Signs of Life starts about 15-20 feet right of Zentropa and is a bolted face climb with red hangers. The route is great. It starts with a hard move pulling over a sort-of roof with a long stem and a sloper. Then easy face climb to a fun roof and above to the crux. A fresh rock scar with chalk behind it makes it seem like the crux was probably easier before, but who knows. The crux involves another stem left and a move off a tiny sloper. Then some more easy face climbing to a 2-bolt anchor.
11a or 11b seems to be about right if you keep your belly to the bolts at the crux. I think you could avoid the crux by climbing way left of the bolt line. This climb ends at the ramp right below the second pitch of Zentropa. Combining this pitch with the uppper pitches of Zentropa is excellent.
The first hanger is still AWOL (although the nut and washer are in place). Starting the climb takes some doing since: (a) the first bolt is drilled up into a bulge and can't safely be slung with a wire (even if you finger tighten the nut and washer against the cable); (b) the second bolt is set back on a slab and can't be stick clipped from directly below; and (c) at 5' 11", I couldn't reach the second bolt from the narrow, mossy ledge that diagonals up and right below the bulge. Finally, I edged right on the ledge past a tiny bush and stick clipped the second bolt horizontally -- then pulled over the bulge and did a dicey 4' traverse back left along the lip to the bolt.
Once past the start, the climbing is excellent. The fun roof goes at .10a or .10b; the crux at delicate .11a/b. Like Dana, we linked up with Zentropa for a sweet 3 pitch, 200'+ climb.
As Craig says, the first hanger is fine, but you might want to put a longer quickdraw there. It's right under a bulge and a short draw causes a lot of drag. As Rolofson's book points out, you need to go left after clipping bolt 9, gaining a ledge at the top of a column. It might seem like you are far enough left at this point to be off-route, but this is how the route was intended to go. If you stay on the bolt line above bolt 9 you will find yourself out of holds. The route is pretty nice, especially the crux at bolt 2 and the roof.
Lost Angel
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