Cottontail  5.6

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 250 feet Consensus:  5.7 [details] FA:  Unknown Submitted By:  Steve Marr on Apr 13, 2003 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (23) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Erik Marr cleaning the 2nd pitch of Cottontail.

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Season raptor closures MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed from March 1-July 31 or until further notice: Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sheep Mountain, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Lightning Rock and Checkerboard Rock are currently closed. The closures include the named rock formations and the areas extending 100 yards surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber's access trails to the formation. Alligator Rock is also closed. www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm 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 

Cottontail is located on the Left Book between Manifest Destiny and Zingando. Like Zingando, it's an excellent choice when the more popular routes like Hiatus and White Whale are occupied. The start is up and to the left of the base of the wall, under two, left-facing, left-angling dihedrals.

P1. Face climb a short distance to the bottom dihedral (Manifest Destiny climbs above the upper dihedral) and then continue up and left to a spacious belay in what Gillett calls a left-facing "curious mouth-shaped belay stance."

P2. By far the best pitch. Continue up and left to join a long, sustained, right-facing dihedral. There are actually a couple of finger to hand sized cracks for protection. The dihedral bulges to the right and then cuts back to the left. Be careful with protection here, as a bad placement will result in terrible rope drag higher up (where you don't want it). Continue up the sustained dihedral and belay at the top on Paperback Ledge. Walk off to the left.

From the second belay, you can climb a short, easy pitch to the right that leads up to the Hiatus/White Whale finish. Good, sustained climb.

Protection 

Standard rack - stoppers and cams.

Photos of Cottontail Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: Looking down the classic dihedral on the 2nd pitch...