The best route at Back of the Nineties. Aphrodite is the middle of the three routes, and is fairly sustained at the 5.10 level. This route starts on the left side of the crag base (near the huge pine at left side of overhang). Climb up the dihedral past a few clips to a mossy ledge. crank up and right over a trickey and slopey bulge.* Traverse right on good holds where the route steepens. Continue up past some thin face, layback flakes and balance-acts to a stance underneath a flake/roof. Technical crux is getting to the roof. Pull over on good holds past another clip to the anchors on a good ledge. Lower 100' back to the ledge. Overall we counted about 3-4 mid 5.10 cruxes.
A variation, Priapos, goes straight up on the left side of the buttress after the 4th clip of Aphrodite.
Three stars for the sustained climbing, nicely cleaned rock, interesting route finding, and fantastic movement.
Protection
10 painted bolts to two bolt/chain lowering anchor.
Good route! Great description, I never knew what I was going to do next. It's still got that new route flavor, not much chalk and will still clean up more with some traffic. Walk up was reached after stone-hopping in the river. (Can you reach it via traversing from the right side of Wall of the 90's?)
Joe Chorny and I did all 3 routes today and this was the best one. It was quite sustained with good rock quality.
The bolting on the crag was seemingly done to make the routes sporty and it seemed like many of the harder moves were with bolts below you. Makes for more exciting routes but can't say this improves the quality any.
This route is a bit out of they way, and the hike is short and extremely loose, however this is the BEST 10s I've done in the canyon, and maybe around. The rock quality is suberb, the movement is fantastic, the beta is really fun to decode, and foremost the moves are extremely delicate and tenuous. Have fun!
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