BETA PHOTO: Fool's god from the base. You can just see the dia...
Description
Starts off the ramp about 30 feet left of the large squeeze/dihedral (Face Value) on the west side of Helen's.
Pitch 1: Head up the face past a bolt to a finger crack. Place pro and head up the face to the right leaning crack system. Traverse right across the face to the next crack (make sure to place pro immed. after the face to protect you second from swinging big). Head right on easy ground to the 2-bolt anchor. An alternate 5.10 start goes up the crack (small gear) between the above start and "Face Value" past 2 (3?) bolts to the crack that heads right to the belay.
Pitch 2: Head right off the belay, place pro with a long sling and go up and left to the first bolt. Follow the bolts up the face staying left of the water groove. The climbing is on great feldspar crystals which provide plenty of small foot/hand holds. The technical crux (5.9) comes somewhat early (hard to identify exactly), but the mental crux comes in the increasing runouts between bolts as the climbing gets easier. Be prepared for 20-30+ foot runouts past the last 3 bolts (5.6-5.8).
Rap the route with double ropes or head up left thru the notch and right to the top.
Protection
Pro: 10-12 Quickdraws and a light rack of small/medium wires/TCUs and cams/hexes to 3". (Take a few longer runners for the 1st pitch.) Fixe Rap anchors at both belays.
The alternate start (straight up the crack next to the 5.7 dihedral route) is quite good, and at a similar level of difficulty as the even better second pitch. Bring a few thin hands to hands pieces, and some stoppers.
Just a quick note for us old timers who use Hubbel's book, 10 QD is about right now since several bolts were added to the 2nd pitch. (I think Hubbel showed 5 and I used to to bring 7 for the pitch and anchors.)
Helen's Dome
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