BETA PHOTO: The Fin from below with bolts. The Fin is about 1...
Description
This route heads up the face of the gigantic 100' fin that heads up the left side of the main wall. You can't miss it.
Climbing is face action up to the crux, which is just after two parallel bolts (there for aiding), and is a hard and balancy one-move wonder. Calling the move 5.11c is probably a sandbag; the its probably in the low 12 range by current standards.
If you choose to aid the one-move wonder 5.11c route, this is an excellent 5.10b THAT IS NOT ENTIRELY A SPORT ROUTE. There is also the tricky grear-protected roof move at the top. Anyone at the .10b level that heads up the route with merely a rack of draws will be quite surprised at the final roof-crack move that appears just before the top anchors.
As for the .11c variation, the one move wonderosity of the route doesn't justify climbing the route.
Protection
7 1/2 bolts to a 2 bolt anchor. A recommended (but not required) 1/2" to 1" piece can be added to protect the final 10b crux before the top anchors.
I think this was a great route... once i aided the crux. I can usually pull an 11c move without much difficulty, but was pretty dumbfounded on this one. So i agree with aron that it's probably ~5.12 for today's standards... either that or we were missing something.
But I dont' think this route should be rated 's'. It should be stressed that you should bring a 1" cam for the top, but once you've done that you should be fine.
Back when we rated it, 11c seemed right. Compared to Beast of Burden or Neanderthal Dudes, the Fin is easier, right? But the crux is definitely a boulder problem - it took me several visits to redpoint. The reason that there are 2 bolts next to one another is not to make it easier to aid, it's because there was an incipient crack next to one, and I wasn't sure it was solid. Since it was the only pro, a backup seemed in order. Are the bolts still the 5/16" piece-o-crap rawl drives? I give this route 4 stars just for the way it looks.
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