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.
BETA PHOTO: The Old Woman - East Face
Description
Approach the East face of the old woman and look for a line of bolds on the south end of the south slab. After one bolt, two lines diverge, one straight up, and the other wandering to the right. Judas goes straight up past two bolts total, to reach a right leaning ramp, from which you can either move a few feet right and continue on Toe Jam (5.7, and recommended, but likely crowded) or continue up and onward to the rap anchors above Chongo Bolt Route and Bearded Cabbage (harder).
This second option to finish is mis-marked as "spider" in the beta photo at the bottom of this page... Please remove this paragraph once the photo is fixed.
The crux of this route for me was right off of the ground, getting into position where I could comfortable place gear. I saw a team of climbers just before we were there standing on each other's shoulders to get established on the line. I guess that should have been a clue that the start was difficult. There was one additional friction move up higher that I found difficult. In the attached picture, the line is essentially where the climber is rapping off.
I did not find this climb as fun as many of its nearby neighbors.
Protection
This climb protects with 2 reasonably good bolts and a few cams, from .75" to 3". The larger pro is for when you join the route Toe Jam, up top.
This climb is not rated "S" in the Vogel book, but I have rated it as such. The route is protected well enough for the bulk of the climbing, but the first few moves are bouldery and could produce an ankle-twisting/breaking fall. I protected relatively soon on a TCU, but it was not a textbook placement, and a fall (even if it held) from below the first bolt still could have been bad.
The crux in the start and me bing 5'-8" found it quite hard to conclude it was 5.10c (5.10b in Volgel's guide).The crack is about 3/4" wide on a buldge that you mantle. There are some great foot holds but you are pitched over 90 degrees at that point with the off-finger crack and a left hand sloper for holds. The friction section above was and fun and delicate and the protection was good from the start but the hard moves are off the deck and a tight belay is reccomended.
Just wanted to point out that if you have small hands, its really not that hard, and I'm only 5'4". Just be sure to reach for the highest jam you can before rocking over onto the left foot...
I don't think this climb warrants an R rating. You can place a cam standing below the crack, before you begin the climb. Push it deep into the crack so it doesn't block your hand jams. Red TCU.
At 5'9" and slightly smaller than average hand size, I found the start of this to be very stout for the 5.10b rating. Tall climbers can reach out right to the flake and smaller climbers may actually be able to get a decent tight hand jam in the crack. For the average climber, your tight-hands/off-fingers technique must be up to par or you'll never leave the ground.
The Old Woman - East Face
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