Begin almost directly under the huge boulder just to the right of the A-shaped roof. Skirt a small bulge, instead following a crack from the left up and to the right. Look for the horns on the face to your right. Move up, through the nice fist crack, and belay from the ledge above the boulder.
Pitch 2: Same as for Cozyhang. Cruise up to a wicked small a-shaped roof. Jam and stem up and out, and follow the crack up the face to the left another 10 feet.
From the belay atop P1, you can also take the 5.10/9+ hand crack that exits the roof 15 feet up and right from you. It's somewhat awkward, in that it's half roof / half hand traverse, but an enjoyable and well-protected exit variation.
The roof on the second pitch can be made very easy by getting a wide (but not too wide) stance in the chest high shelf that starts below the horizontal part of the roof and leaning a bit to the left.
I must have missed the easy way around the roof. I thought It was another boulder classic sandbag route. What a great climb. Both pitches have good moves. Not a good beginer lead.
I left a 7 BD hex and a carabiner on 4-12-03 to lower from when I got off route. If anyone wants them they are about an inch up and to the left of the woman's head in that picture of the two people at the base of the owl. Once I figured out the route it was really fun (the two roof sections are awkward, but well protected).
This was a lead I feared for a long time, in fact I hated following it because I always muscled through the pigeon poop crack and had to take on the roof...a couple nights ago a friend showed me new techniques and it made all the difference. Tonight on lead I learned this route can be easy but I agree it is not a beginner lead. On lead I found (being short 5'2") that reaching for the chicken head on P1 was the hardest move since I was a bit above and right of my last piece. The crack and the roof protect well and in a relaxed state are oh so very fun. Now I gotta find the nerve to lead P1 (over the bulge) of Cozy Hang.
I agree it seems like another classic boulder sandbag. Don't go climb 5.8's at Happy Hour and think you've got it easy. Great climb though. Bomber gear. Tricky but rewarding crux moves. Not a beginner climb, go do east slab.
Fun climb that protects fairly well too the summit. Seems like rope drag could be a real problem on the second pitch if you don't a have a least 1 extra long runner (especially in the dihedral slot). Anyone ever test the pin on p2?
I've lead this twice now, and it surely feels stout for a 5.7. Definitely not a good beginner lead. That old pin on p2 looks fairly manky (the ring is pretty rusted), probably a good idea to back it up.
By Jayer Chung From: Denver, CO May 11, 2006 rating: 5.7
Watch rope drag on the 1st pitch, and stay on route. 5.7 roof move on the last pitch is committing. Aliens, 1 set of hand-sized cams, and nuts (BD stoppers #4-8) sufficient.
I've done another 5.9 (?) exit variation to the ending that slips around the left side of the final roof and climbs a steep face to a frictiony dihedral. Not in the Rossiter guidebook that I saw.
If 5.7 is around your leading limit and you're looking for climbs in this area, I personally found this to be a little harder than the Standard Route on the Elephant Buttress and a little easier than Cozyhang. And the ten minutes or so that I spent gathering the nerve to grovel over to the chickenheads rank as perhaps the most humbling that I can remember off the top of my head.
By Jared Workman From: Boulder Mar 21, 2007 rating: 5.7
I'm with Nick on this one. I plugged a Grey Alien in the crack before the chicken heads then spent 15 minutes thinking about going for it. The move is really easy once you grab them but if you have trouble reaching them it can be intimidating.
The roof at the top is pretty easy though, skip the piton and sink a number 2 BD to your right to keep the rope out of your way, climb up high, stem super wide, jam and arm, and it's over. I personally found grabbing for the chicken heads to be a lot more commiting than the roof. Overall a great and varied climb but I would have been very unhappy to tackle this as one of my first 5.7 leads.
Left lots of booty yesterday, if anybody cleans my stuff I'd love it back. My partner could not unclip a BD Neutrino QD in the old mangy pin I clipped just for the hell of it. Also, in the final hand crack, I tried and tried and tried until my bloody hands gave up to fish out a green Metolius cam. If found and returned, good beer is your reward. Thanks.
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