Bat Crack follows the large, obvious, guano-filled crack/chimney just behind and about 5 feet west of the California Ethics Pinnacle. Follow the trail to the Bulge Wall/Mense's Prow - the route will be obvious just after passing the CEP.
And interesting, pumpy, and potentially awkward route. Start off directly in the chimney, working up past 2 bolts to an overhung hand/fist crack. This is a good place for one o' them big cams, as it is definately a cruxy section getting to the 3rd bolt through the overhang. Swing out onto the arete forming the right edge of the chimney system and follow a few more bolts on somewhat easier ground to the anchors.
It should be noted that Fred Knapp's guidebook "Shelf Road Rock" lists this route as a 5.8. That rating is a big steaming pile of bat CRAP - this thing is every part of 10b.
Protection
Half a dozen cold shuts to anchors. You could also make use of a few fairly large cams (#3 or so).
I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. (I sure hope you've seen 'Airplane'...) OK, here's the deal with the rating...one book I have calls Bat Crack a 5.8. Now, I can't imagine anyone climbing Period Piece or Tucker's Faith (other nearby 5.7-5.8s) and then getting on Bat Crack and honestly saying they think all those routes are the same level. Personally, I thought Bat Crack was harder than ANY of the routes on the CEP, which are 5.9s (except the ones on the north, of course). Now, the beta photo on this site has Bat Crack listed as a 10b/c. Given what I just mentioned, that rating sounded a little more plausible, so that's the one I went with. I'll admit 10c is probably a bit of a stretch, but if you ask me, there's no way in HELL it's an 8. That's one schumck's opinion. Draw your own conclusions, I guess.
I climbed this route last weekend and it was easier than the Bastille Crack. Wouldn't that make this one a 5.7? I didn't use any cams though because I don't have any.
In light of rating debate on this route, I've asked around about this route, and here's what I've found: the more crack climbing experience people have, the easier they rate it. So, numbers game aside, here's the deal - there IS an offwidth overhang at the crux, and the less comfortable you are with that, the harder it will seem - all the way up to the point where some call it a 5.7, some call it 10c. That's a big gap, which should show you just how subjective and, to some extent, meaningless ratings really are. Take the beta for what it's worth, climb it yourself, and draw your own conclusions.
If you lead it straight trad, and know how to climb cracks and OWs, it's IMHO pretty 8ish. I was dying on sport routes on CEP (yep, I suck at sport) and pointed at it, annoyed mightily, and told my partner "I'm climbing 'THAT' Anything with trad pro and not these bolts." The sport climbers all around us thought I was whacked for even carrying a rack up to the crag. I have been told, though, that if you use the face and eschew the crack (great OW holds, BTW) that it's pretty bloody hard. But then, why would someone use a crack when there's a pretty line of bolts 2 feet away? (sarcasm.)
Regardless of rating... this is an unaesthetic, dirty, crack full of guano, and the anchor is a bear to get to... You've finished the "best" (note the sarcasm) part of the climb and then they force you up a chimney and make you hang out of it to clip the anchor on the face. What a pain in the ol' britches, and that's from a 6'3" climber.... My personal opinion is "Don't waste your time".
Dirty, nasty, wet... there's a reason it is called Bat (sh*t) Crack.
The rest of the climb may be 5.8ish, but clipping the anchor is not easy and downright dangerous IMHO.
Ignoring absolute numbers/ratings in favor of relativism, IMHO, FWIW, this route felt harder than Period Piece and about the same as Red Dog...perhaps with a harder crux move than Red Dog.
By Joel Peach From: Denver, CO Mar 27, 2006 rating: 5.10b R
Thought this climb was more demanding than Pueblo Gringos on the CEP. I agree that getting to the anchors is sketchy as they're around the face from the top of a crack that lacks bomber holds.
Bat poop was only an issue for about the first 1/4 of the climb.
This area of the Gallery is prone to early season, early day shade making for some cold rock. If it's dark and windy, I would recommend skipping this climb.
By lbishop From: Colorado Springs, CO Jul 25, 2006
I hail from the Midwest, and, if this route was back in some of my old stomping grounds, it would be rated 5.7, if that! Out here, I realize that A LOT of stuff is sandbagged, but 10b/c...are you serious? I firmly believe that a route should be graded as per the average of moves on the route. That would place this at about 5.8. Enough said.
Menses Prow
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