Visual Aids 

Ed. Note: Jesse submitted this route also but there was a management issue (our fault), so here's some more beta.

Emphasis on the smaller gear. TCUs or Aliens make for happier quick placements, but small nut placements also work. Need standard rack to climb approach pitches and following pitches.

A great second pitch alternative to Loose Ends (or thindependence) journey. Takes the first crack, the thin one, just right of the 2nd Pitch of Loose Ends, see the picture under that route. Certainly a bit scarier lead, but very nice thin crack moves. Crux felt like it came and went within the first few placements, so hang in there. It gets easier as the angle kicks back. Another book classic.

I just did one of my favorite link-ups again this morning.the first two pitches of Loose Ends, into the 5.8 pitch on Visual Aids.I love the step right into that wonderful, long section of perfect hands.It's fun to mix and match splitter cracks up there!!!!

Climbed this on 4/29 also. with 60m rope we linked the first pitch of Pear Buttress together with the first pitch of Visual Aids and ended up 20 feet short of the belay. You can make an uncomfortable belay when the rope ends or simulclimb with leader and second on 5.7. Note that when linking with Thindependence on a 60m rope the belay is reached without simulclimbing. Lots of scud (bomber) stoppers on Visual Aids' first pitch, poor finger jams but decent feet. Justin, as we discussed please don't use the word "splitter", "perfectly cleaved" will suffice.

Justin, would you say that pitch 2 is "all state"?

I find it interesting to note that when I see RPs on a gear list for any given route what I think of is my smallest stoppers, brassies, and wired thinga-majiggers, not actual RPs (which is a brand name). I've never even held an RP in my hand and don't have any on my rack, but I often refer to things as RP-cracks, or tell people they will need to bring RPs for routes that I have climbed before with my own rack (no RPs). I led the 10b section of this route today and told some stranger whom I was sharing a belay with that I had placed a lot of RPs...so anyway, if you suffer from the same RP-confusion-syndrom as I do, take some RPs to protect this route, you'll be glad you did.

This pitch is about at the limit of my leading ability, yet I felt quite comfortable w/o RPs. Small aliens and small-to-medium nuts (NOT teeny-weeny) sufficed to sew up the lower half of the pitch. I actually got on this thinking I was doing Loose Ends' second pitch (forgot the guidebook at the car) and am glad I did. However, do not miss the arching 5.9 dihedral that is Loose Ends' 3rd pitch, directly above the Visual Aids crux pitch. That pitch is AWESOME.

With a 70M rope, it is possible to link P2 and P3 together and belay on the nice ledge before the ramp to the cave.