Mike Amato stemming the initial corner of Prince C...
Description
Follow the trail up to the first ledge. Go left and then up to the far left side of cliff. Start in the obvious corner just left of Aerial Boundaries. Stem up the short corner over a small roof. Tend left and up to the first bolt. Make a cool move and clip the second bolt. Reach a ledge and follow the crack up to a steep slab. Clip the third bolt and make a dicey move to gain the slab. Climb on good hold up past two more bolt and reach the anchor on a large ledge. This route is still a little dirty but should clean-up with more ascents. Good route for aspiring 5.9 leader.
Protection
A small selection of cams to a number two Friend and seven quickdraws with get you to a two-bolt belay. A 60 meter rope barely make it back to ledge. Be careful when lowering.
By Ron Olsen Administrator From: Boulder, CO Jul 17, 2004 rating: 5.10c
Some good moves past the first two bolts, but the climb is so dirty with moss, lichen and grunge that it's really not worth doing. The dicey move past the third bolt is much harder than 9+; perhaps a hold broke? Seemed more like 10c to me. If you're in the area, do Aerial Boundaries, Black Rain, and Jungle of Stone; don't bother with Prince Charmer.
I enjoyed this climb, and it climbed better than I expected. Yes, the bottom 1/4 is dirty, but not enough to bother me. I was, not having read the beta, expecting a sport climb having climbed past the first and second bolts when doing the girdle a couple of years ago, but it climbs more like a trad climb. Fun stemming with trad gear to start (you can bypass that out right on the arete). A couple of interesting moves past two bolts over a bulge to access the arete. An easy trad hand crack (bring a red or gold Camalot), and then a puzzling move at another bolt to gain the slab. After a few minutes here, I went straight right then up, and it was easy, 5.9 at the most. Easy slab to the top. It seems like it joins the last couple of bolts of Aerials Boundaries. Is that true? Or did I miss other bolts further left?
South Pillar
RSS Feed
