Pincushion starts 30 feet right of That's Weak. Ascend the short face with a distinct crux move just after the third bolt. The anchor is after the face above the second ledge. This pitch is a good warm-up and/or approach pitch for the current and future headwall routes above.
The grade is about right - if you include a hearty tug on the second and third quick draws, that is. A breath of fresh air for those who are sick and tired of overbolting or soft grading.
I apologize for the lack of clarity in my earlier posting. I thought that the sarcastic tone was sufficiently established in the first sentence to carry over to the second.
So I will be clear. I think that Pincushion is noticibly harder than 11a, and believe that the bolt placements were made with an eye toward minimizing the bolt count, not toward making a good 5.11 route. This might be more understandable, but still quite ironic, in the context of this being an approach pitch to a lavishly bolted project above.
I bolted Pincushion and the project above. I agree, Pincushion is probably 2/3 letter grades harder than 11a, but it seems every new route in the canyon gets massively down-graded; therefore, we decided to start on the low-end of the scale. I disagree, I think the protection is adequate, and it doesn't detract from the quality of the pitch. BOTH minimal bolt placements AND pitch quality were equally addressed. The project above isn't lavishly over-bolted - it simply appears that way because the first couple bolts are close so the climber doesn't hit the ledge and/or belayer if he/she falls when climbing directly above the belay. Thanks, BTW send me an e-mail, let's get out - we haven't climbed together in about 10 years. Take Care,
I thought this was bolted really well, and a tad bit tough for 11a. I'd give it 11a/b.
By Tony Bubb From: Boulder, CO Jun 24, 2005 rating: 5.11d
Good route, maybe middle 5.11 in the right conditions. However... this climb can get downright slick in poor weather- I got totally shut down [slipping] on and off of the crux with raw skin and humidity after having just done a neighboring 5.12 with much less effort.The first clip is sporty to get to, especially for the shorter folks.
By Aeon Aki From: Boulder, CO Jun 30, 2008 rating: 5.11c
The sportiest way to clip the first bolt is with a stick.
I like the bolt spacing. And I am of shorter stature so, the first clip was a bit sporty. Also seeing how far the next bolt was I opted to clip a lone 'biner to the first bolt to save a foot or drop should I blow any of the moves above. I'm also going to have to go with no more than 11b. I don't usually onsight 11c and definitely not 11d!! The pro is adequate but that's it!! No more no less, I thought the movement was great and, although short, it was a pretty exciting pitch!!
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