Kelly's Arete 5.12a
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Darin Limvere on Kelly's Arete. December 2006.
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Description Easily overlooked because of its longer, more popular neighbors to the right on the winter wall; Kelly's Arete offers superb, delicate climbing up the arete just to the left of Jam and Jelly. Start up the crack until you can reach left and clip the first bolt. At this point it is possible to move out onto the arete proper and begin the real climbing. A good sidepull allows a long reach to clip the second bolt before beginning the crux, one of the best sequences you'll encounter at the bluff. Reaching from a small left hand undercling, the right is bumped up the arete until a decent pinch is found. Smearing the right foot against a ripple in the rock, the left is brought up to a good edge parallel with the undercling. This position seems tailor made to generate an uncontrollable barndoor swing when the left hand is released, but with a deep dropknee you can release your hand just long enough to make an enormous reach to a slopey pocket up high. A few desperate bumps and you can reach a decent hold around the arete to the right, leading to easier but still technical moves to reach the chains. Unfortunately, clipping the third bolt is very difficult and comes right in the middle of the crux sequence, necessitating a horrible heelhook. Some have chosen to skip the third bolt and climb through the crux before clipping. This should be done with caution though, as a large fall is risked on a very short climb, and a grounder could occur. Perhaps clipping the second bolt with a locking biner instead of a draw would help slightly, and obviously an attentive belayer is a must! However you choose to do it, Kelly's Arete offers some of the bluff's most aesthetic climbing and should be high on everyone's ticklist.
Protection Bolts--Can also be easily TR'ed by leading Jam and Jelly, which ends on the same ledge. Please use your own gear for top rope.
Moving onto the climb from Jam and Jelly.
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Just starting the crux
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Shantan on Kelly's Arete, early 2004.
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Kelly's Arete is one of the most striking lines on...
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Crux of Kelly's Arete. Nate Erickson. Sept, 2012.
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Nate Erickson on Kelly's Arete. Sept, 2012.
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| Comments on Kelly's Arete |
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By Adam Therneau
Nov 15, 2006
| Wonderful, technical arete climbing. Only drawback is the difficulty of clipping the third bolt. |
By Jonathan Williams
From: Palo Alto, CA
Mar 5, 2007
rating: 5.12a
| One of the best and most underappreciated 12a's at the Bluff. |
By randy baum
From: Minneapolis, MN
Oct 11, 2008
| not to nit pick, but the description of this route contains way too much beta! jesus, man. what's left to discover? revealing too much can ruin the sense of adventure one might feel when first attempting the route. if we're gonna have descriptions this detailed, why not include some type of beta disclaimer. i've seen these all over this site.
other than that, fun climb. too bad it's so short. crux lies in climbing past the third bolt, though -- contrary to what some say -- clipping that bolt is not difficult. just takes some footwork. |
By Jonathan Williams
From: Palo Alto, CA
Nov 23, 2008
rating: 5.12a
| Just stop reading the description if you think it's too much. Nobody's forcing you to read it. Who cares. |
By ChrisFrayer
From: Platteville, Wi
Oct 30, 2011
rating: 5.12a
| This climb is great! clipping the third bolt is no problem. Heel hook around the arete with left hand on the undercling, or go one move past it. To bad its not longer. |
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