Note, some of these cliffs are often closed (Mar 3 - July 31) for raptor nesting. MORE INFO >>>
Closed areas, from March 3-July 31:
Twin Owls Bat Flake Batman Pinnacle Batman Rock Lightning Rock Checkerboard Rock Thunder Buttress The Parish
Mike Carnes entering the crux bulge. 11-19-06
Description
The climb starts in the notch between Batman Pinnacle and Batman Rock. It makes a great finish to Batman and Robin on Batman Pinnacle.
The best approach is to climb Batman and Robin on Batman Pinnacle and either rap or downclimb to the notch. The other approaches are long and difficult and range from following a faint trail from the base of Batman Pinnacle around the right side and scramble up to the notch or approach as for Batman Rock and follow the faint trail down under the east face until you can see the notch, then scramble up.
From the notch the route starts in the beautiful, finger crack that leads to a small pine tree.
P1- Climb the finger crack to the small pine tree directly below a short hand crack (5.6). Although a short pitch, belay at the tree to reduce rope drag on the long second pitch.
P2- Climb the short hand crack and traverse left for about 15 feet before running the rope length (60m) to the summit on easy terrain.(5.7-) If you find yourself climbing harder than easy 5th class, you are off route.
This little gem would be a classic if it were longer and easier to get to.
Protection
Standard rack to 2.5 inches, Stoppers for first pitch.
Treated as an extension of BM&R this really isn't that short of a climb and it makes the approach just that much shorter. It offers great crack climbing, and excellent pro similar to White Whale and Hiatus, only easier and it finishes on a superb summit atop the valley. Of course, then there's the walk down . . . but it's worth it.
We did this route after doing Batman and Robin. We did it in two pitches, but instead of belaying at the tree before the hand crack, I belayed about ten feet up and to the left after the crack.
By Paul Huebner From: Portage, WI Jul 30, 2007 rating: 5.7
If you climb Batman and Robin (5.6) take your pack. Then after ascending Summer Breeze, you can walk off the back of the summit and descend down and around to the east, then back west to the base of Batman Rock to do Bat Crack (5.9) without having to return to the base of Batman Pinnacle to fetch your pack and boots. Of course we did this before there was an access issue.
By Julius Beres From: Boulder, CO Aug 12, 2008 rating: 5.8-
Instead of belaying by the pine tree, we belayed above the hand crack and after the traverse to the left. It seems like a more comfortable position plus it gives you a few more feet of rope to run it out until the summit. The picture posted here shows a guy climbing the crack above and to the right of the tree. I went straight up the hand crack to the left of the tree which is the way I read the guide. The crack to the right looked easier by didn't take pro as well. I would say that the crack to the left felt harder than 5.7 to me. It is only 2-3 moves that felt hard, and it is easy to protect, but I would still say it felt hard.
Batman Rock
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