City Lights 5.8-
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| Type: | Trad, 2 pitches, 180 feet |
| Consensus: | 5.8- [details] |
| FA: | Dick Williams, Art Gran, 1965 |
| Submitted By: | Ron Olsen on Feb 24, 2006 |
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Climbing the runout face near the top of the first...
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2013 Peregrine Closure: Bloody Bush (5.7) to Overhanging Layback (5.7). This includes Arch, Ribs, Strictly, Shockley's and the Mac Wall. Best wishes to the nestlings.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.
You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
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Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment
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Description City Lights is one of many moderate classics on this section of the cliff: Son of Easy O(5.8), Frog's Head (5.6), Maria (5.6+), Baby (5.6), and Pas de Deux (5.8) are all close by. You could spend the whole day climbing in this area, moving from one classic to the next.
With a short approach and several bolted anchors, this area is very popular. Fortunately, with so many great routes, at least one should be free to climb.
From the Uberfall, walk about 2.5 minutes down the carriage road, past the big corner and roof of Matinee, to a huge boulder just below the cliff. Take the marked access trail just below the striking, widening crack of Baby, and angle up right to the cliff. This will take you to the base of the cliff near City Lights and Frog's Head.
Spot a large oak tree right next to the cliff; City Lights starts behind the tree, at a thin crack with a triangular pod about 20' up.
P1: Climb the thin crack and make a slippery move into the pod on polished rock (crux). Continue to a ledge, move left and climb a right-facing flake. Continue up the face, trending left, following the easiest line (or traverse right about 20', then head upwards, at a similar grade and protection). Aim for a small overhang to a small ledge and a 2-bolt anchor. 5.8-, 80'.
P2: Move left and climb a steep right-facing corner to its top. Continue up the face above to a 2-bolt anchor on a good ledge. 5.7, 90'.
Descend via two raps with a 60m rope, or walk off via the Uberfall Descent.
Protection Standard Rack.
The City Lights crux on P1 is the thin crack throu...
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I believe the climber is on the 2nd pitch of City ...
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A look at P2 from the P1 belay.
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By Adam Catalano
From: Albany, New York
Mar 15, 2006
| Glad to see this graded up from the previous 5.7. The triangles move down low is tricky, the rest is just awesome climbing all the way up to the top. Don't miss out on the second pitch. |
By saxfiend
Administrator
From: Decatur, GA
Sep 29, 2007
rating: 5.7+
| The one hard move at the start is the only real reason to give this a 5.8 rating, but it's still a cool climb all the way. |
By Tim Schafstall
From: Newark, DE
Apr 2, 2008
| Agree with Adam - don't skip P2. Crux gear is bomber and knowing the secret beta makes the crux easier. |
By eric larson
From: aurora, co
Jul 7, 2008
| Climbed p2 straight up from the anchors instead of out left.. was a bit dirty, but i felt it kept the grade 7 or 8- with decent gear. Pitch 1 was fun, and super exciting as the bottom crux was sopping wet! |
By gblauer
From: Wayne, PA
Apr 18, 2009
| Great climb, low crux is easy for me. Not sure I like the middle third run out. It's easy climbing, but, I do like my gear. |
By JSH
Administrator
May 26, 2009
| Traversing right ~20' after you've cleared the steeper stuff on P1 is preferable if there's another party on Pas de Deux, since the left finish overlaps with that route.
My 'secret' way of doing The Move on P1 involves an elbow jam / lockoff. It's bomber once you've got it! |
By slim
Jun 8, 2009
rating: 5.8- PG13
| tricky start and some routefinding on the second pitch. did it all in one pitch, a good exciting pitch for the grade. maybe not the best for someone breaking into the grade, or inexperienced trad climber. |
By reddirt
Jun 8, 2009
| So is stemming the tree at the start considered off route : P
I'm trying to envision the FA's doing the start in sneakers... |
By David Stowe
Jun 9, 2009
| Why would you stem the tree. There are good holds. The move through the pod can be done at 5.7 or also done to be made much harder if you climb straight up or to the right. Staying a hair to the left makes this 5.7. |
By John Peterson
Jun 9, 2009
| The legality of tree stemming was always a hot topic at GunksFest (a now defunct climbing event that used to happen every Dec 26th). See www.tradgirl.com/gunks/paulina.htm for a picture of this highly questionable tactic. |
By analogical
Apr 27, 2010
rating: 5.7
| The move at the pod isn't hard, though you can make it hard. I jam and hand-foot match, and it's more like 5.5, but I'm more flexible than most. There's some thin face climbing above, I would give this route a PG.
One thing to note is that the guidebooks do the 2nd pitch differently. Williams has City Lights and Pas de Deux crossing, Swain straights them out - the one stays left, the other stays right for both pitches. Except for PdD's first pitch, it's all 5.6-5.7, so just do whatever doesn't have someone already on it. |
By Jaysen Henderson
Jul 1, 2011
rating: 5.7+
| great climb but the pro on the second half had me taking a little extra care of my foot holds. i'm with the 5.7+ |
By K Baumgartner
Aug 27, 2012
rating: 5.8 PG13
| One move wonder that had me perplexed until I found a money hand jam. Definitely run out at the top, but it's pretty easy climbing. |
By Logan Schiff
From: NY, NY
Apr 23, 2013
| Crux is pretty weird the first time but gear is good. Runout in middle section not too enjoyable but the second pitch was really nice. Worth doing but not as classic as some of the other routes on this wall. |
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