Parting Shot 

A litle more detail: The climbing is easier after the 10d crux at the 2nd bolt, but the rock is a little suspect. Gear is decent. The one bolt optional belay can be backed up with a double length sling over a pillar and a #3 Friend/#2 Camalot. Small gear and Aliens protect the move right to the 3rd bolt (not counting the belay bolt). The 11b/c crux is between the 3rd and 4th bolt. Hardly a "roof", being less than a foot deep, but hard. It gets easy quickly after the 4th bolt, and you get gear in a crack on the left. Moderate climbing leads up to just before the 5th bolt at which point the face steepens. I found the 5th bolt a little hard to clip. Too many holds to choose from, but none particularly good. There is a decent nut a little below in a sideways slot. A couple more moves lead to jugs below a 45 degree roof. The Rossiter topo seems to call these face moves 10b. Neither Rossiter nor Matt above mentions this roof. I was surprised to see it, but it goes easily on big holds. I felt it was 10a/b, including an easy swing to a jug, but it could be harder if you're short. Rossiter calls this 11a. There are two bolts on this roof (a real roof). So 7 bolts total plus the one belay bolt.

The Rossiter topo has several errors. It shows the first two bolts one above the other and far apart. They are more sideways from each other. It shows 3 bolts at the 11b/c crux, but there are only two. It shows Journey to Ithaca (real scary looking--we intended to do that but took the safe but harder Parting Shot finish) as diverging from the belay stance, but the two climbs split at the one foot roof.

You can do just the first pitch as a one move 10d and easily escape left from the optional belay to the two bolts halfway up (or down) the West Chimney.

The opening moves have become more difficult since the first ascent due to a flake breaking off. The crux is height (or reach dependent). The final roof has always seemed like it had a move or two of 11- to me. Would love to find the 10a way to pull it! BTW, bolts on this route were replaced in the summer of 2002.

An entertaining variation pioneered by the much-missed Derek Hershey climbs the opening corner of Parting Shot, traverses right to the crux bulge of the second pitch of Apple Strudel and finishes on the Parting Shot roof. He named it "Parting Strudel Shot."

I did not on-sight the "second pitch" of this route, I didn't even come close. I hung like a boy-scout on the thing.

My first mistake was to fire off on it with no gear. After pulling the first crux, which I think was 11b, not 10d, I realized I had a way to go to the anchor, with no gear. The climbing was moderate, but the rock was a little suspect, and I was certainly in ground-fall territory for quite a ways after the second bolt. As I hit the 'belay' (one bolt, but a ledge you can sit back in) I went off belay and lowered the rope for some gear for the upper section. One set of nuts to 1" and one set of Aliens.

I would have been much happier on that first pitch with a set of TCUs to 1.5"

Anyway, I cast back off onto the second pitch, placing a good cam in he crack to the left with a 2' sling before getting to the first bolt. If you don't place gear and you fall before the first bolt of the second pitch, you are probably going to be injured seriously... when you smack into the belay ledge on the way down your factor-2 fall. Anyway, then you clip the first bolt and it's off to the races. The crux "roof" indeed has a nice broken hold just below it and a thin devious move. Frankly, I thought is was 12-. Once over the roof the fun is not over yet; just as there were no hand holds within 3' above it, there are also no feet. Clip the bolt and move on left... the pump clock is ticking. You have more than 10 meters to go to the next bolt. Perhaps 15M. There is a good cam (green or blue alien) behind a bad flake after maybe 5 meters. (1X0=0), just as ('good cam' X 'bad flake' = 'Bad gear'). 5 Meters later still, a very key stopper placement can be had to the left at he top of the loose flake between This Route and Journey to Ithaca. A good crack is just up and right of that and it takes a solid medium nut with a 2' sling. Place that and you'll be happier as you are again perhaps 4 meters further up, with the bolt 2 feet out of reach, fingers damp with sweat, gripping pebbles and moving up onto sloper feet with a small amount of Lichen, now maybe 15 meters above that last bolt, but unable to clip the next one. The move is probably 5.9, but you may be sweaty, nervous, and pumped/tired. Clip the bolt and head up through the final roof with 2 more bolts (moderate 5.10) and up the slab above to finish, a final good nut can be placed 2meters above the last bolt for a directional, so your second can get as high as possible before being exposed to the potential swing generated by your decision to belay at the good big tree above and to the south.

Whew...

A very enjoyable and safe pitch. When linked together nothing larger than a red Alien is necessary. If you only have one rope, it's an easy traverse left to the Dirty Deed (West Chimney) rappel.