Maple Jam  5.10a

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 150 feet Consensus:  5.10a [details] FA:  Chris Falkenstein, Dennis Miller, 1973 Submitted By:  Will S on Jul 1, 2007 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (5) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Fifi Buttress To Close! MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed to all visitor use to protect peregrine falcon aeries from March 1 until August 1 of each year or until the young falcons of the current year have fledged: Fifi Buttress Immediately west of Leaning Tower. Closure includes all routes on Fifi Buttress. 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 

This route has some fun and challenging jamming on the second pitch. The first pitch climbs a 5.8 lieback on the left side of a tower with a wide crack in the back. Take the biggest cams you own or a single #4 Camalot and run it out. Alternatively, climb the right side of the tower, through vegetation in the bottom half and a wide crack in the back for the upper half (this option is much easier and less runout, but dirty and unaesthetic climbing). For many years a large tree served as the belay and start for the second pitch. That tree is dead and gone, good luck rigging a belay here, best just to link the two pitches into one. (UPDATE: A gear belay is now available at the base of the formerly dirty corner and the scary section described below has been extensively cleaned, takes pro, and is much more enjoyable after the cleaning.)

The section between the top of the tower and the roof WAS dirty, loose, scary climbing through the remnants of the old tree in a wide crack where the trunk used to grow, complete with teeter totter 500lb spikes of loose rock, crumbling roots, dirt, and rotten bark. In the past the tree provided clean access to the roof. Grovel up this 10' section to the roof and plug in a 3.5"-4" piece. The roof quickly tapers to perfect hands. Pull around the roof (crux) on good hands turning into fingers and off fingers with good stemming rests. Easy crack in a dihedral leads to a final 5.9 crux up high pulling through a section of vertical 3" crack. After the second crux, move slightly left out of the dihedral onto easy face climbing to avoid loose blocks and dirt in the corner. Belay at two solid/modern bolts. Walk off left or rap.

Location 

The route is located approximately 150' left and uphill from Positively 4th Street at a point where a small ledge juts out to the right from the base. The first pitch appears as a small 30' tower with a clean wide crack on the left side. The second pitch is visible above as a wide crack under a roof, thinning and turning the roof on the left and becoming a lower angle left facing corner system. Walk off climbers left on 3rd/4th class ledges.

Protection 

Doubles to 2", singles to 4", plus optional big gear for P1.