Making the high step over the roof. This did not f...
Description
Start just right of "Smell the Coffee" and climb up to a small overlap. Make a dicey move up a thin seam to a good ledge. Tend left up to the anchor. From the anchor, an optional second pitch is off the right, then straight up through one 5.8 move and a lot of 5.7. If you do this, rap to the top of Napster, then down.
A nice addition to the cliff.
Protection
8 bolts to a two-bolt anchor. 5 bolts and another 2 bolt anchor on the second pitch.
A very good route. 10b/c felt right to me. Pretty continuous slab climbing between the 5th and 7th bolt. Just gotta trust that nub with your right foot at the crux. Bob, just curious, why did you switch hangers?
Good beta, Ken. You really have to rock over on right foot and layback the thin seam. Ken, I ran-out of Trango hangers. Had to order more. I hope that anwsers your question?
Definitely 10+ if you go straight up at the mini roof. At 6.4 I can just about reach anything, but pulling that highstep with the seam layback was pretty thin for mid 10.
We thought this and Smell the Coffee were a bit forced (also climbed Snooze Button and thought the same thing). There are definitely some cool features on each route, but linking these features within a suggested rating and trying to climb the route the way the first-ascensionists envisioned felt pretty contrived.
I have a beef with routes where a much easier variation can be had by climbing within a wingspan or so of the intended line. Why put in a 10+ sport climb in 10- territory? Such is the nature of sport climbing, I suppose.
Oops, didn't mean to rant. This was my first sport climbing visit to Boulder Canyon, and ended up feeling a bit cheated. Perhaps we'll pick a different cliff next time.
I also thought the crux move at the overlap was hard. Maybe 10+ or harder. The move might favor shorter climbers.
By Charlie Fried From: New York, NY Jun 20, 2006 rating: 5.10d
Felt like a 10d. That crux is pretty hard to move past.
By Paul Hunnicutt From: Boulder, CO Nov 2, 2006 rating: 5.10d
For a nice warm up (if 5.10 is hard you that is): climb the first 4 bolts of The Daily Grind, then at the small overhang before the route gets thin along that little seam - traverse left up and over the overhang and finish on Smell the Coffee. This I thought was a decent 5.9 climb as you avoid the crux moves of both routes. Even with normal draws I didn't feel much rope drag as the two bolt lines are pretty close. You can call it Grind the Coffee or something...