Seldom done and very misunderstood (there is actually plenty of good gear, I swear!), this is an unheralded Eldo classic. The body movement through the thin sidepulls and finger locks is everything a trad climber dreams of; subtle, precise, technical and just a little bit powerful. And to top it off, the climbing is framed by stunning yellow streaks of lichen.
Location
This thin crack beauty lies to the right of Parallels and Foxtrot. After finishing the last crux and locking the perfect finger jam, traverse left and up past the top of Foxtrot to the Parallels anchors.
Protection
It blows my mind that Guerin and Horan lead this without small Aliens and offsets. Those boys were, well, tough! Now days, the lead is not so severe. Only a small runout from a piece at the first ledge to the next jug and good piece gives this any spice (and the climbing is easy there). After that, it is small cams and RPs.
Agreed, this route is totally classic. The rock is super solid, it doesn't get much traffic, delicate moves, and lots of other sweet climbs nearby as well.
There isn't much gear for the start of the climb, but the climbing isn't too hard. Once you get in the first good piece (blue/black offset Alien) from the jug (~15 feet up), you move into the crux and you have to make a high (and semi-hard) reach to get in the next thin pieces. This can be a bit pumpy and scary, but you're first piece is pretty good.
This climb could benefit if it had its own fixed anchors. That way you wouldn't have to cross through the top of Fox Trot and Parallels (which can be a logistical challenge) to get the current anchors.
This great, but short, pitch has a lot of varied climbing and just enough gear that kept me from freaking out. Each move is super precise and technical—no fluff from the jug off the ledge to the slab. Make sure to save some strength for the run from the sloping rail to the final finger lock which covers solid 5.11 terrain with gear well below your feet. An onsight of Crazy Fingers would be very impressive!
I agree with my brother, Ted, that Crazy Fingers could definitely use its own anchors. Steve Levin, rightly, suggested that the anchor situation with Foxtrot is at least workable, but in my opinion, the traverse from Crazy Fingers to Parallels is impractical.
West Ridge - Xanadu to Pony Express
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