Kent's Krack  5.12a

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Type:  Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet Consensus:  5.12a [details] FA:  Kent Lugbill, details uncerrtain Season:  Autumn Submitted By:  Tony B on Oct 29, 2006 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Subject to Seasonal Closures MORE INFO >>> The following crags are typically closed 1 February to 31 July: The Goose Goose Eggs East Ridge Mars Block Nebel Horn Tower of the Moon Jamcrack Spire The Pyramid Incognito Crag Devil's Thumb Shadow Fax Isolation Rock Sunset Wall Devil's Wing (W. Face) The Matron Lost & Found The Sibling Toddler Rock Sphinx Medusa Details. In addition, Mallory Cave, Harmon Cave, and Seal View Cave are permanently closed to human use to reduce the chance of introducing white-nose syndrome. 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 Flatirons Climbing Council Preserving climbing access in the Flatirons

Description 

This climb is better than it looks and is actually quite gymnastic. Jams of all types, toe hooks, heel hooks, knee bars, drop knees, lie-backs, edging, and yes, even a forearm jam in an off-width near the crux. If the poorer rock is avoided, this is a reasonable trad lead and need not be TR'd. The bolts (removed) make it apparent that you are intended to stay on the right of the final arete, but you can climb up it and on the left side with good gear and funky moves just as well and do it statically.
Start off in a pale, wide crack, and climb up to a left-angling steep crack. Place gear, and start hand jamming up and left below a roof to an offwidth. Place cams along the way. Beat the off-width and a strange overlap to reach the arete and a few good holds and jams. Get up on the arete (crux) and climb it on either side (left would be the spookier version on TR) to the anchors on top.

Location 

At the very top, northern end of the East Ridge of Fern Canyon, past the routes Unity and Babyback and their down-scrambles, lies a large mound of rock. On its south side a zig-zag crack of lighter stone there is some interesting climbing.

Protection 

An interesting route with some interesting history, no doubt. Perhaps Kent decided it didn't need bolts, or perhaps it was a stripped project. Or maybe it's time was after the bolting ban, but for whatever reason the route was stripped, some with removed hangers, some with removed nuts. Just as well, though, the route goes trad and would need only 1 keyhole hanger (a' la blue mountains, AU style) and one nut and hanger for a complete sew-up. The 2-bolt anchor up over the top is still present, but is rigged well back over an edge and is hard to get to from above and hard to rap in from.
Rossiter lists this as a TR, but really it would be just as well to lead it - the TR anchor is pretty far up an overhang and swinging around on it harsh.
To lead this line trad, take a rack of cams to 5" and some slings to keep drag low. At the crux arete, head left up on to it with gear placed around the corner with a longer sling. A 3/8-inch "keyhole hanger" could be placed on the bolt there as well and would protect the crux, but I don't think it necessary.