The route begins with a bang- an obvious side pull sets you up for throw to better holds. From this move, climb into a strenous seam that spits you out onto the slab. Balance and smear your way through the crux and onto to easier climbing.
By Peter Franzen Administrator From: Portland, OR Jan 1, 2001
I'd have to agree with Pat on this one. Although the bottom crux is completely height-dependant (I am 6 and snagged the jug with no problem), the upper slab crux is not as bad if you know the beta. I thought the 12a rating seemed about right for the overall route, although neither crux seemed as hard as 5.12 on its own.
Interesting Doug, My first time on this route I had the same experience as you did, I recall a sort of diagonal jamming/handtraversing deal to get to a really bad diagonaling hold, it seemed way harder than .12a. I went back to the route and tried the crux differently, you undecling the right diagonaling holds and can stand up and avoid this reach, this way is at most .12a, probably about as hard as the beginning. Deceptive sequence.
Every person I have been down to Dream Canyon with has easily on-sighted this route and thought it was easy for the grade. This was my first on-sight of a 12a and after a dozen more on-sights at the grade, I also feel it is a bit soft. None the less, it is a fun route with pleasing moves.
The boulder problem at the start is the crux if you read the "crux" sequence correctly up higher and work the undercling feature. Felt more like 11c/d to me after seeing someone try the route before I got on it.
By Guy Humphrey From: Fort Collins CO Oct 19, 2003
The rock on the lower half of this route is very polished, almost to the point of making this route not enjoyable. The two crux sections are tough to read. It helps to be tall on the lower crux and shorter on the higher crux.
Ok, here we go again with the ratings game. Of course, a route feels easier after you do it several times- What kind of statement is that? I don't care what the rating is, its close enough to 12a so knew whether or not to get on it. What i do care about is how you guys do the upper crux (after clipping the 2 bolts close together.
Here's what I did (after hanging on that bolt to figure it out) from the 2nd no hands ledge: right hand up the sidepull crack, left hand above that. Left foot on a nub below and a few inches to the right of the sidepulls. Right foot to a another nub in the seam angling up and right. Right hand on the undercling flake. Left hand up to a flaring fingertip lock. Left foot up to a nasty dime edge below flake. Right hand out right to a sharp bad crimp (towards another bolt on another route), backstep high right to a little quartz vein below right shoulder, gently stand up and reach right hand to a better fingerlock up high, move a left foot up or match. Clip. The next moves are also very balancy, but I forget them.
By the way, this route is stellar- the moves are really balancy- I was not at all pumped at the top (I get pumped on a lot of 5.10s).
Area and Nonono, you have it all wrong. The correct beta at the crux above the 2nd no hands rest ledge is:
Right hand sidepull, lieback right foot seam, as high as possible without compromising body position, left foot up, slopey but adequate foothold, left hand undercling, long reach, right hand to very blunt arete that can be pinched marginally, left hand to crisp thin edge about 1.5 feet left of right hand that is pinching the blunt arete, move off of that, that's the crux (hardest part probably getting set up correctly), clip is w/ the left hand off of the right hand that is still on the blunt arete.
Felt 12b hard to me and kept me on my toes, even after the 2nd crux. Such a rewarding Route, when your foot finally sticks to the granite through the 2nd crux!
Fun- first 12a onsight- easier than p1 of Earth Voyage. Not having done much climbing in the area, I don't know what to call it. Either way you can move left of the crux and escape to an easier yet still neato 11c variation. I moved to the left, to anchors after the crux section. The rest of the climb may be fun, but it looked significantly easier and maybe a waste of time?
It's not a .12a onsight if you avoid the .12a crux and link into an easier climb. Also the top of the pitch is heads up, run-out (in relation to the rest of the route) 5.9 slab climbing that is full value especially if you are hanging draws and onsighting. This is truly a great pitch.
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