Keyhole  5.7+

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Type:  Trad, 1 pitch, 60 feet Consensus:  5.7+ [details] FA:  Doug Kerr, 1951 Submitted By:  doligo on Nov 22, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (6) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Area closures MORE INFO >>> 2013 Peregrine Closure: Bloody Bush (5.7) to Overhanging Layback (5.7). This includes Arch, Ribs, Strictly, Shockley's and the Mac Wall. Best wishes to the nestlings. 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 

I have always been curious about this short climb - except for an occasional boulderer, I had never seen anyone even top-roping this climb. This past weekend, my partner and I found out why.

P1: Climb an obvious 4" left-leaning crack onto the ledge, follow the chimney/corner to the overhang and exit right. The crux is mid-crack at the chockstone. Grab the chockstone and chicken-wing your way up to good holds. Grey Dick rates it at 5.7 - it's probably a 5.7 for someone over 6', for they could grab the grimper on the right easily, for anyone shorter, the OW feels at least a 5.9. Hence there is the ambiguous 5.7+ grade. If anyone more experienced in OW, can enlighten me what grade this should go as an off-width, I'd be happy to change the grade. Wear old jeans/carhartts that you won't regret cutting off in case your knee gets stuck.

Variations:
There are two hand and finger cracks to the left of the OW, they supposedly go at 5.9 and 5.9+. These two cracks are also very popular bouldering problems.

Walk off left to descend.

Location 

An obvious wide crack on the carriage-road facing side of the Keyhole wall.

Protection 

You can leap-frog a #5 in the OW, it is also possible to sling the chockstone, but maybe more strenuous. The overhang at the top can be protected with a #4, but it is not necessary, there is some small gear on the face to the right.