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.
Matt slots a cam mid-crux on Double Cross.
Description
The hardest 5.7 in the Park? You be the judge. Certainly one of the best for the grade.
Easily identified by the "NOW SERVING" electric sign at the base of the route. Take your number, and queue up behind the masses. When your number is called, climb 25' up and left to gain the main crack. While present, the gear on this section can be a bit tricky and somewhat sparse. Groundfall potential exists. Continue for another 70' of stellar hand to fist crack. Belay from 3-bolt anchor.
Descent: Rap to ground (1 50m rope just barely makes it).
Safety note: This route has been the site of several serious injuries and a few fatalities over the years. The leader should be competent jamming and placing solid protection.
Several pages of discussion about the route have been moved to the Double Cross Discussion in the Southern California Forum.
For the sake of safety: The first chance to place pro on this climb is high and in my opinion the crux of the climb. Make sure not to rely on a single pro placement when committing to moving into the crack.
For reasons unknown to me, some people's idea of a fun little game seems to be to constantly bolt, chop, rebolt, and chop again this route. Typically, one bolt seems to go up sometime before Halloween and disappear sometime after Thanksgiving, only to reappear again the following year. Obviously, I can't guarantee that schedule. There may be a bolt there, there may not. Whatever floats your boat.
If Dogleg is 5.8, this is 5.7(+) and no more. I agree with the pro: it's solid and safe if you play it smart. From the ledge I place a hex backed up with a cam (actually vice versa). BTW, nice web site with good beta!
By Andrew Gram Administrator From: Denver, CO Nov 4, 2002 rating: 5.7
I thought 5.7 was fair. 2 moves of 7+ getting established in the crack, and after that nothing but good sustained 5.6 hand jamming. Keep your feet in the crack and it is easy and not strenuous. Not nearly as hard as Kor's Flake in Lumpy Ridge which is also 5.7+ I second the suggestion to place 2 pieces in the crack before moving into it as that was definitely the crux.
The first time I did this route, (very Early 70's) I ran across a Smashed beer can placed in the upper crack like a chock. I threw a sling around it, mainly to amuse my second, although it was well placed and probably would have worked. I Also think the rating is fair. You just have to understand how to jam, and you can't learn that on plastic. Hell, Damper was a 5.4 back then. That was a sandbag!
I've led this route three times. Yep, I'd say it is a strenuous 5.7, but the bottom was pretty easy. Although it takes great crack pro, I found myself doing arm bars at the crux (bulging crack section). Most of it was hand jams for me, but I do have small hands. I did a number of foot jams at the crux, but after that, it was easy climbing with huge holds and good pro. I am fairly conservative and tend to use lots of gear. For any beginners, you may want to follow and clean this route first, it is pumpy at the crux, so don't "hang out"; make sure your pro is good! Excellent route, but I'd rate it 5.8.
Wow! Superb moderate climbing, perfect for any leader breaking into the 5.8 range. In no way did I find the beginning hard enough to warrant a S rating. Prior to moving left into the hand crack, which by the way will steal all of your #3 cams right off your rack towards the middle, I placed a bomber TCU (yellow?) with an extra long sling. The rest is perfect jams and the occasional face hold - Three stars for sure!
Ten years ago, I picked Double Cross from the guidebook as my first trad lead. My rack consisted of 3 Camalots and a set of nuts. It was occupied, so I did Dogleg instead. Much hangdogging resulted, but no serious falls. Now that I've enjoyed both routes many times, I'm glad I didn't get on Double Cross that first day, though both routes (as well as Orphan) are classic JTree sandbags.
Let's get over the ego aspect of ratings. These numbers are informational -- to tell people roughly how hard it will be to get to the top. Preventing accidents should also be an important goal of any guidebook. In the eyes of many, 5.7 is a beginner rating. Double Cross is harder than many crack climbs in the park rated 5.8 and 5.9. I'd rate it 5.8+. The first 25 feet also deserves a cautionary warning of some sort. I recognize and enjoy the JTree tradition of sandbagging. I also have respect for people who establish sparsely protected climbs, and I agree that Double Cross clearly doesn't need any bolts. However, the combination of an easy grade, in a popular location, with a respectable runout deserves some cautionary warning in the guidebook. It sounds like Randy has already taken care of that. Hopefully, future accidents will be averted as a result.
Yeah, this is a pretty sweet climb! Felt a little stiff for 5.7 but hey "that's why your out here". For me the hardest part was getting into the crack, after that the hand jams are really sweet! Don't forget your tape on this guy!
After spending five days in J-tree, I decided that Double Cross was my favorite climb of those we did. I thought the crack was excellent. The first 20 feet are pretty mellow. I believe I got a green alien in before transitioning to the crack. After that, it was just one great jam after another. If I lived in the area, I would frequent this climb.
By Chris Miller Administrator Apr 12, 2005 rating: 5.8
The right-hand start seems a tad easier and it offers better protection as well - a #4 Camalot (or equivalent) can be placed under the overlap midway to the start of the crack. As mentioned, this route requires actual jamming skills, which is notable as most cracks of this grade at Joshua Tree can be done without them. Four stars out of five.
By d-know From: electric lady land Jan 25, 2006 rating: 5.7+
stellar jammin. the only route my girlfriend wanted to lead in a week at jtree.
Excellent climb. If you know how to jam then it is no harder than 5.7, and no bolt is needed.
By Marty Brenner From: Durango, CO Sep 28, 2006 rating: 5.7+
This route IS 5.7+ and well protected. You can place AT LEAST two good pieces getting to the crack. A #4 Camalot down lowish, a yellow (?) Metolius TCU a little higher, etc.
Some people screw up by taking the wrong line to the crack (off route). They climb straight up for it. My friend Dion made that mistake and almost died. His head landed right between two rocks at the base and he only broke his knee. Maybe we just need painted connect-the-dots on the rock to show the correct line. (HaHa)
To everyone who thinks we need to constantly change ratings to compensate for some climbers' inexperience with particular types of climbing, remember that there are different types of routes out there. A steep jug route will climb very differently than an edging route of the same grade, or a friction slab, or a finger/hand crack, a flare or, heaven forbid, an offwidth. Sure, they all have the same rating, but knowing how to climb them lies in learning the techniques of each type of climbing.
I started from the right and was able to protect the move into the crack with a bomber nut and a gray TCU clipped to the nut as a directional. I probably wouldn't have even placed the gray TCU if it weren't for all the talk about this route being dangerous. I suppose Randy's warning is at least somewhat effective.
If you are about 6' with larger hands then from the point where you want to move into the crack (25' up) you can place a solid #2 and get a bomber left hand jam before moving under the crack. Solid perfect hands to narrow fist jams from there pretty much to the top with a few stem rest spots for feet outside the crack if you want them. Doubles in #1-#3 camalots make pro a no brainer but smaller sizes are available.
For a few years I was psyched out of doing this climb because of all the injuries I read about but with some reach and a good hand size the move into the crack is bomber.
If you cant hand jam this climb is much harder I'd imagine.
Wow! What an awesome climb! I have spent quite a while dreaming of sending Double Cross. I was so intimidated by all the hubbub of potential death falls that I decided not to do the climb. But, for those of you who were at Josh last weekend you too experienced the awesome weather which put me in the mood to climb DC. My advice for those who climb strong at 5.7 would be to climb some of the shorter 5.8 cracks in the park first. Such as Sail Away, or Continuum. For me it made DC more enjoyable since I pretty much new what to expect. Also, I have small hands so I had use fist jams near the top. But, I'm glad I stopped being a chicken! :)
Was intimidated for a while to lead this, but lead it today. So glad I did this route. If you know how to climb straight-out crack and protect crack, you have no worries. If you question your ability to place pro or climb crack, try this on top rope first. There is NO reason for accidents. It protects well, plain & simple. There are pieces that are perfection and you will feel totally confident right before you get in the crack. If you don't feel it before beginning to jam in the crack, then don't do it (and you should have a piece below you so you can get off safely). FUN! My opinion is that it seems 5.7+ or 5.8-.
The Old Woman - West Face
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