Follow the bolts up the face of the slab midway between Nip and Tuck. Start with the obvious layback, move up to the crimp, and continue. The horizontal slashes around the second bolt are interesting.
The bottom of the route has a maximum of about 10d/11a but the crux is pulling over the little roof at the last bolt. Tricky footwork and crimpy holds.
This is a great route. The crux is very well defined and you know to save the juice for this part. It is indeed height dependant, as some people may be able to reach and pull down on the upper crimp a lot easier, but there is always the tricky feet. Just paste them high and pull down as suggested.
I must have climbed this route on a different day that all of you guys, because I thought that this route was THE most glossed over route in the country. I had to chalk up 30 times on the lower part and the crux was not doable........it was not doable. I could not smear. I was extremely disappointed in this route. 5.13a on glossy days.
C'mon, man. It's not THAT bad. I climbed it the same day as you (with all the fog, etc.?). It was hard to stick on the upper crimp and the feet because of the low friction. Big deal.
OK, I'll stick my thumb in this pie...I couldn't even DOG the sequence of this one on TR. I tried 1/2 dozen times and just couldn't do it. Seeing as how in the same month I onsighted other 12s, I guess that made me think it was hard. One climb I had a much easier climb on was one that other's are saying the reverse of. I guess it depends on what you are good at. For me, this was terribly hard (read: impossible for ME).
Tony, I've read other comments of yours that state you have pretty long arms. While I found similar to you that this climb was more or less impossible to me, it was actually because no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't reach the crimp beyond the roof. I climb all of the route alright until the roof, where I past my feet as Kristo said and reach hard, falling short by almost a foot. I don't know if you had the same difficulties as me, given your long arms, but I, too, think this climb has to be extremely relative in grade unlike many others.
So ok, "paste your feet high" where? I could reach the sidepull crimp (up and left of the last bolt) with my left, and something not-so-great with my right, but I was so extended, on marginal feet, that I couldn't haul up. now, it was a hot day and stuff, and I suck and all, but I couldn't even figure out a plausible sequence.
Heh...I remember trying to haul my ass up this climb several years ago...fun stuff but never could do it. I think with enough weight on the rope from my belayer I finally got over the crux. I loved the lower face though...tiny crimps!
So this is what a 5.12 feels like, huh??? Ouch. I like the above comment of paste your feet high... There really isn't a defined feature upon which one must place such a paste.
Shameless Beta. Beware!!! Left foot goes on the tiny vertical crimp (you can see it plainly from the roof-rest pedestal), then get your lieback on, reach for the crappy positive crimp, then smear the right foot wherever you can. Power up to the small "ear-looking" feature with your hands (I had to be a little dynamic with this) and put your right foot on a thank-God tiny but long-ish ledge that is colored with lichen. I didn't really use the sidepull much to get over the roof. I just used it for stability AFTER getting over.
Do what you will. I don't think I'll ever be leading trad .12's if this is par for the course. Freakin' hard. Props to those who can OS this crap... (Up to the crux IS REALLY fun though)~Wm
This one is superhard. I ended up going right to the finger crack and then lowering and doing the crux on TR. I do have some beta. Fortunately, I can reach up to the crappy right crimper and then bump my left hand to the sidepull before the right smears off. It's hard to see from below, but there is a hole by the sidepull that you can put your left thumb in. This is key: now you can squeeze with the left hand which is significantly better than using the sidepull alone. Then, I get the left foot on lame almost-vertical edge under the roof and get the right foot up on an infitesimal nubbin. Then the left foot goes up to a smear over the roof. I have to use the left knee for balance just to get the left foot there. Now, you have two crappy feet, a crappy right hand, and a just somewhat-poor squeeze with the left hand. Now, go for the top of the ear (not big) with the right, get the right foot up to a small ledge below the bolt, and you are done.
By banketh From: Denver CO Jun 13, 2008 rating: 5.12a/b
Fun route. The lower horizontal crimps seemed rather polished, but the ledges are so long you can find your own sweet spot to go off of. This felt really hard the first time I went up, took awhile to figure out a sequence through the roof
I could not stick the "paste high and reach" beta at the crux, but here is an alternative sequence that worked for me. I did a left heel-hook/smear on the side of the wall under the roof, reached up/fell into the left hand pinch-thing, and then reached out to the not-so-good right hand. With the left heel in place, my body was less extended so I could work my feet over the lip. Fun moves.
Nip and Tuck
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