Ron Olsen climbing the slab above the third bolt. ...
Description
This is another new Alvino Pon route. "Slab Arete" is a temporary name until the real name is known.
This route lies on the rock just left of the Sentinel, about 100' left of Alvino's Arete. It follows a line of bolts with red hangers up the slab and arete on the right side of the rock.
Begin by some bushes at the right side of the rock. The first bolt is about 10' off the ground. Climb up and leftpast the first two bolts, gaining the clean slab. Make some delicate moves up the slab, and continue to the seventh bolt. Work left past a bulge (crux) and climb easily past two more bolts to the anchor.
The leader can belay from the anchor or lower/rappel 80' to the ground.
Two stars for clean rock, good moves, and airy position.
Protection
9 bolts to a 2-bolt anchor. The route is 80' long; a 50m rope is OK.
By Matt Juth From: Evergreen Sep 3, 2003 rating: 5.8+
thought this was a pretty low quality route. Your belay position is in a bush where you will get pulled of your perch if the leader falls. I knocked down a ton of little flakes (I don't think it was cleaned). I heard it was 10a, but I felt like other than the loose flakes it was much easier.
I just don't see it comparing with routes like Panic in the grey room for difficulty.
This route is bizarre and not that great. It's pretty low angle overall and I agree did not seem 5.10 anywhere, probably not even 5.9. The rock is crunchy. The move by the 7th bolt can be anything from 5.8 to 5.?, depending on how you do it. It's bizarre and confusing and I could easily see falling off if you don't figure it out. Sometimes weird is good but in this case I don't recommend this route unless you are in the area.
The rock this route is on is called "The Pile" and this route is called The Naugahide Stool, according to the new Gillett book.... He is also claiming the FFA. Alvino Pon bolted it but maybe never even climbed it? The rock probably doesn't warrant its own listing, since this is the only route, and it's right next to the Sentinel. Anyway, worth a lap if you like weird slabs. It's better to rap the route than to lower, because there is tons of drag from all the low angle, rough rock....
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