Chris at the base of the huecos, Cathy starting th...
Description
A fun climb & a great reason to haul some gear in. I find the exact location a bit hard to explain... About 1/2 way to Captain America and on the right (like most routes). A short vertical crack that quickly mellows in angle and soon becomes a ledge that slopes up and to the right.
From this ledge there is a great bolted line that climbs huecos up the steep wall. We were immediately attracted to the bolted line & then followed it down to the trad crack start. The .10d is (I'd guess) the bolted portion, but the crack down low earns some respect as well.
Protection
4 bolts for the upper portion, small / medium gear for the bottom crack.
Fun combination of sport and trad. The only downfall is that the line is so short. The crack can be adequately protected with a pink tri-cam and a #10 stopper. Hueco'ed headwall is enjoyable pocket-pulling.
Warning: If you're accustomed to climbing "5.10" at Cactus Cliff (Shelf Road), this route is burly. The crack start is solid trad 5.10 and the overhanging headwall is solid Penitente 5.10.
This is a classic for the area, in contention for "best 5.10" despite the big ledge. The crack makes it feel much longer than it is.
By Jason Halladay From: Los Alamos, NM Mar 23, 2007 rating: 5.10b
I looked at this route many times, because the upper portion's huecos looked so appealing but the lower crack looked hard. We finally got on it today, and I'm sorry I waited so long! The crack sucks up pro and offers some awesome hand jamming with good feet. A couple medium nuts, a #0.5 camalot and a #4 Camalot up high were more than enough. The upper section, with great huecos, is super fun!
This is an awesome crack. I saw it at the beginning of my stay at Penitente, and finally decided to get on it. The initial crack was excellent. I felt the crux of the crack to be a solid 5.9 because of the good feet. The overhanging headwall was also excellent. Great route overall!
Penitente - Entrance Area
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