Update: As of mid November, 2007, the poison ivy has gone dormant. Watch out for plants with little berries; these are poison ivy bushes. Stay away from them and you should be fine to climb here.
I climbed here again on 3/1/08; the poison ivy is still dormant. It should be fine to climb on the left side of the crag from now until mid-May.
From mid-May through October, the hillside below the left side of Boulder Slips is covered in poison ivy. It is difficult to avoid no matter how you approach the climbs. Better to climb somewhere else during this time. Routes on the center and right side of Boulder Slips are not affected.
BETA PHOTO: La Lune, 12d/13a. First ascent by Bob Horan in 19...
Description
La Lune combines beauty, position, and pain to create a route that beckons and repels at the same time.
The striking black and tan overhang is slashed with numerous discontinuous cracks and seams, creating a gorgeous effect and a very unique style of climbing. With cars racing through the canyon, the river raging below, and the steep terrain above, the exposure is unavoidable as you clip the first bolt 100 feet above the canyon floor.
Trending slightly left along the most generous, and amazingly excuciating features, this route builds in difficulty and pain as you approach the top of the overhang. After pulling the lip continue up a dirty, unprotected 5.8 crack for 15 feet to the poorly placed anchors.
It's worth noting that the first ascentionist redpointed this route using preplaced traditional gear. So if anyone is looking for a hard, painful project that is still waiting for a lead while placing the gear- here it is!
If not for a some glue and the huge gobies on my fingers, this route would easily get four stars.
Location
This route is located on an overhanging, black and tan streaked wall above Minutia, which could be used to approach La Lune. It's also possible to scramble up and right of La Lune and make some very exposed 5.6 moves to gain the base of La Lune. There is a two bolt anchor just before these moves on a large ledge and roping up is highly recommended, as a fall would certainly result in death. Once at the base of La Lune, there are two vertically staggered bolts that can be used as a belay anchor.
Protection
This route is fully bolted, including an inconveniently placed two bolt anchor, which is about 5 feet to the right of the finishing crack.
Some medium-sized Camalots could be used to protect the easy, but dirty, crack climbing between the last bolt and the chains.
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