Any route or boulder problem that starts out of or near an occupied campsite may not be done without first obtaining the campsite occupant's permission.
Nearing the end of the crack on Bella Lugosi (5.11...
Description
This climb lies 15' left of That Old Soft Shoe (5.10d) and is identified as a left-leaning thin crack that starts 15' or so off the ground.
Bouldery moves gain the crack where good pro can be found. Near the top the crack peters out and a bolt [replaced 4/00 - ed.] is found to protect the moves to the top.
The name is a play on Bela Lugosi - the star of the classic 1931 horror movie "Dracula".
Protection
1 bolt (3/8") and a selection of smaller sized wires/cams work well for the route. As usual for Josh take a selection of medium to large (to 3") cams for the anchor.
While a bolt to protect the crux bottom may be welcome, it certainly is not necessary; as Alan points out, it is more of a bouldering type start....But, when Craig and I first lead this, we had some stacked and tied off thin pins for pro: They actually held me. Easily removed by hand afterwards.
I did this route last week on TR. The Vogel Select guide book now calls this 5.12, as holds on the lower part are breaking off on a regular basis. I do know that one nice hold near the bottom of the crack is now gone--it was there when I first did this thing in 1983 or so.
So, the attached Beta photo shows the line coming in from below and left (steeper) of the start of the crack (slabbier but way thin). I did this last year and came in from below and right. I'm curious how others have done this route.
Castle Rock
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