Forward Never Straight (a.k.a. Shade of Grey) 5.9
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| Type: | Trad, 4 pitches, 600 feet, Grade II |
| Consensus: | 5.9 [details] |
| FA: | Laurie Parcell, Craig Luebben, S. Schmetterer, Sally Moser |
| Submitted By: | Aaron Martinuzzi on Feb 14, 2010 |
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BETA PHOTO: This shot captures the first two pitches of FNS. ...
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Description This line lies immediately right of The Greatest Route at Greyrock, and sports a strikingly similar opening sequence through a short, right-facing dihedral capped by a roof ten feet off the deck.
P1: Boulder through the roof on good handjams (5.9), and follow cracks and face climbing to the left edge of a roof band to meet a second, much thinner, crux (5.9) with tricky pro. Pull the moves to gain a belay at a horizontal crack (hand-sized & larger cams). 5.9, 110 feet.
P2: Head straight up the face (9-) off the belay, passing two nice 3/8" bolts along the way to a seam. Continue up seams and face climbing - slightly runout - aiming right through quartzite terrain to find a suitable spot to belay near the huge P3 dihedral of Barfy's Favorite. 5.9-, 120 feet.
P3: Bearing right, climb the face, with cracks, above, passing a large dead tree. This face is "around the corner," so to speak, of the P3 dihedral of Barfy's. The angle eases and climbing leads to a convenient belay on a large ledge, also shared with Barfy's. 5.7+, 120 feet.
P4: This pitch is the same as P4 of Barfy's Favorite. Ascend the face or corner rising off the ledge (5.7 either way) to a right-facing corner and roof about 40 feet out. Pull through the squat overlap on good jams (5.7) and paddle up the crack above to a belay on/near the summit plateau. Better than P3. 5.7, 200+ feet.
Location Ten or fifteen feet right of The Greatest Route at Greyrock lies a right-facing corner with a roof about ten feet off the ground. This is the start to Forward Never Straight. The second pitch runs parallel to the Greatest Route.
Protection A standard rack up to #3 Camalot is fine for this climb, with an emphasis on small pro for the first pitch.
| Comments on Forward Never Straight (a.k.a. Shade of Grey) |
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By Aaron Martinuzzi
Feb 14, 2010
| Rock quality on the third pitch of this route is a bit out-of-character for Greyrock, being a little more exfoliating than other lines in the area. Additionally, near the top of P2, visible in the photo as what appears as a right-facing flake to the right of Greatest Route's roof is a huge death block, held in place by some sort of twisted black magic. Watch out for that thing - a big whip on a cam placed behind it might be enough to rip it off the wall. Some kind-hearted soul willing to lug a crowbar up there might be able to dislodge it, as well. |
By Kevin Landolt
From: Fort Collins, Wyoming
Sep 11, 2010
rating: 5.9- PG13
| Finally climbed this route today. Excellent climbing and definitely a little spicy. Way better than The Greatest Route. Go do it! Whoo Hoo! Still psyched on Greyrock!
That huge block is still there, though I don't believe its fall-line would endanger a belayer, it would certainly pose a serious threat to anyone at the base of the wall - or even to anyone hiking up the main summit trail down in the trees. Tread lightly! Whoo Hoo! |
By Kevin Landolt
From: Fort Collins, Wyoming
Sep 14, 2010
rating: 5.9- PG13
| Also, I managed to go up and left from the big block, through some very interesting, though suspect rock - and belayed from the same ledge above the roof on Greatest Route. This was a good really good finish and allowed me to stay clear of Rites of Passage's upper pitches. |
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