fun. But, IMHO, there are better moderate climbs at the Overlook.
By Tavis Ricksecker From: flagstaff, az Apr 21, 2008 rating: 5.8
Felt really hard for 5.7, IMO. Definately way harder than Mint Jam. I did the direct finish above but that seemed no harder than the rest of the route. I'm going with 5.8 for the whole thing.
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