Left Ski Track 

Crux is getting to the bolt, once the bolt is clipped, the difficulty eases way down.

I backed off this route when I tried it about a year and a half ago. I absolutely could not trust the gear just below the crux... I believe it was a red alien in a slightly flaring boxy pin scar.I tested it best I could from the ground but I just couldn't commit to the crux once I'd climb back up... it just looked too sketchy. If it blows, its probably hello groundfall. Anyone fallen' on this piece? There really aren't any other options for gear so I suspect this is the piece most people use.

I found Bendix Claws to be considerably easier, though who knows since I wasn't willing to commit to this section.

It took me 4 or 5 tries to red point this one. The first try was practically C1 last spring as I wasn't even strong enough for the route and I quickly discovered (as you did) that the gear is very tricky. However it does protect well. I got 4 excellent pieces in before getting to the bolt, and there's a place for a 5th. I won't publicly post a ton of gear beta for those that don't want to read it, but with Aliens and TCUs it protects quite well and I can assure you that the placements below the bolt can hold falls :) After the bolt the climbing and gear placement ease dramatically.

Oh, re: the red alien placement. A red (#4) TCU fits there MUCH MUCH better, but there are other bomber placements above and below this one as well.

once you commit to the crux you can shove a purple Camalot(#4) itno the fist, hand jam slot, or if you want to dodge the jam you can plae it before the crux, this will definatly keep you off the deck.

Strenuous!! Luckily it eases way up after the crux.

I have to agree with Josh. The #4TCU works great down low. Took a fall on it and it held. With that confidence and a quick lower to the ground, sent it next try. That and a #4 B.D. is all you really need to get you to the bolt. That is what I love about this site. Friendly gear beta, pictures, and stories about the 'ole days'. Keep'em coming.

I struggled on this route and thought it a bit stiff for the grade.

I dont want to give away too much beta for those who don't want it, but a number 2 C4 fits wonderfully in the back of the number 4 placement mentioned above, and the smaller piece will help make this jam/hold still usable.

Here is some early 80's footage of me soloing the Left Ski Track.

www.fishproducts.com/movies/russ_left_skitrack.mov (QuickTime 7 required)

RE: Russ' video....the great make it look easy kids. Don't try this at home....Cool vid!

Good stuff, Russ! My hands were sweating watching it...I felt like I needed to chalk up!

Great climb. Have done it a few times now. The crux is getting to the bolt for me I have since now got it clean. But have fallen before the bolt on a #2 Camelot plugged into the flarry crack. I also used a #4 red metolius tcu just below the #2 and have fallen on that as well. Both pieces of pro held my fall. Just put them in correctly. I also weigh about 140 pounds. Have fun on this classic.

once climbed, easy to set up TR where the pitch eases off and the difficulties lower to 5.7 or so. anchor takes medium cams (#2,#3 BD).

Before getting on this I was intimidated by the stories of poor gear below the bolt. But, I found three bomber and easy placements below the bolt and thought the route to be very safe. I couldn't have asked for better gear.

The route steals stars from other hidden gems. One star out of five for the location and keeping people off other routes. Short crux and otherwise uninteresting climbing.

I protect the crux w/ 2 tricams in the flaring huecos @ about waist level from that bomber left fist jam ~15' up. red & blue fit perfect & have held a short fall w/ out blocking key holds for your 2nd. They're easy to place 1 handed if you rack them on individual biners when you rope up. Ive done this route several times now, My rack: (1) draw, (2)#1 c4's (1)#2 c4, (1)#3 c4, (1)blue tricam, (1)red tricam. Anchor w/ medium nuts or sling the big block.

tricam beta is right on. You can also get in a number 5 c4 above those.

So I took a lead ground fall on Saturday last week on this climb. Not fun. I fell about 20 feet to the ground. The fact that I didn't end up paralyzed or dead is amazing to me. I can tell you that a #4 does not work behind the first big jug/flake hold that is about 17 feet up from the ground. I had a #4 placed there and it pulled when I took a lead fall about 3 feet above it. Scary. I would say a #5 would be pretty bomber there, a little higher up in the flake where the crack is more parallel. The only way I can account for the #4 pulling is that the placement was a little flaring where the cam was at, and I didn't sling the cam. The only way it could pull like it did was due to some rotation that must have occured when I climbed past the placement. I went to Desert Medical Center in J-Tree after the fall, and they did a full CT scan of my chest area to make sure my organs didn't suffer any lacerations or that any of my ribs were broken. Be careful on this climb! Lesson learned: large cams still need to be placed with caution and appropriately, and slung if you anticipate any movement as you climb past it. Sloppy placements on larger cams may seem ok because of the size of the cam, but if the cam moves, all bets are off... My original placement of the #4 had all lobes at the same angle and set properly, but the cam must have shifted as I climbed past it. Don't use a #4 on that placement on this climb! Side note: I am not proud of this ground fall. It is actually embarassing for me to talk about it, but I want to make sure other climbers don't make the same mistake.

Dude, glad you are ok on that ripper. I've seen so many people chased down that climb with their cams following them it ain't funny. I've never thought that lower section took good pro at all. That feature you describe is known as the "fin" and is right before the crux moves. Best pro going right there is an old fashioned #11 hex. Swear to Satan, the thing is beyond bomber. Try it next time instead of a cam.

Thanks for the gear beta, Russ. I really enjoyed the lower movements of the climb. Solid climbing, good sequence with strong moves. I just botched the upper crux section and thought I would take a "short fall" to reset and take another look at the section just below the bolt. What a surpirse when I let go and fell to the ground. The climb is fun and heady, and I do want to lead it again, as soon as my ribs feel up to it. The doctor said "don't climb for a week or so", but I think that was pretty optimistic. I am pretty sure I tore the cartilage where my ribs attach to my solar plexus area. Just an impact injury. I also just bought a #5 cam thinking it might work a little higher in the "fin" area. Have you ever seen someone use that in that placement?

Seems the best stuff guys use is smaller cams way in the back of those pods. Never seen a #5 up there in the fin slot, but maybe it will fit better than the #4? It is a tricky one to protect and IMO some pretty hard moves between the fin and the slammer hand jam past the bolt.

The #4 (Red) TCU beta in comments above is spot on, I've fallen on it. Old style #4 camalot (purple) is also bomber next to the fin, I imagine a new #5 would also be fine. The pro is not totally straightforward, but it is sufficient and solid, no reason to be taking groundfalls on this.

I agree, there really never is a "reason" to take a ground fall on a climb. In retrospect, I should have slung my #4 cam. When I placed the cam, it was solid. It had to have walked as I climbed past it. If I had slung it, it should have been fine. Thanks for the feed back.

I didn't/don't have a #4 tcu, or I might have tried it. I did consider the tricams, and tried to place them, but the effort required to place the red tricam seemed pretty intense, and I decided to go to the fin instead. I suppose I could have placed the red tricam from the fin hold, if I had suspected my #4 at all.

I took an educated risk. I made a plan, practiced the sequence up to the fin, racked the #4 on my right side at the front, and executed. Everything went as per plan, I just made the mistake of not slinging the #4. If you take a look at the pictures on this page, you will notice that all of the pictures show the cam placed behind the fin not slung. Be careful with this! Do yourself a favor, and pre-sling your "fin" cam while you are on the ground and rack it as such.