The awesome, newly re-developed area for steep clean "sport" cracks (bolted face and tricky pro sections, and good bolted anchors). As close as you get to Indian Creek on eastern Sierra granite. High, north-facing, and cold - but great for hot summer days!
Getting There
See Marty Lewis/John Moynier "Mammoth Area Rock Climbs" guidebook (3rd ed. 2004 - not in previous editions)
P1 (5.10a): Climbs up the right side of a giant wedged block about 25 feet off the ground. Continue up double cracks to the highest ledge before the upper headwall. Bolted anchor at 85 feet.P2 (5.10a): Start out slightly up and left of the anchor and get ready for 165 feet of hand jamming! Generally there are two or three cracks to choose from. When in doubt, stay to the left. Bolted anchor.P3 (5.9): Not recommended due to loose rock and ...[more]
This is an excellent area, esp when it's hot down in the valley. IMO, more reminiscent of The Needles than Indian Creek -- I don't believe we used more than two pieces of a given size on any single pitch.
Kudos to the first ascensionists etc, but I feel they were in general much too aggresive w/ the drill -- virtually every bolt on the climbs I did had a reasonable if small gear placement near by. For instance, the first bolt of Sons of Liberty is about one foot to the side of a solid green Alien placement.
It reminds me of an alpine Cookie Cliff. Some routes do seem to have bolts next to gear placements. The majority of the trad routes done after 2002 have no lead bolts whatsoever. We tried to buck that trend and establish routes ground up, on-site without any bolts (adding belay bolts later). Hopefully future first ascentionists will continue this ethic and only bolt when necessary.
Patricia Bowl
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