Closed Climbs: Millennium Falcon, Sports Illustrated, Cloud Burst, Sea of Tranquility, Getting Down on the Brown, Supernaut, Clean Corner, Negro Lesbian, Crap Crags, Slow Dyke, Illusion, Planet Caravan, Warriors Wasteland, Freeway (above 5th pitch), The Big Slick, Brothers in Arms, Western Dihedral (4th pitch and above).
Open Climbs: Arrow Root, Cleaning the Brain, Deadend Dihedral, Rutabaga, Sticky Fingers, Slow Duck, Time Passages, Freeway (to the top of 5th pitch) and Western Dihedral (to the top of the 3rd pitch).
This is a super classic line, and a must do for the grade. The climb is very sustained with only a few pitches less than 5.11. I am describing the original finish, but express lane is the preferred finish.
P1, Slab climb past several bolts to a belay at a tree (10d).
P2, Steep corner with two bolts to bolted belay (11b).
P3, climb daylight crack(fists) for a bit then traverse down and right along slopey ledge to a bolted belay.
P4, climb long left facing corner with two distinct cruxes to a bolted belay (11c).
P5, Another long pitch climbing corner then face to the truck stop ledge below a large roof (11a).
P6, climb through the awesome roof out to the left (11c).
P7, Traverse straight right from the belay, then straight up on face holds (11a).
P8, Down and right to a short corner, up then right to a finger crack, leading to a belay below a large roof (10c).
P9, Left up thin cracks then right to belay at deep corner (11a).
P10, Climb offwidth corner (10a R).
P11, climb the steep bolted arete to the top (10d).
Brilliant line. Bring your "A" game. This climb has it all! crack, face, slab, well protected, bold, etc. I think that the crux can be different for everybody because of this.
A few key variations to the beta here, which make this route even better.
p1: Skip it via the fixed line to the right.
p2 and p3: Link together no problem. p2 is 11a.
After the Autobahn (the traversing pitch above the roof) do the express lane finish, not the original, way better! Step down and right off the belay, but then up and then back left to the occasional bolt. 4 bolts in total where you need them, but 5.10- where there are no bolts. Heads up. Continue up the bolted face and arete to the top in one 50m pitch.
By Peter Spindloe Administrator From: North Vancouver, BC May 19, 2008
Freeway Lite is a popular variation that ends at the top of P5 as described above. Although the overall grade of the Lite version is the same as the overall route, it's considerably easier simply due to having fewer hard pitches to do. It's especially popular because of the Raptor Closures that make the pitches above the Truck Stop off limits until the end of July.
The climbing is fantastic; hard but well protected with lots of variety and sustained at a solid level between the distinct cruxes.
I think Freeway Lite gives you all the best pitches from the full route (Express Lane version), except maybe the roof pitch.
To rap Freeway Lite, you'll need two ropes.
Also, gear up before climbing the jungle-style 3rd class since the slopping, moss-ledge belay at the start of P2 isn't a great place to do so and you don't want to leave packs there since the rap route doesn't take you back there.
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