This route is on the left side of Upper Security Risk. First clip is a bit odd - bring a tall friend or a clip stick if you are pushing it on this grade. Follow the bolts. This route can be climbed to set TR for Crash Test Blondes (5.11c).
Sure felt harder than 5.9 to get to the first clip, but I am not very tall. My 5'6" partner though it was VERY hard. The higher crux felt like 5.9 though, for both of us.
To make the first clip, place a small cam--green or yellow alien. Then step right to a foothold from the block on the left. Don't climb from below (that's hard).
I thought the rest of the route was quite easy but very nice. The first clip is also easy if done as described above.
A good route and very useful as a warm up for some of the nearby routes. However, it's very unfortunate that this route includes so many bolts within inches of easily protectable cracks.
Tom Hayes and I put up the S Buttress in 1993 on natural gear about a year or so before Pup went in. The S Buttress starts at the same place as Pup but goes straight up instead of right near the first bolt on Pup, then traverses in where the 4th bolt is located, then goes up the same line from there.Really no need for bolts at all above the 3rd, a standard rack enables very safe gear placements.
By Kevin Neilson From: Boulder Jun 16, 2005 rating: 5.9+
The first clip is most easily placed from the stemming position described, but may be difficult for shorter people. I really liked this route. It had a lot of nice laybacking. I thought it was on the high end of 5.9 in terms of difficulty.
The two anchor bolts at the top of this route were poorly placed, one bolt being about a foot higher, but also six inches to the left of the other bolt. With several quick links and links of 3/8" chain I was able to create a situation where both bolts are both about equally loaded. Now, if one bolt fails, the other should not be shock loaded.
The welded cold shut on the lower bolt is definitely showing signs of wear, hopefully this was because of the improper placement of the bolts and not because someone is belaying and lowering directly through the anchor. I was not able to figure out how the lower of two cold shuts would be the one to show wear unless people were clipping a draw into the upper bolt and threading the rope through the lower cold shut which would create an equalized anchor.
Upper Security Risk
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