Half Track 

FA:  unknown; FFA: John Long and Royd Riggins, October 1972 Type:  Trad Consensus:  5.10a [details] Length:  1 pitch, 70 feet Views: 294 page views Submitted By: Tony Bubb on Apr 1, 2001 Add Photo  Add Comment

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BETA PHOTO: Intersection Rock - North Face

Description 

On intersection Rock, there are three main cracks running diagonally up and left from the base. These are visible from the North side (from the Hidden Valley Campground) and are called, from right to left, Right Ski Track, Left Ski Track, and Half Track. These are plainly visible in the attached photograph.

Half Track is the shortest and easiest of the three climbs, but is by no means a route to test your limits on. As one of my first routes at J-Tree, I found it to be a little frightening just off of the ground, as I was not used to the friction there and did not have great faith in the required smears with such small gear (#3 BD Stopper) protecting me from a 10' ground fall.

I committed to the crux smears shortly after looking at my belayer and saying "I don't think that these will stick, but if they won't, then this is a lot harder than 10a, so I guess they must." They did and I didn't test the pro.

Approach from the campground or wherever you parkedand walk up to the base of the climb. Move up a bit, place a few small nuts and continue up and left. The crux for me was the smears on feet just 10-15 feet up the route, which gets easier andf better protected as you progress. The route will deposit you on the shoulder of the rock, 1/2 way up after about 70' of climbing. From there you may continue upward on one of a few cracks, or rap down to the base from a fixed anchor.

Protection 

A standard J-tree rack of nuts, from very small to large, plus a set of TCU's to hand-sized cams.