Cool Wheel (aka The Gauntlet)  5.11c

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Type:  Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 20 feet Consensus:  5.11c [details] FA:  Dick Cilley and Skip Guerin Submitted By:  Bryan G on Apr 9, 2011 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Fifi Buttress To Close! MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed to all visitor use to protect peregrine falcon aeries from March 1 until August 1 of each year or until the young falcons of the current year have fledged: Fifi Buttress Immediately west of Leaning Tower. Closure includes all routes on Fifi Buttress. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

This is a great route to practice inversion technique. It's located right off the side of the road. Park at the generator station and walk up the trail past Conductor Crack. Keep walking east for another 100 feet and you'll pass by another large boulder. Walk around to the east side of the boulder and you'll see a smaller boulder perched next to it. This boulder has a 10 ft tall corner leading up to a roof. Above the roof is a crack that widens from hands to off-width. This is The Gauntlet. To set a toprope, scramble around to the right. You could maybe boulder it if you want, with some pads protecting the rock below, but you probably won't since you might fall on your head.

Start with finger locks and liebacking in the corner. Undercling out the roof and sink a great handjam at the lip, then a fist jam, and then you flip upside down and throw your foot in above you. Use hand-stacks to scoot your foot jam up. Eventually you'll need to un-invert which is the crux of the route. A route that's sure to give you washboard abs in no time.

Protection 

A selection of a few pieces from fingers to 4.5" if you're leading it.

The toprope anchor takes a small tree and some fist size cams.