Dynamite Crack  V0+

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Type:  Boulder, 20 feet Consensus:  V0+ [details] FA:  Submitted By:  Bryan G on Jan 29, 2013 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Dynamite Crack

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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 

Ok, so this isn't on the Cookie Cliff (actually it's over a mile away) but you start the approach from the base of the Cookie and I didn't want to make a whole new area for one 20ft crack so this seems like as good a place as any to list this climb.

Dynamite Crack is either a classic boulder problem, or a not-that-great and ridiculously short TR/lead - sort of like Circuit Breaker. It's got quite an approach for such a small amount of climbing. From the toe of the Cookie Cliff, follow the Old Cookie Road southwest and uphill towards Foresta. It's hard to believe that cars were driving on this thing just over 30 years ago, because at times the road is wickedly overgrown and not even visible. Some minor bushwhacking may be required which will suck with a pad on your back.

Within a few minutes you will pass a long, 35ft tall cliff on the right side of the road/trail. Near the right side, behind a big oak tree, is a nice 10a finger crack in a right facing corner. This is not Dynamite Crack, but you should stop to climb it anyways, since it's on the way. Due to it's height it's really more of a 5.10a boulder problem followed by a 5.6 free-solo to top out.

From here continue another mile up the Old Cookie Rd, eventually passing in altitude from the brushy scrub-oak typical of the Lower Merced, into more of a pine forest environment. When you reach a section where the asphalt road is seriously undercut with a large steel cable showing, and you have to traverse a narrow path, then you know you are starting to get close.

At a flat and open area with lots of tall pine trees, you can see the flat top of the boulder with Dynamite Crack a couple hundred feet off to the left (downhill) of the trail. Dynamite Crack is the obvious splitter on the southwest side of the boulder. The crux is the first 6 ft of finger stacks and thin hands. The upper bulge offers better handjam pods at a committing height.

Protection 

Pads, or a small rack of .75-2" cams.

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