Michael McKay climbs the first half of Pipe Cleane...
Description
Pipe Cleaner follows the third most-obvious line on the wall (in this case, left of Ending Crack). The route follows an undulating crack which occasionally masquerades as a shallow corner. The crack ranges from a few millimeters wide to about 8 inches (although no gear over 3-inches is absolutely necessary). The gear is good and the climbing is fairly sustained. Unlike Ending Crack, which has abundant face holds on either side, this route forces you to use the crack--expect plenty of fist jamming and even a little off-width climbing.
The top of the route features a bolted anchor--2 glued-in eye-bolts and a Fixe Triplex. It takes two ropes to reach the ground.
The most unusual feature of this route is that it seldom has any dry ground beneath it. This means that you will likely have to build a hanging belay in a large hole about 8 feet above the water. Keeping the rope dry is an excellent test of your rope management skills. When you pull the rappel lines, one of your ropes is surely getting wet.
Though not truly multi-pitch, I find the climbing on this route to be more enjoyable than Tree Route.
Sespe Gorge (Black Wall)
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